No Strings

Part 9

"Hey, Jimin!" Namjoon pushes his way through the sweaty, dancing crowd. "HEY! JIMIN!"

Jimin's mouth tightens, glancing sideways to gesture at the girl he is talking to. She is undeniably gorgeous – tall, blonde and completely out of his league. Namjoon slows, mouthing sorry to his friend.

Jimin's eyes close, shaking his head, but when he turns to face the girl, he can practically see her losing interest. "Is that your friend?" Her gaze flicks to Namjoon, then down at her phone. "I've been meaning to find mine, actually..." She trails off, hovering.

Jimin runs a hand through his hair. "Sure. Come find me later, if you change your mind."

When she smiles at him, Jimin grins back because she is interested – he can tell.

That is Jimin's whole game, after all. Be confident, tell girls exactly what they want to hear – but do not lie, never lie. Lies get you caught and girls talk. The second you are branded a liar, no one will go home with you, but when a girl hears from another girl that you deliver – Jimin smiles.

"Okay," she murmurs. Sarah – or was it Lisa? – leans in, grazing Jimin's cheek with her lips. "Can't wait to see what else that dirty mouth of yours can do," she whispers in his ear.

When she pulls away, Jimin's eyes darken. He nods, watching her leave. The girl knows he is watching, throwing an extra sway in her step walking away.

"Damn," Namjoon chuckles, entering Jimin's line of vision. "Who the fuck was that? And where can I get one?"

Jimin laughs, tipping back the rest of his drink. "Just a girl," he shrugs, accepting the drink Namjoon pushes his way. "How many times do I have to tell you? You have the looks, you have the smarts – you just need the confidence."

Namjoon shrugs, taking a sip of his drink. "I'm just not about that life, man. A different girl every night? What about intimacy," he protests, gesturing loosely. "What about connecting with someone?"

Jimin snorts. "Yeah, okay," he says, clapping Namjoon on the back. "If one hundred girls came up to you and said, 'Hey, Namjoon! We want to ride you – one after the other, for the next one hundred nights' – what would you say?"

Namjoon nearly chokes at the thought. "I'd say, fuck yes."

"See?" Jimin laughs. "It's human nature. Screw intimacy."

"Screw intimacy? Is Intimacy the name of that blonde by the bar?" Seokjin cackles at his own joke, scanning the bar but not seeing the face he desires. "Huh," he muses, nose wrinkling. "Not many people here yet, are there?"

Namjoon laughs. "What you mean to say is, Minsun isn't here yet."

Seokjin blushes. "No, no! That's not – well, fuck," he sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Am I that obvious?"

Both Jimin and Namjoon nod.

"Yeah, man." Jimin grins. "It's cute, though. Seokjin: the face that launched a thousand dates is finally smitten with some girl."

Seokjin exhales. "I just – why does she have to be perfect?" he complains. "Minsun is smart, hot and doesn't take shit from anybody. Hey, it's not funny!" he whines, when Jimin starts to laugh.

"It's kind of funny." Jimin takes a sip from his drink. "But I do apologize."

Namjoon laughs too, patting Seokjin on the shoulder. "She'll be here, man. Just relax. Have a drink – but don't get too drunk. Gotta be able to perform," he adds, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Right," Seokjin pushes a hand through his hair. "Drink, but don't get drunk. Be funny, but not overbearing. Smile, but don't freak her out. All of which is great advice."