A Rose Between Thorns

Chapter 66: Some Mistakes Get Made

"You're such an ass, Jimin."

I laugh as the woman crosses her arms from her position on the ice, flat on her butt for the tenth time today. Taylor had started to gain some traction and can finally skate on her own, but I had the brilliant idea to startle her as she skated past me.

Not the smartest thing I've done, but her reaction was worth it.

"Ah, you love me anyways," I say as I help her to her feet. The woman leans on me to keep her balance for a moment, but not before hitting me in the chest with her hand.

I grunt from the impact as she pushes herself off of me, grinning like an idiot. "Okay, I deserved that."

Taylor's smile only grows as she starts skating backwards away from me. If I had seen her now when she had said she'd never skated, I wouldn't have believed her.

We've only been here an hour and already she's doing really well. The other nine falls were within the first fifteen minutes, ever since then she's gotten the hang of it.

"You're a natural, miss!" I hear from the side of the rink, and I look over to see one of the staff members leaning against the railing. "How long have you been doing this for?" This comment causes Taylor to turn red as she switches from backwards to forwards.

"This is my first time, sir!" Taylor calls with a smile, holding her hands behind her back as she makes her way around the outer edge of the rink. The man's eyes widened in surprise, and soon I see him shake his head in disbelief.

"There's no way, most people can't switch from backward to forward like that their first time, and would definitely be falling more often."

I make my way over as she stops in front of the man. "Well, I occasionally did roller skating back in America. Not often enough to be well from the get go, but I'm in love with the thrill that comes along with skating," Taylor answers in broken Korean.

She's been studying her Korean really hard, even on our trip I noticed when she wasn't goofing around with us or relaxing she was studying like crazy. The entire plane ride back she practically had her nose in a book that Namjoon had gotten her to help her learn.

"Have you thought about taking lessons? I know you're busy and all with your schedule, but if you have the time you're more than welcome to come here to practice."

Her eyes light up at the thought, I can't help but smile at how happy she is. "I'll be sure to take you up on that offer, when I have space that is."

The man nods with a smile, handing over what looks like a business card. "Just call us ahead of time, like Jimin did today so we know you're coming."

After putting the business card in her pocket, Taylor nods and pushes off from the wall while skating backwards once again.

"Seems like you've found another new 'hobby'" I say using air quotes as I follow the woman. From this to aerial silks and all the other art stuff she does, I wonder if she's turning into a female version of Jungkook.

"I hope there isn't anything wrong with that," Taylor says softly. I grab her hand and shake my head in response, leading her forward as we casually skate around the rink.

"Not at all, I'm glad you're finding new interests. I just wish I could see you do more of them, because normally you're really quiet about your hobbies."

"Ah, I guess so." Taylor says with a sheepish smile, squeezing my hand. "I'm just not super confident in my craft, if you know what I mean."

"Well, what are you working on now? You did finish your solo already and once the music video is done you'll only have the group stuff to do."