trouble ➳ bangtan boys

TWELVE

I freeze. His words repeat over and over again inside my head as I stare at him blankly.

"Well?" He asks, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm-I don't know what to say-" I mumble in a string of incoherent stutters.

He looks amused at my inability to even speak, a lopsided grin spreading across his face. He raises his eyebrows and finally, I feel like I begin to regain my senses.

"I think I like you, too."

"Good." He smiles rectangularly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

I smile and look at the sand below me as my cheeks slowly heat up. My mind races at the thought of V actually liking me in that way.

"Is it still okay for me to stay at yours?" He asks quietly, leaning beside me so I can hear him over the loud music.

I nod. "Of course."

"Thank you, Vi."

He then surprises me by wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to his side. He tilts his head and rests his cheek onto the top of my head, keeping me warm from the cold air.

"Do you want to go somewhere quieter?" He asks and I shrug.

"If you'd like."

He nods and reaches for my hand before pulling me away from the small crowd. We approach a small bar and yet again, V surprises me by leading me to the back of the building.

I look up at him, unsure as to why we're here. He just smiles and pulls me closer to him as his back leans against the tiled wall.

"What are you doing?" I whisper and he leans forward.

It seems to happen in slow motion. V's eyes gently close and his face nears mine until I finally feel his lips against mine. For a few seconds, I don't kiss back due to the mere shock but once my brain registers the realisation, my lips begin to hesitantly move against him.

But then haunting memories flash through my mind and I use my hands to softly push him away.

He looks down at me, confused and upset. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," I mumble, looking away from his eyes. "It's not you."

"Violet, I know something is bothering you. Please tell me." He begs in a mere whisper.

I feel tears gather inside my eyes and I blink to wash them away. V notices and places his hand underneath my chin, gently tilting my head so I'm looking into his eyes.

"If you tell me what's wrong, I'll tell you everything that you want to know about me." He compromises and immediately I begin to consider his offer.

I don't want to tell V about my past which still continues to haunt me, but I desperately want to know who's hurting him so I can help stop it happening to him. I need to know, I need to help him.

I nod my head. "Deal."

I manage to find Eunki in the busy crowds and say goodbye before leaving with V. Once we reach my home, I notice that my mum is once again working so we're home alone.

I sit beside V on my bed, nervous for the inevitability of the upcoming conversation. He looks into my eyes and holds my hands tightly.

"You can tell me, Violet..." He says softly.

A few weeks ago, I would have said I hated this boy. But after such little time, I've developed a trust I didn't think I'd ever have again for anyone else but my mum.

"I've never told anybody the real reason I moved to Seoul. A little under a year ago, I had a boyfriend, his name was Mike," I say, pausing at the sound of the name and clamping my eyes shut. "H-He used to hurt me-"

"In what way?" V asks lowly, his grip on my hands tightening and I take a prolonged breath.

"He'd push me around a bit but I never once gave up, I always fought back, I promise I did. He used to try and make me do things with him but I always told him no. I was so strong and firm with him but he never listened, I wasn't weak, he was just crazy."

It's true, Mike, once my lover and best friend, lost his father whom he was close to and turned into an entirely different person. He used to be so gentle and kind, the nicest person in the world, but the death of his father caused him to change like the flip of a switch. I didn't break up with him because he was sad, and I knew that, and I wanted nothing more than to heal his pain.

I've always seen myself, and all other women, of course, as being just as strong and equal as men. I never let him push me around, I always pushed him back but after his dad died, he took up gym as a hobby to distract him and this made him a lot physically stronger than me. But not mentally, though, I always had the upper hand on that.

"Anyway, one day, he tried to go too far with me and he almost did, but I somehow managed to push him off me and I ran straight home. I told my mum and she knew we had to move away from that town, there was too many memories there. Especially considering we lived there as a family when my dad was still alive. But I'm okay now, I just don't like, you know, kissing people and stuff like that."

"That's why you were so freaked at the party." He says quietly after a few moments of tension-filled silence.

I nod and he looks up, his widened pupils immediately becoming prominent probably due to anger.

"I can't believe this, Violet, I can't believe he did that to you," he says, leaning forward and hugging me tightly. "I promise I won't let anything else harm you."

And once again, I find myself believing his words.

He takes a deep breath and pulls away. "It's time for you find out what you've always wanted to know."