Is this even real?

You limped out of the studio, your duffel bag hanging over one shoulder. You had just finished dance practice and was about to have lunch with your group when you felt an arm drape over your shoulders, heaving your bag onto their own back.

You turned your head to the side to see Jimin, the leader of your dance group as the two of you strode to the cafeteria.

“Hey,” he beamed and you couldn’t help yourself from doing the same. His smile was contagious.

“Hey Jimin,” you greeted and looked forward. With every step he pulled you closer, his hand around you was restricting your movements and you felt your head thump against his chest over and over again.

Boom boom.

Y/N take deep breaths.

In.

Out.

“You wanna pick where we eat today?” he asked you. Normally it was his choice and he would always chose the perfect restaurant, something affordable and enjoyable.

You didn’t want that kind of pressure, choosing the wrong eating place could result in having many enemies in your dance academy.

And what if he didn’t like the one you chose? Would that be a deal breaker?

When he saw you shaking your head, he laughed, “Burger Burger, it is.”

Truth be told, you loved the way he laughed, throwing his head back while he covered his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes would turn into upside down crescents, and the skin around them would crinkle like paper.

You had had a crush on him since you started at the academy but no one could blame you. Who wouldn’t find the funny, smart, witty, good looking, talented star dancer attractive?

“Hey, Y/N,” he pulled you out of your trance.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” you blinked back into reality, realising you had walked into the hangout obliviously.

“You wanna order?” you looked around the table to see all your friends staring at you.

“Oh, uhm, I’ll get the first one,” you stuck your thumb at the menu to the waitress and she bowed before taking it at walking away.

“You alright?” Yerin asked you from Jimin’s side.

She had been Jimin’s friend since they were both in preschool, and they were joined at the hip. You resented her and the friendship they shared, the fact that she could hug him whenever she wanted, call him whenever she wanted, and touch him whenever she wanted made you green with envy.

“Yeah,” you gave an awkward laugh, “So how’s everyone feeling for the concert? Y’all ready?”

“Aye,” Jimin snorted, “Of course we are, we’re the dream team, aren’t we?” he cheered, wrapping an arm around Yerin’s shoulder.

 “There isn’t a competition we haven’t conquered,” she added, grinning up at her best friend.

That could be me, you couldn’t stop yourself from thinking.

“Just hurry up and date already,” someone interrupted from around the table.

Did you have to say that?

Thankfully no one saw the death glare you were giving him when Jimin laughed, looking at Yerin.

“Should I?” your eyes widened and everyone cheered.

“Finally!”

Yerin and Jimin looked at each other for a brief moment before bursting into laughter, “Yeah, no, not happening,” Yerin said, “How many times do we need to tell you that we know too much about each other to find the other attractive? At all?”

“Oh c’mon,” your class mates weren’t having it, while you just wanted to tell them to shut up. “You guys are basically already dating.”

“Oh look our food’s here!” you interjected, standing up, making everyone turn to the waitress who looked shocked at your sudden outburst. But you gave her a grateful smile as you accepted the food and spread it all around the table.

“Let’s eat!” Jimin announced and thankfully, just like that, the subject was dropped.

--

After eating, your group had gone back to the practice room, not to dance some more, but to just hang as Jimin put it. It was important for all of you to spend time together outside of dancing and you were glad that everyone thought the same way.

“You were valedictorian?” your friend leaned forward on her chin as she waited for Jimin to answer.

“Yeah,” he answered with a chuckle, “Is it that much of a surprise?”

You were in deep. His laugh literally was music to your ears, and you wanted to listen to it on repeat forever.

“No… well yeah,” she replied and everyone found that hilarious.

“Can’t blame you though, everyone shunned me for my decision to become a dancer, when I had that ‘bright future ahead of me’.”

“Well that’s the same for all of us, isn’t it?”

“Dancing isn’t exactly a promising career option,” Yerin nodded.

“But here we are,” Jimin chimed, trying to lighten the mood, “And we’re going to rock that competition!”

There he goes again.

Being so utterly perfect.

The rest of the night was spent spilling secrets, giggling about their old instructors, telling stories of their embarrassing school lives, and before they knew it, dusk had hit.

“Crap, I should get going,” Yerin said, checking the time.

That was the cue for everyone else to slowly bid their goodbyes, leaving you and Jimin in the studio, alone.

You unplugged his phone from the stereo, watching the home screen flash before locking it. But in that brief moment you saw the wallpaper, one of Jimin kissing his mother’s cheek, making your heart flutter.

Turning around, you helped him pick up the last of the empty plastic water bottles and food wrappers here and there, laughing when he would scold those ‘kids’ under his breath.

When you both emptied your hands of the rubbish, you handed him his phone.

“Thanks,” he winked and slid it into his pocket, picking up his dance bag. “You have a ride home?”

“Uh, yeah, I think I’m gonna catch the bus.”