Y/N'S POV

"Innocent baby?" I echoed. "I know everything that I need to know, okay? Don't underestimate me just because I'm not as experienced as you."

"Oh yeah? How experienced are you then? Let me think," Jimin put on a fake thoughtful expression. "Your first, second, third and oh damn, even the fourth. Your kisses were all claimed by me, doll." He smirked, eyes shining with amusement. "To put it simply, I'm the only guy you've ever kissed." He mused, dark eyes fixed on my mouth.

"I doubt you've had another guy touch you like this." His thumb grazed across my lower lip as dark eyes flickered to mine, their searing intensity taking me aback.

"Fine!" I exclaimed unhappily, pushing his hand away. "I admit you have much more experience, and it's thanks to all those beauty queens you've dated. Happy? Now, let me go."

My words seemed to have struck a chord as Jimin went absolutely silent, his grip around my body tightening. He spoke nothing for a long heartbeat.

I gulped, my face heating up as my embarrassment suddenly weighed me down. I couldn't believe that I'd laid all my insecurities out in front of him with one stupid sentence.

I had to get off his lap now!

I looked down at Jimin's strong, muscular arm wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me securely onto his lap and resisted the urge to look at his face. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"There's only one queen in my life, Y/N." Jimin suddenly spoke up just as I began twisting to get out of his grasp. Stubbornly, his fingers dug into my waist, refusing to let me move even an inch.

"It doesn't matter how many girls I've been with in the past. I only want the one who's the sweetest and the most precious of them all." He emphasised.

I could feel his eyes on me but I dared not meet his gaze.

"And she's not just innocent but also jealous as fvck!" His breathy whisper made my nerves tingle as my cheeks reddened.

"I still wish I'd dated other boys too." I mumbled seriously, though feeling a bit grumpy.

Perhaps, I was being unnecessarily malefic, but I still couldn't help but feel extremely vengeful towards him even after listening to his  flattering confession.

"I wish you'd feel the same way as I do. At least once. And then, we'd be even." I mumbled, pouting stubbornly and fidgeting with my fingers. My eyes remained firmly downcast as defiantly avoided looking at Jimin's expressions which—from the way his body stiffened—I knew were going to be absolutely murderous.

But I didn't care in that moment. A small selfish part of me wanted him to feel like that; relished the prospect of him feeling those overwhelmingly powerful, all-consuming emotions of vulnerability and white-hot fury that made one's heart burn.

I wanted him to feel jealous and possessive, helpless at the possibility of losing me to someone else despite how much he hated the thought of it.

Truthfully, the thought of dating other guys scared me, because regardless of how things had played out between Jimin and I, sharing my intimacies with someone I barely knew did not sit well with me at all.

But neither did the thought of being a complete prude while Jimin, the boy I'd spent more than half my life loving secretly, had shared his body and his bed with countless other girls.

Beautiful girls who were much more experienced and therefore wilder, bolder and more passionate in bed than I could ever be.

And even though Jimin's sexual escapades were never really a secret or a source of unmanageable distress for me before, to have him admit to them in front of me so casually was a different story altogether. Especially now, when I was reluctantly but slowly beginning to acknowledge just how hurtful it had really been to watch him carelessly give himself to other girls.

Girls who weren't me.

The thought of him sharing that kind of pleasure with someone else, pleasure that was still very much unknown to me, made my heart clench and my blood boil with envy. But of course, there wasn't much I could do about it.

Jimin flexed his bloodied hand in front of me, humming darkly. "Well, I suppose I wouldn't have minded a few more bruises either." He locked eyes with me. "These days I've been looking for activities to help me vent anyway."

I gasped and pushed his chest, exasperated.

"You're way too possessive for someone who's had his share of the fun already. Don't you think I deserve to have some fun too?"

"Yes." Jimin nodded. "You do. Just with me." His tone was firm. "You know I don't like sharing my things."

I didn't either.

"Thing?" I echoed trying to lighten the mood and pinched his already cold neck playfully. "Thing? Thing? Am I a thing?"

"Ahh Y/N, that hurts!" Jimin complained dramatically. "Also, can you get me a blanket already? I'm cold." He glanced at me, his gaze suddenly dripping with mischief.

"Or do you plan to let me use you for warmth tonight? That isn't a bad idea, is it? We can start having some fun together right now." He winked as I squealed and jumped off his lap to run towards my room.

Gosh, this boy was incorrigible.

JIMIN'S POV

I regretted being with other girls. Playing with their feelings when they had no place whatsoever in my heart. My heart which was always full with the desire to be with Y/N.

I regretted using those girls to try and fill the void of Y/N's absence in my life. It wasn't like the girls I'd dated didn't know what they were signing up for. They knew exactly what they were.

One night stands.

Nameless distractions.

But now I regretted my actions even more because I saw how much they were hurting Y/N.

She didn't need to vocalise it for me to know.

No matter how hard she tried to keep her envy hidden behind her moist smiles and playful banters, I couldn't ignore the subtle way her lips trembled, the way her skin paled and the way she suddenly struggled to look me in the eye whenever she mentioned my past.

How was I ever going to gain her trust and put an end to the insecurity in her heart?

"Y/N," I grabbed the edge of her dress to get her attention when she finally arrived with the blankets and the pillow. "You know that you're the only one I really love, right?" I gulped.

"Don't overthink, Jimin. I don't take these things too seriously." She laughed awkwardly and I could instantly tell she was lying.

"I'll get over it." She mumbled decisively, seemingly convincing herself more than telling me. And with one quick distracted glance at me, she haphazardly dumped the blankets on top of me.

"I got you an electric blanket so even though you're sleeping here, you won't be cold anymore."

Her voice was emotionless, uninterested and if I hadn't known her better I'd almost have thought her unaffected.

"You're such a terrible liar." I observed quietly.

Who was she even trying to fool with that act of invulnerability?

"Haven't we had enough of hiding things from each other, Y/N?" I grabbed both her wrists gently, my heart slamming against my chest when she looked away.

"Jokes aside, I would never make fun of your genuine feelings, baby. Tell me if you hate it. Tell me if you're hurt by it. It's not going to change anything but at least, I'll get to know how much I need to make up to you."

"But you already know." Y/N looked at me finally. "Me telling you is only going to make me feel worse. I just hope...that you put your experience into good use when you're with me." She mumbled shyly, pushing me back into the couch, and looking away signalling that it was the end of the conversation.

"And...don't even think about the other girls you've been with. Because I don't like being compared to anyone else." She spoke in a hushed tone as she turned towards her room, this time to sleep so that her sister didn't come outside looking for her.

I chuckled softly. Y/N was so incredibly cute when she was jealous. Of course, I eventually wanted her to be able to trust in me and pull off confidence just as nicely as she pulled off envy.

"Does that mean you're my girlfriend now?" I bit my lip hopefully.

"No!" She exclaimed quickly. "I'm still going to think about it."

"Oh come on, Y/N!"

"Goodnight, Jimin."

Y/N'S POV

If only I could stay in the warmth of my bed forever...I sighed tossing and turning sleepily, trying to figure out from where the cold morning breeze was suddenly coming from.

Fvck, I had forgotten to close my window again, hadn't I?

Groaning irritably due to my lack of will to get out of bed and close the window, I simply turned to lie on my back, tugging the comforter close to myself and entangling my feet with Eonni's warm ones for extra comfort.

Taking a moment of the quiet morning peace to reminisce about the events of yesterday night, I giggled quietly with my eyes still closed.

These days, I'd grown to love this time of the day the most. Maybe it was because the seasons were slowly changing...it just felt like love was in the air and I could conveniently use this solitary time to think about the things...and people I loved most.

And today, the one occupying my first thoughts was none other than my best friend, who I'd spent all of my teenage drooling over and who now desperately wanted to be my boyfriend. I'll be damned if I said it wasn't hard to not jump up and down in excitement and say yes when he'd asked me if I was his girlfriend last night.

Girlfriend.

It was a strange word. Very quotidian. But all of a sudden, when you found it being applied to yourself, to a person whose love for their best friend was supposed to be nothing but platonic, the word no longer seemed ordinary.

How was I even supposed to be Jimin's girlfriend?

What was going to change?

Was he going to kiss me more freely now?

Was he going to treat me like an entirely different person?

What did the word mean to him?

Did the idea of being my boyfriend when he'd already spent years as my best friend...as someone who already knew me inside out, knew every single most embarrassing detail about me, excite him just as much it excited me?

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice my side of the mattress dipping until I felt a presence next to me.

Eyes immediately fluttering open, I squinted confused until I noticed Jimin's face hovering over mine, a small smile decorating his lips as he winked at me with a look of absolute amusement.

"Good morning, doll." He whispered softly, his nose brushing with mine as my eyes widened to the size of saucers. When was he going to stop startling me so early in the morning?

"Oh my God—" I gasped startled but he was quick to press his hand onto my mouth, effectively shutting me up.

"Don't be loud." He whispered even lowly, proceeding to bury his face in the crook of my neck, his voice husky.

"You'll wake your sister up." He hummed as my body clenched in awareness of his chest pressing against mine.

I wasn't wearing a bra!

"Jimin!" I whisper-yelled, practically pushing him off my body as I clambered out of bed. I was acutely conscious of how underdressed I was and to make matters worse, of his lingering amused gaze on my barely clothed frame.

He stood up, hands coming to rest on my waist to prevent me from escaping as I felt the breath being sucked out of my lungs.

He was being so touchy feely all of a sudden, his fingers brushing the area right under my breasts as he engulfed me in a strong, warm back hug.

I gulped.

Why did it feel so good though?

Even as my heart raced and my throat felt dry, I still liked hearing his heartbeat through my back.

I still liked the way his lips brushed the most unreachable spots of my neck and the way his messy hair tickled my skin.

"Why are you so beautiful first thing in the morning, Y/N?" He mumbled as I found myself relaxing in his embrace.

"I wanted to steal a morning kiss without you knowing. Too bad you woke up sooner." His fingertips drew enticing circles on my sides and I felt a shiver go through my body which, I realised, had nothing to do with the morning chill.

Twisting slightly, I grabbed his chin with an intention to place a quick kiss on his lips but halted.

I still hadn't brushed my teeth.

"Why'd you stop?" Jimin whispered as I shook my head and let go of his chin.

"Oh no, you're not backing off after wanting to initiate a kiss with me." It was Jimin who gripped my chin this time, angling my face towards his and swooping to lock his lips with mine in a full, open-mouthed kiss.

I froze momentarily but responded as he gently squeezed my waist.

"Kiss me back." He demanded breathlessly as I found myself wanting to slip my hands into his blonde hair but I couldn't.

Eonni was still sleeping soundly and I didn't want to risk getting caught. Jimin bit on my lip, trying to claim my attention again but I caressed his ear, signalling him to pull back.

He groaned, as if complaining but pulled back nevertheless, proceeding to press his forehead against mine and look at me intently.

"Do you want to go eat dumplings with me?" He grinned, probably noticing the eagerness in my expression. "We can also go to that barbecue restaurant in Myeongdong that we used to visit all the time."

I pursed my lips, blinking up at him sheepishly. "Are you asking me out?"

"Why should I? You're not my girlfriend yet." Jimin scoffed, clearly teasing me. "You said you'll think about it."

"B-but we just kissed!" I argued.

"Did you forget the deal already?" Jimin arched a playful brow.

I huffed. How could I ever?

"You promised you'd let me kiss you anytime," He pressed his lips to mine again.

"Anywhere." Another peck.

"And whenever I want." Another quick kiss.

"I'm still going to cling to that deal and continue to kiss you even when you haven't exactly agreed to be my girlfriend yet."

"Gosh, you—"

"Why? I'm shameless, right? Well, then, start dating me. Be my girlfriend and—" he paused to smirk mischievously.

"And I can be even more shameless, kissing you wherever whenever I want without having to pathetically cling onto any deal and without practising any restraint whatsoever." He finished with a lopsided smile as I resisted the urge to smack him. His cheekiness was annoyingly rib-tickling.

"Ugh." I wiggled out of his grasp, consciously crossing my arms over my chest. "Fine. I'll go."