Jimin wouldn’t drop the subject of my plans with Young Jae even though I constantly reassured him that I didn’t have any feelings for Young Jae. He had worked himself up into a foul mood and I didn’t have the patience to deal with it.

“I seriously just don’t understand why you need to hang out with him!” He persisted. We had finished washing all of the dishes for the morning and the restaurant had emptied before the lunch rush arrived. Everyone else had left for their lunch break, so we were alone in the restaurant. Jimin mopped the floor as I organized the dishes in the cabinets, but I could think of a million things I’d rather be doing with him than cleaning and having this argument.

“Because we’re friends, damn it! Just let it go!” I replied impatiently.

“You let it go!” Jimin retorted. “You can’t be friends with someone you’ve kissed. You and Young Jae acted like you were dating. Don’t give me that ‘It was just one date’ , baby. I crashed your usual dinner and a movie hangout at your apartment. You guys hung out alone in your home on a daily basis! You’re definitely not just friends. Why won’t you just admit it?”

I ignored him and continued putting the plates away.

“I know why you won’t admit it. You don’t want to feel like a bad person.” Jimin accused me. “You don’t want to admit that you used him.”

“I didn’t use him.” I insisted.

Jimin scoffed. “So what were you guys then? Friends with benefits?”

“Jimin, just shut the up.” I slammed the cabinet door shut.

“No!” Jimin cried. “I’m tired of dealing with your bull, baby. Just admit it! Just be honest with yourself and admit that you either used Young Jae to deal with our breakup or you were gonna date him! Those are the only two explanations I can think of for you letting him act like your boyfriend!”

“Yeah, but he’s not.” I pointed out. “You are.”

“That’s what I’m ing saying!” Jimin dunked the mop in the bucket exasperatedly. Water splashed over the edge and onto his shoes. He cursed and moved away, his irritation growing with every passing second. “I’m your boyfriend!” He glared at me. “So stop trying to hang out with your boy toy!”

“He’s not my boy toy.” I grumbled. I leaned against the countertop. Jimin stood in front of me with his arms crossed.

“Then what the hell is he?” Jimin demanded.

“He’s just…Young Jae.” I said lamely. “He’s important to me. I don’t want to drop him like this.”

Jimin rolled his eyes at me. “I feel like you’re trying to cheat on me. You sound like you’re trying to date both of us at once. How long am I going to have to deal with this , baby? You got a timeframe for easing your guilty conscience?”

“You are so vicious!” I cried, glaring up at him.

“And you’re being such an idiot.” Jimin insulted me. “I’m not putting up with this. You guys are not going to be friends.”

“Oh yeah?” I challenged defiantly, annoyed by his attitude. “What are you gonna do about it?”

“You’re not going with him today.” Jimin told me. “If you go, it’s like you’re cheating on me.”

“What?” I asked in disbelief. “Jimin, you know I would never cheat on you!”

“I wouldn’t put it past you.” Jimin spat. “If Young Jae bats his long eyelashes at you and tells you how sad he is to let you go, you’d probably shove your tongue down his throat right then and there out of guilt.”

“ you!” I cried, pushing him away from me.

“No, you.” Jimin replied venomously. My eyes instantly filled with tears. Jimin had never spoken to me that way before. “Stop crying and drop the innocent act. I’m tired of this. If you wanna be with Young Jae, just ing date him and stop stringing me along.”

“Jimin, I don’t want to date him! I want to date you! That’s why we’re dating!” Tears spilled down my cheeks despite my best efforts to keep them in. “Why are you acting like this?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Jimin said sarcastically. “Maybe because my girlfriend wants to hang out as friends with a guy I watched her date. Why don’t you understand how hard this is for me? He’s kissed you in front of me before! He’s hugged you shirtless, he’s cuddled you, he’s acted possessive of you. He’s been your boyfriend in everything but name only! Do you know what it felt like to sit next to you guys when he was pressed against your side, playing with your hair, and kissing your forehead and all I could do was touch your finger? Stop lying to yourself and stop lying to me. You’re not just friends. If you wanna pretend there’s nothing more, you can just leave me out of it.”

Before I could say a word, Jimin yanked off his gloves and apron and stalked out of the kitchen. The back door slammed shut behind him.