A Rose Between Thorns

Chapter 8: Trust

Jimin's POV-

"What did I say?" Jin asked himself, before we all heard the closing of a door. Great first day and we've already scared her away.

"Maybe that was too personal of a question, hyung." chimed Jungkook, rubbing the eldest member's shoulder gently. "She's probably overwhelmed with all of the questions we are throwing at her."

"Man, I wanted to know more about our soulmate," Taehyung says softly with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We all do, TaeTae, but I don't think she knows yet. We can't force it onto her as much as we may want to," Namjoon adds, leaning back on the couch.

"Joining us in general is a lot for anyone to take in, at least anyone who is a fan of ours. There may be things she just isn't ready to tell us yet. If we suddenly bring up the idea of her being our soulmate, we risk scaring her and putting her through denial, or straight up leaving."

All of us go silent at the thought. "But, she is our soulmate right? Shouldn't she feel something at least?" Hobi asks, I can tell that he can sense the sadness in the room. "I mean, I could still send her some of my energy last night, but she didn't look like she noticed."

"Maybe she can't feel it at all, Hobi," I say, crossing my arms.

"From what we learned last night, she doesn't seem to know much about soulmates other than the general stuff, and she said today that with her past relationships she hasn't felt a kind of pull either. If she was a member of ARMY, maybe that was her way of feeling that pull towards us without her even realizing it."

Namjoon nods in agreement. "Either way, we should proceed with caution. Be thankful we are not Seventeen." he states, causing the rest of the men to shudder in horror.

"So many soulmates..." Jungkook says softly under his breath. Seventeen is nothing compared to NCT, I think to myself, feeling shivers go down my spine. I don't know how they even manage.

I feel Yoongi gently press against my sides, and I quickly move so he can stand before occupying his previous seat. "I'm going to go check on her," he says quietly, and we all nod in agreement.

One of the best things about Yoongi is that he doesn't talk much, but he listens. He doesn't blow you off or ignore you, and he will provide you a blunt but honest answer to any question. He nods in return before heading into the hallway, leaving the rest of us remaining deep in thought.

Taylor's POV-

What have I gotten myself into?

I had collapsed onto my bed as soon as I had gotten into my room. I feel awful for leaving so suddenly, but I had to get out of there. It was like this crushing weight began to grip my heart and I could think was, get out.

So I made my escape. Sure, they'd find out eventually about my parents, but it's one of the things I don't really speak about. Everyone has their secrets and memories they'd rather forget, and for me this is one of them.

I reach into my suitcase and pull out a copy of 'The Great Gatsby'. While most people my age would prefer to read 'Twilight', random fanfictions on Wottpad, or simply not read at all.

It's sad, really. Books are amazing but so many people simply turn to audiobooks or choose not to read in general.

Leaning my back against the headboard, I begin to flick through the pages until I find where I left off. I content myself with my solitude before I hear a sudden knock at my door.

"Come in!" I call loud enough for whoever it is to hear as I mentally bookmark my place, just in case I must put the book down. I hear the door open and close, keeping my eyes on the page when after a few moments I feel the bed shift beneath me.