"Jungkook, I said I'm okay," Hoseok's tired voice wafted from underneath the bathroom door.

"And I said, I didn't ask," Jungkook had replied, continuing to make breakfast for his huyng.

"Besides, I have nothing to do today, anyway."

"Didn't you say you were arranging flowers for tomorrow's ball, Jungkook?" Hoseok appeared in the kitchen, wiping his neck with a small towel, "Have I told you I'm so proud of you for that, by the way? It's your first time doing such a big project on your own."

"You have, hyung," he sighed, "I mean, I wouldn't have had the chance to if Chr- Oh uhm..." Jungkook's eyes widened when he realised he had had a slip of the tongue, and he scanned the room to find something to use to change the subject. "Did your mom get that from a patient?"

"Jungkook what were you saying about Chris?"

"It's a really nice vase," he commented again, eyes trained to the new addition on their dining table.

"Jeon Jungkook," Hoseok's tone grew a few octaves lower, and he took this as his cue to head for the door.

"Hyung I should probably get going, please eat. I think Jimin hyung will come over in a few, so just have a lookout."

"Jungkook, can you get back here-" but before Hoseok could get anything else out of his friend, Jungkook had picked up his car keys and sprinted out the door. Staring at the back of it, Hoseok tried to shove that memory away. Much like he had been trying to push every instance he'd spent with Chris over the summer to the back of his mind.

But God knew that was impossible. He had fallen in love with the woman she was, from day one. And every day he had continued to fall deeper.

He had this (annoying) habit of continually remembering how she would twitch her nose when she smelt lavender or rose when he walked through his home. Or when she would play with the hem of her shirt whenever he complimented her, folding it into different shapes. And when her cheeks would burn a beautiful tint of strawberry when he would open her car door.

None of those memories seemed to leave him alone.

His mind transported him back to the beginning of their friendship, back when he had shared his story, back to when he had decided to trust her enough to tell him about his family's situation.

Was it then that she had begun this plan? Perhaps she was so sure he would want to sell his land if it meant he could save his father.

Sighing, he started to play with the food on his plate; She wasn't wrong.

—

Jimin had arrived around lunchtime, a bright grin plastered across his face and bags of takeaway in his hands.

"You guys really don't have to baby me around the clock, you know," Hoseok had said as they walked into his home, "I'm okay, really."

"Wow I come all the way here on my lunch break to visit my best friend, and he doesn't even want me here."

"Shut up," Hoseok smiled at him, "Sit down."

"Hyung, I'm sorry about all this," Jimin started, passing a foam coffee cup across the table, "I wish I could help in some way."

"That's okay, Jimin," the sunshine boy continued to attempt grinning at his friend, "I'm fine."

"No, honestly, you're not. I know you're not, and that's okay. You must feel confused, sad, betrayed, and none of us can do anything to help. Not even you."

"That's not true," the elder boy shook his head before he paused and let his eyes fall down to his fingers, "You think she really just used me this whole time?"

Jimin's gaze faltered, the slight crack in Hoseok's voice making his heart race, "I—I don't know, hyung."

"You know I genuinely had let someone else into my heart again, but of course this had to go wrong too."

"Hyung," Jimin frowned, he hated seeing his best friend this way, "Have you tried calling her?"

"Jimin, you know that would have been my first instinct," he sighed, "But for some reason, I couldn't this time. I've never felt this way before, I am always the first to apologise to you guys. But now I want her to be the first one to reach out," looking back down to his hands, he added, "If she cares enough to, that is."

"She will, hyung, she's just a bit busy right now."

"Busy?" Hoseok furrowed his eyebrows and looked at him, "Busy how?" But the real question running through his head was How would you know, when I don't?.

"Huh?" flustered, Jimin's eyes flew up to him, "What?"

"You heard me."

"Wow, this vase is so nice, is it new?"

"Now that I know both you and Jungkook wanted to dodge this topic like the plague, you better tell me what's up."

"Nothing," Jimin said quickly, looking back to the vase, "From a patient?"

"Jimin..."

"Okay, fine," he sighed, "Chris is planning the ball."

"She's what?"

"Tomorrow's ball, Chris is planning it, it was all her idea. From Jungkook's flower arrangements, to our diner's catering, she did it all."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. You can't tell her I told you, though, you're not meant to know."

"So that's why she was always in your diner," he muttered under his breath, "It makes sense now."

"Yeah," Jimin nodded, looking down at the table.

"Wait," Hoseok asked again, making his younger friend look up, "Why didn't any of you tell me, though? Why are you keeping this from me?"

"I... I can't tell you."

"You what?"

"I'm sorry hyung, I really wish I could but I'm not allowed to."

"So you guys are keeping stuff from me too?" when Hoseok met his best friend's eyes then, Jimin saw the way they had dulled into the darkest brown he'd ever seen. And on instinct, Jimin's heart tightened. 

"Hyung it's not what you think, I promise."

This time his sigh was heavier, and it made Jimin flinch, "Jimin, can I have some time to myself? I'm sorry I just think I need the rest."

"Hyung, it's really not what you think—"

"I'm sure you didn't mean to, it's a bit too much to handle for me right now. Everyone seems to be keeping things from me, and I don't really know what I did to deserve it. First my parents, then Chris, now you guys... Yeah, I think I want to be alone, Jimin, I'm sorry."

When the younger boy found his eyes, he saw something he was hardly used to. Dusk had settled in them, sunshine no longer streaming. That view alone was enough to make Jimin hiccup, a million sorry's waiting to spill from his lips.

But he knew his friend had asked for some space. And all they had done ever since they had heard of what had happened between Chris and him was smother him.

"Okay, hyung," Jimin slowly lifted himself from his seat, "I'm so sorry again."

When Jimin had gone, Hoseok was left to wallow in all that had happened in the past few days. He wasn't the type to brood. He didn't like to let his darkness every last long.

But his usual coping mechanisms of diving into work, perhaps even dancing a little, weren't working. He was glued to the spot.

How could they all do this to him?

—

The evening went by achingly slow. However, Hoseok was able to find some motivation to tend to the flowers and fruit in their greenhouse.

He thought he knew Chris, but maybe he was trying to force an idea that just wasn't there. Perhaps he wanted to make himself believe she was different, just to entertain his feelings for her.

And then he thought about his friends. Why would both Jungkook and Jimin be helping with the ball behind his back? It wasn't something they would usually hide from him; he knew their friendship; he knew those boys. So why would they do that to him?

Putting down the watering can, Hoseok grunted, cursing his restless heart as he headed back to his house. He hated that it was so difficult for him to be away from those boys even for a few hours. That he couldn't go to sleep without sorting out what had gone wrong.

Grabbing his car keys, he jogged out to his car, and without hesitation was en route to Jimin's house.

He wasn't surprised when he walked in through the door to find all the boys sitting around the coffee table, biting into their fingernails.

"Hyung!" Jimin jumped up when he walked in, "Hyung, I was getting worried you weren't going to come."

"See," Yoongi's low voice spoke up, "I told you he'd be here."

"Hi, Hoseok," Namjoon added, "How are you feeling?"

"Wow, you were all having a party without me?"

Jungkook's head peered out from behind the bathroom door, "Hyung!"

Flinging the door open, he shuffled over to his friend, arms outstretched. Hoseok couldn't help but find a smile break out on his face, cheeks rising so much as to throw the tears welling in his eyes overboard, "Hyung that was way too long, we didn't think you were coming back."

"Idiot," he kissed the top of Jungkook's head, "I will always come back."

"Hyung, we're so sorry we did this to you, we truly didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know," Hoseok let out a small laugh, "I'm sorry for overreacting, it's just that—"

"We know," Jungkook whispered into his shoulder, "You've been left in the dark for too many things, and it's not fair that we did this to you, too."

"I don't know if this will make it any better, but we promise there was a reason behind it all."

"Okay, will you tell me the reason?"

"You see, it was meant to be a surprise."

"But all of them know as well?" Hoseok pointed his chin at the others sitting at the couch.

Jimin and Jungkook nodded wearily.

Flopping onto the sofa, Hoseok sulked a little, sticking out his bottom lip, "Can you please tell me?"

"I mean, it isn't really our surprise to tell, is it?" Namjoon replied.

So Hoseok turned to the younger boys, "Can you tell me? Or else I'm going to take your underwear and fly it from the flagstaff like we did in elementary school."

"Hyung!"

"Don't tell him," Yoongi muttered under his breath, "Don't tell him, don't tell him, don't tell him."

"Fine," Jimin sat on the coffee table, in front of Hoseok, "So you know how you needed a lot of extra money to go through with your father's treatment?"

Hoseok nodded.

The past few days, he wouldn't let himself forget it. Because if he didn't need the money, perhaps Chris wouldn't have approached him. Maybe if he wasn't that desperate, she wouldn't have led him on.

"Chris had this idea."

Ah, there it was.

As soon as he heard Jimin say this, his eyes shut on instinct.

"No, wait, it's not what you think," Jungkook rushed to continue, "She wanted to turn the ball into a fundraiser for your father."

Hoseok's eyes shot open, "What?"

"Yeah, she thought to raise money for him that way instead, and I'm telling you, we've raised more than enough from the ticket sales already."

"Wait, are you serious?"

Suddenly, words started to fade away, every one somehow taking a rock off his chest.

Jimin nodded, "Which is why I didn't completely understand what you told us about her, about how she wanted to buy your land off you, it just didn't make sense to me."

"But we didn't question it; we don't know her as well as you do."

His heart was beating again. He could smile without his heart aching again.

Maybe he was too quick to jump back to trusting Chris.

But he was going to go back to allowing himself to feel freely again. He was going to let himself love unapologetically too. Because that was really all he knew.

this story was meant to be around 20 chapters, so it's almost at the end!! i'm really going to miss marigold but i have some more cute stuff lined up :')

i hope ur all having a great day!! i love you xx