(Y/N) POV:

When I brush past someone in my haste to get into the convenience store, I try to ignore the fact that the sensation of being in such close proximity had sent my senses into overdrive, hungrily drinking in the scent of a cologne, their presence warm and comforting and urging me to turn around to face them. But I shrug it off as I enter, putting it down to my haywire brain as I grab a basket to fill up as I move around the store.

There's a prickling feeling at the back of my neck, as if I'm being watched, but oddly enough it doesn't send my defences rising, and put me on-edge, there's almost something akin to comfort...ease, as the gaze remains, following me as I move. When I bend down to pick up a specific brand of crisps Gyeomie likes my eyes quickly dart to the window and find someone standing there, eyes trained on me. But they're not hostile and unfamiliar. I've seen those eyes before. They belong to the male who had been with Yoongi at the mall the other day.

And rather than having violent defensive eyes, his eyes are soft, curious as they remain on me. And like that day in the mall aren't harsh and critically examining. There's something different about him, something that sets me into an ease, that should bother me, confuse me, but rather seems natural.

When I finish shopping, a small glance confirms that he is in fact still there, I hurry over to the hot drinks machine- grabbing a takeout cup and making hot chocolate. My wrists bear the brunt of the shopping, two bags swinging on my hands and cup held safely between them as I step out into the cold, moving forward towards the male.

His eyes remain on mine, but he shifts slightly to the side- as if giving me the space to be able to move past comfortably. I stop in front of him and hold the cup out- praying he doesn't think of me as weird, silently pleading for him to take it.

His eyes look blank. I don't know whether he's zoned out or he's trying to process it.

So I try again.

"Excuse me, this is for you." I say softly, praying that my shyness and uncertainty doesn't seep through, that he doesn't reject it. His hands reach out, almost grazing my chilled ones, and the sight of him is obscured slightly by the tendrils of steam that curl up and rise into the frosty air.

His hands retreat with the cup, and he looks at me quizzically.

"Thank you. Though what is it for?" he asks.

His voice is warmer and dulcet, way better than I could've ever envisioned, he'd stood there silently that day. His voice is entrancing and captivating, my ears yearning to hear more- though I can't fathom why.

"Because you standing out here in the cold made me feel cold. And you looked like you could use a sugar hit." I say, my lips curling up in a smile automatically. But some words remain unspoken, sitting on the tip of my tongue and I swallow them down.

I can't really say that it's also because his gaze was familiar and reassuring, that his presence had called me in and that I couldn't find a reason to just stop out of the blue. But he doesn't need to know that.

Doesn't need to know that his presence made my own self want to lean towards him and bask in that natural warmth he emitted despite being a vampire.

It would be weird.

But I do wonder why he'd been standing here, why he had been watching.

"Were you just curious?" the words slip out of my mouth.

There's a small furrow between his brows as he ponders over the question.

"About the human girl who made Yoongi's mate upset?" I add, but the sorrow over my own actions seeps into my voice, the hurt betrayed look on Jimin's face flashing through my mind- leaving a stinging trail in its wake.

He shakes his head adamantly, and it would've made me giggle if the situation had been different.

"No, not at all. Though I would like to apologise for my mate's behaviour- he had no right to accuse, after all- we don't know the situation fully." He says, sincerity in his voice, head dipping in apology.

That makes me pause. Double-take. He's not defending Yoongi's actions? And more so, he's apologising to me?

The knowledge that he didn't jump to a conclusion- is aware of the mistake, warms me- chips away at the icy weather and washes away the chill slightly. It's warming.

And worms its way into my heart. And makes its place there.

"You don't need to apologise for someone else's doing, though I appreciate you didn't judge- it's nice and refreshing." I say, the memory of how my supposed mate flung accusations at me sending a stab of pain through me.

I shake away the thoughts, not wanting to go down that path at the moment.

"I have to get going now, Yugyeomie needs his snacks." I say, detracting the conversation to something safe, neutral. Ending the conversation even though I want to spend more time talking to him.

I say goodbye and leave, turning away even whilst everything in me urges me to turn back.

Each step away has me hoping, wishing that our paths cross again.

To the vampire who'd not judged, to the vampire who sparked an ember of warmth on a winter's night.

----

The next day dawns with a sky of faded grey, sunlight filtering through the cold, crisp air. And the walk to the gallery makes me wide awake, the barely occupied streets and silent ambience doing little to deter the good mood I had awoken in. As if meeting the boy at the convenience store had left a pleasant feeling- the feeling of being wrapped up all warm and it had carried with me as I had stepped out of our apartment- yelling a goodbye to Gyeomie who had been sleepily eating breakfast.

I slip into the silence of the exhibition hall, the early morning timing for the artwork meant that it was a more relaxed hum of chatter, lower in volume as a few couples roamed around, taking their time.

I preferred the silent roving, the deeper stares and hushed conversation- as if unwilling to shatter the calmness that had descended. Ryan oppa catches my eyes and waves with both hands, the small gesture making me smile, before he steps away to talk to an elderly man who engaged him into a lengthy passionate conversation- lots of hand waving and twists in his facial expressions.

I stop in front of a painting that is of a distorted reflection- only bare details slipping through, the curve of lips, tears clinging onto lashes, the flash of fingertips. Whilst the reflection is in a small contained body, a pool edged with waterlilies, sunlight reflecting off the surface and obscuring the full face- the water itself is a torrent, uncontrollable entity- several shades of blue mingling and clashing with each other. It represents an inner torment, the struggle of trying to contain yourself- the pains of my past clashing with my want to move on.

And then my ears catch what the two in front of me are discussing the painting represents.

"The artist must've been so happy and at peace when they made this." A middle-aged man concludes, smiling triumphantly as he turns to his friend.

The friend nods his head in agreement.

"Yeah look how calm the pond is, so serene- the painting is clearly about being satisfied and at peace with who they are." He adds.

Their words make my heart sink, I stare at the painting and am able to see nothing but my grief screaming out at me, remember the sleepless nights when I'd been plagued by nightmares after nightmares- that stage where I had been struggling to heal and move on.

And they don't see it? They see someone at peace.

Is it that hard to see the blatant cries for help in my work? The visible almost tangible hurt that had flowed out of me as I'd made it- lost in a haze of itching to get those emotions to get out, where eventually it had taken JB oppa to forcefully pull me out of the room and push me into a couch, pleading at me to rest, to allow them to share in the pain.

Why couldn't they see my agony? Why couldn't they even feel a shred of it?

The questions are more disheartening than I'd like to admit, previous happiness wiped away with the need to move away but when I turn I find myself frozen. When I meet eyes that had previously been fixed to the painting slowly slide to meet mine, a tempest of emotions instantly entering them.

The eyes shutter, feet not-so subtly stepping back, a grimace gracing his lips.

And my heart simultaneously rises and sinks. Maybe this is a chance to make amends.

Because in front of me is no-one other than Jimin.

"Can we talk?" I ask and wince at the way my voice wavers.

His eyes narrow slightly.

"What about? Any other lies you want to spin me?" he asks scathingly, venom dripping off each syllable.

But under that venom there's the tiniest bit of hurt that leaks through, perhaps unintentionally, but it's there and my heart twists because I know that I put it there.

"Please Jimin, I just want a chance to explain. And if you don't accept it- then you can go back to hating me." I say, even if my soul aches with the thought that the possibility of it not ending well means I'll have to grow to accept his resentment for me.

----

Seated on a park bench near the exhibition is where I find myself a short while later. Jimin sits down stiffly, a good large distance between us- a silent reminder that he doesn't trust me. I try not to let that sting.

"Go on. Tell me why lying and deceiving me was a good idea? Try justify it." He says bluntly, voice emotionless.

I take a deep breath.

"I didn't mean to deceive you, I never said I was a vampire. You reached that conclusion yourself." I begin, and a scowl adorns his face.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings that day by making you feel like I was cutting off your thoughts and emotions. As if they didn't matter because they do—" I add but then he cuts me off.

"Why would my emotions matter to a human? Why would you care about my thoughts?" he demands, eyes flashing red.

"Because they do! Everyone's thoughts matter! How do you think I felt when I found out that you're part of a human-hating coven? It wasn't like I was over the moon either!" I say in frustration and my own anger beginning to creep up. Because he's not listening. He's not trying to understand.

"And before you tell me that humans can't understand, humans are the villains. YES! Humans don't try as hard as they should, yes humans portray vampires as the ultimate enemy- when they're not better themselves, but you can't keep judging every human through your own lens." I say, the desperation in my voice clear, beseeching him to see.

But he stands up, red hue never leaving his eyes, fingers stuffed deep into his pockets.

"The truth is no matter how understanding you may think you are, you won't ever know the pain, how it feels to be always labelled as an outsider, someone who doesn't belong. So don't come here with your claims of empathy. You can't cross that bridge that holds two races apart. Don't try to either." He says, words ending with a poisoned hiss as they escape his mouth.

But under all that ire and resentment, his feelings of being judged, scrutinised, and constantly feared  comes to surface. And leaves me feeling hurt- whilst his words have a point, it's clear he doesn't want to move forward even being civil. He's made it clear that we're on opposite ends, parallel existences that can never meet.

And my own frustration that we can't seem to talk without arguing, without clashing furiously.

Because I wanted to make it right, wanted to make it better- but how can I even consider getting close when his defences are impregnable and firm. Turned solid and unyielding because of his experiences.

And this time it's me who walks away, past him with a sinking heart.

"I never judged you Jimin. No-one deserves to be judged because of something that lies out of their control. Not you. And not me." I say, stopping for a moment in front of him. But he stares ahead resolutely, a tick in his jaw.

And I walk past, every part of me crying that something has slipped through my fingers, and I failed to grasp the end of it.

JIMIN POV:

I didn't expect to see her there. At the exhibition again. Didn't expect my feet to carry me forward as I looked at the painting she seemed so immersed in. It's a painting that screams of an inner anguish, a pain that one struggles to move on from. It's a pain I related to once upon a time.

And when she turns, I stiffen- expecting something vicious to escape her mouth.

Not her smooth, soft voice imploring for me to give her a chance, to hear her out.

A voice that somehow quenches the flames of betrayal and ire instantly.

It's almost unconsciously that a scathing, cold tone slips out. A defence mechanism intent on pushing her away before my walls fall down and let her in.

I didn't expect the firm strength in that lilting voice to point out the bitter reality that I had made the misunderstanding not her. Didn't expect her voice to rise with pent-up frustration that she knew humans weren't perfect, that they were flawed and unfair but that I shouldn't assume everyone fell into that category.

But it hurts, hurts knowing that she's right, that internally- I have understood her words and how easily they seem to worm their way into my heart and threaten to thaw the icy exterior I'm holding up.

But she won't understand. She hasn't suffered at the hands of humans. Hasn't been deceived and lied and manipulated over and over. No, that was me. Not her.

So the overflowing prickly feelings of hurt seep out and hurt her too.

And a part of me hisses at myself that I've hurt her. And curls up in shame.

And one part of me is glad that she won't pry, won't try to get close again.

But most part of me aches as she walks away, her final words ringing in my ears like a knell.

And I feel like I'm letting something precious slip out of my grasp. Something I should cherish and hold close now taking steps away.

I get to my feet, torn between the war going on inside, but ultimately end up rooted to the place- unable to chase after her, when that's all I want to do.

(THIS ENDING MADE ME EMOTIONAL, AT TIMES PEOPLE PUT UP A COLD PRICKLY PERSONALITY TO PUSH PEOPLE AWAY- IT'S A DEFENCE MECHANISM. BUT UNDER IT ALL, JIMINIE IS HURTING- HIS OWN EXPERIENCES HOLD ME BACK BUT HOPEFULLY IT WON'T BE LONG UNTIL SOMETHING BEGINS TO SHIFT, AN EVENT THAT'LL CHANGE EVERYTHING. AND ONLY TIME WILL TELL AND TIME WILL HEAL. COME ON MINNIE I'M ROOTING FOR YOU!! 17K READS AND STILL AT NUMBER ONE! THANK YOU LOVES- STAY SAFE!)

If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew.

(Jiminie try please!)

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3