SONGS OF WINTER | pjm

06 | FOLK

THE NIGHT AIR was charged with excitement, the square and its surrounding streets buzzing with people from all over town. jimin sipped his drink, quietly observing everyone at the celebration. his friends were scattered around but still within reach. except one.

letting out a sigh, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. thumb swiping through it, he stopped at a familiar name. taehyung. lips pressing in a line, he sent him a quick text. how's new year's eve in morocco? glancing up, he saw hoseok twirling autumn around, her face creased in laughter and he let his lips curve in a smile.

"hey," yoongi's raspy voice caught his attention. "hyung, are you already tired?" jimin's brows arched in amusement as he took in his friend's countenance. "jeongguk and summer kept dragging me everywhere. that snake, raheem, escaped without me as soon as he saw namjoon. if i catch him..." yoongi muttered, dropping to sit on the bench next to jimin.

jimin let out a chuckle. "how'd you escape?" he asked. "i just slipped in between the crowd when they were distracted." yoongi replied with a wave of his hand. "can't it be midnight already? it's too loud. and it's cold." he whined, throwing his head back. "it's only going to get louder after that." jimin pointed out, eliciting an exasperated groan from the older man.

"by the way, i saw your muse on my way here." yoongi shut his eyes, folding his arms over his chest. "where?" jimin sat up straight. "close to the area where the vendors are gathered." yoongi answered. "hyung, i'll be back." jimin got on his feet, tossing the rest of his drink in the bin. "no, you won't." yoongi responded with a knowing smile, eyes still shut.

smiling, jimin slipped through the droves of people in the direction yoongi had mentioned. it didn't take him long to spot her in the crowd. "hi!" he popped up behind her, tilting his head to get a look at her face. "hey," she blinked in surprise, looking down at him. he felt his heart respond to the way her eyes met his.

"you alone?" he straightened, glancing around. "fran disappeared as soon as we got here. august went with nala to go see his friends." she answered, dusting something off her coat. "good. you're stuck with me." he quipped, beaming from ear to ear. she let him see a genuine smile, shaking her head. "what? the idea of me being the first face you see on your birthday is not pleasing?" he gave her a look.

"stop putting words in my mouth, jimin." her face scrunched in a frown. hearing her say his name made his belly flip. "ah, so it's pleasing. got it." he grinned playfully, earning a sigh from winter. "you're a handful." she remarked, weaving her way through the hoards of people. "i know i am." he replied cheekily.

"so any plans for your birthday?" jimin asked, pulling winter closer so a dancing couple wouldn't bump into her. pretending his pulse wasn't racing, he looked straight ahead even though he could feel her eyes on him. "none." she replied with a shake of her head. "usually, my grandmother would bake me a cake and i'll spend the day with her, my brother and fran. but since she's on a trip with her new beau, that's not happening."

"so you're just going to stay home?" he tried not to smile at the fact that she kept close to him in a bid to avoid getting lost in the euphoric crowd. "yeah. i overheard fran asking if it would be cheating on sweethearts if she bought me a cake from the bakery close to the grocery store." she let out a soft chuckle. "it does feel weird." he nodded his understanding.

"well, since you don't have any grand plans, i'd love it if you could spare me some time out of your special day." he glanced at her. "and what would we be doing?" she queried, wrapping a braid around her index finger. "we could watch a movie or something." he shrugged.

he only wanted a chance to spend some time with her. to memorise every contour of her beautiful face. discover how many more expressions she had hidden underneath that cold countenance. listen to her alluring voice that made him feel like he was drifting through the ocean. give her a reason to laugh. make her comfortable. make her happy. he wanted to unravel the mystery that was winter kain.

"it's not going to be the notebook, is it? i know you're obsessed." her eyes narrowed in suspicion. his lips pursed in a begrudging smile. "no. we can watch a movie about cooking and you can point out all the flaws in their techniques and misuse of culinary lingo." he quipped, a playful look in his eyes when he looked at her.

winter sucked in a breath, nose scrunching. "did fran tell you that?" her voice laced with disbelief. "actually, it was august." jimin laughed at her expression. "unbelievable." she muttered with a shake of her head.

"thank you for the christmas present, by the way. it was very thoughtful." she said after a moment of silence between them. "it was for the pastry shop not you." he replied with a playful note in his voice. she let out a scoff and he giggled in response.

a sudden countdown chorus made them look up at the giant clock in the square. "here's to new beginnings, wandering adventures and self rediscovery." jimin murmured softly, glancing at winter from the corner of his eye.

"happy new year!" everyone cheered in common euphoria as the clock ticked into midnight. around them, people raised their glasses, shared kisses and hugs. someone burst into a familiar song, the rest of the crowd joining in excitedly.

smiling, jimin looked down at winter, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. "and happy birthday, winter." he whispered breathily. lips slightly parted, she gaped at him. somehow, he was able to hold her gaze, probably because her eyes seemed to hold him captive. they stared at each other, an oddly harmonised rendition of a folk song about times gone by surrounding them.

and jimin couldn't think of a better way to start the new year than getting lost in eyes of brown topaz and blue diamond.