Aera's P.O.V

Naturally, I couldn't get any sleep that night. It was so upsetting. I would be a complete wreck by the time school started. It wasn't any memory's fault that night, though. It was Jungkook's. Thoughts and questions kept me awake, roaming around my head. Like why the heck Jungkook was acting so strangely. Why he hadn't even seemed to recognize me. How Yugyeom knew him. And the last, most prominent thought, that I was trying the hardest to be free of: If Jungkook was back, did that mean Jimin was, too?

I hated myself for even considering it. It was torturing to think about. Because part of me wanted to- and almost did -believe it, but the other part was trying so hard to convince me I was wrong. And I knew which part was right. Probably. For months, I truly thought he would just pop up again, and apologize for ever leaving. But it didn't happen, and I was finally coming to terms with the fact he really wasn't coming back. But now, Jungkook was here. And everything I'd come to believe was slowly crumbling. Breaking my heart all over again.

I let out such a long and audible sigh, that I was afraid of waking up the girl in the room next to mine. But only silence followed it. Then Namjoon suddenly popped into my head. "Aera doesn't get feelings for anyone that easily." Now, thinking about it, I couldn't smile. After Jimin left, and Namjoon broke the news to me, we had grown closer than ever before. But not in that way. Although his feelings for me seemed to grow, I just couldn't return them. And now that it had almost been a year, he seemed to have gotten over me completely. Though, sometimes, he would say something, or I would catch him watching me, and I would wonder if they were as strong as ever.

With another sigh, I lifted my head and hit my pillow a few times, trying to get more comfortable. I jerked my head back down, and crossed my arms in frustration. I knew if I continued letting all these thoughts wander, I would fall back into the despair I'd been in, when Jimin first left me.

••••••

The rest of the week passed uneventfully, and the day my roommate was supposed to finally move in arrived quickly. I got ready, brushing my teeth longer than usual, actually doing something nice with my hair, other than a ponytail, and I even put on a sweater, instead of a sweatshirt. But the whole time, I shook with nervousness. I was being so ridiculous, but I had just never been friends with another girl before. Before moving in with my grandpa, I hadn't had any friends at all. Now I would be sharing a room with a complete stranger. And that made me incredibly anxious.

Namjoon knew how nervous I was, and had even asked if I wanted him to be hanging around when she arrived, just for some mental support. But, I declined as soon as he'd offered.

"Thanks, though," I replied.

"No problem. Just call me if you need anything, got it?" He said.

"Yeah, yeah. I got it." I rolled my eyes, and tried not to smile. "She's gonna be here any minute, I should go."

"Okay, talk to you later, Aera."

"Sure, bye."

I hung up slowly, and continued to sit at the small kitchen table, quietly. I chewed my lips, trying to breathe slowly. You're being so dramatic. I shook my head, rubbing my clammy palms on my thighs. A sudden knock on the door made me jump. Gulping, I walked over and opened it. My jaw almost dropped as I studied the grinning girl in front of me.

"Hello! My name is Laurel Dalton," The foreigner recited in fluent Korean, giving me a deep bow.

"Uh, hello. My name is Mok Aera," I returned with a smaller bow.

We stood there for a moment, just watching each other. I studied her awkwardly while her smile finally faltered.

"Oh, uh. Come in," I invited.

"Thank you!" Laurel said happily.

She carried her stuff in, taking a look around. I was silent, just watching her. So this chirpy, foreign girl is my roommate?

"I guess you must be surprised," She was saying.

I noticed she had turned back to me.

"Well, I didn't know you were..."

"American?" She offered.

"Yeah."

"Well, don't worry. I'm fluent in Korean," she replied proudly.

"I can tell," I said.

I was more taken aback by her almost aggressive enthusiasm. I prayed she wasn't always like this.

"So, which bed is mine?"

•••••••

After unpacking Laurel's things, we decided to explore campus together, and I learned a lot more about her. Laurel was born in South Carolina, America. She had an older brother who also lived in Korea. She was planning on becoming an English teacher, which didn't really surprise me. Laurel was also extremely smart, being almost completely self-taught in Korean, and graduating as Valedictorian from her high school back in the states. One thing I noticed about her almost immediately was her bold attitude. But I guess that was a given for someone daring enough to move to a foreign country for college.

"I also have an obsession with Korean boy bands," she blurted, turning to me with excited eyes.

"Oh, really? That wouldn't be one of the reasons you moved here would it?" I teased.

"What do you think?" She grinned.

I actually felt a laugh bubbling in my chest. Despite the lack of sleep and stress I'd been going through, I actually felt happy. And I realized there had been no reason for my dread of having a roommate. As we returned to the girl's dorm, my phone buzzed.

"Well...?" Namjoon had texted.

"Who is it?" Laurel asked.

One thing I wasn't too happy about was her nosiness.

"A friend, actually he speaks fluent English. You should meet him sometime," I told her, replying to Namjoon at the same time.

"She's great," I texted him.

And I meant it.