Reversed

☆61☆

The room was silent.  The only sound was the nervous, shallow breathing of the girl on the bench.  Her trembling fingers hovered over the glossy black and white keys of the grand piano keyboard. 

For the first time in her life she felt disconnected from the instrument and intimidated by its grandeur.  She stared at the music laid out in front of her and the notes made no sense to her.  They even began to look a bit jumbled.  Her eyes frantically darted between the keyboard and the music. The panic was starting to set in. She squinted as the lights flashed on putting her in their spotlight.

Across the stage in the wings she locked eyes with the one who could calm her nerves and heart. She smiled softly in return to the sweet smile she was receiving from him.

Jimin...

He waved for her to begin and stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Nari smiled and lowered her eyes, feeling a bit shy. When she looked back up he was gone. The panic returned and she looked back at the jumbled mess in front of her. Rustling and coughs from the audience reached her ears and while she couldn't see them because of the lights, she knew they were all impatient.

The dust particles dancing in the spotlight surrounded her in an ethereal haze. Her hands shrunk away from the keyboard as the anxious feelings in her stomach returned with a vengeance. She felt herself hyperventilating. Her eyes scanned the wings feverishly, looking for the one face that she needed to see the most right now. He was nowhere to be found. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She had been abandoned in the moment she needed the most support. She reached up and clutched her chest as it tightened, almost suffocating her.

The concert hall and all of its dark feelings slowly melted away into nothing. Nari bolted upright in her bed, shallow, rapid breathing wracking her body. She wiped some damp strands of hair from her face as she tried to get her bearings. It was all a nightmare. Just a dream that was put forward by her subconscious that was obviously nervous about the upcoming performance. 

Nari massaged her temples as she leaned forward in an effort to stop the panicky feelings she was experiencing.  She could not shake the feeling that something bad had happened and it was not just because of her dream.  She tried to go back to sleep but the feelings wouldn't leave.  It was a heavy sense of dread and sadness.  She reluctantly grabbed for her phone and pulled up her messages.

"Jimin, I'm sorry to bother you this late but I just wanted to check on you.  Is everything going well?  I hope your concert was good.  I miss you.  Take care."

She sent her message and let out a deep breath she had apparently been holding in.  The feelings lingered in her chest like smoldering embers.  Hopefully he would respond soon and she could put her mind at ease. 

* * *

Taehyung felt the phone in his hand buzz and he stared down at the message on the screen.  It was from Nari.  He felt goosebumps spread like wildfire across his arms.  He glanced at Jimin who had started to come to.  The medics were advising he be moved to a hospital for hydration and rest but he shook his head and just asked for more water. 

Taehyung closed his eyes tightly as he contemplated his next move.  A few moments ago he was determined to message Nari about Jimin's condition and just let her know everything was a mess.  He planned to ask her to help Jimin as much as she could and help him stop sabotaging himself.  Then Jimin woke up and now Taehyung was holding his friend's phone with a perfectly timed message from Jimin's girlfriend. 

"Do it."  Yoongi was now standing beside Taehyung as he opened his eyes.  Taehyung glanced up at his bandmate with a questioning look. "Answer her.  Tell her he's having trouble.  She knows something's wrong.  How, I don't know, but she knows.  She's good for him.  I have a feeling she will be the one to help him get out of this hell in his own head. I'll cover for you. Make sure to tell her not to respond and delete the messages." Yoongi strolled away towards the sofa where Jimin was sitting with his head resting against the back.