JIMIN’S POV

Young Jae knew about us. Even if she wanted to act like we had just been friends in Seoul he knew the truth about our past relationship. He might have known even before we moved to Seoul, especially since he had been a teacher at her school. I used to pick her up from work when I had the chance, and she'd introduced me to the staff on several occasions. But I realized he knew because he kept acting like such a possessive in front of me.

I wanted to believe her when she told me they weren’t dating. But he definitely acted like her boyfriend. He even hugged her in my family’s restaurant! When I'd seen the way his arms held her so close and how she gingerly leaned into him, I'd wanted to punch him. Were they dating? Did she like him or was she with him because she was trying to get over me? Was she over me?

It was my own damn fault that I'd lost her, but Young Jae sure as hell wasn't helping matters.

And then! Then, he'd invited me into her apartment like it was his own home. “Come, have dinner with us!”

Words cannot describe how annoyed I felt at that moment. And when he hugged her without a shirt on? Fresh out of the shower? I had never needed to witness a sight like that. Hugging her shirtless and still wet from the shower was my thing. It was the best way to get her to make out with me.

I hated that he cooked for her. I hated that they watched movies together. I hated him every time he touched her or looked at her or even breathed around her.

It wasn’t fair of me to hate him. I had no right to be upset about these things. I had left her. But here I was, selfishly wanting her back.

“Jimin…” she mumbled, snuggling closer to me. . Why did she have to drink so much beer? The little drunkard.

“Jimin, I’m really sleepy. Help me go to bed.” She gently kissed my shoulder. I let out a soft sigh, wishing that this moment could last forever.

“C’mon,” I said softly. “Let’s try and stand up.” I placed one of her arms around my shoulders and kept my other arm wrapped around her waist. Carefully, I helped her to her feet. Yukon looked up at us before settling down into his doggy bed. He was too used to this kind of scene to worry about her.

“I have to wash my face,” she told me, giggling. God, what an adorable little giggle.

“Okay, I’ll help you.”

I guided her to the bathroom and sat her on the edge of the bathtub.

“You have to pull my hair back and pin up my bangs," she instructed.

I smiled to myself. “I remember. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this, you know.”

I grabbed a hair ribbon and a pin from the shelf. I sat on the bathtub next to her and gently pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

“Your hair has gotten long,” I commented as I ran my fingers through it and checked for any tangles.

“I miss my salon in Seoul. I don’t trust anyone else to cut my hair," she murmured.

I pinned up her bangs a bit messily. “What about your bangs? They’ll grow out so soon.”

“I’ll just have you cut them like you always do.” She yawned and my heart gave a little lurch at her words. Sober her would never let me hang around long enough to cut her bangs for her.

I stood up, wet a facecloth, and grabbed her face wash. She watched me with sleepy eyes.

“Jimin," she mumbled as I wet her face. “I really miss you.”

“Close your eyes,” I said softly. I gently rubbed the face wash into her pretty skin.

“Jimin, did you miss me?”

I studied her face as I wiped it clean with the facecloth. Really, she was so beautiful.

“Every day,” I whispered as I traced her jawline with my index finger. God, I wanted to kiss her so badly.

“Good," she sighed happily, a little smile on her face.“I’d be so annoyed if you got over me.”

I laughed softly. “I don’t see that happening anytime soon. All right, you’re finished.”

“Jimin! You know there's five more steps...to my skin care routine," she whined at me, tugging on the sleeve of my shirt.

“Even while drunk you’re always particular about your face.”

I went over to the shelf to gather up the rest of her products. She stretched, perhaps a little too widely, and fell into the bathtub.

“Jimin!” she giggled helplessly, “Jimin, save me!” She stretched out her hands for me to help her up.

I smiled at the sight of her. “I’m not helping you. You got yourself into that mess, you can get yourself out."

She pouted at me and it took everything in me not to climb in next to her and kiss that little pout away.

"Jimin, I need you," she looked up at me with pleading eyes, then dissolved into laughter.

I snatched her toner off the shelf and climbed into the bathtub next to her, abandoning every attempt to calm my racing heart and beat down the hope that was quickly rising within me.

“Hold still.” I commanded, holding her face.

“Jimin,” she tried to talk as I dabbed the product into her skin.

“Shh.”

“Don’t shush me! Jimin, I have something important to tell you.”

“Oh yeah? What is it?” I asked, amused. I finally finished and rested against the wall, taking a deep breath. Being close to her was both wonderful and excruciating and I never wanted it to end.

She laid her head against my shoulder. “Jiminie…you’re a brat.”

“Is that what you had to tell me?” I asked, laughing.

“Yeah. I just thought you should know," she giggled. “You’re so cute.” She turned her head and kissed my arm.

She always became affectionate when drunk, always kissed me and told me how pretty I looked, whispered how much she loved me. She would always spill her secrets while drunk; she'd sit on my lap and whisper confessions in my ear, some silly and some serious. I missed those moments more than I could stand.

I her hair, eager to soak in any love I could get from her, wishing I could rewind time and go back to when we were happy together.

“Jimin…I’m sleepy." She yawned hugely and snuggled close against me, hand splayed across my chest and lips just grazing my collarbone.

“Well, then, let’s get you to sleep," I suggested, although I couldn't bear the thought of letting her go. She wouldn't be like this in the morning. A part of me wondered if this was the last time I'd ever be close to her like this.

“Carry me. I’m too tired to walk.” She yawned and stretched, smacking me in the face. This girl, seriously.

“I’ll carry you.” I climbed out of the tub first, then grabbed her outstretched hands and pulled her out. “Okay, ready?”

She nodded. I bent down and she climbed onto my back. She wrapped her arms around my neck and my heart began to pound again. It had been so long since we were this close to each other and I just couldn't keep calm around her.

“Jimin,” she whispered, her breath tickling my ear. “Jimin, I wanna kiss you.” She bent her head and pressed her lips to my neck. “Jimin...Jimin…Jimin.”

She repeated my name over and over, each time leaving little kisses on my neck and shoulders. I shivered.

“Baby, you’re going to regret this tomorrow,” I whispered. I wanted so badly to hold her in my arms, lay down on the bed, and kiss her all over.

“Jimin…” She nibbled my earlobe. this. I was going to die if I didn’t get her to sleep soon.

“Baby, stop,” I pleaded, quickly feeling my self-control dissipate.

“Don’t you call anybody else baby," she ordered me quietly. “I’m your baby still. You can’t call anyone else that ever.”

“I don’t want to call anyone else that,” I assured her softly. “Only you, baby.”

We finally made it to the bedroom. I tried to set her down on the bed, but she clung to me.

“Jimin, don’t leave.” She pressed her face into my back and started to cry. Her tears wet my shirt, but I didn’t care.

“Shh, shh. I’m not going anywhere.” I gently pried her off of me and settled her on the bed. “I’m just going to get your pajamas.”

“They’re in your Givenchy backpack," she told me softly, abruptly calming down. She lay down on the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and closed her eyes. "But I'm just gonna sleep in this."

“Baby, you can’t sleep in those clothes,” I nagged. “Get up and get dressed.”

“Nooo," she moaned. “I just wanna sleep.”

“You’re wearing tights,” I reminded her. “You’re going to be really mad in the morning if you rip those. It’s happened before and it was not a fun experience for either of us.”

“Ugh, Jimin. You’re so annoying.”

"I know, baby. I know."

I went into the closet and found the Givenchy backpack hanging there. Why would her pajamas be in here? I ped it and found the clothes I had left her and the post-it note. Were these the pajamas she was talking about? She wanted to sleep in my clothes? They even still smelled like me after three months.

I suddenly wondered what she had done with the other thing I left her. I rummaged through the bag until I found the small blue velvet box. I opened it and was surprised to see that the inside was empty. What could she have done with it?

“Hey, you.” I called to her. “Come over here and get dressed.”

“Bring me my pajamas, servant," she commanded me regally, then burst into a fit of giggles.

I had to laugh, just because she was such an adorable drunk. I selected a pair of boxers and an undershirt.

“Why do you want to sleep in these clothes?” I asked her as I pulled the covers off of her and helped her sit up.

“Because they smell like you. I was saving them for when I was sad, but I’m always sad.” She sighed, then lifted her arms up. “Help me, please.”

I gently pulled her shirt over her head. Why was she so unguarded around me? We weren’t dating anymore. Why was she letting her ex-boyfriend undress her?

I spied a long chain around her neck. “I didn’t know you wore necklaces.” I said, trying to distract myself from her perfect body. I refused to look past her collarbone for my own sanity.

“I don’t," she yawned. I pulled the undershirt over her head and helped her put her arms through.

“What’s that around your neck then?” I asked, confused.

“It’s nothin', Jimin," she mumbled. I handed her a pair of my boxers, mystified by the secrecy.

“Go ahead and change into these yourself.” I kissed the top of her head. “I can’t help you with that anymore.”

I turned around as she fumbled to take off her tights. Why'd she lie about the necklace. Was it something Young Jae had given her?

“You can turn around now," she called to me. I obeyed and had to take in a deep breath at the sight of her in my old clothes. I had desperately missed seeing her like this, and I felt a mixture of desire and regret. Couldn't I just hold her once more?

“Okay, baby, time for bed.” I picked up her dirty clothes and threw them in the laundry basket. She obediently lay down on the bed.

I walked over to the bed and knelt down beside her. “Goodnight,” I whispered, kissing her forehead.

She was already fast asleep. I went to cover her with the blanket when I noticed the chain around her neck again. Unable to control my curiosity, I gently pulled it up to see the charm. The chain was so long that it took me a little while.

When the charm finally revealed itself, I gasped in surprise. This was…this was my engagement ring. My pulse quickened. Why was she wearing my engagement ring around her neck? Did it have any special meaning?

“Jimin," she mumbled in her sleep, turning around in the bed. The chain slipped from my grasp and disappeared out of sight.

Was she dreaming about me? Was she dreaming about me while wearing my ring around her neck?

I knew that I should leave and just see her at the restaurant tomorrow. I knew that I should respect her space, that we were broken up, and that she probably wouldn’t even remember everything she had done tonight when she woke up tomorrow. I knew, but I still climbed into bed and lay down across from her.

Just for a few moments, I wanted to pretend that nothing had changed. That we were still together, that this was our home, and that she knew I loved her. I gently tucked her hair behind her ear and rested my forehead against hers. “I love you," I whispered. I closed my eyes and breathed in her familiar scent of perfume and shampoo. Oh, how I had missed this.

I didn’t need anything else if I could only have her back in my arms.