The Measure of a Man { BTS Taehyung Series }

Chapter 5

True to his word, Tae picked Mari up the next morning to take her to an amusement park to ride the rollercoasters. He wore a black baseball cap and mask to hide his identity. He found it usually worked okay as long as he didn't draw attention to himself in any way.

When they were seated on the first rollercoaster, Tae patted down the restraining bar in front of Mari to ensure it was fastened properly. "Gotta watch over my girl," he reasoned aloud. Mari smiled. He did have a way of making her feel special.

As the coaster began to climb the first rise, Tae turned to Mari and said, "You said you have an anxiety disorder. How come you aren't afraid of rollercoasters?"

"Well, fear and anxiety are two different things. You can be afraid of certain things at certain times, but anxiety is always there, no matter what is going on in your life. Anxiety is partly a physical thing, you know, that you need medicine for," she explained as they reached the top of the rise.

Mari reached out for Tae's hand and he squeezed it tightly as they dropped precipitously. They both let out cleansing screams, feeling their stomachs drop. Then came a sharp left turn that sent Mari sliding into Tae and crushing him against the side of the seat. At the next turn, Tae crashed into Mari. He pressed his feet firmly against the floor of the compartment and used his arms to pull away from her enough to give her space to breathe. The coaster went over two more rises and several more turns before pulling into the docking area. They exited the coaster, trying to steady each other as they walked like two drunkards after a long night out. They both smiled and laughed as they wound their way through the crowd.

"I don't know what it is about rollercoasters, but they always make me feel better," commented Tae.

"Well, it's the release of brain chemicals like dopamine that cause that euphoria," Mari replied, demystifying Tae's love for rollercoasters.

"Yeah, but when you explain it that way, it just sounds boring," Tae noted.

"Point taken," responded Mari. "I suppose when you know too much about some things, it takes away the mystery."

"Let's get some ice cream," Tae suggested, as he took Mari's hand and bounced up and down like a child trying to ply a parent for a treat.

They got their ice cream and sat down under the shade of a wooden pavilion. Mari got a mint chocolate chip that was bright green with little specks of chocolate in it. Tae opted for a plain chocolate ice cream.

"I've never tried mint chocolate chip," he commented. "I was always afraid it would taste like toothpaste."

"You wanna try some," Mari said, holding out a spoonful for him. She placed it gently in his mouth. He savored it for a moment and then made a grimace.

"Yep, toothpaste. I called it," he confirmed.

"You're crazy! Mint chocolate chip is the best," Mari argued, holding out another spoonful for Tae.

He shook his head. "No thanks. I'll leave it for you," he pronounced magnanimously.

He finished his ice cream and began to stroke Mari's dark-brown hair with red highlights. "So, tell me about what life was like for you in the U.S.," he urged. "I want to know everything about you."

Mari shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, you asked for it." She leaned against his shoulder and idly played with a thin, silver chain hanging from his jeans.