2021- Present Time

Taehyung's 1st Person POV

"I can't believe the end of my summer break is nearing!" Y/N whines as she lays on the lounge chair next to me by the pool of her parents' home. Her parents invited us over for a family gathering with everyone swimming in their pool and enjoying bbq.

Y/N and I managed to have alone time from family and close family friends who are currently over on one side of the backyard. Both of us are laying side by side in lounge chairs.

"I know it's almost over. But, aren't you excited that you'll be finishing up and receiving your MBA soon?" I ask her as I look over at her bikini-clad body.

"I am! I remember starting the program a year ago and being nervous about going back to school but I'm proud of myself." She sighs out in relief, probably thinking about all the hard work she's accomplished.

"I'm proud of you," I genuinely say to her.

"Stop flattering me Tae! And, anyway, I'm proud of you for scoring your new job! I know you've been dreaming of working for Vogue!"

"Yes. I'm nervous, but I'm glad I'll be in the same city as you, Y/N." I can't help but smile at the thought of living in the same city with her.

"And, it's perfect timing that my roommate is leaving! It seems like it was meant to be for you and I to share an apartment together." She looks over at me and flashes me her sweet smile that always affects me in such a way.

"I'm excited, honestly! You're probably going to be a better roommate than Jimin. He's a messy fucker," I jokingly say, even though Jimin really is messy.

Y/N scoffs. "Don't speak ill of our Mochi!"

"I was just kidding." I tell her as I flash her a goofy face which makes her giggle.

"Jimin was texting me saying he can't believe we are leaving him," she shares with me.

"He's so dramatic but I'll miss the guy. At least he has Lani," I think out loud.

"That's true. Those two are perfect for each other," Y/N says, nodding her head in agreement.

After we all finished our undergraduate studies about three years ago, Jimin met Lani, and it was like a match made in heaven. She moved in, which was fine by me. I eventually moved out to give them their own space. My friend Eric was looking for a roommate, and we've been sharing an apartment ever since. But, that's soon changing now that I'm leaving California.

"Anyway, Y/N...I had an idea come to me recently and I want to run it by you."

"What is it?" She looks my way, awaiting what I have to share with her.

"I was thinking maybe we should refund our plane tickets and leave early to take a road trip to New York." I look at her to see how she reacts.

"What?!" She looks surprised by what I suggested.

"I know it's last minute. We have a couple more weeks, and I know we were planning to stay longer to spend time with people here. But, I don't know. I thought it would be a fun little adventure. We'll need at least six to eight days to drive and make it to our destination."

"I don't know, Tae, we have to plan all our stops and consider what we'll spend with hotels and such."

"We can plan our route over the weekend and decide when to leave. And, I can afford hotels and all of that," I inform her. Having worked for a highly regarded publication here and doing a lot of freelance photography work, I've managed to be well off. And, I know with Y/N being a freelance journalist while going to school, she's financially stable, as well. Not only that, but the a giant book publishing company she interned for during her undergraduate studies has guaranteed her a job after she finishes her program, so she's completely set.

"This is crazy, Tae. But for some reason...I think I actually want to go on this road trip! And, you know I'll contribute to the funds."

"Really?!" Now I'm shocked because I thought it would take more convincing to get her to agree to this plan I hatched last minute.

"Tae, let's do this! I'm all in," she says, excitedly and I can't help but smile at the enthusiasm she's radiating.

I know that moving out to New York will give me more time to be around Y/N, especially since we'll be roommates. But, I know once she goes back to finish up her masters program and I start my job that we will both have hectic schedules. I thought this trip would be a way to have us bond more before we get too busy.

Plus, I might open up to her and finally confess my feelings for her during the trip.

I've been in love with her for years, but she always seemed to not want to cross the boundary of friendship with me.

Maybe it didn't help that I was such a lothario back in the day and hooked up with a lot of women in college. But, I mainly did that to distract myself from letting my feelings develop more for Y/N.

All those flings didn't quite help, because Y/N is still in the forefront of my mind.

Even when she's in New York, thousands of miles from me, we always made it a point to keep consistent communication with each other. We would always call each other and usually FaceTime.

Our bond constantly grows and I'm always finding more qualities about her that makes me want her more than just my best friend. 

I always think back to the night, three years ago, when Y/N and I drunkenly slept together.

I know we were drunk and it's as if we thoughtlessly threw our inhibitions out the window. But for me, I actually have been wanting that to happen. Obviously, not while we were drunk, but I was still consciously deciding what I wanted, and I wanted to feel her touch and for me to make her feel good.

I still remember that night. It meant something to me.

I was crushed the following morning when Y/N asked for us to forget about us sleeping together. I tried to understand that in her mind, it would make it awkward between us and could potentially ruin our friendship. So, I complied with her wishes and agreed to forget that we had sex.

But, not a day goes by that I wish something more could have evolved from that night. I wanted her to feel something more after that night. I thought that she did.

Is it risky that I want to confess to her now? Possibly.

I might not even go through with it.

I just can't help that I love her.

🚙

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Hi, Loves! 💜

I have a new Yoongi Halloween short story, 'Halloween Fling,' that I hope you can check out!

And, thank you for supporting and reading this story!
💋
-MissD