Sanduni blushed. Jimin was still staring very frankly and openly at her, a flirtatious smile lifting his pouty lips. She wished they were alone right now. She could almost taste his kiss already.
As Jimin continued to gaze into Sanduni’s eyes, he detected a note in them that held some sorrowful tone. What private pain had he pierced with his unrelenting gaze? As he looked down at tiny Sanduni, he had a sudden impulse to protect her. He wished that he could shield her from all the arrows of life. She’d seemed so fierce when they had first spoken at the dinner table. But the more time he spent with her, the more he sensed a deeper vulnerability in her soul. He wondered what had caused it, and he suddenly had a burning desire to heal that wound. He leaned closer to her, his breath sliding over her cheek as he spoke.
“Sanduni, are you all right?”
She blinked and looked at him, perplexed. She wrinkled her brow. Why did Jimin sound concerned about her?
She nodded, whispering, “I’m fine.”
Jimin grinned, deciding that he would try to raise her spirits with a silly game. So he responded with another BTS song title, “Not today.”
She smiled, picking up his challenge. “Make it right.”
“I’m your Anpanman.”
“Save me.”
“I’m just a boy with luv.”
“Are you sure it’s not a fake love?” she challenged him. Why was her heart racing?
He grinned. “Baby, I’d give my blood, sweat, and tears for you!” Jimin was gazing into her eyes so sweetly as he spoke with playful passion in his voice.
“I need u.” Sanduni felt like she meant every word, even the abbreviated one.
“Am I your idol?” Jimin teased her.
“I’m on fire,” she whispered.
“You’re in my DNA,” he replied.
“Are you sure this isn’t just a war of hormone, Jimin?” Jungkook threw his hat in the ring, a blinding grin lighting up his face.
“Yeah,” Tae jumped in. “Maybe some fleeting dream glow?”
“No,” I responded. “I think Jimin saw the lights and just had an epiphany.”
“He’s definitely experiencing euphoria,” Jungkook glanced into my eyes as he spoke the last word.
Was he feeling it too? I knew I was.
“It’s serendipity for sure,” Tae answered, a wide grin on his face.
“Sanduni and I have found our own magic shop,” Jimin smiled happily as he continued locking eyes with her.
“Maybe even their own mikrokosmos,” I quipped.
“This is dope!” Hobi chimed in.
“She’s definitely his Miss Right.” This voice belonged to the quiet one of the group. Yoongi.
I turned in surprise towards his voice. I could hear a smile in it. No one had heard the door open a few minutes before. Yoongi stood just inside the room with a young woman who looked vaguely familiar to me, the door closed behind their backs. They’d apparently been listening to us for a while. Yoongi’s rejoinder was flawless.
“Where did you come from?” Tae responded, and everyone laughed.
How long could we keep this going?
“Jimin thinks he’s found his soulmate,” Jungkook interposed.
“Don’t propose just yet,” Hobi continued.
Everyone laughed. Except for Sanduni, who was blushing.
“She’s not an attack on Bangtan, is she?” Yoongi asked dryly.
“I hope not. She brought reinforcements,” Jungkook responded as he waved his hand around the room to encompass all the girls. “We could all be in danger.”
“Nah,” Tae responded. “I think Jimin is just a boy in luv.”
Yoongi looked grief-stricken, but his eyes were laughing as he questioned Jimin, “What am I to you? Spine breaker? Let me know.”
Ah! Bonus points! A triple whammy! Three in a row and not a single word that wasn’t part of a title!
Jungkook, Tae, and Hobi began clapping. Jimin was laughing so hard that he nearly fell out of his chair.
“Look here! We’re not in the 2nd grade!” Jimin gasped.
“Jimin, I need u to hold me tight.” It was Sanduni’s turn. She had her big, brown eyes trained on his face as a huge grin lit up her whole countenance.
He slid out of his chair onto his knees before her, in a posture of supplication. He reached out and took her hand in his.
“Am I your first love? You make me begin. Let’s start by wishing on a star. We can be young forever.” Jimin looked around the room. “Am I wrong?”
More applause broke out.
Then, a new voice broke the momentary quiet as the claps of Jimin’s friends died off.
“She could be your butterfly, Jimin. Clearly, you’ve given her wings. Perhaps you really are her pied piper. Did you pull her from a stormy sea? Or perhaps you saved her from the crystal snow? Or a pile of autumn leaves? Or was it a fine—“
“Spring day!” shouted Tae.
Namjoon continued as though Tae had never interrupted him, “Jimin, have you found your paradise?”
Into the breach created by Namjoon’s pause, Yoongi threw, “I think this is all just a love maze.”
“So what? Just dance.” Hobi jumped up and began to swing his hips back and forth as his hands circled around him.
“Hey,” Jimin shouted. “She brings out the best of me!”
“It’s true. Even if she doesn’t have a dimple,” Namjoon pointed out, his own dimples dancing.
“I think, Jimin, she’s your magic shot,” Jungkook offered.
“That’s the truth untold,” Tae responded.
“I think she’s just a 21st century girl,” I commented.
“If you were younger, she could be your skool luv affair,” Sarah smiled as she joined the ranks of the witty. Or witless, depending upon your perspective. But we were having a good time.
“I like it,” Sandra responded with a grin.
Then Namjoon addressed Jimin again, “Upon reflection, I think you were lost, a victim of some stigma, but when you found her, you realized you needed to wake up, so you let go, and now you are awake.”
“That’s no lie. If it weren’t for you,” Jimin spoke to Sanduni, “I’d still be lost. But today has been a good day.”
I jumped back in with, “I think you are all just a bunch of boyz with fun!”
“And I think we’ve had a good run,” Jungkook finished the game, managing to rhyme with me. Everyone else groaned.
But he and I were still laughing.
“But,” came a new and quiet voice, “is she your heartbeat?”
Daebak!!!!