Loneliness: sadness because one has no friends or company; isolated.

"Taehyung!" Rosé called once I walked into the room. She rushed towards me, giving me a hug. "How are you?"

I gave a weak smile, followed by a shrug. "It's, uh, been a rough few days."

"Why is that?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she led me to the chairs. We were currently the only two people in the room.

"You weren't given an update?"

She shook her head, reaching for my hands. "Taehyung, what happened? I just happened to notice you limping and wearing a defeated look on your face."

I sighed, squeezing my eyes tight to prevent tears. "Jungkook relapsed. He, um, wasn't happy with me when I tried to help him."

"He's the one who hurt you?" Rosé sounded genuinely shocked. "I know he can be violent when under the influence, but he's been doing so well. And it's hard to believe he would ever hurt you."

"Apparently he'll hurt me over a bag of cocaine." I sniffled, taking a few deep breaths. "His friend called me yesterday. Jungkook apparently checked himself into a thirty day rehab program. He's determined to turn his life around this time."

Rosé squeezed my hands when she saw other members of the group entering the room. "When we pray at the beginning of the meeting, I will be sure to think of him."

"Thank you, Rosé."

She gave a small nod before getting up to greet other members of the support group, leaving me alone.

I pulled our my phone, my fingers aching to type out the words I desperately want to say, but I sighed, putting my phone back in my pocket. He wouldn't be able to see them until he was out of rehab anyway.

A small smile broke through when Jimin plopped down on the chair next to me.

"Hey bestie!" He slung an arm over my shoulders and nudged me with his body. "Hate to say it, but you look like hell. Plus, you've been coming with Jungkook, but he isn't here. What the hell happened?"

I opened my mouth to speak, just as Rosé called the meeting to order.

"Let us start with our prayer." She spoke, looking directly at me with a sparkle in her eyes.

As I repeated the words to our prayer, I pictured Jungkook's face. How his nose scrunches when he laughs. How his big, doe eyes sparkle when he's happy. How he pouts slightly when he eats tasty food.

"Amen," the group repeated, making me take a deep breath as we sat down.

Rosé cleared her throat. "As usual, we will be starting this meeting off with updates. Let's start with Zico."

Zico stood up, putting all his weight on one leg as he placed a hand on his hip. He smiled at every member in the group. "I am doing great! Happy as I have ever been, and feeling good about it. Thank you everyone for the support."

He sat down as we moved to the next person.

I counted the number of people remaining before it reached me, my mind scrambling to find the words I was going to say.

"I am feeling amazing!" Jimin squealed next to me. "I finally made it over the mountain of troubles and am living life to the fullest now. Minus the drugs, of course."

The group clapped as my best friend sat down, patting me on the thigh.

I cleared my throat and stood up, making eye contact for a few seconds with Rosé before I allowed my eyes to wander.

"Hey everyone," I sighed. "Sobriety has been difficult the past few days. As you can see, Jungkook is not here. He... He relapsed and grew quite violent." I paused, lifting up my shirt to show some of the cuts and bruises that were still healing. "Thankfully, he checked himself into rehab yesterday and is determined to get better. For those of you who don't know, Jungkook and I were dating. The events that took place... have damaged our relationship with each other. And while the situation was tough and dangerous, my mind has solely been consumed with him. I am worried about his sobriety. He had just reached a year, and it took a lot of work for him to get there. Obviously, worrying so much about Jungkook has made me worry less about myself. I am still sober, but struggling. Without him, I feel really lonely, and that loneliness is what makes me crave the drugs. I'm staying strong and pushing through. Thank you." I sniffled as I sat down, hearing the snaps from around the room.

Jimin leaned close to me, whispering by my ear. "Tae? Are you okay?"

A tear slipped down my cheek as I nodded. As the next person presented, Jimin wrapped his arms around me in a hug, wiping the tears off my cheeks throughout the rest of the meeting.

•

As I stepped out of the building into the rainy outdoors, I immediately heard my name being called.

I squinted through the rain until a car's headlights flashed in my direction, making me furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

I sighed, stepping out into the rain to see what was going on. As I approached the car, the window rolled down to show Hoseok and Yoongi with small smiles on their faces.

"Hey Tae!" Hoseok said, a little too loudly given the dull weather outside. "Wanna get some ice cream with us?"

"Ice cream? Doesn't Yoongi have to work?"

Yoongi pursed his lips. "I had some cancellations and am spending my time with Hoseok and you instead of documentation. Now, hop in and let's go!"

I followed his request, climbing into the backseat, Yoongi speeding off down the street before my seatbelt was even secure.