My jaw dropped when she said those words. She doesn't know if she wants to get back together?

"I-I don't understand," I sputtered. "Wh-why not? What do you mean you don't want to?" I disliked the whine that had crept into my voice. It suddenly reminded me of a 16-year-old me trying to negotiate with my then-girlfriend into staying with me. I had sworn to never be so pathetic in the future. Yet, here I was.

She glanced over her shoulder then pulled me further into the hallway. "Everyone's looking."

"We can go into one of the rooms--"

"No," she cut me off. "I don't need you to try and seduce me."

"Seduce? What? No!" I said indignantly. "I thought you'd want some privacy. Everyone is listening, you know. Whatever we say right now might as well be on the news."

"Fine!"

"Tae!" I leaned my head out of the hallway. "Tae, I'm going to use your room."

Taehyung's eyebrows went up in surprise, but then he nodded.

I pulled her into Taehyung's room and shut the door.

"Oh, that was the opposite of private!" she complained. "You might as well have announced that we were going to have sex!"

"We're not." I gulped. My heart was beating even faster, if that was possible. "Are we?"

She crossed her arms and scowled.

"Talk to me, Bella. Why won't you come back to me?"

She exhaled loudly. "Listen to me, Seokjin--"

"Jin," I corrected her. "You always called me Jin, and it felt so special, so intimate."

"Seokjin," she said pointedly. Ouch! She went for the jugular! "Listen to me. I don't think we should get back together. I need a little bit of time to figure out who I am as a person."

"What? Why do you need time? I know who you are!" I sputtered. "You're my girlfriend!"

She sighed. "You're not listening. I don't want to be just someone's girlfriend. I need to figure out what I want from a relationship. So much has happened to us in such a short time. It's like a never ending saga." She looked down. "I don't know. I'm 21, but you were only my second real boyfriend. I don't think I was ready for everything that happened. Maybe I need to grow up a little more before I can have a good relationship. You know how the first one with Jimin ended up. Then with you--well, I can't say either has been very positive."

"That's not true!" I protested. "Our relationship was very positive. The whole forced wedding thing was a blip--granted a huge, terrible blip, but my feelings for you never changed. I've always loved you. I love you even more now. Your feelings never changed either." I inhaled. "Have they?" She didn't respond, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

"Bella! Are you saying that you don't...love me anymore? Have you fallen out of love with me? Please, just tell me," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Just tell me the truth."

She shook her head. "No. I still love you. I can't deny that."

I swept her up in my arms. "Oh, my sweet baby, that's all that matters. Everything else will fix itself, you'll see!" I leaned down to kiss her, but she turned her face, and my lips fell on her cheek instead. "What's wrong?"

She pushed away from me. "I still feel love for you. I do love you, Jin, but that's the problem. I don't want to get caught up in just being your girlfriend again. It's not easy being Kim Seokjin's girl. Everyone assumes things without really knowing. I need time.  I just...I need some space."

"Okay, okay," I muttered. "Space. So no kissing, no hugging, is that what you mean?"

She reached out and held my hands. "Not exactly. I need time away from you so that I can be my own person. I think we should concentrate on being friends first."

"What? Time away from me?" I exclaimed. "No way! You don't mean that."

"Calm down."

"Friends? You want to be friends? What the hell?" I cried loudly. "No!" I pulled her closer to me. "You can't friend-zone me now. Not after everything. People spend their whole lives looking for the right one. You have me! You have the right one right here! I'm perfect for you!"

"Still as humble as ever," she said and moved away from me again.

"I'm not bragging," I replied. "I mean that people search their whole lives for what we have. This doesn't happen every day, you know. But it happened to us. We can't ignore our feelings. Why won't you come back to me? This is bullsh--uh, poop. Sorry."

"Won't you regret tying yourself down so young? I'm sure there are so many girls who are happy you're single."

"And they mean nothing to me. The right one--the only one for me is you," I said softly. "We belong together. What does age have to do with it?"

"Seokjin!"

I didn't let her continue. I pulled her into my body and brought my lips down on hers. I nibbled at her lips until I felt them open to me, I smiled into the kiss before plunging my tongue into her honeyed mouth. Oh, this was heaven! Or hell. Either way, this was the most perfect sensation I had ever felt. I could feel my body responding after so many weeks--months!--of not making love to her. Maybe I should lock the door---

"No," she gasped. "We're not...doing this...right now."

Had she read my mind?

"We're not?" I asked, my lips kissing behind her ear then down her neck. My hand cupped her incredible ass. Oooohhh! I missed her so much!

She shook her head. "Are you seriously thinking we'll be having sex? Here?" I felt her hands push at my chest halfheartedly. Her hand grasped my shirt as our lips found each other again. I could feel her heart racing.

"We've never had sex, darling," I murmured in her ear. "We've always made love. Sweet, wonderful, exhilarating love."

"Stop that," she said. "And that better be your phone in your front pocket, Jin, because we are not doing anything right now. I mean it!"

I ran my tongue lightly across her bottom lip before giving it a soft bite. "When then?"

She pushed me away less than gently and took a deep breath. "We need to stop. Don't ask me when because I don't know."

I slammed my hands against the door, trapping her between my arms, startling her. "I'm not giving up on you, Bella! I know very well what I want even if you don't." I moved away from her and took the ring box out of my pocket and opened it, holding it out to her.

"Wh-What's this?" she asked in confusion.

"It's one of the hard things in my pants."

"Jin!"

"Kidding," I smiled. "It's a token of my love for you. Take it." I hoped that once she saw the ring, she'd realize what she meant to me, what she was worth to me.

Her eyes looked into mine with uncertainty before she looked at the ring. "Oh, my God," she whispered, her eyes wide as she stared at the ring. "This is not--"

"Shhh," I interrupted her. I took her right hand, which was flat against my chest, and slipped the ring onto her finger. While she continued to stare at it, I took the opportunity to kiss her again. Again I pulled her body into mine as tightly as possible.

I put my lips next to her ear. "Just remember that no guy out there will make you feel the way I do, darling." I kissed her earlobe. "And no one can give you what I can."

"J-Jin, wait."

I ran my hand slowly down her side then gave her hip a gentle squeeze. "I know that there's no one else for me. I only want you, and I mean to have you." I brought her hand to my lips and kissed the ring. "I need to know that you are mine. I love you, Bella."

She took a few deep breaths. Then she looked at the ring. "I can't accept this. It's...it's too much." She moved to take it off.

I closed my hand over hers. "No. It's yours." I swooped in for another kiss. "And you're mine. I won't take no for an answer." I didn't give her another chance to object. I pushed the ring box into her hand and left the room.

I felt a grin splitting my face. She still wants me. She'll be back. How could she not?