C A L I F O R N I A

10 ᴘᴍ

After eating dinner, Jungkook decided that they would spend the rest of their day a little more traditionally. They all sat outside, in his backyard, trying to keep warm in the cold, winter weather.

"How many damn lights do you own?" Jimin muttered as he helped Jungkook wrap the golden Christmas lights around the outside stairs.

"I spend hours doing this alone every winter, so I'm thankful ya'll are here to help me." Jungkook smiled at Sora and Jimin.

"And we're happy to help." Sora squeezed his shoulder.

"M-miss, can you lift me up s-so I can reach the table." Amina, the six year old asked.

Sora gently lifted Amina from under her arms, as she set one of the tree ornaments on the table. She knelt beside her, looking at the odd decoration.

"It's beautiful." Sora poked her tiny nose.

"Thank you!" Amina giggle, before running off to play with Chul.

Faye sat on the outdoor couch, watching Jungkook and Sora and feeling regretful. It still pained her to see him so kind and loving towards someone else. She wanted to become someone else, someone her husband would love endlessly.

"Jimin."

"What, I'm busy." He muttered as Sora approached him.

"I think something's wrong with Faye." She looked over her shoulder.

"And—?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Should I talk to her?"

"Why are you asking me?" Jimin muttered under his breath.

"Asshole." Sora thought to herself as she walked towards the white wraparound couch outside.

"Hey babe, how are you?" Sora sat beside Faye, who gave a small smile.

"I'm doing fine, glad you all are here."

"I'm glad to have met you guys also." Sora grabbed a glass of wine. "You know, Jimin and I were dreading spending Christmas alone with each other, so we couldn't deny the offer of coming to California."

"Really?" Faye raised a brow.

"Yeah, we love this place—

"No, I mean, you didn't want to spend Christmas with each other?" She crossed her legs.

"We've definitely had rough patches recently, in the past few months. His parent both died, and my parents already hate Jimin since we got married."

"Is there tension?" Faye casually asked.

"All the damn time." Sora laughed, while quietly whispering. "He's always got this 'what do you want' attitude, and it's so annoying to deal with."

"That's weird." Faye pursed her lips together. "I thought he seemed really nice and funny."

"No, you've got the wrong guy. That's Jungkook."

Faye almost spit her wine out, holding herself from choking. "Jungkook is definitely not always nice and funny. He's strict, old fashioned, and always wants everything his way."

"I've always kind of been and old fashioned person myself." Sora recalled old memories. "Jimin's the complete opposite of me, you know sometimes I feel as though our husbands were switched at birth."

The thought hit Faye, as she began to notice their similarities to each other's husbands. "You're fucking right." Faye accidentally cussed. "I'm nothing like Jungkook, but you are."

"And I'm nothing like Jimin, but you are." Sora held her shoulders as they squealed together.

Jimin scrunched his nose as he looked over his shoulder. "Damn, women have the most obnoxious laughs."

Jungkook raised his brow as he strung the lights from the stairs. "You think so?"

"I can't fucking stand it when a girl giggles." He muttered.

"Take Faye then." Jungkook jokingly offered. "She never likes to laugh, let alone smile."

"I could make her smile." Jimin mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Jungkook innocently looked up.

"I said it's too fucking cold." Jimin hugged his body.

"Uh—Jimin?" Jungkook nervously called his attention.

"Hm."

"Is everything between you and Sora, okay?"

"Yeah, same old—same old." He sighed.

"Jimin." Jungkook turned him by his shoulder. "I mean it."

"Fine, you caught us." Jimin lifted his hands in defeat. "We're miserable together."

Jungkook's eyes suddenly widened. "What the hell Jimin? Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I thought you'd judge me." Jimin played with a string in his hands. "You and Faye are so happy together, living in this huge mansion—

"How do you know we're happy—?"

Jimin narrowed his eyes as he looked up at Jungkook. "Tell me you're fucking lying?"

"I'm not ly—

"Is that why she was so salty when you were showing Sora around the garden earlier?"

"What?" Jungkook was taken aback. "She was jealous?"

"I mean, how would you feel if she toured some random ass dude around your house?" Jimin sipped from his glass of wine.

"But you don't seem to care that I toured Sora around, why?" Jungkook felt sorry for what he did, knowing it may have upset them both.

"Because I know she doesn't love me." Jimin casually lifted the cup to his lips. "You seem to be everything she's ever wanted."

"Jimin, that's not true—

"Don't fucking pity me Jungkook, okay? I've had enough of this love shit, so count me out."

"But she's your wife." Jungkook quietly spoke. "I don't see the point of being together if you won't protect and love her.

"What's the fucking point in anything." Jimin groaned as he leaned back into his chair. "You know,sometimes I feel like our wives were— switched at birth." Jimin quietly mumbled as Jungkook lowered his brows.

like wife, like husband.

"Jiminssi, get up." Jungkook begged. "I won't bring it up again."

"Just let me lay here and decompose." He curled up into a ball.

Jungkook lifted Jimin over his shoulder, and carried him inside the warm and cozy house. He threw him onto the couch and went back outside.

"Honey, do you think you could start on the dessert now, it's getting late." Jungkook purposely tried to send her to the kitchen, so he could speak to Sora about Jimin.

"Yeah—sure." Faye stood, grabbing her jacket.

"I can help y—

"No." Jungkook quickly blurted out. "She can do it by herself, it's pretty easy to make."

Faye gulped before turning to the door. Jungkook didn't realize how bad he looked right now. He made it seem as if he wanted Sora to himself, but those weren't his intentions.

Faye silently walked back inside, shutting the door behind her. She angrily threw her jacket onto the couch, cupping her mouth once she realized she hit Jimin.

"I'm sorry—" She knelt beside him, making sure he wasn't hurt.

"You must think I'm some sort of fragile little cry baby." Jimin scoffed, adjusting his position.

"I mean, I did throw it at your face." Faye noted.

"I've had a lot of things thrown at my face." Jimin casually remarked.

Faye's mouth parted. "I can't believe you just actually said that." She chuckled.

"I can't believe you actually got my reference." He winked. "You'll be okay."

"You're interesting." She pursed her lips, while also holding back a laugh.

"How so—?" Jimin leaned forward so his elbows rested on his knees.

"I don't know whether to call you confident or just cocky." She hid her face, laughing after looking at him.

"It took me five seconds, and Jeon five years." Jimin scoffed, watching Faye laugh.

"What—?" Faye continued to hide her face.

"Nothing princess, now go bake the strudel or what ever the hell you're supposed to be making." He bit down on his lip.

"It's Coffee Crème Brûlée, not a strudel." Faye let her head fall back as she continued to silently laugh to herself.

"I don't give two fucking shits." Jimin bluntly remarked, still managing to make her laugh louder than before.

"Okay—" Faye stood, while traces of a smile were still shown on her face. "I'm gonna leave you alone now."

"Thank God, I've been waiting for you to do that for thirty minutes now." Jimin jokingly insulted the giggling girl.

If he said those words to Sora, she'd cry in the bathroom for eight hours straight. He felt somewhat relieved that someone understood his underlying humor, not always being so sensitive to his words.

"You're too funny Jimin." She sighed, while grabbing the recipe book. "I wish I knew more people like you."

"I think one's enough." Jimin looked over at Faye, not moving his eyes off her.

She didn't know how to react to his comments. Is it wrong for him to be flirting with a married woman who, by the way, has two young children. Is it wrong for Jungkook and Sora to be having late night conversations alone, without their partners around.

"You might as well help, since you're here." She threw an apron at him.

"No fucking way." Jimin ridiculed as he stood, unfolding the apron.

She hid her embarrassed face again. "Jungkook makes me wear it so I don't get my clothes dirty."

"That's pure torture." Jimin tossed it across the room, rolling up his sleeves as he stood beside her.

"Here's the recipe." Faye turned the book so that Jimin could read the instructions.

"How about this." He moved the book aside. "You, tell me what to do, and I'll do it."

"Y-Yeah, that works too." Faye bent over to grab the jar of coffee beans.

Jimin's eyes wrongly averted to places he wasn't supposed to be looking at. He quickly cleared his throat, turning around so he wouldn't be tempted.

"You need 3/4's of that." She handed him a measuring cup.

"Gotcha—" Jimin quietly muttered as he tried to find the correct line to fill.

"Next."

Faye smiled, raising her brows. "You catch on quick."

"Filling up things isn't as hard as you think."

Faye widened her eyes, harshly setting the bowl onto the counter. "I thought you were weird five minutes ago, but now I'm thinking you're just insane."

"That's what I do best." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Here, blend these in here." She continued to slowly shake her head while handing him the bowl of eggs.

"Since when do people blend eggs?"

"The recipe said it, not me." Faye raised her hands in her defense.

Jimin cracked each of the six eggs, letting them fall out of the shell and into the blender. "This is so fucking weird." He closed his eyes as he reached for one of the buttons.

"Wait Jimin, the cove—

Faye spread her arms apart, letting the egg mixture slide off her apron. She looked over at Jimin and instantly fell over, hysterically laughing.

"Y—

She tried to speak, but broke out into laughter as he just pushed his tongue against his cheek.

"Y-you should've w-worn an apron." Faye held her chest as she continued to helplessly giggle.

Jimin suddenly raised his brows. "I should've worn an apron?" He threateningly came towards Faye, with the blender in his hands.

"No, don't!" Faye begged while peaking through her hand as she covered her head. "I just straightened my hair."

"Shit, you're right." Jimin moved his arm back. "I wouldn't want to mess that up."

"Thanks." She slowly uncovered her head.

"You fucking wish I was that nice." He poured the liquid onto her head, playfully nodding as he continued to shake the blender, trying to get her whole head drenched. Jimin set the blender on the counter after his job was finished.

"I guess your apron didn't save you after all." He used his thumb to wipe my eyes.

"Im gonna kill y—

They both looked at each other with widened eyes as the door was pushed open.

"Faye?" Jungkook casually called out as he walked towards the kitchen with Sora by his side. "Is the dessert r—