Heartbeat

Yoongi was the first one to enter the dining just as I was setting the plates. He wore a white button shirt and blue jeans. His signature black cap slightly covered his eyes. He used to love this cap back in school. 

He smiled at me as he took his regular seat. That damn smile. The root cause of all the mess. I did not realize it the day before. One year had passed since Jungkook came to India. Almost one year, since Yoongi decided to be there for his brother yet again. One year, since I had this otherwise very unusual company.

I guess I had just grown used to having them, and particularly Yoongi around, that I did not realize how quickly the time passed. This one-year anniversary was also probably the reason why Jungkook insisted on going out yesterday. Jungkook was the guy of attention to detail. He could remember what to most people were insignificant events and irrelevant dates. 

Thanks to him, I had a good time yesterday.

Jungkook followed in after a few minutes, wearing his usual college attire of black jeans and white T-shirt and his bag that he put down on the floor by the leg of his chair.

And we began to eat.

"Umm...Noona," Jungkook began. I looked at him to indicate that I was listening.

"Is it fine if I bring over a friend for dinner tonight?" He continued.

Yoongi looked teasingly at his brother and said, "Ooo, Kookie has a girlfriend now..."

"Hyung! First of all, it's a boy." Jungkook said, "Secondly, do you remember the chubby guy from school who was two years older than me?"

Yoongi gazed into the distance before his eyebrows went up in recognition of whichever guy Jungkook was talking about. "Ah! You mean Park Jimin?"

"Yes, Jimin Hyung." Jungkook said, a bit too happily, "He is also in my college. And he is the friend I am talking about."

"Isn't he the guy you used to like a lot in your high school days?" Yoongi continued to tease his younger brother.

"Hyung!" Jungkook whined, "You don't have to put it like that. I used to and I still do admire him a lot."

"Isn't he the same guy who used to get bullied but then decided to fight back and later on protected you against the same guys once?" I asked.

"Yup! He is the same guy." Jungkook replied. "And he has been helping me a lot with my courses."

"Oh, so he is the one keeping you up over late-night calls?" Yoongi had simply decided upon teasing the shit out of Jungkook today, I guess. Jungkook was starting to get irritated at the way Yoongi worded his thoughts.

"Yoongi," I decided to intervene, "In case you forgot, let me remind you. Jungkook is no longer the skinny middle school boy. He can easily take you down if he wishes to. So if I were you, I would shut up now for the safety of my bones."

Jungkook burst out laughing at my monologue. I looked at him and smiled, "Invite him for dinner, tonight."

We proceeded to our respective workstations.

As the evening set in, I grew anxious. I wasn't accustomed to having guests for dinners. Thrice had I asked Jungkook if he was sure he had given Jimin the correct address. With the guys' help. dinner was prepared pretty quickly. Although, I still went on the check the table again and again until Yoongi grew irritated.

He literally pushed me out of the dining and made me sit on the sofa in the living room. Switching the TV on and putting on Doraemon, he instructed me authoritatively, "Do not get up from here until you hear the doorbell ring."

Well, Doraemon was a bit too childish for making me watch. I, however, enjoyed a few episodes.

Jungkook had asked Jimin to come at 8 o'clock. The bell rang exactly at 8. I went to open the door to an extremely pretty face. Brown eyes covered a bit by brownish hair neatly party in the middle, a pretty smile lining his pink-tinted lips. He wore ripped blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a denim jacket over it. 

This could be included in the most mesmerizing sights of the century list.

I stepped aside to let him in and Jimin bowed respectfully to Yoongi and me and then proceeded to hug Jungkook. Yoongi too hugged Jimin. He had known him back then. I didn't know him that well, so I did not go on to hug him like the other two. We settled ourselves at the dining table.

"It's been really long, Jimin-ah," Yoongi said, "You were here all this time. You could have at least told us."

"Sorry, Hyung." Jimin said, "Jungkook had already invited me a few times. But we were always too much occupied with studies." 

"It's okay," Yoongi smirked in Jungkook's direction, "He talks a lot about you, by the way."

"I know," Jimin replied with his pretty smile, "He talks a lot about you too. It must be so good to have a brother like him."

Yoongi scoffed, "You can keep him if you admire him so much. I guarantee you'll return him in two days."

So typical elder sibling of you, Yoongi!

"Hyung!!" Jungkook pouted at the elder guys.

But Jimin laughed heartily and replied, "I wasn't challenging. But he is definitely a sweet boy." And he proceeded to ruffle Jungkook's hair. "And just so that you won't get suspicious, I have a girlfriend."

This one statement got all of us laughing. 

"But Jimin-ah," Yoongi continued, "You are still the same charming boy as your high school days. There still must be tons of girls hovering around you, isn't it?"

Jimin chuckled again, "Thank you for the compliment Hyung. Can't say about other girls as I don't pay much attention. What about you? You were the prettiest boy in our school. There must be a long line of girls just to get noticed by you, isn't it?"

For a split second, Yoongi's smile faltered. But he was quick to manage the situation by laughing the comment off and changing the topic of conversation.

But what Jimin and Jungkook did not notice was how that one statement brought back a lot more memories than I wished to. I did not fail to notice that Yoongi too had noticed the change in my expressions.

He blinked at me assuringly with his lips pursed in a thin line. 

There must be a line of girls.

I was one of them.

I still am one of them...

***

A/n: Hey everyone! I am not giving the author's note in every chapter just to avoid making the end boring. 

Please do vote, share, and comment on the story. Let me know how you all are feeling about it.

Stay safe, healthy, and happy. Hoping for better days to come.

Love you all!