CHAPTER TEN | Keep your hands to yourself, please | PARK JIMIN

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The withered gardener with his hands marred in soil scuttled sideways as I proceeded to make my way through the path to the chairs stationed in the middle of our garden. With the all-new variety of roses being planted abut to the track, freshness and sweet smell added positivity to mind and body.

Playfully, I bended to smell a red rose.

"Heaven on earth."

I heard Molan's tight voice from behind, before I could respond, Somi gave a surprise by stepping out of her Mum's silhouette and crashed into me as I crouched down to plant kisses on her head.

"Frisky Somi just gave her aunt a big shock," Molan said. It was still very odd to personify myself as an aunt. I was barely ready to be one.

Involuntarily, I rotated my head and registered Molan's smile at this sight as she went past us, running her hand on the little one's head. I wagered it was one of her rarest smiles that spawned only on special occasions. My jaw tensed and I decided to let out three cheers once I get her ideal man amid the six men who would never let her smile vanish away. Well, Park Jimin is whom I'm referring to? Don't know.

Somi moved about her hands violently and jumped on her feet. I realized she wanted to dive into the small, plastic swimming pool placed nearby. I held her hand and she plunged her nervous toe in, her soft features all too close as she raised her head, the best of her pressure pressed in my palm.

"Aahhh!"

"Brave girl, Somi," I encouraged her.

"It's cold," she mumbled hitting the water with her hands. The water produced a ripple effect around her small stature. She got herself out of it and slipped in her Barbie slippers.

A moment of silence hit hard on me, I commiserated for the hapless girl for not being in the state where she could get love from both her parents. It just happened that I combed through her mind, "Somi, do you want a Dad?"

"Daddy . . ." Her obsidian eyes being so big for that white part of her eyes that it made no movements. For that matter, she could only blink.

"Dad," I repeated.

"Daddy!"

"No. It's Dad!" Although my pitch was innocuous, it was odd and indescribable that I scolded her for pronouncing the word daddy as if the general vocabulary worked on my own propounded meanings.

"I wan-daddy." She bit a finger and did a body wave as she felt tickly around her tummy when my fingers didn't even do anything. Her giggles dripped saliva down her mouth as I tickled on her neck.

We found Eric and Uncle Mojo present, while Eric had his headphones and sunglasses on, Uncle Mojo rubbed his cigar briskly and fixed his slightly tilted hat. "Ah, Morning girls."

We exchanged our greetings in unison, and I treaded to occupy the chair next to Uncle Mojo by a single stroke of his eyebrow movement, he whispered from behind the back of his chunky hand, "How is everything going?"

I spoke, rubbing my brow, "He's quite confident about himself. Now I've to ask her out, that's it."

"Then continue with that," just as he ended his sentence, he stood up slowly and jabbed two fingers in Eric's direction who patently understood the game plan I supposed as he hardly even protested leaving our company.

Now, there was no-one around, Somi was playing with her kitchen set under the shade, gardeners had vanished for some time, and well the two of them already reached the end of the garden. Molan's eyes were fixed on her daughter and back at her phone frequently. I coughed as I mustered fake confidence by stretching my hands out, "Wow, today's weather is just so fine. I feel like dancing in the sun."

She squinted, a crooked grin touching her lips. "Missing California?"

"Not that much, to be frank. I've found my heart in here." I was overjoyed as this topic came and I mentioned my happy state. I wanted to tell her about Taehyung so eagerly because I knew she was the only person to support me. But I had to wait for the right time.

"I'm thinking to make a trip with Somi and you to some tropical destination around the corner of the fall," her voice reinforced deep contemplation.

My pupils expanded at the early scare. Not right now was the command stuck on my tongue. "Yeah, sure. But for today, we should have some fun, like dance and booze in some club. What's say? I want to enjoy this day with my sister." I pouted and twiddled with my fingers.

"Cool. Let's do this," she cheered and my jaw fell out of amazement. That was super good.

In my excitement, I jumped on my feet, pumping my fist in the air, "We own the night!"

***

Taehyung was in his casual clothes── grubby and thin as he was called beyond his duty hours. Under the shining moonlight, his eyes closed shut, one hand in his pant's pocket and the other hand's finger ticking at the metal door of the car as his back rested on it. Shaking his head, his eyes brimmed with admiration as he couldn't help his moan seeing me in a golden spaghetti dress, floating closer to him. I pushed my hair back with a jerk of my head, nervously eyeing him.

"You do have something to say there." I closed the distance until my chest aligned with his, damn his heartbeats were wild. My hands had been at the back as if they were tied by some tight ropes. I could sense pleasure in torturing me.

"I was sad that our ice-cream date did not happen. Regretted the quietness of last night," he murmured with seriousness, an inflow of solace that his words had offered injected something in my gut. My mind hardly wanted to do any hardwork of deciphering the meaning of his sentences.

"Maybe that was too basic for us. When you are with me expect a lot of moans," I answered casually, shrugging my naked shoulders.

He pursed his lips unable to control his emotion as his eyes welled and he began to rub his thumb at his lips in the next moment. "Moans? I would love to see that."

My glossy red lips reached my ears as my gaze bred at his adorable bed-hair and the little hair grown around his mouth, capping his innocence by unknown sexiness. Stop. I could hear loud heels clicking against the wooden floor. Molan descended downstairs and joined us. She donned an excellent black and white leather dress. A long ponytail, and maroon shade painted on her full lips.

We walked up to her age-old white sedan whose engine chuffed, pulling away at the driveway with Taehyung in the driver's seat.

"Where do I drop you, Madam?" His deep yet submissive tone suddenly did the ritual of cutting the ribbon before the commencement of any new work. The name of Jimin's club struck with bold flashy colors in my head.

"Heaven's Callin' Club," I announced abruptly.

"Wow, big name." Molan chirped and nonchalantly whipped her head to witness the outside life as Taehyung plugged in the radio.

I drew the door shut with one hand so that I could text Jimin with the other.

ME>>
HEY, CATCH UP WITH U IN 30 MINS.

seen two minutes ago.

<<SERIALSINNER
COOL. BTW WEAR SMTHG UNIQUE SO THAT I COULD SPOT U. 😸

ME>>
HOW 'BOUT A BIRTHDAY SUIT? 😼 ANYWAYS, YOUR FOCUS WILL BE MOLAN, NOT ME.

sending an image. sorry, can't load due to the large size of the file.

<<SERIALSINNER
AWW...BE A GOOD SPORT.

Now I began to feel the pressure rushing in my nerves. I flipped over the phone on the side and closed my eyes to kill my anxiety.

I never realized how long we were in the parking lot until Molan squeezed my shoulder (maybe for the millionth time as the twitches on the face depicted.) I ducked my head to meet her eyes who stood on the ground, one hand  planted on the car's roof.

"H-How did I fall asleep? Did you see it?" This damn sleep could unleash wrath on Uncle Mojo's plan. I should know that once this whole thing wrapped up, he would call me to meet him privately and I had to face him.

Her face was blank as she guessed while letting out a closed snicker, "I didn't see that. But you looked in dire need for that. And I "

"Wha--t!" I yelled acutely and pushed the car's door with all strength as horror took the center stage. How can I be so careless? I thought.

Taehyung used his phone's flashlight from behind as we trudged on the concrete road to the club onward in the dark. I pulled Molan savagely inside, forgetting for eternity that Taehyung wanted me to look at him just once.

The lights blared in almost every direction and I looked pinched in that fledgling tension. Everyone drowned in the deep ocean of alcohol and dance─── moving bodies and dimly lit faces.

I ran my gaze around to find Jimin, on getting no results I moseyed along with her to the neon love couches laid on the top pavement. The spot offered me a vantage point but it was of no use as he must have left, I supposed.

The music changed, and the smoke released on the dance floor rose, laser rays finding their way back at our caked faces. Molan grooved to the upbeats lightly and I faked a smile at her until a man appeared before us from the mist with a big bottle of champagne. My smile brought tears to my eyes as it was Jimin standing in a well-groomed bartender's dress. I elbowed Molan who was nearly mesmerized at this sight. "Molan, the guy's so handsome. Gooddd. Go and have a great time flirting."

Molan stared at him, upturning her lips at my words. "What a joke Hanuel, he looks too young."

"C'mon whose asking you to marry him, well, he would not look bad carrying a baby in place of a champagne bottle." I winked my right eye at her and left at him quickly and suddenly his hand fumbled while he was pouring the liquid thing and it gurgled out of her glass.

I slapped my hand on my forehead, smiling while looking sideways and cursing under my breath. As I turned my head to face him, Jimin peered at me and a naughty smile manifested on his lips. We were stealing glances and it seemed like a game between the two of us as Molan played the referee per my predisposition.

I covered my eyes and instructed him to give her a sweet compliment. He nodded in recognition and tilted his head assessing Molan's crossed-legged posture by taking a step backward.

Molan glanced at him skeptically, ceasing her smile.

"Hmm . . . respectfully imagining-" He raised his hands. "Your body as a piano and my hands all over it."

A/n

I'm super sorry for taking French leave from WP. I intend to complete this book and put that tick mark beside the title. Will dare not leave my dear readers midway to judge me for unprofessional work :)

So, for those of you who celebrate Eid-al-Fitr. I wish you lots of happiness and you deserve a pat on the back for fasting amid this grimmest phase, in adv.

Anyways, tell me how would YOU react to Jimin, if he flirts with YOU?

a. 😔
b. 😞
c. 😒

(well these emojis represent the author's utter disbelief with the above-mentioned question. so I'm reframing the question to: have you ever met BTS in person? Now, go 👆 and answer.)