❝𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘. ── 𝗞.𝗡𝗝✔️

Epilogue

╰─▸ ❝ @[epilogue] has

. . . . logged on

NAMJOON KEPT HIS PROMISE AND PAID her hospital bill and her tuition for the semester, lifting a massive burden off of Rose's shoulders. He didn't mind helping her. That's what you do for the people you care about.

It gave Rose the time (and money) to be more leisurely in her spending, getting more food other than oatmeal and ramen. In return, she kept her promise to him to make a dish and made him some honey-glazed smoked salmon with citrus avocado salsa.

Rose stood in front of him, in front of his dining room table as she anxiously watched for his reaction. She chewed on her lip, pulling softly at her fingers as he cut off a piece of salmon and stuck it in his mouth. He remained quiet, almost as if purposefully teasing her.

"Nigga, just tell me how it tastes." Her patience wore thin. Namjoon grinned. His eyes turned to little crescent moons as his dimples poking deep into his cheeks. "It tastes amazing." He ate some more to prove his point. It was sinfully good. No food has any right to taste as well as this does.

Rose had never had a subject to try her food outside of class, though, she couldn't exactly be sure if Namjoon was playing it up to boost her self-esteem but it was much appreciated.

After work at the peep show or on the corner, Namjoon would come pick her up and they'd go get dinner. Occasionally Namjoon would treat the other girls too, just to be nice. He was really caring, even for people who shouldn't really matter to him.

"You need to keep him, girl," Tasha whisper to her while Namjoon was away in the bathroom. He had taken them to her uncle's restaurant and they had all squeezed themselves into a booth, eating burgers and fries. The other hummed in agreement.

Rose scoffed. "Greedy bitches, you only like him 'cause he gets us food. Plus, we aren't even together so there's nothing to keep." She shrugged carelessly and sunk her teeth into her burger.

Asia slapped her hand on the surface of the table. "He's doing all this and you ain't even give him the pussy yet? Marry. Him. Marry him right now. Things don't get better than that." This was all they had. Rose had it the best of them all. She had a good man who was willing to support her, pay her tuition, her rents, her hospital bills. And, she genuinely liked him.

Rose had asked Namjoon if she could go over to his apartment to make dinner. She wanted to try and make steak. Namjoon was more than willing to let her come over again.

Namjoon's apartment was something of wonders for little ol' Rose. She always found herself sitting in front of the windows, staring at the blinking city below. She's never been so high before, sitting at the top of the world.

"Are you okay?" Namjoon asked after she had stood in front of the window for a little too long. Rose looked up at him, his towering figure stood beside her. It was taking a while to get used to his height, it always startled her a bit. She nodded. "Yeah, it's just...my apartment is 3 stories off the ground and the best view I have is of the dirty alley beside my apartment."

Rose still hasn't told him that her landlord was the one who raped her. Maybe she never will. It was irrelevant in her opinion and she knew Namjoon wouldn't try to pry.

"You can come over any time you want." He assured her. She was welcome here any time. He always wanted Rose to feel safe and though he couldn't protect her from the world, he at least wanted to give her a place where she's safe from the world. "You can come and see the view whenever you want."

Rose could feel her heart throb in her chest. She really did like Namjoon and she knew that maybe one day she could grow to love him with time. She reached up and grabbed Namjoon by the collar of his button-up, bunching the fabric up in her hands before dragging him down to her level.

And she kisses him. She kisses him hard. It catches Namjoon by surprise and it takes him a moment to effectively respond. He kisses her back, hands carefully finding their way to her waist to pull her closer.

His lips are like pillows, soft, comforting. Rose feels like for once she isn't being forced into anything, like she had actually enjoyed activities like kissing and sex, being intimate with another person because she wants to, not because she has to.

Namjoon makes her feel warm in a harsh, cold world. He supported her through her last semester of college. He even came to her graduation ceremony. He was there consistently, every moment she needed help. And trust, it wasn't easy admitting and accepting the help he provided.

Namjoon didn't get jealous when it came to her job, though he did actively try to help Rose get a better job, one that didn't place her in a position to be taken advantage of and abused. Rose had refused to do anything about her assault, not even report it to the police.

"They won't do anything about it. They never do. It's better to just forget it ever happened." And once again her walks were thrown up to protect herself. She had a habit of getting defensive quickly and Namjoon figured he had no right to question her decision.

Namjoon ever so carefully wrapped his arms around her, hugging her small frame. His warm, solid body was like an anchor to the real world, to what was happening right now. "Okay...if that's what you want to do then I won't push you." All he wanted her to know was that she was safe with him.

He was truly perfect.

Rose wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her head against his chest. There was a soft tremble of her lips and tears stung her eyes. He smells like subtle cologne and all the nice things in the world. He wraps around her like a blanket.

Rose loved him. She loved the safety and stability he provided to her. She loved his dimpled smile and sweet laughter. She even loved his monstrous snoring when he slept.

And Rose filled a void within Namjoon that he didn't know he had. His world was more lively and the mornings after she would spend the night with him were something out of a serene picture. Rose sat in one of his shirts, sipping on some coffee while she made breakfast for the two of them.

His mornings were filled with color and laughter, something he'd been missing for a long time. Something he's missed and craved.

"I love you," Rose whispered. Her hands grasped a fistful of his shirt, desperately trying to cling on to him as if he were her lifeboat and she was stuck out in the middle of a vast, dangerous sea full of sharks.

They were words that Namjoon's been craving to hear from her lips since the moment he first saw her. A fond smile forms on his lips just before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you more."

*.✧ Kᴀʏs Eɴᴅɪɴɢ Nᴏᴛᴇs

Sort but sweet and to the point. That marks the end of Streetside. I really hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love this story so much and it's been in my drafts for a while now so it feels nice to get it out there and put it to rest.

Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Have a wonderful rest of your day/night.

~Kay ♡