KALOPSIA ✓

14. out of nowhere

14. out of nowhere
"If you should go back to your nowhere. leaving me with just a memory, I'll always wait for your return out of nowhere, Hoping you bring your love to me."

//

warm sweat trickles down the side of the man's face.

Taehyung quickly wipes it away, annoyance within him growing– now accompanied with heavy rounds of frustration and angst. the hot flushes running through his body don't stop as he reaches the apartment complex, pushing through the glass doors and fake smiling at the reception desk. he storms through the lift, corridors until he reaches her door.

yes, he's annoyed that she left but he's allowed to be, isn't he? he second doubts his own thoughts. he brought her there and she left without saying a word.

what happened for her to leave, is a question that doesn't enter Taehyung's mind. he's just annoyed at the amount of ridiculous dinner parties he has to attend, Crema, Yoongi, his management, the people that hate him, love him and his whole fucking life.

he loved having his arm around Crema, loved the way people stared at him just to drag their eyes to stare at the woman in his arms. he enjoyed the fact that people saw what he saw and that was beauty. Taehyung, is however, realising that Crema is more than looks.

he's aware that the entire night did not consist of him being by Crema's side. he knows, in some sense, he did wrong but will he admit it? not at all. he's not tied down to Crema so why the hell does he feel so guilty? he groans, waiting in front of her door just to realise he's run out of his favoured cigarettes– just what he needs.

the young man flicks his hand through his silky curls just as the new light of his life opens the door. a sudden memory pops into his head– not just one, but many. her opening the door with a welcoming smile, her opening the door and tugging him inside by his collar and lastly, her opening the door and leaving him to stand there.

he shakes off the bad history and swipes a smile over his face. strangely, the low, annoyed mood has completely disappeared. he's now hyperactive, giddy with delight and he steps forward– arms ready to enclose around Crema.

but she isn't his and even he knows that.

she lets him inside, avoiding his touch which Taehyung chooses to respect. he watches her close the door as he takes a seat on the couch, wondering where she'll sit. like most women, she'll probably sit far away from him. but Crema isn't like most women, she's herself– a contrasting, unique woman indeed. she sits right beside him, their legs barely grazing each other.

the man resists the urge to reach over and place his hand over her bare thigh. she's dressed in nothing but a robe of silk. instead, he loosens his tie and leans back– blazer against the couch.

"are you glad i came?" Taehyung can't help but seek an answer from the woman who gives, only when she wants to.

"what do you think?" she responds, eyes glancing sideways at him with clear mischief. her hair falls into her face– black, frizzed curls that hide her away.

"you and i are similar." she states, also leaning far back against the couch. Taehyung notices how she sits like him, astonishing– legs spread apart with her shoulders laid back. how unique, how cool. "we don't know what the damn hell we are doing but we continue doing things anyway."

it makes perfect sense to the young boy who stays silent. he wants to listen so much that he completely enters Crema's words, thereafter, her world, her mind.

she stares ahead and Taehyung stares at his hands. oh how he wants to reach over. instead, he calms his urges and focuses on Crema's next sentences. "we act stupid and we act impulsively. we do things to distract ourselves from the lives we have built for ourselves. there's no one who pities us more than we do and it's amusing."

amusing? Taehyung doesn't feel like laughing.

but Crema is laughing.

"like i don't know a single thing about being a single mother. i got knocked up and that's now, the only label i should have. i don't know the father and i never will– there's no way to know. Gaia will grow up fatherless and—" she shakes her head, gulping harshly. she looks like she's about to cry. "i'm just as fucked up as you and that is relieving."

the pop singer of his century has no words to say. he looks away from his hands that tell numerous stories and express more than words could ever say. Crema looks to her side at the same time he does– both pair of eyes meet in the warm, nice smelling apartment that oozes motherhood and lusty memories begging to be made. Taehyung doesn't give in. he instead, licks his lips and stares right at her.

his gaze doesn't once flicker.

minutes pass. Taehyung eventually grabs Crema's smoother hand, lifting her to her feet. still, no words have been spoken and that's okay for the unlabelled couple. Gaia is placed in her pushchair and the three leave the building.

Taehyung places his right hand on the side of Crema's neck. his touch raises goosebumps, it surprises him. they stand on New York's poorer, quieter street. "stay here." he says, low– almost like a whisper before he leans forward and kisses her cheek in a slow, teasing manner. his lips linger. just as Crema is about to tug him closer by his blazer jacket, he walks away and into the convenience store close by.

after buying himself a pack of cigarette and an energy drink, he leaves after thanking the cashier who started to stutter upon realising who he is. who is he? if only he could have the right answer to that complicated question too.

stepping out of the store, he throws the energy drink onto a homeless man's lap. "thank you, i- have a nice day!" the man shouts, utterly surprised by the unexpected, kind gesture from the singer who simply walked past him just a few minutes ago.

Taehyung likes the way Crema looks at him in that moment.

he takes her hand freely, expecting her surprise as he steers them away to cross the road. he pushes his cigarettes into his pocket, gesturing at acquaintances in the alleyways of New York city.

"hey, come on," he tugs at her hand, smiling at her contagious laughter. he bites his lip. "i want to buy some paintbrushes." he mentions, feeling a creative spark shoot up at the same time Crema runs her thumb over his knuckles.

across the road, Hoseok, dressed in cargo pants and scruffy boots, watches with furrowed brows. he stops slipping on his gloves, watching the famous man and a lady he recognises.

the next day, Hoseok slams his hand against Namjoon's therapy practice. as soon as the door swings open, revealing a handsome, familiar face, Hoseok blurts out with the new, unexpected revelation in his life, "i know her. we've hooked up before, it was long ago but she... she had a child Namjoon! that's my child, i know it is."