The next morning, Yoongi was awakened by the sun shining on his face through the window. Didn't I close the curtains last night? His eyes opened and he looked around. He suddenly remembered he was in Alex's bed. He had fallen asleep before he could go back to his room. He looked over and saw her spot on the bed was empty. Just then the door opened and Alex walked in.

"Good morning, I got us coffee." She walked over and handed him his, "Do you like to read the news while you drink your coffee?" She grabbed the newspaper she had tucked under her arm and tossed it on his lap. She went to sit in one of the chairs by the desk.

Yoongi looked down at the front page. It was a picture of Jungkook and Jimin at the winery. A woman was sitting in between them and they were huddled together, sharing and reading a menu. The menu covered half her face so you couldn't tell who she was. Yoongi looked up at Alex and saw her stewing over in her chair.

"OK, obviously this is JK and Jimin. But, who is the girl with them?" Alex gave him an incredulous stare. He held his finger up before she could speak. "Just be cause we know it's you, doesn't mean anyone else does. There is nothing to freak out about."

Alex jumped out of her chair, "This is something to freak out about! This is the third time I've been in the headlines since we started the tour."

"Well technically not you, just some mystery American girl." He gave her a side grin. Alex stood there with her mouth gaping like a fish out of water, her eyes blinking rapidly. Yoongi immediately regretted what he said. He got off the bed and went over to put his arms around her, "Alex, it's nothing. It is nothing to worry about." He hugged her tightly while she just stood there with her arms hanging at her sides. "Let's order breakfast, huh?" He smoothed her hair down with his hand, "you'll feel better after you've eaten and can put this in perspective. Yeah?"

She dryly answered him, "Sure, you bet." She went and grabbed the hotel menu. "Guess I better enjoy the morning while it lasts, who knows when we'll get to be alone again."

About an hour later their food came. Yoongi hid in the bathroom while the cart was brought into the room then came back out once the door had closed. Alex had ordered a little bit of everything, and he was starving. They sat at the desk and talked while they ate.

Alex popped a piece of strawberry into her mouth, "So, after Mumbai next week, what will you do when we get back to South Korea?"

"Probably nothing for the first coupe of days," he laughed, "then I'll go visit my family. I think I have a meeting at some point too. What about you, think we can sneak off for some dates?"

Alex finished chewing before she answered him, "I'll only be there a week before I head back to the states. I'll meet you guys up in Montreal when you fly over."

Yoongi set his fork down, "We won't see each other for two weeks?"

She tilted her head, "You know, after the tour, we won't see each other as often as we do now. We may go a month or two not seeing each other."

Yoongi stabbed at his food with his fork, "I know, I try not to think about it. I've just been living in the moment while we can." He gave her a side grin, "I guess we should plan out what happens after the tour, huh?"

Alex rested her chin on her fist, his sad face was so cute. "We'll come up with something."

________

The rest of the week Alex was cautious everywhere they went. She made sure to stick to Ji-Hoon's side and keep her distance from the guys any time they were in public. At the concerts that week, she wore a mask around the fans to try and cut down on any exposure she could.

The guys were backstage after the last concert changing. Yoongi finally let himself think about everything that was going on. He hated the fact that Alex was getting distant, but he understood why she did it. It didn't change the fact that he was bothered by it all. He was tossing stuff around the room looking for his phone when Hobi came up to him.

"Yoongi, what's the matter? Do you need help looking for something?"

"Yeah, my sanity." He stood up and let out a sigh. "Hobi, I feel bad for Alex. She's taking this media thing pretty hard."

Hobi patted his shoulder and gave him an understanding nod. "This is new for her. We've dealt with this kind of thing for years. She just needs some time to navigate everything. You may not like how she does it right now, but over time I think it will get better. Just be there for her."

Yoongi nodded his head. They couldn't change who they were and the way the world was. They were idols with a huge fan base, and the media went wherever they did. He would just have to continue being patient while he and Alex adjusted.

He finally found his phone so they left for the hotel. Yoongi went to his room to pack for their flight the next day. He was rummaging around, his mood slowly getting more agitated as his thoughts spun around in his head. He needed to blow off some steam, but how? There was nowhere he could go because it was so late at night, and even if he went out he didn't want to have to bother one of the guards. The only thing he could think of was to talk to Alex. He picked up his phone and hoped she wasn't already asleep.

:

You awake?

:

Yes 😊

:

Can I come over there for a bit?

:

Of course

Yoongi pulled a hat down over his head and headed to Alex's room. She must have been waiting for him because he lifted his hand to knock but she had already opened the door. He walked in and went to sit in one of the chairs at the desk. He crossed his leg over his knee and leaned back in the chair with his hands folded in his lap.

"Uh oh, that's a serious face. What's on your mind?" Alex went to sit on the bed across from him.

Yoongi was silent for a moment while he collected his thoughts. "Part of me wants to talk to you about something that's bothering me, but part of me doesn't because I don't want you to worry more."

Alex nodded her head in understanding, "I know how you feel, but what kind of girlfriend would I be if you felt you couldn't talk to me, and vice versa? Tell me what's going on."

Yoongi agreed with her way of thinking. "I know you've been distant because of the whole media thing. I get it's your way of dealing with it since this is all new, and you don't want anything affecting the group. You're extremely considerate and it's one of my favorite things about you."

"But?" Alex encouraged him to go on.

"It's just frustrating! I don't know how to be an idol who is also a boyfriend. I'm stuck between not wanting to upset the company and not wanting to upset you. Then I watch what you're going through and I feel so guilty. I want to bring you happiness, not stress."

Alex took him by the hand and pulled him over to the bed to sit next to her. "Yoongi, you're not causing me stress, and you make me extremely happy. The media is what causes the stress, but I know it's not just me affected by it, that's why I'm being cautious and doing what I can to drown out the fire. We both knew this was going to be tricky. We just have to keep moving forward, and we'll figure it out as we go." She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek.

Yoongi was glad he had decided to talk to her. It made him feel better knowing she was there with him to share the struggle. He leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She smiled at him. "I think we better get to bed, we have an early flight tomorrow."

He nodded his head, "I take it you'll be sitting next to Ji-Hoon?"

She shrugged her shoulder and nodded.

"Ok, I figured. But, promise me we can try and go on a date while we're in India? There's something I want to take you to do."

She nodded while holding a thumb's up to him, "You got it."

She she shut the door behind him when he left. Knowing he was worried right along with her didn't ease her mind, but at least she knew she wasn't alone. It just reaffirmed the necessity for her to be as careful as possible.