"Take a bath," she bade, dipping her purse on the tea table.

"No."

"Go and take a bath n-"

"No."

"Jimin, go and ta-"

"No."

Leona's lips parted in annoyance when the realization that how Ryan must feel when she cuts him off, percolated into her bones. Her skin prickled with irritation as she scowled at Jimin.

The man was hunched on the couch, mourning over nothing. Getting him out of the rooftop itself was arduous, and Leona wasn't in the mood to put with his emotions.

"Stop acting like a horrible whiny kid. I told you your mother is fine, for now. But the family members are not allowed to meet her until tomorrow."

He didn't even look at her and proceeded to gawk at the vivid tiles. Leona sighed and sauntered into the kitchen, not inferring why did she even bother meddling in. When Chul told her that Jimin galloped to the hospital, she volunteered to drive with him.

He helped her yesterday, and she convinced herself that she was just returning the favor. She didn't care about him or anything. She didn't want to run her fingers through his sleek tresses and ease the gloomy ebbs hammering his head, she didn't want to wrap her dainty arms around him and soak in his worries, she didn't want to smoothen the frown that was melted on his features, and she certainly didn't want to smile and at him and assure that it would be all fine.

The way he hugged her on the rooftop, coaxed Leona to let the walls crumble and allow the lines to blur. That was annoying enough. She was human enough to bring him here, that's it. He could keep wailing, it wouldn't bother her. It shouldn't bother her at all.

She cascaded the lukewarm water into the crystal glass and trod back to him.

"Here." She extended the glass. "Take the bath and change, or I will kick you out in the rain. You are ruining the couch."

He elevated his head to convene her eyes and Leona's almost cracked the goblet on the floor. The dim glints were gushing on his face, and all his glistening elements were prominent. Jimin was otherworldly beautiful. Nevertheless, the most stunning feature he possessed was his expressive eyes. The greys enmeshing with specks of marine and esoteric fume of the sierra. She wouldn't get the thoughts roiling in his mind, but she could perceive the feelings stifling his heart.

"Can I get something to eat as well?" he asked, breaking her rivery.

Leona made a show of rolling her eyes. "Sure, why not. Don't expect me to cook, I will microwave the pizzas and get that fucking security away from my sight. You don't need to imprison me."

Jimin stood, unexpectedly close to her and licked his lips. Her eyes flickered at his Adams' apple and down to the wet flimsy material which reflected every morsel of his muscles and veins. Heat whisked to her cheeks and she looked away, instantaneously pinching a step back.

Just to make it worst, he drove his fingers through his soaking silvery smokey hair and ruffled them, sprinkling water all over her.

"Jimin!" She cackled, shuffling away from him. A trifling puckish smile glimmered on his plump lips and he retrieved his wallet, keeping it aside.

"I will take a bath," he rasped, sneezing and kneading his nose like a baby.

"Go away, I don't want your germs."

"You didn't say that when my tongue was in your mouth."

"Do I need to remind you that just a few flashes back you were about to lose yourself? What changed now?"

Jimin shoved his hands in his pockets, shrugging. "Am I that good? I look unbothered, right? Not someone who's slowly breaking. I will be an amazing actor then."

Leona was ordering food from the nearest restaurant, but her fingers froze on the screen.

She didn't glance at him, meaning, "Lying to yourself that you are okay, doesn't make you okay. It makes you worst."

He let out an amused laugh. "Why does it sound like we are on the same page for the first time?"

She let out a wintry chuckle, tossing her phone on the couch and plucking his sodden wallet. "We will never be on the same page cause I exist okay. Always have been, always will be."

"There's no such thing as okay, Leona. Okay is just an illusion created by the world. Every human is a bit crooked, a bit broken, a bit depressed, a little sick, and a little sad. Just some conceal them well; like me and some conceal themselves in dark; like you."

"We are not having a psychology lecture standing all drenched," she uttered, walking past him with his wallet. "I will microwave your notes. Get changed."

Escaping the deep conversation, she attentively plopped the stack of cash in the oven, adjusting the temperature to its lowest. When she heard his footsteps accessing the stairs, she locked her eyes and without her knowing, she memorized them.

Her eyes docked on the passport-size picture of Valencia, tucked in his wallet and an eerie smile slithered her lips. Booming the stove on, she flamed the picture from the nook and blew it on the island, amusingly viewing it veering into ashes.

"It was good seeing you again, sweetheart."

Marching into her art room, she divested off her sodden clothes and skidded into black shorts and a billowing t-shirt. She dabbed her head with a towel in haste and rushed into the kitchen as she had to cook. Ordering in wasn't an option. She liked the house she was living in and if by any chance the delivery man recognized her or Jimin, it would cause turmoil. Also, she wasn't in the mood to eat restaurant food.

She commenced cutting vegetables, and apace with preparing ginger tea. The garlic and spices fizzled in the frying pan and an appetizing aroma caressed her dingy house enmeshing with the rich incense of tea. When she was a kid, her mother used to assemble ginger tea and snacks on rainy days when she and Lev would arrive back home from school. A small smile bedecked her lush lips thinking about her brother. Lev was her person. Her whole family might deny her existence but Lev would never.

Maybe I should see him. At least from far away.

She allowed the soup to stew, just as she heard his footsteps. It was easy to nail the rhythm of his footsteps in the walls of her brain, they were just like him, powerful, classy, chivalrous, and full of life.

She knew he desisted in the doorway, but blatantly overlooked him and concentrated on gushing the tea in the cups.

But damn to his sinister presence, she couldn't help but look at him. It was as if he was the silvery serene shore and she was the tempestuous waves, that were bound to crash.

Leona's breath hitched in her throat as her icy gaze directly fell on the stunning bronze skin that was sculpted with hard abs running up to the muscled pack's broad chiseled chest. She shamelessly hurled her gaze up to his sharp collar bones and the popping veins in his neck. He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, dreamily looking at her. Heat scrambled into her cheeks like molted lava, simmering her lungs when her eyes collided with his. An amused glint wriggled on his lips and he mouthed, "I know. I know," and winked.

Her heart fluttered so bad that Leona jumped. "What? "

"You were smiling." He pointed out.

"I wasn't."

Jimin popped himself on the counter, as she handed him the cup, still avoiding the eye contact. "Thank you, ma'am."

Rolling her eyes, she clung to her cup and savor a sip. The hot tea kissed her tongue, delicately delighting her throat and mind. The fiery taste of ginger galvanized her cold soul, instantly lifting her mood.

"You like tea more than coffee." He softly marked, his deep voice resounded throughout the house like cool whiskey blended with hot tea.

Leona serenely leaned her hips over the counters, right beside him. "Yes, I like tea, not coffee. Because I hate its aftertaste."

Jimin didn't miss a beat. "That's what she said."

Unexpectedly a chuckle flee through her mouth and Jimin dramatically gasped, grinding his ears to be superfluously theatrical. "What was that? Did you just chuckle, Kwon? Are you really capable of doing that? Oh damn, this moment is going to mark a history a-"

Leona cut him off by pinching his nipple, hard and making him wince. "Fuck, you are kinky, Leona."

"If you want food, get out."

"I thought you are ordering in."

"Can't. I will just prepare soup and there are two boxes of large pizzas in the fridge. Unless you-"

Jimin set the cup down and curved an arm around her lower back, bringing her closer to stand between his parted legs. It was such a smooth movement that it awed her. She had to crane her neck to look at him. The hustle of steam whacked on her cool skin and the lavender sparked with woodsy incense relinquished her lungs. Leona's heart picked a pace and her mouth went dry.

He had that boyish grin dancing in his eyes. Was it because he let his stupid hair fall gorgeously over his forehead. Or because she could ogle at his greek god body or because she added some wild ingredient in the tea.

Jimin retrieved the towel from around his neck and place it on her head. He gently began rubbing the soft fabric on her scalp and she finally comprehended what he was doing. Her hands fisted when the warm feeling tickled her cold nerves, slowly creeping near her heart. She kept her hand affixed to his chest to deter him from pulling any stunt, like kissing her till she was breathless. His skin was velvety against her slick palm and his heart was battering hard. She dared to glimpse at him, witnessing how his jaw was clenched, eyes intense pinning her with the tension coiling between them. He was feeling it, whatever it was, he was feeling that pull. She could just tell, which was even worse since she was fantasizing about her tongue swiping over his mouth-watering abs, and her nails digging in the hard muscles of his back.

"Your thoughts are loud, baby. Disturbingly loud. Voice them out and I will give you what you want." He husked, his fingers sliding across the side of her neck and her nipples harden with the electric ripples,

Squinting her eyes at his cocky smirk, she moved to lay distance between them, but Jimin clamped his thighs around her. She almost moaned. "Shh...let the man do his work. Did you always have this long hair?" He asked muffled as if he was sharing a coveted secret.

"Yes. I rarely cut my hair," murmuring, he tugged a dark strand behind her ear and she stiffened. She never approved of a person touching her hair. Ryan almost lost his hand for doing so.

"They are beautiful. You have no idea that women would kill to have hair like yours." He smiled, continuing to dab her hair. "My mom had beautiful hair, too. She...she will be shaving her hair off this week."

She then entitled her gaze to lift to his. She wanted to say something. Comfort him like he did, but was that gonna help. Do words help people feel better? Would it make any difference if she told him it would be fine? It wouldn't.

"They make good wigs these days," saying, Leona stepped back from him and commenced to set the pan on the stove.

"Yeah, I know. I am trying to find the best one for her." Jimin slipped off of the counter. "I will heat over the pizzas."

Humming in distinct approval, they worked in silence. Though she sneaked glances at him now and then. Later, both had a serious debate about where to eat. Leona wanted to eat at the dining table, while Jimin wanted to get their plates, snuggled on the comfy couch, and stuff their mouth while watching television. As they couldn't decide, Jimin suggested the coin toss, and of course, he won. Leona kept insisting he cheated, but they ended up snuggling on the couch.

Her eyes kept voyaging back to him, and he knew. His knowing smirk said it all.

"Spare my poor eyes and cover that disgusting view," she grumbled, resolving on the couch, and hoping he would take the love seat, away from her, she stretched her legs on the couch, resting her right ankle over the left.

Jimin noticed that and rolled his eyes. "If it was that disgusting, you wouldn't be shamelessly drooling. I know that look in your eyes." He oh so evenly sheathed his long fingers around her calves and hoisted them so he could settle. Her mouth parted in bewilderment staring at her ankles, resting like a queen in his lap.

Swallowing the itchy lump in her throat, Leona let a breath out. "What look?"

"The look when you like something. Your eyes narrow, your lips part, a teeny weensy frown touched your forehead and you tilt your head to the left in a psychopathic smile."

She assailed her toe hard into his stomach, making him snicker as he scooted, devouring some distance between them. His thumb stroked back and forth on her sleek skin, shooting tingles in her bones. His simple touch was so overbearing that she could feel the moisture milking her panties. Her pulse quickened with every passing second and she found it difficult to focus on the digital art she was creating on the iPad. On the other hand, Jimin had a tranquil demeanour, as he solely watch the football match on the television.

Abruptly her hands clear the digital sheet, and she began sketching him. His body was relaxed against the couch, face crunching with ten different emotions as the team he was supporting was scoring at times, then missing at times. The emotions didn't reflect on his face, but just a slight twitch of his lips, his eyes squinting, nose wrinkling, chin raising when he was satisfied, she knew all of those.

"My face must be entertaining, you have been staring past half an hour," he glanced at her, rubbing her toe.

She acted cool, looking at the television. "You are as entertaining as a high school history class."

In response, he tickled her foot and squirmed, with a giggle, quickly covering it up with a couch. "Do that again, and I will smash your head against the wood."

Jimin's index finger sensually run up her calve and she held in a breath. "Tell me something about yourself. Something that no one knows."

"Will you shut up if I tell you?"

"The only way to shut me up is shoving your tongue in my mouth, or letting me shove my tongue in your little cunt," He said, dangerously low and she groan in frustration. Her pussy was throbbing with the heat whisking from his fingers.

She laid the iPad on her chest and sighed. "Once I had a snake as my pet."

Jimin froze. He blinked at her as if he was about to shit himself. "You shitting me, right?"

"You are gullible, Jimin. Not a good trait for a businessman."She cracked a smile, finally satisfied that once she was able to render him speechless. Though it was stupid, and whatever.

He curled her toe, making her yelp and glare with venom. "Who knew you are capable of joking?"

"I did."

"Sure. But did you really have a pet?"

"I had. Two. A cat and a fish. Fish was my brother's pet and a cat was mine. She ate the fish, and Lev flung her out with a fit." She told him, realizing it was the first time she talked about her any of the family.

His stillness induced that he knew Lev. Who wouldn't? Lev was the youngest player on the national football team. He just joined a month ago. Jimin craned his neck to the ceiling, before looking at her. "Lev recently joined the national team. Taehyung, my best friend, is also a national football player, so I sort of know Lev. You know..." He trailed off, nipping on his lower lip.

Leona raised her eyebrow. "Yes, I know that you are well acquainted with the Kwon household."

"I do. Sung-Ho is the CEO of the agency for which I work," He replied. "I don't know why you are hiding from them, but you don't have to worry about them or anyone. As I promised, I will protect you and your identity."

"Why would you?" She couldn't help but ask.

"You are my artist." He shrugged as if it justified all his actions.

Nothing was justified between them.

"Clarify and filter your words, Jimin."

The back of his fingers itched up to her soft leg, it was sensual, but also a raw warning. "Don't ask me the questions you are not ready to hear the answer to, Leona."

She shot him a humorless chuckle. "You mean don't ask you the question you don't know the answers to."

"See? Finally, we are on the same page."

⋆┈┈｡ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ｡┈┈⋆

Tayson: She's hurting me.

Me: That's how it's supposed to be. My plot, my writing.

Tayson (stares at me): You are gonna rot in hell, woman.