16

chapter 1

"Why are you staring at me?"

He looks up from his phone and finds her looking back, brows drawn together in a confused frown. He blinks for a second and goes back to the book he was reading, trying to act like he wasn't paying attention to what she said. She makes an irritated noise, as if he's insulted her in some way. "I'm not looking at you. You were looking at me first," she says with a frown.

"No, I was not." He turns a page, keeping his head down so he doesn't have to make eye contact with her.

She makes another irritated noise before stomping away, presumably to go sit elsewhere in the library. He can't help but watch her until she's out of sight. It seems a little weird to see someone leave while he's stuck here alone, but he had already promised Taehyung that he would stay after school today. They agreed to this last week when they went to each other's houses to study, or Taehyung decided to drag Yoongi home because her brother needed help getting something from their room. He was so looking forward to spending time with him, which is why he agreed to come. And now Yoongi has to suffer for an hour with this girl acting like she owns the place.

All is well until she comes back. The moment she appears, he looks up again only to find that she is looking at him with an accusatory expression on her face.

"What do you want, Lee?"

He sighs and hangs up the phone, knowing full well how futile it will be to try to get back to what he was doing when she decides she wants all her attention. Also, he is bored. He doesn't really care about anything anyway.

"Can't we start studying or something? Or are we going to sit here and stare at each other for the rest of my afternoon?

He expects her to say some sort of smart answer, like something like "why don't you ask your boyfriend to help you?" but she stays quiet. Instead, she crosses her arms and leans against the shelf behind her, giving him an intense look.

Yoongi isn't sure if he's offended or intrigued, but he does both. He raises his eyebrows and smiles at her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She looks. "Not really. I just wanted to know why you looked at me like that."

A smile falls from his lips. "Like what?"

His gaze intensifies. "Like you hate me or something!"

"This is ridiculous, I couldn't hate anyone," he says matter-of-factly.

She rolls her eyes and gives him a condescending look. "Really? Because everyone knows Hoseok hates you."

"Hoseok is the least of our problems right now," he says, leaning on his elbows. "We need to focus on our project."

Lee sighs and drops his arms to his sides. "Alright then," she mutters. "Whatever. Let's finish studying later."

Yoongi watches her turn, walking back to the library entrance. He wonders why he's suddenly feeling guilty, especially since she seemed to be fine before. He doesn't have much time to think about it, because before he knows it, she's right in front of him again.

She takes a deep breath, seeming to get stronger. Then she opens her mouth and says something that completely surprises him.

"Are you jealous?"

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Yoongi freezes mid-sentence, unsure if she should deny that she's jealous, or even tell the truth about what happened before. He could always lie to her, but he doesn't want to. He also knows that lying doesn't seem like a big deal, especially when compared to the whole thing with Taehyung before. That's another thing. He really doesn't understand any of this.

When he remains silent, she seems to take this as confirmation. Her expression changes to annoyed and she shakes her head slightly, turning on her heels once more and starting to walk away. Before he knows it, he's up quickly, reaching out and grabbing her wrist so he can stop her. "Wait…"

She turns, her gaze sharp. "Which?" she is there.

He doesn't let go of her wrist. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful," he mutters, letting go of her hand. "I'm surprised that's all. I've never seen you like this before."

His jaw clenches, his lips pursed. He thinks she might retort, but she surprises him when she speaks. "Well, maybe you should learn to keep your feelings hidden. That way you avoid getting hurt."

Her forehead frowns and he frowns, opening his mouth to respond. But before he can, she walks away, leaving him alone beside the librarian's desk.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So," Hoseok says as he sits next to Yoongi on the bench outside the university library. "How was your day?"

Yoongi shrugs and rests his head on the side of the building. "It was okay. Not exactly my favorite part of the day."

"Neither do I. My classes suck."

A few moments pass in silence, and Yoongi feels comfortable enough to break it. He turns to look at Hoseok, who is smiling brightly at him. "What did you do after school?" he asks, genuinely curious.

Hoseok sighs exaggeratedly and casts a glance around them, making sure no one is listening. I would give them a chance. Turns out they're a weird group called the BTS Gang. Apparently they have a new member named JB. Do you know him?"

"JK?" Yoongi responds, surprised at the mention of the boy's name. He'd only heard stories about him being in a gang, but he hadn't realized it meant so much.

"Yea!" Hoseok exclaims. "They have this rapper named RM too. What's it like living with these guys?"

Yoongi hums softly in response, contemplating how much he really wants to share.

"What did you guys do?"

He pauses for a second, considering her words carefully. "There weren't many things to do. There were movies, books, games..." His voice trails off, lost in thought, before shaking his head. "I didn't really get into the gaming thing though."

Hoseok nods slowly. "I didn't expect anything different. Still, it seems like a fun time, right?"

"I think."

They fall silent again, but this time it's less tense than before. He looks at Hoseok, who has closed his eyes and is leaning against the wall, humming softly to himself. His heart swells a little at the sight of him, not wanting to disturb him as he basks in the sunlight streaming through the window. He smiles slightly as he looks back down at his lap, his fingers nervously playing with the hem of his shirt. He's so wrapped up in his thoughts that he doesn't hear footsteps coming towards him until they stop right next to him.

- Hey, Yoongi? It's Kim Seokjin's familiar voice. The older boy sits beside him, resting his legs on the edge of the bench and pulling his knees to his chest. "I heard you had problems today. Are you okay?"

Yoongi nods, even though he knows Seokjin won't believe him. He doesn't say anything, preferring to stare at the floor as he fiddles with the strings of his baggy sweatshirt.

"Did you fight with anyone?"

He shrugs, still not looking up. "No."

"Okay, well, I'm glad you're okay. Don't worry about it, okay?" Seokjin reaches out to ruffle Yoongi's hair affectionately.

He ducks out of reach, but Seokjin grabs his shoulder gently, forcing him to look at him.

"Seriously, don't worry about it. Let's go in and study. Maybe your tutor will come if you wait long enough. She'll probably be able to solve the problem you had before, and you can keep studying. I promise I won't force you." to stay here if you don't want to anymore."

Seokjin gives him a warm smile which he returns, before finally nodding his head. They get up together and enter the library.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Yoongi watches as Seokjin enters the cafe, smiling at her as she approaches the bar and orders her drinks. When the waitress hands her the tray, she thanks him and goes to their table. As she walks away, Yoongi turns her attention to the boy sitting in front of her.

"Why didn't you come last time?" he asks curiously, realizing that the two tend to order different drinks each time they enter, and yet, this is the first time he's seen Seokjin ordering the same drink twice.

"Because it was raining yesterday and we had class during lunch. Also, the cafe is not the best place to study."

Yoongi tilts his head and winks at him. "Oh okay."

"I know you said it wasn't a good idea, but I kind of like it. Sometimes it gets loud and crowded, but there are no annoying customers. And the food isn't too bad either," Seokjin continues, looking back at the menu. from Yoongi.

He nods in response. "Okay. I think it's kind of cool."

Their conversations are interrupted when the waitress returns with their drinks and sets them on the table. She smiles at them and says the food will be here soon.

"Thanks," Seokjin says. "I'm going to start studying now. See you later, Yoongi."

Yoongi nods in acknowledgment and watches as Seokjin picks up a book, taking a sip of his coffee, before turning his attention to his own book. After he finishes reading a few paragraphs, he looks over and finds that Seokjin has fallen asleep. He chuckles to himself silently and shakes his head slightly.

He takes another quick sip from his glass before placing it on the table in front of him. Once it's empty, he places the glass on the table beside him, closing his book and setting it aside. Then he looks at Seokjin, who is still sleeping peacefully. With nothing to do but look at him, he finds himself doing it anyway. He lets out a soft sigh as he leans forward on the table, resting his elbows on it as he rests his head in his palms.

A little later, he hears someone clearing their throat, followed by the sound of someone tapping the table. His eyes open and he immediately straightens up again, realizing they must have woken him up. He turns to see a little girl sitting across from him, a nervous expression painted on his face as she stares at him. He frowns in confusion. "Hi," she greets.

He raises an eyebrow as he looks at her, trying to understand what she's saying. "Sorry? Can you repeat yourself?"

The girl nervously clears her throat. "Um, hi. Sorry to bother you. I was just wondering... Are you friends with Jungkook or Jin? Is it true that they're dating?"

Her brows rise even higher and he frowns more deeply when he notices the way she is looking at him expectantly. "Uh... No, we're not dating."

"Really? So they're just friends?" she asks, her eyes widening a little and her voice getting louder, a hint of excitement evident in her tone.

"No, they're not really..."