If I Ask You to Stay (A BTS Jin Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: The Jimin Effect

(Bella) 

New year, new beginnings. I had moved to a new place as I got ready to start my junior year at university. For the first two years I had lived in the dorms, but my parents had allowed me a bit more freedom now that I was twenty. My dorm mate Cindy Romero had moved with me. We were the opposite sides of a coin, but it was the reason why we clicked.  She had become my closest friend, and we had shared a lot of our problems with each other. We were excited to start this new phase of our lives in this nice, new apartment.

I was outside hanging up a wreath on our door when I heard someone call out.

"Hey! Bella!"

I turned around. Oh, no! It was Park Jimin. We'd been friends since we were twelve or thirteen. He'd actually been my brother's best friend first before I fell for him. We dated when I was fourteen until he left town for college a year ahead of me. We had tried dating again last year, but it had not ended well. He loved flirting with other girls while ignoring me most of the time. Whenever I got upset, he would give me his sweet little smile, and I would instantly forgive him. There were reasons why he would hurt me and reasons why I forgave him, but I never wanted to face those facts. So our lives became a cycle on repeat.

"Oh. Hi," I said without enthusiasm. "What are you doing here?" I deliberately did not tell him that I was moving. I felt I needed some distance. I would have eventually told him that I moved. How could I not? He and I had a long history that went beyond dating, but I felt that we needed some time apart.

"I just moved into this complex, too. Right over there," he said, pointing across the green lawn to another building. "So, I guess we're neighbors. Aren't you lucky? Oh, it will be much better than the dorms. There are no rules or curfews. We'll get to hang out a lot more. Isn't that great?" He got closer to me.

"Thrilling," I said, clearly not thrilled at all. I had unintentionally put us in closer proximity. In fact, I wondered if I should just tell him to leave me alone once and for all. But one look at his happy face erased those thoughts. As I mentioned, there were reasons why we were drawn together. It was a strange bond, difficult to break.

Just then Cindy opened the door. She was holding a trash bag. "Uh, excuse me. I was just on my way to the dumpster." She blinked rapidly when she saw him. "Oh, what a coincidence. We're both out here with trash. Hi, Jimmie."

"It's Jimin," he corrected her with a frown.

"I know," she snapped and walked away.

She harbored resentment toward him for the way he treated me before. She had been appalled that I allowed him to treat me the way he did, so I had explained a bit to her about our story. However, she got even more upset and urged me to end the toxic relationship for good. I told her I was working on it, but here we were.

"Ha, ha," Jimin gave a fake laugh, and ran a hand through his floppy hair. "That girl...yeah, so funny. Sometimes I think she really doesn't like me. Anyway, I'm so excited that you'll be living here. I'm still rooming with Taehyung. He thought our last apartment was too close to the Greeks and too noisy with all the constant frat parties. Speaking of parties, what are you doing later?" The look in his eyes was a mixture of sexiness and speculation. Dangerous.

I took a deep breath, willing myself not to fall into that Jimin trap again. His charm could lift you giddily into the air then just as quickly drop you painfully to the ground. "I--I don't...well, I am still getting my things in order."

"You can finish that any time," he said. "My friends are throwing a small back-to-school party. You should come. I would really like you to be there. Please?"

I couldn't look away from him. "I--I guess I'll think about it."

Cindy came back. "Oh, still here?" She looked at me. "I thought this complex had pest control."

Jimin flashed her a brilliant smile, ignoring her comment. "We're having a party in our apartment tonight. Nothing too big. A sort of housewarming and back to school rolled together. I'd love for both of you to come over."

Cindy cocked her head to the side. "By we, I take it you mean your friends?"

"Yes, of course. I know you'll be happy to see more of my friends. And I'm sure you'll let them see more of you. A lot more," he replied. His expression was a cross between a smirk and a scowl. He turned to me and immediately flashed his innocent smile as if he hadn't just insulted my friend. "Belly, you have to come." Ah, throwing in the silly childhood nickname. Smooth. "We're in apartment 707. Stop by around nine." He walked off and waved over his shoulder.

Cindy and I looked at each other then went inside.

"We don't have to go," I said.

"Wow! He looks so good," she replied, dropping down on the couch. "I hate it when guys who are jerks are so damned hot. His friends are hot, too. I didn't appreciate his little comment, though. He made me sound like a stripper. What a jerk." She looked at me. "We need to go!"

"Need to?" I asked. "You just said he insulted you."

She kept on talking as if she didn't hear me. "I remember that one guy, his roommate--what was his name?--with the deep, sexy voice—super cute. And then there's the one who's a great dancer and moves his body in illegal ways." She shimmied her shoulders. "They're all so cute. I can't believe he's never introduced them to you. He said nine?"

"We don't have to go," I repeated.

"Oh, of course we do," she said quickly. "You have to go and look smoking hot to show him just what he missed out on after he broke your heart last year. That little jerk will be eating his heart out especially if you start flirting with his friends."

"I will do no such thing."

She shrugged. "I forget how prudish you are."

"I like to call it being conservative."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. But we're still going."