Jin stood at the door to Luisa's apartment, his palms sweaty and his heartbeat racing. He had not told Emily that it was Luisa's birthday and that her friends were having a get-together at her place. He also did not tell her that he was attending.

After he took her home from her last doctor's appointment, he told her that he was going back to his place to rest and catch up on some things. She had agreed only because she felt tired and sleepy. Usually, she'd ask him to stay with her. They'd spend the rest of the day in her room while she snuggled up to him.

He always fought the urge to move away from her. He was supposed to be acting like a loving and supportive boyfriend. He had just returned to work a month ago despite Emily's father's insistence that he continue on leave. Her father practically encouraged him to move into her room with her.

Nevertheless, he still felt guilty whenever Emily tried to kiss him and initiate physical affection. He pecked her on the cheek and told her she needed to rest. She objected with a pout, saying that she missed having sex.

He countered by saying that she was too weak to do much more than walk, so naturally, any other type of physical activity would make no sense. He had to promise that once her doctor cleared her, they would go back to having sex.

He hoped that day would never come.

Now he wiped his sweaty palms on his black jeans and rang the doorbell.

Luisa opened the door with a big smile that faded somewhat when she saw it was him.

He stared at her longingly. "Uh. Hi, Lu. Happy birthday," he finally said and held out a single red rose.

She took it and smiled. "Thank you." She delicately sniffed the flower. "Come in. Everyone's already here."

"Wait," he said before walking through the door. "Here's the real gift." He pressed a small box into her free hand.

"Again, thank you very much. I'm sure I'll love it." she said, stepping aside so that he could enter the apartment.

Once inside, he was loudly greeted by his friends. Namjoon said that Nina couldn't make it because she had to work a late shift. She was a nurse, and her hospital had a nurse shortage at the moment. Yoongi, of course, was glued to Selina's side. Hoseok was sitting quietly at the kitchen table nursing his beer. It was uncharacteristic of him to be so subdued, so Seokjin grabbed a beer and joined him.

"What's up?" he asked Hoseok.

Hoseok nodded with a brief smile. "Jin! How are you?"

"I'm good. But what about you? Did something happen?" His eyes studied his friend.

Hoseok shook his head with a bright smile. "No. Nothing happened. Nothing's wrong. Why do you think that?" He busied himself with his beer.

Seokjin shrugged. "Oh, no reason. I noticed that—"

"I told you it isn't the right time." A male voice broke into his conversation.

Both men looked up to see a tall man walk past the kitchen toward the hallway of the apartment. Megan was following him.

"Cal! Calvin! Listen to me," she said loudly. They both disappeared from view, but their muffled voices could still be heard over the music.

Seokjin noticed that Hoseok was trying to listen to what they were saying—so much so that he was almost out of his chair.

After a few minutes, the man walked toward the door with Megan again following him.

"That's right! That's right!" she was saying. "Just walk away like you always do."

"Megan, let's not do this right now," the man said, his eyes darting around the apartment. "Just drop it."

"Sure, sure," she snapped. "Just drop it. You always say that. Why do you always lie to me? Huh? Why can't you just be honest? You're ruining everything."

The man stood closer to her, clearly angry. "And you're ruining your friend's party. Do you even care about that?"

Megan crossed her arms and looked away.

"Look, I already told Luisa I had to go, and I already told you I had to go, so I don't see what the problem is."

She frowned. "We both know what the problem is. And you're going to her right now, aren't you?"

"Megan, I'm not doing this right now. Good night. I will call you later." Without another word, he turned around and walked out the front door. Megan huffed and stomped away.

Hoseok's eyes followed her as she rushed to Luisa's side. Selina left Yoongi on the sofa and also went to them.

"I hope she's okay," Seokjin commented. "Her boyfriend seems like a dick."

Hoseok nodded, his eyes still looking toward the girls. "Um, yeah. Definitely. I feel bad for Meg."

Seokjin studied him for a few moments. "Poor Meg, right? Maybe you should go talk to her."

Hoseok reared back. "Me? Why?" At his friend's grin, he sighed. "I guess you can tell, huh?"

Seokjin shrugged. "Nothing to feel bad about. You've known her for a few years now. You are both fun people to be around. It would make sense that you would be good around each other."

"I don't know," the usually-smiling man replied, his lips turned down. "Selina says that she's really into that guy. I don't see why other than he's tall. They've been dating for almost four months, but he still won't commit to her. She has eyes for no one else, but he's still playing the field. What a bastard."

"Uh-huh," Seokjin agreed. "That's why you should try talking to her. Let her know that she's not alone, that she's got options." He took a drink of his beer. "Look. Don't make the same mistake I made. If you don't say the words, she won't hear them. Then other stuff gets in the way. You'll be left alone with the what-ifs."

Hoseok's attention shifted to the handsome man across the table from him. "You made a mistake? With Emily? But aren't you two still together?"

Seokjin shook his head. "Well. My life's been one mistake after another, it seems. I hope your story turns out better." He looked around the room, and his eyes fell on Luisa. His heart felt less heavy. Maybe helping someone else out rather than dwelling on his own problems might be what he needed.

He turned back to Hoseok. "Look. Here's what I recommend."

They spent the rest of the evening discussing what Hoseok could do to get Megan's attention. At one point, Yoongi showed up and joined in, but soon he was back at Selina's side.

After a few hours, Seokjin noticed that the party was breaking up and went to say goodbye to Luisa.

"Thank you for the gift," she said with a big smile, holding up her left arm. The sparkly bracelet he'd given her was dangling from her wrist. "It's beautiful."

He nodded. "I'm glad you liked it. I'm going to head out now. I guess I'm more tired than I thought." He stared at her, wanting to say more, but not sure where to start.

"I hope Emily is doing better," she whispered, her smile gone. "Jin, I'm sorry if I...well, I really do hope that she gets better."

"Thank you. She had her last treatment this morning. She seems to be recovering." He paused. "I did as you suggested. I stayed with her through her ordeal. I did it for you."

"You shouldn't say that," she replied. "You did it for her. You took care of her. Your obligation is to her. She still considers you her boyfriend. This has nothing to do with me."

"Wait," he began. "This has everything to do with us."

She shook her head. "As long as Emily has hopes for the two of you, there's nothing to do with us. There is no us, Jin. Can't you see that?"

"No, I can't." He inhaled. "I kept my word to her because that's what you wanted me to do, but now that's done with. She will be better off without me. I won't let her or her family or you guilt me into something I don't want. I promise you that—"

"Please don't promise anything," she interrupted him. After looking around the room, she turned back to him. "I already told you that. There's no need. You have other responsibilities right now." She took a deep breath. "We're just friends. So, good night."

He stared at her in silence for a long while. His eyes were pleading for understanding, but she remained quiet. He blinked and looked down. "You're right as always. Thank you for being my friend. I will do as you say. Anyway, happy birthday, Lu."

"Thank you," she said softly. She watched him walk toward his apartment even though she longed to call him back. What was wrong with her? Her feelings for him were as strong as ever, yet every step she took was another step back. Was she really pushing him toward another woman with both hands? How long was she going to keep making terrible mistakes? How long before she lost him forever?