#bf2l

But you fell for it every damn time, his apologies laced with a certain something that lured you in like a predator does its prey. Truly, they were nothing but pretty promises woven in between festering lies. 

“Just give me one more chance, (Y/N). You know I love you; it was me, it wasn’t you that was in the wrong. Please forgive me. Please take me back. You just misunderstood me, that's all.”

His words from today’s conversation kept replaying in your mind, and you tried not to think about how every time it was just a different combination of the same ones. Over and over again... but you just couldn’t stand the thought of being alone. That was what you hated the most about this whole thing. When you were lonely was when things got the worst in your mind. Even being with him made it a little better. You supposed it was the comfort of familiarity. Besides...what if this time truly was the time he would change? 

You shook your head suddenly to clear the thoughts. You didn’t have time to think about it right now. This was a problem for later, and it was one that could be solved with a few texts. Minho was waiting for you to study with him in the library for a big test coming up, and you couldn’t leave him hanging. He was your best friend, after all. 

~

Only a few minutes late to your scheduled meet up time in the library, you made your way over to Minho sheepishly. He was buried in a thick book, flipping a pencil between his fingers in concentration. 

As you got closer to him, you thought he hadn’t noticed you. But he quickly proved you wrong for the umpteenth time in your relationship.

“I was just wondering to myself if I should text you,” Minho said quietly, not looking up from his book. 

You bit your lip, sliding into the seat across from him as quietly as you could. 

“You okay?”

Minho looked up this time when he spoke, making eye contact with you over the edge of whatever he was reading. But his neutral expression quickly turned into one of confusion once he noticed your tension. 

"Is it him again?"

You gulped, scolding yourself for being so easy to read.

"And don't say it isn't. I know that look," Minho sighed, shifting in his seat to sit up straighter.

Damn, he's good.

"Let's just not talk about it. We came to study, remember?"

Minho nodded, not sparing you another glance before looking back to the text in front of him. He seemed more gruff than usual today. Weird.

"That we did. Glad you remembered."

You blinked a few times, stunned into silence. What had gotten into him?

Trying in vain to shove it out of your mind, you dug through your bag to get your book out, not totally sure what you were in for today.

~

Thankfully, Minho seemed to be in a better mood as time went on. You knew he would scold you at some point though, just like he always did when you went back to your ex. Part of you knew Minho was right and you deserved every bit of his lectures and it made you beat yourself up even more.

The two of you stayed in the library studying until it got dark, only taking a few breaks to use the bathroom and grab snacks occasionally. You glanced down at your phone and mentioned to your study partner that it was getting really late.

"Well," Minho said with finality, clamping his book shut, "I think we're as knowledgeable as we'll ever be anyway, (Y/N). What do you say we go back to my place and watch a movie or something? I could really use a break from thinking. The test will just have to be what it is tomorrow."

Minho laughed, his face scrunching up in the cute way it always does when he's truly happy. It made you stop and think for a second.

What if Minho were your boyfriend? I mean, the two of you already do basically everything together. Would it really be much different? And he was pretty cute... You would be lying if you said you hadn't always thought so.

Nah, there's no way Minho would ever want to date you anyway. His girlfriends had all been so beautiful, he would be way out of your league even if you were interested in him. Which you weren't. He was your best friend. Nothing else. That's all.

Right?

Minho's fingers snapping inches from your face drew you out of your thoughts instantly.

"Helloooo?" He whined at you as he took his hand away.

"Ah, sorry, I was thinking about... something. Yeah, let's go back to your place! Just don't pick something boring."

Minho's eyebrow twitched and he started to open his mouth to say something, but decided against it, seemingly satisfied.

~

Once you were at his apartment, you threw your stuff down and kicked off your shoes like you always did when you came over, and breathed a sigh of relief. Minho's place really was like a second home to you.

He chuckled at you, nudging your stuff out of the way and placing his own things next to them.

"You pick. I have to use the bathroom really quick."

Minho padded down the hallway to the bathroom, but before entering, he poked his head around the corner.

"And don't pick a girly movie!"

It was your turn to chuckle when he glared at you playfully, going back on his previous path slowly for emphasis.

Before you could make your way over to the tv, your phone alerted you to a text. You pulled it from your pocket and turned the screen on, not at all surprised at who sent it to you.

"I thought you were going to text me tonight? Can we please talk?"

A pang of guilt hit you in the chest for not texting him like you said you would. Truthfully, you had just forgotten because you were with Minho.

With one hand, you held your phone, thumb hovering over the keyboard trying to think of a reply. The other hand picked nervously at the hem of your shirt.

As soon as your thumb pressed the first key, a hand jerked the device from you out of nowhere.

"What the fuck, Minho? Give me my phone!"

He stood before you, having quietly come back from the bathroom, your phone gripped tightly in his hand.

"No," he said firmly, "I know who you're texting, and you don't need to text him back."

You ears burned red and your fingers curled into your hands, forming tight fists by your sides.

"I don't know what is up with you today, but I need my phone back. Give it to me."

You held your hand out expectantly, hoping he didn't notice it shaking in the dim light of his living room.

"I said no. I'm not letting you do this to yourself again. How many times has it been, anyway?"

Honestly, you had no idea. You had lost track a long time ago. But it didn't matter.

"You're not letting me? You don't control me, Minho. I can do what I want and talk to who I want. Give me my phone, right now."

You hadn't meant to raise your voice at him, but you felt like you were going to lose it. Minho had no right. He didn't know anything about this. This was your choice, your relationship.

"Do you even realize what you're doing to yourself?" Minho yelled at you, raising his voice as well.

Tears pricked the edges of your eyes and it took everything in you not to wrestle the phone from him right then and there.

"You don't understand, Minho. I have to go back to him."

Minho groaned, gripping the phone even tighter in his hand as he brought both of them to his head, rubbing the edges of them against his temples.

"I understand a lot more than you think. You go back to him because he's familiar, (Y/N). That's all it is. You don't love him. I don't think you even like him. You stopped doing that a long time ago!"

The tears finally fell, and it didn't go unnoticed by Minho even in the middle of a full-on yelling match between you.

One of your hands still balled up in a fist flew to your face, rubbing the tears away violently. But another bout of anger bubbled up inside of you and spilled over before you could stop it, in the form of a scream directly at poor Minho.

"Why do you even care, Minho?! Why now?"

"Because I'm in love with you, (Y/N)!"

The room fell silent in a matter of seconds. So silent, in fact, that you were sure the echoes of Minho's loud, angry confession weren't just a figment of your imagination.

The desperate anger on Minho's face dissipated the second your bottom lip started to tremble, and he instantly felt horrible for yelling at you. God knows you had had enough of that before.

He assumed you would push past him, out of his apartment door, never to speak to him again. Instead, you took one hesitant step towards him, reaching your arms out to him as if you were a child looking for comfort. He instantly got the message, making his way over to you just in time for you to collapse into him, the two of you slowly sinking to the floor tangled in each other's arms.

"I'm sorry," Minho whispered hoarsely, rubbing your back as you sobbed into his chest. "I didn't mean to yell so much. But I couldn't hold it in anymore. You don't have to say anything. Let all of your tears out, okay? Don't feel guilty."

Your phone clattered to the floor as it fell from in between you, and Minho decided to hold onto you with both hands now since he was given the opportunity.

Your fingers tightened around the front of his now tear-stained shirt. He was right. He always had been, and you felt dumb for just now letting yourself believe it fully. It took all of this happening for you to realize that the familiar one, the one you needed, had been right by your side the whole time, unwavering. It had never been your ex, it had been Minho.

"Say it again," you hiccuped through your tears timidly, cracking through the quiet veil that had fallen over the two of you once more.

"Say what again?" Minho asked, looking down at you in confusion.

"That you love me."

Minho tensed up under your grasp. He hadn't expected you to say anything for a while, and especially not something like that. But it was now or never.

"Only if you look at me, so I can say it to you properly- like I've always wanted to. That first time doesn't count."

His fingers found your chin, and he held onto it gently to steer your gaze up to meet his.

You blinked a few times so you could see him all the way, and he had the tiniest, most shy grin on his face that you had ever seen. The way it was slightly crooked only made your heart flutter more.

"I love you, (Y/N). I always have. It tore me up inside every time you went back to that asshole, knowing that if you kept doing that to yourself, you would never know what actual love felt like. You deserve so much better than him, and I want to be the one to show you what it feels like to be loved. I'll tell you every single day how much I love you, and how much you make my heart flutter every time you laugh or smile. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, inside and out. And if you give me the chance, I will make sure you never feel the way he made you feel again. You'll never even have to think about him again."

He gently swiped your stray tears away with the pad of his thumb, gazing into your eyes with nothing but concern and love for you. It felt good to finally tell you how he felt.

He made eye contact with you for a split second, and searched your face for any type of answer. But it occurred to him that he might be pushing you into it.

"I understand if you don't want to. Take your time okay? I know it's a lot."

Minho was going to say more, but he didn't get the chance to before you crashed your lips onto his.

He froze for only an instant before melting into your kiss, holding onto your face with both hands as if you might break in your fragile state. However, your grip on his shirt only tightened as he kissed you back, and he couldn't help but smile against your lips, the taste of your tears lingering near the corners of your mouth.

The kiss didn't last long, but it was the most beautiful thing you had ever experienced. When you pulled away, Minho once again looked at you for a response with a raised eyebrow and a breathless smile.

"I love you too, Minho. Now kiss me again for real."

Minho smiled so wide, he thought it might split his face in two.

"I promise, I'll kiss you every single day from now on."

As Minho dove back in to meet you again, you decided that his promise was the one you needed to hear. It was the most beautiful, because it was genuine. There wasn't a doubt in your mind.

You stood there, not moving an inch. Well, you might as well know why he was talking about you. It had been only about two weeks since your emotional encounter on Irene's balcony. After that event he spent a whole week not talking to you, only to call you on the weekend, acting as if nothing had happened and asking if you'd had dinner or if you wanted to go and have dinner with him and Taehyung. You said yes and that same night he wouldn't stop stealing slight and shy glances at you. You acted as if nothing was happening and he did the same, regardless of the stolen glances and the shy touches on the arm.

It all felt too unfamiliar to you. You and Jungkook were as close as two human beings could possibly be. Before he could slap your ass and you wouldn't give it a second thought because there weren't any vocalized romantic feelings involved. Now he couldn't put his arm around your shoulders or you would step away almost instantaneously. You both noticed these changes of behavior from both parts but you still weren't willing to talk about what had happened. So you two talked to each other - way less than you used to - as if he hadn't offered to put off his wedding with Soojin 'if you wanted him to'.

"Do you know why that is?" Soojin asked and you finally took your eyes off her and looked at your feet.

"I have no idea."

It was as if she could smell your innocent lies and wobbly nervousness as she walked closer to you.

"He spent all dinner talking about how important to him you are and how you're the prettiest girl he's ever been friends with and you're telling me you don't know why?"

"Soojin, I don't know why."

She sighed, and stepped away from you, crouching against the wall and burying her face in her hands. "Listen I really don't want to sound like a bitch," she muttered against her hands. "Jungkook is the man I love. I know how important you are to him and I don't want you to step away or something like that, don't get me wrong." She stood up again but kept a safe distance between you two. "But I know that if you were interested in him, he would leave me in a heartbeat."

"Soojin, please, he loves-"

"Y/N, I know what I'm talking about. Please, let me speak." You nodded and she sent you a small sad smile. "Jungkook proposed to me. That shows me that he actually loves me and wants to spend his life with me as much as I want to spend mine with him."

You nodded again, trying to ignore the voice in the back of your head that repeated Jungkook's word from that eventful night: 'You know why I proposed so suddenly? Because Mingyu told me he was going to propose to you and I didn’t want to be the only one feeling miserable!'

"All I want to ask is for you to be all you are, his best friend, not anything more. Please don't try to be anything more."

You stared at her as she finished her speech and placed her soft hand on the exposed skin of your shoulder. "Please Y/N..."

"Of course..." you spoke falteringly. "I'm his best friend. Nothing more."

She smiled brightly at you after that and pulled you in for a tight hug. You didn't hug her back but she didn't seem to notice.

"I'm here to get the dog," she said and you smiled briefly before turning your back on her and going to pick Dalgom from your couch, finding comfort in the way she immediately buried her face on your neck.

"Is Kook outside?" you asked.

"Yeah, he stayed in the car. I offered to come up to get her because I wanted to talk to you," she said, taking the dog from your arms. She walked out of your apartment and walked towards the elevator, calling it. "Oh! And please, don't tell anything about this to Jungkook."

She said right before the doors to the elevator opened and she walked in, leaving your floor quickly.

Why would she even ask you these types of things? If she actually knew that Jungook loved her, why would she be so insecure of you, to the point she had to ask you to be only his best friend and nothing more.

She didn't really have reasons to feel insecure, she was a goddess in flesh. Pale skin, dark delineated eyes, long lashes, full and pink lips, gorgeous dark hair, and a body to die for. She was stunningly and breathtakingly beautiful and she still felt self-conscious over you. You that just some moments before had been standing in front of her, in a very messy bun, an old oversized t-shirt, that seemed to be Jungkook's, and an acne-victimized face.

If she was so sure about her fiancé's feelings then why would she ask you to not manifest any romantic feelings towards him? She shouldn't question his feelings right?

"Hey, did you get it?" you heard Jungkook ask from the other side of the phone call. He had just woken you up from a peaceful slumber and as your brain hadn't started to think logically you muttered a quiet and grumpy humming. "Did I wake you up?" he asked again and you groaned, putting a pillow over your head while Jungkook chuckled lightly on your ear.

You would never get tired of that sound.

You spent about 10 whole minutes trying to wake up fully, turning around in bed while Jungkook stayed on the phone, waiting for you to manifest that your thinking ability had came back.

"Okay I'm here, what is it?"

"Did you get it? The invitation?"

"Invitation?" you asked, still confused about what the guy was talking about.

"The wedding invitation." he clarified and you quickly shut your mouth, pressing your lips together in a thin line. You stayed quiet as your breath got heavier - Jungkook noticed.

"I'll go check, wait a minute." You muttered and suddenly the quiet voice was back but this time it wasn't due to sleepiness. You stood up from your bed and walked across your apartment, checking the mailbox and finding a rectangular burgundy envelope.

"Jungkook & Soojin

We tied the knot!"

You stared at the envelope, grabbing it tightly in your hands. You were pretty sure Soojin had let Jungkook choose the design of the invitation. Burgundy was his favorite color.

"So..." you heard Jungkook and felt your eyes water, you crouched on the floor, and took your hand to your mouth to prevent anything from denouncing your tears. Jungkook stayed quiet for a few more seconds before calling your name again.

"Y/N..."

"Yeah... I-it's here Kook..."

You were an open book for Jungkook. Your voice and the stuttering denounced everything you were trying to hide from him. It was getting too real for you.

"Should I come over?" he asked, hesitatingly and you chuckled lightly. He knew it was fake.

"No, I'm going out with Irene today."

Jungkook hummed and sighed. You stood up from the floor and placed the pretty invitation on the entry table. You weren't trying to hide anything anymore. Jungkook could hear you sniff and gasping for air.

"It's a really pretty invitation! The color suits you!" you exclaimed but Jungkook didn't react. "I bet you chose it!"

You kept trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't seem to work. Jungkook didn't say anything else for the rest of the call while you pretended that nothing happened and that you hadn't just crumbled down on your apartment's floor after seeing the elegant invitation to your best friend's wedding.

A few minutes later you ended the call and your eyes got watery again.

"Hum... Hi, I'm Y/N, Jungkook's best man - don't ask why he chose me, I don't know either. For any reason it was, I wanted to thank Jungkook for giving me such an important role in this wedding, and thank the couple for organizing such a beautiful evening for us!"

You looked around shortly, your eyes coming back to Jungkook's after analyzing that every other pair of eyes fixed on you only served to increase your anxiety. Jungkook was the only one that calmed you down.

"I and Jungkook met about 10 years ago in college. I was always the nerdy kid and Jungkook was the absolute opposite. He was the guy that had all the girls. Somehow I never really found him THAT charming. He was the guy that asked for my notes from class. But then one day he was paired with me for an assignment and started being the guy that bought me coffee every day and sat next to me in the library while I did all the work alone."

You chuckled and Jungkook smiled at you while all the guests around you whispered things like 'that's just like him' or 'wouldn't expect anything else from our boy'.

"What I didn't expect was that after the assignment was done and we submitted it, he kept showing up in the library with two cups of coffee in his hands and his books, claiming that I was a 'good fountain of living inspiration' - don't know what that means 'till this day" The whole wedding hall erupted in laughter. Jungkook laughed as well as his eyes shone brightly. You presumed yours did too.

"The guy just kept showing up and he acted as if it was the most normal thing ever! He kept doing that until we finished college. Ten years later and here we are! I guess I'm still a good fountain of living inspiration - whatever that means..." You chuckled, smoothing the dark blue dress you and Irene had chosen for Jungkook's wedding. "Well, as I said, Jungkook was indeed a ladies' man before and it shocked me to no end when I started to realize the seriousness of his relationship with Soojin! I have to tell you that I have never seen him so serious about anyone as he is about Soojin. I've never seen his eyes shining as bright as they do when he looks at Soojin. He has never cared and loved anyone as much as he loves you, Soojin." You met her eyes that smiled adoringly and almost playfully at your speech. "The love you two have for each other is almost overwhelming and I know it will keep growing each day. You two are a great couple and have changed each other for the best..." You tilted your head to the side and your watery eyes smiled as you bit your bottom lip in an attempt not to let any tears out to ruin your makeup.

"Jungkook, I love you!" you sighed and watched as Jungkook's eyes grew just as wet as yours. "You're my soulmate and the love of my life." Everyone was quiet and Soojin's eyes weren't kind anymore. "You're the best of friends I could have asked for. I won't ever do anything to ruin any of this. I hope it goes perfectly for both of you because you deserve it. I hope you know, Jungkook, that I'll always be here for you. Through thick and thin. I love you, forever and always."

Jungkook was crying by the time you ended your speech and so were you. Your eyes were fixed on each other.

Every guest stood from their places and clapped loudly, a few cheering whistling could be heard somewhere but your eyes were still focused on Jungkook. You sent a sad but proud smile his way as you tilted your head. Jungkook furrowed his brows and stood from his chair, quickly walking to you in between the crowd of people who had overtaken to space already. His arms enveloped your body in a tight hug and you hid your face in his neck.

"Am I doing anything wrong?" he whispered in your ear.

"Do you love her?" you asked back and he pecked the skin of your exposed neck

"Almost as much as I love you.”

[kook, 2:30 AM] - u up?

[you, 2:34 AM] - yup

[kook, 2:35 AM] - I’ll be there in 5

You had been trying to fall asleep for about 3 hours. Rolling around in bed, covering and uncovering yourself with the white soft blanket. Jungkook was the reason for your restlessness. More precisely, the fact that he hadn't talked to you for the last two months. Two whole months had gone by since his wedding and he didn't spare you a text or a call, anything... He just disappeared.

You did try to contact him. After about three weeks with no sign of him, you decided to call him. When he didn't pick up, you sent him a text - 'call me when you can'.

He never did.

You stood up from the comfortable mess of blankets and pillows you were involved in and walked towards the chair that held all of yours and Mingyu's unfolded clothes. Mingyu was sleeping on the other side of the bed, absolutely unaware of the emotional turbulence you were going through. He didn't know about anything that had been going on between you and Kook. You figured that telling him wouldn't be good for the friend group you all shared - you were right, he'd probably make a fuss out of it and ruin the ambiance between y'all.

You slipped some black leggings and a tight tank top, under a big sporty jacket that belonged to Mingyu. You grabbed your cellphone and put on the oldest sneakers you owned. Your hair was a mess, and you didn't bother making it any better, tying it up in a ponytail.

You walked out of your apartment after kook texted you a dry 'I'm outside'. You spotted his black car almost instantly and got on the passenger seat next to him, as he watched you through the opened window. You got in his car and looked out the window instantly, trying to avoid his gaze. Jungkook stayed still for the next five minutes, looking at you for the next 5 minutes, and when he finally started to drive you tuned the radio on.

He drove through streets you had never seen before and after about half an hour just sitting in his car, you decided to cut the tension that grew between you two in the last two months of absolute no contact.

"Where are we going?"

Your voice caught him off guard, you saw it in the way his eyes widened slightly and he gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"I don't know, just wanted to get out for some time. Do you want to go somewhere?"

"No, just keep driving I guess" you chuckled timidly and he nodded in agreement.

Things had never been this awkward with Jungkook and you felt as if no matter how much you tried to cut the tension, it wouldn't go away.

“How's Soojin doing?”

Your question shocked him a little bit once again and he turned his head to look at you, his eyes slightly widened.

“She’s good, I guess”

“You guess?” you teased him with a playful tone.

God, he missed you so much. Your voice and laughter were his only source of comfort in normal days, and two months without any of it was becoming absolutely unbearable.

“We haven’t been talking a lot,” he stated after quickly looking at you again.

“You live together”

He just sighed and you got it as a ‘don't wanna talk about it’ sign. So you just stopped talking and looked at the road ahead of you.

“How’s work?” he asked quietly, still afraid you wouldn’t want to talk to him after he disappeared so suddenly.

“It’s great!"

The conversation quickly died and you looked at him again, not saying anything this time. You analyzed his figure. He was wearing a black sweater - you always loved that sweater - and some light-washed skinny jeans. He was beautiful - and looked way better than you did. He ran his fingers through his hair when he noticed your gaze on his face - a habit of his when he got stressed - exposing his forehead and his knitted brows.

Suddenly he stopped the car. You looked through the window, trying to figure out where you were. Noticing you were in front of your favorite diner. You looked at him with a knowing look and he smiled at your expression. Your happiness was almost childish and, in his eyes, you were the most adorable thing he has ever laid eyes on. Suddenly your smile dropped and he looked at you trying to understand why.

“I didn’t bring my wallet,” you whispered and the smile on his face grew even wider, he remembered how worried you got with him spending money on you.

“You know I’m paying.”

You were already sitting on one of the many tables of the place. Jungkook was lost analyzing the fake flowers placed on the table and you could even smell the confusion on his mind.

"Do you t-"

"Yes, they're fake kook" You rushed and he smiled at you knowingly.

You kept eating away your donut, double chocolate, your favorite. And, by now, Jungkook wasn't lost in the flowers anymore, but in you - in the way your eyes resembled the innocence that represented the world you lived in, your own world, and you.

Suddenly you looked up and your eyes locked. You didn't shy away and neither did he.

"So..." you started. He already knew what was coming. "Why did you disappear?" you chuckled but he knew you found this anything but funny.

He kept quiet for a while

“Can we talk about this some other time?” looking to his side, avoiding your serious gaze

“It's been two months and you didn't call or text. Why?"

“I don't want to talk about it right now!” he snapped, raising his voice, finally looking into your eyes.

You didn’t say anything else, preferring to stay quiet the rest of the meal. Jungkook knew he had just ruined whatever you two were re-building.

“Can you take me home?” you asked calmly when you both finished eating. Jungkook stood up and told you to go wait for him by the car while he paid. When he hopped onto the car, you were already sitting beside him, looking forward and with your arms crossed.

“You’re mad at me?” he asked reluctantly

“No, of course not”

“Don’t lie to me”

“I'm not mad, Kook. I just want you to talk to me!" he looked down at his hands. "I'm your best friend, it isn't normal for you to stop speaking to me for two whole months! It just made me feel like I was not as important to you as I thought I was..."

“I love you Y/N. Don’t ever question that.”

"How am I supposed to not question it when you don't contact me for two months straight?"

"I really do love you..." he sighed as his eyes wouldn't leave his hands.

"Just talk to me... Tell me what's going on."

"I already told you. Just asked Soojin for a divorce." And he looked up, locking his eyes with yours. "I'm in love with you, you know that."

You looked away from him, quickly breaking eye contact. You had a boyfriend - how could Jungkook be so... selfish?

"What are you doing, Jungkook?" you whispered and rubbed your face with your palms, not knowing what to do.

"What?" he sounded, somehow, angry. "What is it Y/N? What's your problem now? One minute, you're angry because I'm married, the other you're angry because I'm not! What-"

"Jungkook I am dating someone! " you stated, looking forward, at the diner you two had just left.

"For fuck's sake..." you heard him mumble and quickly directed him, your fierce gaze.

"I have a boyfriend, Mingyu, your friend! I have been dating him for years now, in case you didn't notice because you were too busy focusing on Soojin! Jungkook, my relationship is serious! More than I thought!" you yelled in his face, watching as his expression changed from a mocking and annoyed one to a confused one.

"What do you mean 'more than you thought'?"

"I found a ring on his bedside table. In the drawer. It's just there and I don't know what he plans on doing with that."

Jungkook sighed and chuckled dryly. He put on his seatbelt and grabbed the steering wheel.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think he wants to do with the ring Y/N?" he asked ironically. "Put on your seatbelt, I'm taking you home."

And the conversation died. You put on your seatbelt and Jungkook started driving. You didn't know what that meant. Did he want you to break up with Mingyu? Would you leave Mingyu if he asked you to?

"I don't want to marry Mingyu," you whispered, trying to bring him back to the conversation.

"Doesn't matter."

"How does it not matter?" you asked, incredulous that he was dismissing your feelings like that.

"What do you want me to say-"

"I don't know Jungko-"

"Exactly!" he screamed, eyes focusing on the road ahead of him, but his mind focused on anywhere but there. "You don't know anything! You don't know what you want Y/N! Just told you I want you, I'm in love with you, but you can't tell me whether you want me or want to stay with Mingyu!" he finished, running his fingers through his dark locks, in pure frustration. "I just want to know where your mind's at."

"You know where I'm at."

"How? All these years, I've confessed my love to you a hundred times, and you never said a thing. You never said you wanted me, you never asked me to stay with you and leave Soojin!"

"That's not my place!"

"But that's what I wanted you to do!" he screamed and you sighed.

Jungkook stopped the car and when you looked outside, you were already in front of your building. You two looked forward, not wanting to leave the ambiance between you two that tense and on that note.

"Jung-"

"Goodnight Y/N," he mumbled before you could say anything. "Text me when you know what you want."

You had your phone up against your ear and your nails between your teeth, your nerves eating you up.

"Yeah?" You heard Jungkook's voice on the other side, after about 15 seconds of waiting.

Oh, how you missed his voice. Three weeks had passed since your trip to the diner with Jungkook - neither of you had dared to say anything in that time. But that night, when you got home from work, Mingyu called you to the bedroom, and when you got there, he was down on one knee holding a pretty ring in his fingers.

'Will you marry me?' he asked and never had you ever done anything that you were so certain of. So now you were about to tell Jungkook.

"Hey..." you whispered, a light smile lingering on your lips.

"Hey..." he answered.

Neither of you said a thing, just stood there hearing each other's breath.

"Mingyu proposed," you said and heard Jungkook sigh on the other side. "The ring was beautiful. He had it all prepared - roses on the bed and candle-lit dinner, he even cooked. When I got home he was already down on his knee."

He said nothing. Not answering. And the call stayed quiet for about five minutes. On the other side, Jungkook's eyes were teary and he was holding himself back - trying not to crumble and let it all out. After all, he was your best friend. If you were happy, he was supposed to be happy for you.

All he wanted was for you to be happy.

Figuring you weren’t going to get any messages any time soon, you turned your phone off with a click, and tossed it onto the bed beside you before throwing yourself backwards, head hitting the pillow instantly.

Of course your phone alerted you to a text as soon as you did so, which elicited a groan from you. Who could have such horrible timing?

You grabbed your phone and glanced at the message preview to see who it was from.

It turns out it was from your best friend Minho, so the interruption could slide this time.

“Hey, are you doing anything today? I’m boreddddd”

You chuckled to yourself as you read the message. It was complimented with a cartoon sticker of a cat crying. He really must be wanting to hang out.

“No, I’m not doing anything today. Wanna hang?”

“Duh, that’s why I messaged you, stupid. I’ll be over in 10. Pick out a movie or something, idc. Just bored n wanna see you.”

Once again, you laughed, not caring that he called you stupid. It was a pretty normal thing in your friendship, and it came from both sides.

You did as he asked and picked out a movie, deciding to make some popcorn to go with it. By the time you were finished, you heard a knock at the door. An incessant knock. One that did not end until you threw the door open with an exasperated breath. But you knew exactly who it was before you even turned the corner to get to the door. Only one person was that annoying in such an endearing way.

“Minho! I didn’t even know you were here. Maybe you should’ve knocked even more.”

He stepped into your apartment like he lived there, as was customary, and cracked a smile. Then he raised his hand and knocked against your forehead gently a few times.

“Anyone home?”

You rolled your eyes at him, and grabbed his wrist to pull his hand away from your head.

“Haha, very funny. Come on before the popcorn gets stale.”

“Shut up. You’re stale.”

“Minho, what the fuck does that even mean?”

~

You were now sitting on the couch with Minho, the giant bowl of popcorn between you. It was almost empty now even though you were only about 30 minutes into the movie. But that was how it normally went for lots of people.

Right when the movie was getting good, a sudden boom of thunder sounded, followed by what seemed like the entire ocean falling out of the sky. You yelped at the unexpected noise, jumping up and somehow bringing the bowl with you, sending the remaining pieces of popcorn inside it everywhere. 

“(Y/N)! It was just thunder. Are you okay?”

Your heart was hammering in your chest. It wasn’t the thunder that scared you necessarily, just the noise out of nowhere. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. It just startled me.”

You turned to look at Minho, but you didn’t realize how close you had become after jumping up. His face was only inches from yours, and your already increased heartbeat was exacerbated by that fact. It didn’t help that he was looking directly at you, not shying away from the eye contact, with a smirk on his face. 

“Like what you see?”

You scoffed, shoving at his arm to put some distance between the two of you. 

“In your dreams, shithead.” 

Minho gasped, raising a hand to his mouth in fake shock.

“You’re such a meanie, (Y/N). I’m hurt.”

Without saying anything else, you shook your head to try and move on and also clear the weird thoughts that were suddenly in your head. 

What had gotten into him? Better yet, what had gotten into you? You had never once thought about your best friend in that way, and yet... here you were. And there he was, seemingly flirting with you all of a sudden. 

Your poor heart still hadn’t slowed down, but it wasn’t because of the storm anymore. It was because of the man next to you. He had his attention turned back to the movie now, seemingly unbothered by what had just happened. It had felt like such a huge deal to you...

What you didn’t know was that Minho’s heart was racing as well. He was having quite similar thoughts to yours, and he wasn’t sure where they came from. But he knew he liked them. They felt right and he wanted to feel more. He wanted to feel you and be closer to you, specifically. 

Minho had a sudden idea. An experiment, of sorts. 

He reached out to grab the remote and pause the movie before he lost his confidence, which earned a confused look from you. 

“What’s up? Need to use the bathroom or something?” 

Without answering, he stood and made his way over to the window, brushing the curtains aside to look out at the sky. 

He came back over to you, a weird look on his face that you didn’t recognize. 

“Why are you looking at me like that Minho?” You asked him, more quietly than you had meant to. 

“Do you trust me?”

Minho sounded serious. You weren’t sure what was going on, but you nodded nonetheless. He smiled and reached out a hand to you.

“Come with me. I want to try something.”

Tentatively, you grabbed his hand and stood up. It wasn’t the first time you had held hands with him- far from it, in fact. But this time felt different. It felt electric. 

~

Minho led you by the hand to the back stairwell of your apartment building, gripping it tightly the entire way. It was like he was afraid of you turning around and leaving him, the way he held on so intensely. You didn’t mind it, though. 

Before opening the door to step out onto the roof, he turned around and faced you head on. He looked scared, and it made you wonder why. 

“Do you trust me?” He asked you for the second time. 

“I do,” you answered without a second thought. You were confused, but you couldn’t help but be excited as well. 

He smiled, letting out a breath in what seemed like relief. Then, he pushed the heavy door open, leading you out. 

The rain had calmed down a lot, now only a slight drizzle dusting the air. It was eerily quiet, but it was peaceful. 

“Why are we up here, Minho?”

He didn’t look at you, only leading you out farther until you were smack in the middle of the roof. It was starting to get dark, the lights of the city decorating the background. You truly had no idea what was going on. 

“They did it like this in a movie I saw one time,” Minho muttered, more to himself than to you. 

“Who did what, Minho?”

He was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of your voice, and turned to look at you properly for the first time since he brought you up here. And you looked at him, your heart instantly aching at the sight. 

His hair was starting to stick to his forehead and neck because of the moisture in the air and his mouth was slightly ajar, stark white teeth hidden behind soft, pink lips. In his eyes was a look you could only describe as awe. There was a certain sparkle there that made your stomach flip over, and you swallowed thickly trying to calm down. Your eyes were then drawn to the silver earrings in his ears, and the way they were glistening in the dimming sunlight. A rain drop fell down the outer shell of his left ear all the way down to his neck to his t-shirt, which was also starting to stick to his perfectly toned body. 

Had he always looked this beautiful?

“These best friends, they- they danced together and discovered their true feelings. Even though they had been there all along.”

Their true feelings? 

“Although, it wasn’t in the rain. Or on a roof,” he laughed out breathlessly. “I just thought it would be fun.”

Your heart felt like it might jump out of your chest at his words. But truth be told, you wanted to try it too. 

“Dance with me then.”

He smiled his usual crooked smile when you spoke, and this time it made your limbs tingle just looking at it, even though you had seen it countless times before. Maybe it was because of earlier, or maybe the rain, or because of the way he was looking at you. 

Minho slowly reached out and placed a hand on your waist, bringing you closer to him before doing the same with his other hand. 

“Is it okay if I touch you here?” 

Your face was on fire, but you managed to give a slight nod, the cool air now not being able to keep up with the heat you were feeling. 

“Good,” Minho whispered, a light pink blush dusting him as well. 

Shakily, you placed your hands around his neck, your forearms resting on his shoulders. 

“Does this feel alright?” You asked him in an almost silent whisper. 

He nodded, a strand of wet hair falling into his eyes because of the motion. Without saying anything else, he started swaying with you to a beat in his head only he could hear. You followed as best you could, but you were too distracted with the way his hands felt against your upper hips. They were barely putting any pressure on you and yet, it was a crushing weight at the same time. 

“(Y/N)?” Minho asked out of nowhere after a few minutes. 

“Hmm?”

“Is it just me or...does this feel like...just right? Like it was...”

“Meant to be?” You finished for him. 

It was true. Besides the nerves you felt regarding your newfound thoughts you had about your best friend, this felt eerily natural. Like you had done it a million times. You suddenly wanted to do it a million more.

“We are...really dumb.”

Minho laughed once more, this time louder and more normal sounding.

“Maybe so. It makes sense, honestly.”

Another few minutes went by of the two of you swaying silently together in the gentle rain before Minho spoke again.

“I want to try something else that they didn’t do in the movie.”

You cocked your head to the side, wondering what it was. Thankfully your nerves had calmed down, and you were leaning into him now, almost chest to chest. It felt so natural now, you hadn’t even noticed.

“Tell me,” you said as you looked up at him, rain leaving wet trails down your cheeks. 

Minho removed one hand from your waist and placed it gently against your cheek, gripping you a bit tighter now with the other hand. 

“I would rather show you, if that’s alright.”

Your breath hitched in your throat and your hands tightened on the back of his neck, rubbing against the ends of his wet hair. Was your best friend in the whole world really about to kiss you?

His thumb was rubbing back and forth gently against your cheek, and you realized he was waiting for permission. 

“I would be sad if you didn’t at this point, Minho.”

He laughed out a quiet breath and before he lost his burst of confidence, he leaned in to press his lips against yours. 

You had never thought about what kissing your best friend would be like before tonight, but part of you was glad you hadn’t. Because there was no way it would’ve lived up to the real thing. 

Minho held you and kissed you in a similar fashion- like he was afraid you were going to disappear or like he was going to break you, either one of the two. 

For a couple of seconds, the two of you stood stock still, simply having your lips pressed against each other’s without moving. Then you got a bit more brave. 

Your fingers played with the hair at the base of his neck, sending shivers down Minho’s spine. This encouraged him to tilt his head a bit, finally moving his lips and pressing them harder against yours. You drew in a breath through your nose at the sudden increase in intensity and pushed yourself against his body, liking the feeling of being so close to him. 

Minho’s head was spinning in the best way as he pulled his face away from yours, but only a few inches. 

“How was that?” He whispered, already wanting to dive back in. 

“It feels like we’re more than friends now, Minho.”

The two of you made eye contact for a split second before bursting into nervous laughter, Minho pulling you into his chest and resting your head underneath his chin, while he wrapped his arm around you protectively. 

“I was hoping you would say that. Why didn’t we do this sooner?”

You thought to yourself for a moment before responding.

“Maybe it’s because we already did everything that couples do, ya know? We hold hands all the time, we cuddle all the time. It was right there in front of our eyes the whole time, but we just didn’t realize it. We were never just friends.”

Minho glanced down at you, rubbing your back gently and relishing in your warmth, the rain suddenly really cold again. 

“Thank God for thunderstorms, I guess.”

You giggled and stood up on your toes to peck his cheek, making a mental note to delete that dating app later. You already had what you wanted, even if it had taken you forever to realize it. 

~

“So you did like what you saw after all!”

“Minho, I swear if you don’t shut the hell up-”

~

It was finally time to go, and you had opted for your favorite comfy outfit. It was the fair, after all, and it’s not like it was a real date, right?

You were meeting Minho there since you lived in opposite directions. You didn’t want to make him come all the way over here just to pick you up, even though he had offered several times.

Once you made it to the entrance of the grounds, you looked around everywhere trying to find your best friend. It was probably going to take a while since there were so many people here. At least, you thought that until a pair of hands covered your eyes from behind, followed by a quiet “boo!” in your ear.

You groaned through a smile, wondering why you hadn’t expected him to sneak up on you. He was definitely the type.

“Minho, you almost got hit! Don’t sneak up on me.”

As you spun around to face him, you tried not to let how close he was to you bother you, or stare too much at what he was wearing. Only weird people stare at their best friends.

He was leaned down to meet your gaze with his hands behind his back, eyes twinkling and his mouth caught up in that stupid crooked smile you loved to hate, only inches from your face.

“Ah, my apologies,” Minho said, playful sarcasm dripping from every word, “but you should know me by now, dummy.”

Normal people would be offended when someone called them a dummy. But not you. Minho called you that as a term of endearment, like he always had throughout your friendship, and if anything it made your heart stop right in your chest.

“Hmm, you’re right. And you should know that I am ready to go. Let’s go play some games already!”

He chuckled quietly and followed you to the registration booth, excited for what the night would hold. 

~

The first game you decided on was a mini basketball game. Minho said he was determined to win you at least one prize tonight, and you were eager to see what he could come up with. However, a few seconds into the first game, you realized you might just be going home with something like a pen that runs out of ink in five minutes at the end of the night. 

Minho’s forehead was knitted together in concentration and his lips were in a tight line. One might think he was doing good based on his facial expression alone. But one look at his score sent you into a fit of laughter. 

He faltered for a moment and glanced at you trying to control your outburst, but the timer went off before he could go for another shot. 

“Why are you laughing? I really tried!”

You felt just the smallest bit of guilt, but not enough to relent by any means.

“Minho, you got a score of twelve. TWELVE-.”

He braced himself as you started laughing again, the mere mention of his score enough to set you off once more. But he was secretly happy. You laughing and having fun already, even at his expense, made his heart warm. 

“Alright, I get it, I suck. But that was just a warm up! Let’s find another game. I really want to win you something. It isn’t often that we get to hang out because of my schedule these days.” 

He suddenly grabbed you by the hand, his rings cold against your skin, and that was enough to shut you up. It wasn’t the first time he had held your hand, but it caught you off guard this time, simply because of how casually he did it. It was nice.

Minho dragged you to the next game, which he decided should be darts. 

He grinned to himself, knowing this would be his chance to show off and impress you. He had always been good at darts, and he really wanted you to see. After making you laugh with the first game, he decided it was time to be serious. 

You watched, mesmerized by his focus on the game in front of him, and you couldn’t help but jump as soon as the first dart hit a balloon most people wouldn’t try to go after because it was so tiny. 

The image of his wrist being so sure in its movements played over and over in your mind, making you inwardly shiver. Had he always been this attractive?

Minho turned to flash you a smile, and you returned it with the same intensity. This seemed to satisfy him, and he laughed breathlessly before turning back to the game and grabbing another dart. 

“There’s no way you can hit that one, right?” You asked him, grabbing his shoulder and pointing to another tiny balloon. 

He smirked down at you.

“You saw me hit the first one, right? Of course I can do that one, too.” 

His confidence made butterflies erupt in your lower stomach, and you watched eagerly, hand tightening on his shoulder involuntarily. 

Minho assumed the same position as before, wrist taught and fingers gripping the dart tightly. After a few movements to prep, he released the dart with a small grunt, and it slammed into the balloon you had pointed at only moments before. 

“Minho, you’re amazing!” You squealed, changing your grip from his shoulder to his arm, wrapping yourself around it securely. 

You couldn’t see it in the dim lights of the fair, but a dark red blush was creeping up Minho’s neck at your sudden closeness. He liked it, and it suddenly gave him an idea. 

“Do you want to try?”

You watched him silently as he grabbed another dart, and turned to face you with it in his outstretched hand. 

“I’ll be horrible at it! I would rather just watch you,” you said sincerely. 

“Nonsense, I’ll help you. Come stand in front of me.” 

You did as he asked, your heartbeat picking up a bit. 

Once you were in front of him, he came up behind you and slid the dart carefully into your hand. The warmth he gave off was intoxicating; there was no way you were going to be able to hit a balloon like this. 

“You saw how I did it, right?” Minho asked you quietly, leaning his head down to your ear, resting his chin on your shoulder. 

You could only nod, not trusting your words. This was new. Was it something best friends did? You weren’t sure, but you really liked it.

“Now put your hand out like this,” Minho murmured, gripping your hand and putting it into the proper position. “It’s good to do a few practice motions before you actually throw it.”

You gulped and prayed to whatever god was listening that Minho couldn’t hear the heartbeat in your throat. Of course, you had no idea that he was thinking the exact same thing. But he was tired of not acting on his feelings for you. Tonight was the night.

He guided your hand back and forth for the practice, and then held it steady in the air before removing his hand from yours. A hiss almost left your lips at how cold your skin seemed without his against it. 

“Just do what I did, okay?” 

Once again, you nodded, the lump in your throat making it impossible to speak. 

“Aim for any balloon. I know you can do it.” 

Using the pounding in your chest as momentum, you tried to imitate what Minho did, and released the dart. While it wasn’t as precise or powerful as his had been, you managed to hit one of the big balloons. 

Excitement overtook you at your tiny but important accomplishment, and you turned to Minho, throwing yourself into his already outstretched arms. He gripped you tightly as you smiled and laughed together, twirling you around before setting you back down and patting your head. 

“That’s my girl.”

~

After throwing the last few darts, you added up your points and approached the prize stand. Your head was spinning, replaying what Minho had said repeatedly. He’d never said that to you before. Was he-? No, no way he liked you back. 

Not knowing your thoughts, Minho stood a few feet behind you, watching you trying to pick a prize. He was secretly afraid that what he was doing was too much, and he was considering backing off. What if you didn’t feel the same? You had been best friends for so long, and he was terrified of ruining it. The words had just slipped out, and he secretly liked how natural it felt to call you his girl. He really wanted to call you that again. 

Minho was quickly drawn from his thoughts as you approached him excitedly with your prize in your hands. It took him a minute to realize what it was, and when he did, he thought his heart might burst from how adorable you looked with it. 

“A goldfish?” 

You grinned up at Minho, gripping tightly onto the little bag holding your new pet. 

“Yeah, isn’t it cute? I couldn’t resist it, Minho, look!”

He bent down to get on your level and looked into the bag with you. The tiny orange fish was floating in the water, seemingly content and staring right at Minho. It was pretty cute. 

“I just hope your cats don’t eat it...”

Minho acted offended, dramatically standing up and placing a hand on his heart. 

“They would never! They have class, you know.”

You groaned playfully, hugging the fish close to your chest. 

“You’re insufferable, Minho!”

~

The two of you played a few more games, and Minho had won you a bag full of little prizes. You tried to tell him to pick some for himself, but he insisted that the “lady gets to pick.” 

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end at some point, and the grounds would be closing soon. But you had time for one more thing, and both of you had agreed on the Ferris Wheel. 

You placed your belongings on a booth, the employee promising you with a smile that nothing would happen to your fish. 

Minho’s heart was pounding at the thought of the night ending. He had succeeded in winning you several prizes and making you laugh, but there was still one more thing he wanted to do, and that was confess. What better place to do it than at the top of the Wheel? But as you got closer to it being your turn to board, Minho’s usual confidence started to taper. 

You, of course, were oblivious, just happy with how the night had gone. Though you could tell that something had shifted, and the teeny, tiny crush you had on your best friend had blown up in size dramatically. You wondered if it was one sided as you stepped onto the ride, Minho helping you in like the gentleman he is before sitting down himself in the seat next to you rather than across from you.

It was comfortably silent as the ride went up slowly. You looked out at the grounds below you, and suddenly realized something. 

“Wait, you dummy, aren’t you afraid of heights?” 

Quickly you turned to look at Minho beside you, but your breath hitched in your throat when you saw he was looking dead at you, rather than the scene below. And he didn’t try to look away when you caught him. 

“I’m not worried about it. I’ve got better things to look at than how high up we are.” 

A sudden and intense blush instantly burned underneath your skin. What was he doing?

“I- shut up, Minho,” you whined and turned away from him once more.

“No. I don’t want to,” he said suddenly, grabbing your now sweaty hand gently out of your lap.

Not daring to look at him directly, you settled on staring at your hands now joined together as the ride increased in height.

“What are you doing?” you whispered, just barely audible over the noises around you. 

“(Y/N), would you please look at me so I can tell you how much I like you properly?” 

So he did feel the same, after all.

If he couldn’t hear your heartbeat earlier, you were sure he could hear it now. But once again, he was thinking the same thing as you, worried that his heart would hammer straight through his chest. 

His words caught you off guard and you froze, so Minho took matters into his own hands. Quite literally, actually. 

With the hand that wasn’t holding yours, he timidly held your cheek and steered your gaze upwards so that you were looking at him now. And it truly was a sight.

The two of you were now at the peak of the Wheel. Minho’s hair was slightly windblown, and his cheekbones were red from the wind as well. In his left ear was an earring slightly longer than the right, and you couldn’t help but watch how it caught the dim lights of the night. But only for a minute, because your eyes were quickly drawn to his slightly parted lips and wide, sparkling eyes. He looked almost breathless, and it was probably the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. 

“Are you playing with me, Lee Minho?”

His lips twitched into his signature smile at the sound of his name.

“Not in the slightest.”

For the umpteenth time that night, you struggled to swallow the lump in your throat. You were suddenly very aware of how close the two of you were. How your knees were touching, and how his hand was still on yours and the other was still on your cheek. 

“Tell me you want me to stop, and I will. We can go right back to being best friends and pretend like this never happened.” 

Finally, the lump disappeared, and a surge of bravery overcame you. You slowly reached your free hand up and placed it over top the one he still had on your cheek. It took everything in you not to melt into the feeling then and there.

“Minho, if you don’t kiss me right now, I will push you off this Ferris Wheel.”

It was Minho’s turn to be taken aback, but it only lasted a split second. Terrified you would change your mind, he gracelessly crashed his lips into yours, now holding your face in both of his hands. 

You had imagined what kissing Minho would feel like both in your dreams and your waking hours. But nothing could’ve prepared you for the real thing. 

His graceless motions were quickly replaced by sure ones, and he was hoping you could tell he had dreamed about kissing you too. Your lips moved against each other in perfect harmony, matching each other’s intensity as quickly as it came. 

His hands left your cheeks and came to settle on your wait, and Minho wanted nothing more than to pull you onto his lap and kiss you properly. If it wasn’t for being on the Ferris Wheel, he wasn’t sure he could’ve controlled himself.

Your fingers played in the hair at the base of his neck and you moaned into his mouth as the kiss continued and naturally deepened, making him shiver slightly and pull away from you. If this kept up, he wasn’t sure he could keep it together during your first kiss. 

It was silent for only a few seconds before both of you started tripping over your words, lips swollen and lungs breathless. 

“Minho, that was-”

“(Y/N), I-”

You both paused, waiting for the other to finish, only to end up laughing at each other. 

Minho pulled you closer to him, and you gladly accepted it, burying your face in his neck. You couldn’t see it, but he had the biggest, shit-eating grin on his face as he rubbed your arm lovingly. 

“So, I take it you like me too?”

You groaned and punched him lightly, giggling in spite of yourself. 

“Of course I do, you dummy! You think I would’ve kissed you like that if I didn’t?”

“Well, I am drop dead gorgeous, so who could blame you?”

You rolled your eyes as the ride approached the bottom.