Jimin steered Dae toward his table and away from Jin.
They had made an impressive entrance with assured coverage in most news outlets in the next hour. Work was over. It was time for fun.
He snagged 2 flutes of champagne from a passing waiter and passed one to Dae to celebrate.
The room was overly warm and the volume was increasing with each round of drinks served.
Dae stopped after one. She did not enjoy drinking in large crowds. Plus, with Jimin casually resting his arm across the back of her chair and Jin staring at them, she had really started to get nervous.
Thankfully dinner was soon announced and everyone moved to their respective tables.
Dae watched Jin's every move across the room. She did not miss the way his hair brushed the collar of his shirt or how tight his jacket stretched across his broad shoulders and was then tailored to his slim waist. She could not help but notice his long easy strides as he moved.
Her heart dropped as she watched him reach the chair next to Alex and drop into it with easy grace. Those crimson nails reached to clutch his arm and Dae cursed under her breath.
Jin hated artificial nails. Up until this second she would have said he hated artificial people, but he looked at home with Alex wrapped around him.
A sound to her left drew her attention away from Jin. As she turned, she saw Jimin moving his seat closer to her and squeezing in 2 late arrivals to the table.
As he caught her eye he smiled and Dae felt it to her toes. He always could melt her with that smile. It was genuine and full of joy and aimed directly at her. Years of watching that smile and she still was not immune to it.
She smiled back, reaching and squeezing his hand.
“Every woman in this room is jealous of me right now!” she whispered. “Wishing they were your date tonight.”
“No love,” he replied, his voice more husky than usual, “I am the one who will be fighting off every man who looks at you. You are beautiful and I am glad you are next to me tonight.”
Waiters interrupted them, placing laden plates in front of them and offering crystal glasses of wine or water.
Dinner was delicious and the conversation at their table was lively and filled with laughter.
Dae caught herself looking for Jin several times. Each time Alex was close, subtly staking her claim, or trying to. Dae could tell Jin was growing increasingly irritated and Alex was not picking up on that or did not care.
As soon as the after dinner drinks began Jin was moving back toward the far end of her table with Yoongi and Hoseok. The three of them looked prepared to settle in for a good drunk.
Dae shook her head at them.
As the music began, she was delighted to see JungKook and Lyra among the first on the floor. He looked stunning and her dress was perfect. They danced so well together.
She was content to just watch until a favorite song from college played and Tae and Jimin were standing on either side of her instantly.
She laughed and allowed them to pull her to the dance floor. The three of them moved in unison, memories taking them back and reminding them of all the time they had spent together.
The crowd cleared a space for them and was soon cheering them on. Dae laughed and danced, feeling the heat of exertion and the flush of sheer joy creep up her neckline to her cheeks.
Jin could not take his eyes off her. He felt white hot jealousy as Jimin put his hands on her waist and swayed with her. He hated when she looked into Jimin’s face and smiled.
At this point he even was plotting Taehyung harm as he moved perfectly by her side.
Mercifully the song ended and the laughing crowd moved again. But this time the music changed and as chance would have it a slow song began to play. Jimin took Dae in his arms and swayed to the romantic music.
That does it! Jin thought, Enough of this bullshit!
His course decided, Jin headed toward the DJ. It was time to make his own luck.
Jimin looked down at Dae in his arms and was at a loss for words.
What are you doing? He asked himself. He had lost count of the number of times he had asked that since Dae had agreed to be his date tonight.
She looked up at him and smiled and he lost his breath. She was the perfect woman for him. He had believed that since she fell at his feet that day in the quad. But he just could not find the strength, or the courage or the …what….what was missing that he had not taken his chance? Maybe tonight was that night.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered to her, smiling at the blush that brought.
Dae was still flushed and breathless from the last dance. She relaxed in Jimin's arms and took the time to catch her breath. She smiled at him, fascinated at the subtle changes in his eyes as he looked at her.
A part of him had always been a mystery to her.
But she did know the most important thing about Jimin and the way he made her feel, she would always be safe with him.
She reached for him, brushing back a stray lock of hair, and whispered, “No matter what else is crazy in this world I know I can always count on you to take care of me.”
Jimin answered “Always,” but he tucked that moment away to decipher later.
For some reason it left him feeling strangely hollow.
Jimin shook off the thought and spent the next half hour dancing with Dae or holding her hand as they watched the others dance. She was having fun, and if an occasional glimpse of Jin with Alex upset her, she would never let that slip.
After most of their group had been sitting for several songs watching the dancers get drunker and looser, Jin approached the table.
Ignoring Jimin, he held his hand out to Dae and said, “may I have this dance? You promised to save me one.”
She did not miss the tension between the two of them. She turned to Jimin as a courtesy and he shrugged at her and smiled.
Seizing his chance, Jin took Dae's hand and pulled her toward the dance floor.
He missed the apologetic look she threw Jimin over her shoulder.
Damn it! She thought that is his “mad but not going to show it" face. She worried all the way across the floor.
She would never want to hurt Jimin.
I mean......