Aera's P.O.V

The silence between us wasn't so pleasant anymore, as we sat on the bus home. I didn't look at Namjoon, annoyed at his sudden behavior. But I was also worried about Jimin. Why had he seemed so tense? Almost worried about something. I didn't know what it could be or why he had to see me so urgently. Although, it was quite possible that I had imagined the strain in his voice. No. It was there.

When we got home, we stepped off of the bus awkwardly. I paused as Namjoon got out, fiddling with my bag strap.

"Sorry our hike was cut short," I mumbled.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Me too."

"Bye then." I turned and hurried back towards my street.

Leaving Namjoon alone at the bus stop.

•••••••

I walked towards my usual bench in the park, still mystified as to why Jimin wanted to meet me here. I looked around but he was no where to be seen. With a sigh, I sat down to wait for him. Listening to the sounds around the park.

"Hi Aera."

I jumped at the sound of my name.

"Why do you always do that?" I asked, turning around to see him next to the tree.

"Sorry," he said quietly.

I studied him, noticing he wasn't meeting my eyes, with a strained look on his face. His eyes darted back and forth around the park.

"Uh, do you want to sit?" I asked.

"Sure," he replied, walking over and sitting beside me.

We sat in silence for a moment, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was more tense.

"Jimin?" I asked quietly.

He finally turned to look at me.

"Sorry I made you come to meet me. What were you doing?" He seemed to be avoiding a certain subject.

"I was on a hike with Namjoon," I said, deciding to converse casually instead of pushing for an explanation.

But somehow, my response made it seem worse.

"Namjoon? That class president guy?" He asked bitterly.

"I take it you don't like him very much?" I asked, growing a bit annoyed.

"He didn't seem to like me very much."

We were quiet again.

"Why did you want to meet?" I finally asked.

"I, uh, I just..." He was even more tense and uncomfortable than before, glancing around more frantically than ever. "Um, you see..."

He was a wreck and I had no idea why. So I placed my hand on his shoulder, surprised at how stiff and tense it was. But he paused and seemed to relax at my touch, finally turning to face me again.

"Jimin, what's wrong? What do you need?" I asked firmly.

"I...I can't tell you," he whispered.

"What?"

"I just wanted someone to hang out with, to get my mind off of...things."

I could see worry in his eyes. So I didn't ask anymore questions. He wanted to hang out and I was hungry so...

"Let's go get some food, okay?" I suggested.

"Okay."

•••••••

We walked to a nearby place that apparently sold the best bubble tea, according to Jimin. And by the time we arrived, he seemed a lot more relaxed. So we found a table and ordered our food, making small talk and jokes. By the time our meal arrived, he was grinning and seemed genuinely happy. I was too. As we ate, I brought up school.

"You think you're gonna like Danwon?" I asked.

"I still don't know. It has its flaws," he said thoughtfully.

"Like what?"

"Well, that Namjoon guy for instance." He frowned.

"Really? Why don't you like him? Because he doesn't like you?" I asked.

"Ah, so he really doesn't like me after all."

"Well...I mean--" I bit my tongue, regretting telling him that.

But he laughed.

"Don't worry, I already knew. But that's not really why I dislike him. It's only part of it," he said.

"What's the other part?" I asked.

He was silent, staring ahead in thought.

"He's too quiet."

"Well, you're not exactly the loudest person I know either." I chuckled.

"No, it's more than that. I don't like it when people keep everything to themselves, then blame other people for not understanding their feelings."

"Well, Namjoon hasn't really done any blaming..."

"Really? He hasn't been upset for any unexplained reason?"

I was silent now. Realizing that he was actually right. Namjoon never really told me what he was thinking, then that morning, he'd gotten upset with me for reasons I didn't know.

"But how do you know he's like that?"

"I mean, I just..." He cleared his throat. "I can just tell."

He paused and looked at me for a second.

"Alright, Mr. Intuitive. What else can you 'just tell' about Kim Namjoon?" I asked, sipping my tea.

"Well, for starters, I think he likes you," he said matter-of-factly.

I took in a surprised breath and started choking again. It seemed to have become an unfortunate habit since I'd moved in with my Granddad. I coughed and sputtered, while Jimin watched in surprise.

"You okay?" He asked.

"N--Namjoon?" I gasped. "No, he does not like me, Jimin."

"It's obvious, Aera," he argued.

"No way. He's too...I don't know, but he does not like me. Trust me."

He gave me a sheepish look and grabbed a bite of his food before continuing.

"Fine then...do you...do you like him?" He asked.

"No," I said without hesitation. "It took me a while to even like him as just a person. I don't even know for sure if we're friends," I admitted.

"Hmm," was his response.

"Yah! I don't!"

"Okay, okay. I believe you."

And we got back to our lunch, me wondering if what Jimin had said was true. Does Namjoon actually like me?

No, I told myself. Definitely not.