Taehyung spun around in his seat so quickly that Arynn started a little in the middle of lecture, her pencil rolling off the desk to be stopped by his black school shoe.

His cat-like eyes glistened with apologetic amusement under a thick layer of styled purple fringe, and he leaned forward to quickly scribble something on the margins of the open notebook in front of him.

"Arynn, dorms? Jin-hyung is cooking tonight."

Arynn scanned the messy scrawl quickly, pausing and pretending to contemplate before reaching over to ink her response ("Why not?") on the top of his hand. The teacher continued to drone, and she quickly averted her eyes back to the blackboard to avoid catching Taehyung's excited smile he was without a doubt sending her way. In the six years she'd known him, he'd always been this infectiously happy, and even more so now that he finally debuted this summer. Even with seemingly permanent dark eye circles and the loss of baby-faced cheeks, Arynn observed as her best friend turned back around in his chair, he really hasn't changed at all, inviting her over for dinner and a few rounds of video games like they've always done over school breaks.

"My favorite dongsaengs!"

Arynn staggered forward and Taehyung tripped as they felt a sudden heavy impact on their backs. Amy laughed, a breath of frigid air materializing from her lips, and slid her arms off the pair.

"Taehyung-ah, you're taking us to your new dorm tonight, right?" The older girl asked as she linked arms with Arynn, ignoring the indignant look the violet-headed boy shot her and the usual stream of complaints ("We're only a few months apart, stop calling me that!") that followed.

"He says his hyung is making dinner for us tonight," Arynn winked at Amy, squeezing her gloved hand into Tae's own palm to shut him up.

"Which one? That boy with the really pretty lips?"

"Wait." Arynn felt Taehyung's hand go slack as she spun around to glare lightly at him. "How does she know what your members look like? I've been begging you for a picture for weeks!"

Taehyung smiled sheepishly, a lilt invading his voice as he pouted, "Why are you so eager to see them, Arynn-ah? Am I not enough?"

"And you say that the muscular boy is the greasy one..." Amy snickered.

Taehyung cleared his throat, lifting his long arms to drape across the shoulders of the shorter girls. "Enough talk," he declared hastily, "Let's go meet the boys!"

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The foyer of the dorm was cozy, bright, and flooded with more pairs of high-top sneakers than Arynn could care to count. Taehyung laughed easily and supported her elbow as he kicked off his own shoes, hand snaking down to slyly entwine his fingers between hers before pulling Arynn into the living room, Amy shutting the door behind the three of them.

"Guys! Come meet my friends...they're girls," Taehyung called, a mischievous glimmer in his pupils as he shouted the last phrase around the small apartment.

Almost immediately Arynn felt a warm hand on her back, and turned around to catch sight of an adorable eye-smile. "I'm Jimin," the boy grinned charmingly as Taehyung rolled his eyes imperceptibly behind him.

"Jimin, this is my best friend. Arynn, Jimin." Taehyung gestured.

"So you're Arynn? We've heard a lot about you from this kid~" came the shorter boy's response as Taehyung quickly busied himself introducing the others to Arynn and Amy as well. Arynn suddenly winced as a sharp toe pressed into her foot when the oldest boy smiled at them from the kitchen, sharing a knowing grin with Taehyung as Amy blushed at the acknowledgement.

Something even sharper prodded Arynn between her shoulder blades, and she yelped softly, "Amy!"

"Sorry," a low voice mumbled, its owner obscured by a stack of wide cardboard boxes in his arms.

Taehyung lit up. "Hyung, you're back?"

"Did you get all the things I wrote on that list?" Jin called as he shuffled into the living room, helping to lift the packages from the newcomer's arms.

"You guys, this is Yoongi!"

This time it was Amy who yelped as Arynn's heel met her pinky toe, but the younger girl didn't even register her action over Yoongi's hoarse "hello" and crooked smile. His light brown eyes flitted from Amy to Arynn's faces in brief greeting before Yoongi ducked politely and padded to unload the plastic bags wrapped around his hands onto the dining table.

A cough next to her ear brought Arynn back to her senses. "Why are you so red?" Taehyung wanted to know.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Tae," Arynn whispered as she leaned over the desk, and the violet-head ruffled his locks to show he was listening while still keeping his eyes focused on the front of the room. "You guys don't have schedules this evening, right? Amy and I wanted to return the favor and cook you guys dinner."

"Did hyung's cooking shock you so much that you felt obligated to make us food?" Taehyung turned around briefly to tease, before resuming note-taking.

Arynn felt a smile tug at her lips at the thought of tousled auburn hair and sleepy eyes. "No...its just been a while since the last dinner. We wanted to catch up."

"Why are you so eager to see the guys, anyways?" Taehyung mumbled, but his voice was perceptible enough for Arynn to frown at the words. He'd been a more subdued version of himself ever since last Friday's dinner at the dorm. Even Amy had pulled Arynn aside to ask if something had happened, but as much as Arynn racked her brain nothing particularly memorable had stood out her in the past seven days. Well, unless you counted a certain brunette rapper with a deep, y voi-

She blinked as Taehyung slowly moved his arm to scratch at the back of his neck, the word "fine" printed neatly with black pen on his right hand.

"Tae-tae, we'll cook something nice for you," Arynn purred in excitement, and she laughed as he pretended to swat the tickle of her breath from his ear.

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"You two are literally angels," Jimin deadpanned as a greeting to the two girls later that evening, propping the door open with his leg as he reached over to help lift several bags of groceries.

"Yeah well," Amy shifted under his flirtatious wink. "It was actually Arynn's idea."

Arynn returned the smile, leaning her back against the kitchen counter to call the boys together.

"So, what's for dinner?" Taehyung cocked his head, surveying the small pile of ingredients spilled over the dining table as the rest of the boys slowly streamed in.

"You tell us."

"Pizza!"

"Jjangmyeon!"

"Cheese ramyu-"

"You are seriously not suggesting that we make you instant ramyeon." Arynn lightly punched Hoseok's arm, and received a playful push in retaliation from the dancer.

"If you keep on suggesting junk food, we'll just feed you more chicken!" Amy teased, earning her a quick hair-ruffle from Jin who did his best to look offended.

"Guys!" Namjoon's voice cut through the chatter. "Why don't we ask them what they actually, y'know... know how to make instead?"

"...Pizza it is," the girls chorused, and Jungkook sent an appreciative grin their way.

"Okay," Amy surveyed the assortment of cans and packages haphazardly laid on the table. "Arynn, I'll need you to pick someone to accompany you to the supermarket. We'll need flour, tomato sauce, yeast..."

Taehyung smiled and quickly slipped his hand into his friend's, only to grasp at empty air a moment later as Arynn made a start towards Yoongi.

"Oppa, do you mind coming with me?"

Yoongi glanced up, his sleepy eyes widened with mild surprise. He shrugged and slid off his seat, helping Arynn into her jacket before slipping into his own. "We'll be back," Yoongi called before shutting the front door, and blocking Taehyung's hurt expression from view.

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“She said flour…” Yoongi muttered as he bent down to read the labels of the paper packets stacked on the grocery shelf. Beside him, Arynn shifted her weight foot to foot, adjusting the shopping basket in her hands. It wasn't that she wasn’t excited to finally spend time alone with him- when he agreed earlier to accompany her, it seemed like the perfect chance to get closer. But he had hardly spoken on their trek to the store, and his quietness made Arynn fidget in hesitation. He wasn’t annoyed at being asked, right? Arynn unconsciously let a little breath escape her lips, thinking back to the dorms. Maybe she should have let Taehyung take her instead of asking Yoongi…at least she wouldn’t be spending time worrying over what to say.

“Ready?” Yoongi’s voice broke her train of thought as he placed the white package in the basket. “Here, let me,” he added as he reached for the now-heavier basket with his right hand, using his left to steer Arynn towards the checkout.

As they left the store, Yoongi hummed to himself and adjusted the straps of the paper bag. Arynn trudged beside him, but as they approached the dorm she suddenly felt panic. She had to get him to speak, or lose the chance. Maybe…ask about the song he’s humming?

“Yoongi, what so- ack!” Arynn felt her boot come down on a solid icy surface, but without the traction her foot continued to slide forward, jerking her whole body forward until she let out a painful squeak as her right foot twisted beneath her body. Luckily, she wasn’t carrying any bags- their total purchases had only comprised one bag which Yoongi had insisted he carry- but at the sound of her tumble the boy had dropped the paper sack to rush near.

“Are you okay?” he asked, eyebrows turning up in concern as took in her awkward position of Arynn’s leg.

“Yeah…I’m fine,” Arynn winced as she shifted on her side, gingerly freeing her leg. Her feet momentarily left the ground as strong arms lifted her into a sitting position on the sidewalk, and cold fingers carefully probed the injured foot.

“I don’t think it’s anything serious…probably just a sprain, at most.” Yoongi concluded as Arynn’s cheeks burned.

“Oppa…sorry for causing you trouble,” she muttered, feeling heat invade her face as Yoongi raised an eyebrow.

“What’s to be sorry over? If anyone’s apologizing, it should be me…I didn’t make you uncomfortable earlier, did I? All the members say I’m intimidating when I don’t talk, but I don’t mean to be,” Yoongi laughed sheepishly, and his deep chuckle made Arynn crack a smile in relief.

“A bit, but I like this Yoongi more,” Arynn teased, and Yoongi eyed her with a smile. He bent down to meet her eyes as she sat, wrapping an arm around her waist and sliding another under her knees.

“Let’s get into the house, okay? I’m so cold.” He complained as he effortlessly lifted her, setting her back unto her feet with a hand lingering on her middle for balance. Arynn dropped her chin to her chest in a poor attempt to hide the redness across her face, but not before a swath of wool enveloped her neck and part of her face. “You look like you need this,” Yoongi smiled as a playful glint appeared in his eyes, carefully wrapping his grey scarf over the younger girl’s neck. Once finished, he stepped back to survey his handiwork and gave a satisfied nod before turning towards the steps of the dorm.

“Oppa-wait!”

Yoongi turned his face to glance back, but before anything, felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and then lips against his cheek for a fleeting moment. He blinked again, to see Arynn releasing his shoulder and letting her heels hit the pavement again, potential blush obscured by soft scarf.

She smiled at him, and Yoongi felt his own lips tug at the corners of his mouth without meaning to.

“Thanks, oppa,” and the words were sweet enough that neither she nor Yoongi heard the front door of the door slam angrily behind them.

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“Thank- you- for- dinner!” Jungkook groaned, eagle-spread on the hardwood floor.

Amy snickered as she side-stepped over the maknae’s long limbs, jabbing his side with her toe as she made her way towards the door. “Yah, how can someone eat so much?”

“I couldn’t help it,” Jungkook flopped over, a lazy smile gracing his features. “My noonas are the best cooks,” he drawled as Arynn similarly climbed over the lanky boy, Yoongi at her side.

“Jeon Jungkook, it’s your turn to help Hoseok with the dishes,” Yoongi called over his shoulder before turning to face the girls. “Thanks for cooking,” he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as Arynn returned the shy grin. “I can walk you two bac-“

“Ah hyung, I already offered to take them home so it’s okay you don’t have to,” Taehyung materialized beside the girls, already dressed in a heavy winter coat as he rambled insistently. “It’s really cold so we should hurry, right? Okay, say bye to everyone! We’re leaving!” He lightly shoved Amy out the door while pulling Arynn away from Yoongi’s goodbye hug.

“Tae, we didn’t even get to say good-bye to everyone!” Amy whined, cautiously descending the front steps as Taehyung firmly shut the front door behind them.

“Well...doesn’t this just mean we have to come back?” Arynn smiled, pulling the woolen jacket tighter around her body.

Taehyung’s darkly tinted eyebrows furrowed together, but he smiled anyways as Arynn fell into step beside him. “Are you cold, Arynn-ah?” He asked as he slid a puffy-jacket arm over her shoulders, pulling the shorter girl closer to his chest.

“Tae, you’re suffocating me!” Arynn laughed, the sound muffled as she swatted her friend’s arm away from her slight frame, and Taehyung let his hand fall limply to his side.

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“Unnie, I really like him.” Arynn confessed as the girls reached their apartment, throwing her bag unto the floor as she used a free hand to unlace her boots.

Amy grinned, her nose bright red from the cold as she glanced up from her sitting position on the floor, “Really? Well, I really like…“but her sentence was cut short as Arynn playfully smacked her arm, shaking the older girl around as she laughed, “I know, I know!”

A dull buzzing suddenly broke through the quiet hum of the air vents, and Arynn grappled for her phone in her pockets. She tapped the screen and read the text- once, and then twice before Amy lost patience and leaned over her shoulder.

“What does it say?”

…

“What is this?!” 

Arynn shook her head in disbelief as Amy doubled over in laughter beside her, clearly enjoying the turn of events far too much. Her phone laid discarded on the countertop, where the Yoongi’s invitation for a dinner together next Friday (“If you can walk by then…”) blazed on the four-inch screen.

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In class, Taehyung never turned around once.

“Tae. I know you can hear me,” Arynn whispered loudly, slumping in her seat to stretch her leg under the desk and lightly nudge the heel of his shoe. The boy quickly propped his feet on the metal bar of the desk in front of him.

“Why won’t you talk to me?”

Again, nothing but silence returned as a response.

“Did…I do something wrong?” Arynn ventured as she slowly tucked her legs back under her own chair. Taehyung had been like this ever since the last weekend, alternating between overtly cheerful and sulkily inattentive. Arynn hated it, and even more because she didn’t know why.

Only this time Taehyung’s back seemed to flinch at her words as if absorbing her uncertainty, and the purple-haired boy twisted around to face her with dark brown eyes that reflected guilt and irritation. His mouth opened, but that was as far as he got.

“You two, pay attention to the lecture! I’ll speak with you both after class.”

“Yes, teacher,” Taehyung muttered as he dipped his head, turning in his seat to face the board.

-------------------------------------------------------

The door of the classroom squeaked as its hinges turned ten minutes after class, and Arynn shoved the heavy wooden fixture aside to catch up with a quickly distancing figure of Taehyung.

“Kim Taehyung!”

Her best friend stopped at the sound of her voice. Arynn only ever addressed him so formally when she was truly angry at him, and the last time he had heard his full name from her lips was in middle school, when he had laughed for an hour straight after she had missed a step and slid down the front stairs of the school after second period class.

“What?” Taehyung asked, but Arynn could tell he was avoiding her eyes.

“Why are you ignoring me?” she demanded, blocking his escape with an outstretched arm. “You’ve been clearly unhappy since last weekend. If I did something to hurt you, I want to know,” she continued, feeling her gaze soften as Taehyung quietly directed his gaze down to cheap tiled floor, scuffing the surface with his black shoe soles.

“It’s just…nah, it’s nothing,” Taehyung frowned, striking his shoe against the ground with enough force to mar the surface with angry dark streaks.

“Tae-tae. Please tell me.”

“It’s just…” he began, and she didn’t hesitate to notice the way he swallowed and wet his lips nervously. “Arynn-ah, we’re best friends, right? You know me best out of anyone, and I can say the same for you.”

Arynn felt herself nodding, but a vibration in her jacket distracted her from verbalizing her agreement. Yoongi- she had completely forgotten about his dinner after her scolding from the teacher after class. At this rate, he would think she was blowing him off.

“-and the thing is, I get…I get kind of jealous seeing you with them…him.” Taehyung finished, and Arynn averted her eyes from the phone just in time to meet his anxious brown eyes.

She was late, so so late. “Tae,” Arynn smiled as she shifted her backpack to distribute the weight across her shoulders, “Don’t be silly! I like the boys, but no one can replace you as my best friend.”

“No, that’s not it…“ Taehyung passed a hand over his eyes as frustration became apparent in the way he clenched his jaw and smiled tightly. “Wait- where are you going?”

“I’m late for my date!” Arynn said, apology apparent in her voice as she quickly sidestepped the tall boy to make her way to the outside doors. “How about we talk tomorrow morning? I’m sorry, Tae!” she called, nearly halfway to the entrance when Taehyung’s voice rang out.

“Arynn, I’m saying that I like you!”

“What?” Arynn felt herself whisper, but her brain didn’t process the words until her feet had carried her outside, and away from Taehyung slumped against the wall in the empty school hallway.

---------------------------------------------------

 “I was worried you’d slipped again,” Yoongi said as greeting when Arynn stumbled into the café twenty minutes after six o’clock.

“Sorry, something came up at school,” Arynn stammered apologetically, but Yoongi merely chuckled at the girl’s flustered state before standing to pull a chair out for her.

“Thanks,” she murmured as she slid in beside Yoongi, stealing a glance at the brunette as he turned to ask for a second menu from the waitress. His beanie sat low enough to obscure the majority of his copper-toned locks today, but wispy clumps of bangs poked out to brush against the boy’s dark eyelashes. His pupils were dark against the fair skin, and when he looked at her- Arynn felt an unknown force tugging her lips upwards as she mulled- the look in his eyes directed at her when he did things like pass her plastic menus or share scarves…

“What do you recommend?” she playfully nudged his arm, and Yoongi smiled back in a way that made Arynn’s stomach twist with familiar delight.

“Arynn, I’m saying that I like you.”

And then the twisting in her stomach felt like something much more uncomfortable.

“Are you listening?” Yoongi’s voice filtered in, and she looked up to catch sight up his concerned expression.

“I…yeah. Sorry.” Arynn blinked, once, twice as if to clear her mind…but Taehyung’s desperate voice wasn’t so easily pushed aside.

“We’re best friends, right? You know me best out of anyone, and I can say the same for you.”

He was right, kind of. No, absolutely. She couldn’t sit in a café with his band member and pretend to have pushed past the school doors two seconds earlier and missed his confession. Taehyung deserved more than that, and she couldn’t let their friendship end like this. He was too precious.

“Oppa…” Arynn ventured hesitatingly, cutting Yoongi’s story about Namjoon’s latest dancing fiasco short. “I’m so sorry, but there’s someone I need to see right now. Can we eat dinner another time…?”

Disappointment flickered across Yoongi’s face for a mere second before the older boy smoothed his features into a neutral look of acknowledgement. “Yeah, sure,” he nodded, and Arynn felt heat rise to her face as she inwardly cursed her wording. Hadn’t she just plainly admitted to leaving to see someone else? Of course he was hurt.

“Yoongi, sorry.” Arynn felt herself saying as she ducked her head, not pausing as she pushed the glass door out into the frigid air. She had received enough trouble sparing backwards glances for today, and seeing Yoongi alone at the table might just prove worse.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Caffe Bene was five minutes away from school, seven from the dinner date, and usually occupied in the late evenings by Taehyung and Arynn in a disordered corner table decorated with flimsy workbooks, vanilla lattes, and eraser shavings- with the exception of today.

“What?” Taehyung asked dumbly, his hand frozen halfway through solving problem number seventeen as his eyes glanced upwards.

“I said…sorry I’m late,” Arynn repeated, focusing her eyes on the wooden grain pattern of the table as she let her bag fall to the ground, scooting into the chair beside the sitting boy.

He carelessly set his pencil down, letting the writing utensil roll to the corner of the table, and Arynn could feel his stare boring into her side. “Wait,” he breathed, but a pressure began to build in at the way he closed his eyes, held his breath for just a second too long before speaking. “Does this mean…?”

But all the planning and rehearsing done on chilly evening sidewalks could not have prepared Arynn for the definite moment face to face with Taehyung and his crooked hopeful smile, and suddenly the lump felt much more painful to swallow.

“Tae…”

A breath, but suddenly it came out much shakier than expected.

“Tae, I am so sorry.”

Probably better, a voice in Arynn’s head whispered, that at that exact moment she tasted salty tears on her lips and squeezed her eyes shut, letting her forehead fall against the edge of the café table so that Taehyung’s face was hidden from view.

“I’m sorry, Tae, I just…really, sorry, I wish I could,” Arynn cried, not caring about the concerned stares of the surrounding patrons. From her position she could hear Taehyung shift in his seat before the harsh squeal of chair legs against the ground next to her made her cry even harder. So that was that- he was leaving and probably never wanted to see her again. In truth, she had expected the reaction but had pushed reality into a neglected corner of her mind…but it was selfish in thinking he’d stay and smile thinly and pretend like she hadn’t rejected his hallway confession.

An unknown amount of time passed before Arynn lifted her head from her arms, her temple throbbing and a waterlogged feeling sinking into the space between her eyes. It had gotten darker outside- though not significantly so- and most of the customers had either left or relocated tables so that a wide berth of empty chairs surrounded her own table.

But what Arynn noticed first was that a coffee cup waited on the table space in front of her seat, its contents mildly warm rather than steaming hot. On the clean white cardboard surface the barista had hurriedly scrawled the customer’s order: a vanilla latte.

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“Are you going to the airport this afternoon?” Amy asked as the two girls perched on the kitchen stools, dangling their sock-clad feet over the heating unit and waiting for rice porridge on the stove to heat up.  

Arynn shook her head, and Amy raised her eyebrows in worry.

“Still?”

“I haven’t talked to either of them since,” Arynn admitted, feeling dry as Yoongi, and then Taehyung’s expressions flashed across her mind. The truth was, she had been too nervous to contact Yoongi again after keeping him waiting and then leaving within ten minutes of arriving at the dinner. And Taehyung…she hadn’t seen him for the past week and half after the incident. Bangtan had begun comeback promotions and the members rarely ventured anywhere but the studio and the dermatologist office, completing schoolwork by the dim glow of the recording studio computers.

“They don’t know how long Thailand promotions will take…you won’t know how long until they’ll come back,” Amy mused, turning her attention to stirring the contents bubbling on the stove.

“So basically, you should sort this out while they’re still here, right?”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Hi,” Yoongi said, apprehension laced in the rasp of his voice. His oversized scarf obscured the majority of his neck and chin, and the street sweatshirt he sported hung off his relatively small frame in a relaxed manner- Airport fashion.

“I don’t have much time,” he added as Arynn opened to speak. “Manager-hyung says we have to get to our boarding gate by four-thirty, so if this is going to take a while, we can just talk when I get back.” His tone was not unfriendly, but still harder and brusquer than the relieved smile that had accompanied his teasing when they had met for dinner a while ago.

Arynn shifted from one foot to the other, letting the white clumps of snow that collected around the laces of her boots to fall to the ground. Behind her, travelers spilled out of hotel shuttle buses and wheeled suitcases into the front doors of Incheon airport. Yoongi’s fingers briefly wrapped around her arm to gently direct her away from the incoming traffic, but otherwise the brunette remained silent.

“You aren’t angry about dinner, are you?” Arynn ventured. She could feel the dampness of melted snow on the back of her exposed neck, and the chill caused her to shudder involuntarily.

“No,” Yoongi sighed, and his serious brown eyes lifted to meet hers before shifting to stare at empty space beyond Arynn’s shoulder.  “But if you didn’t want to eat with me, you could have just said so. No harm, no foul, right?”

Arynn blinked. The entire morning spent analyzing the situation did not once prepare her for the worn smile Yoongi wore, and all the rehearsed lines melted under her tongue as she crushed snow underfoot. “Oppa, you don’t think…I wanted to, but i-it was important…”

“Arynn-ah, I’m not upset so don’t worry,” Yoongi insisted with a blank expression, digging in his sweatshirt pocket for the source of a sudden hum. “I have to take this call- thank you for coming to see us off.” He politely bowed ever so slightly, the corners of his lips stretched tightly as he turned and pressed the phone to his ear.

Arynn wanted to punch something. Specifically a certain violet-headed boy for causing this mess- why couldn’t he have just shut up that day at school? She dropped to a crouch against the wall of the front entrance, burying her head in her knees and feeling the damp strands of hair brush against her wrists.

A soft melody broke through the white noise of footsteps and murmurs, and Arynn automatically unlocked her phone and answered the call, her cheek still pressed firmly against the intersection of her knee and the crook of her arm that encircled her limbs. Wordlessly, she clutched the phone against her ear.

“Arynn? Are you there?”

Speak of the devil.

“Arynn-ah, we’re about to board the plane. I need to talk to you.”

“So now you want to talk?” Arynn heard herself croak, and suddenly realized that the wetness on her cheeks was not in fact due to natural precipitation. “Go away, Taehyung.”

“I’m calling to say,” he paused, and the self-assured tone of Taehyung dissolved into something a little more cautious and softer in tone. “I think I love you.”

“Kim Taehyung.”

“I love you.”

“Stop saying that.” Arynn hissed, Yoongi’s understanding smile fresh in her memory.

“And the thing is, I know you love me back.”

“I don’t,” and now Arynn felt frustrated tears prick at the corners of her eyes. Was he going to make her reject him a thousand times over before they could be friends again?

“You’re always excited to visit the dorm because you want to see me.”

“Tae, I’m hanging up.”

“You came to our café two weeks ago because you wanted to be there, and not on some dinner date.”

A pause- Arynn bit her lip, willing herself to contain the strong irritation she felt bubbling inside of her as the voice on the phone took a heavy breath.

“You chose me over Yoongi-hyung.”

The way Taehyung enunciated each syllable of Yoongi’s name- the way hyung effortlessly rolled off his tongue so crisply and comfortably- was the tipping point, and Arynn squeezed the rubber casing of her phone as she straightened from her position on the ground, slowly to keep her voice steady.

“Listen to me, Taehyung. I don’t love you, or at least in the same way you love me-“

“Yes you do,” he interrupted, voice muffled by static and movement.

“No. I don’t love you! And you’re selfish to say this… to call and insist that I do. I ditched Yoongi because I thought you deserved a better response- no, even just a response, because I pretended to not hear you the first time- because six years together kind of demands something better than silence but-“

“Say it.”

“I regret it. Okay? I wish I hadn’t left Yoongi alone with two menus on the table and an empty chair beside him to talk to you instead, if I had known you were just going to run away after hearing something you didn’t want to. And then avoiding me like that…were we even really friends?”

“Stop,” Taehyung swallowed, and Arynn recognized the sound as the soft gulp he’d make whenever the purple-haired boy was choking back tears.

“…Tae…”

“Hyung, is this enough? Do you believe her now?” Taehyung whimpered. Arynn supported the phone to her ear but remained unmoving against the wall, his words being slowly filtered through her mind. Hyung?

“Arynn-ah,” a coarser voice exhaled, and a piercing beep signified the departure of Taehyung from the conference call, leaving only Arynn and Yoongi together on the line.  

----------------------------------------

“-and the thing is, I get…I get kind of jealous seeing you with them…him. It’s dumb and you clearly like him and the way he looks at you- Arynn, he likes you too. So do I, but it’s okay if I don’t make you feel any other way than as friends. I just have to say it out loud once, and then I’ll shut up about it forever. You don’t have to worry or act any differently tomorrow- I’d feel too sorry if you did. Arynn, I’m saying that I like you.”

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(throws confetti! you waited a long time ㅠ ㅠ)