𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐒 | 𝐊- 𝐏𝐎𝐏

𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗁𝗎𝗇𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗋𝗍𝗒 𝗌𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇

Chapter 18: Twosome

Notes:

Don't be afraid of the chapter title. It's a real cafe.

He waits for her as she locks up the classroom and turns off lights. They step down the empty hallway, now dark, but with streaks of light coming in from the windows on the door to the classrooms. He watches her move through the space, feeling at ease in his company. He steps through the front door first and turns to wait while she locks up the school. The sun is starting to set, and the sky is glowing with pink and orange light. She turns to smile at him and he notices her hair reflects the color of the light in the sky.

"I hope I don't live too far out of your way," she apologizes. He waves off the idea, knowing he would drive to the end of the world for her. He steps up quickly to open the car door.

"Miss Wright," he indicates she should get in.

"Please call me Hana, Miss Wright sounds, well, in English it means something else." She laughs to herself.

"I know what it means." He smiles. She looks at him curiously as she gets in and allows him to shut her door. She watches him as he steps around to the driver's side of the car and gets in. He smiles over at her as he turns the key to start the car. Almost immediately his phone rings in his pocket, and before he can reach for it, it connects to his car speaker, and the screen in front of them flashes: Chimchim Calling.

He blushes and tries to end the call but he pushes the wrong button and it answers. Jimin's voice comes over the car speakers.

"TaeTae, how did it go? Where are you?" he asks. Taehyung is relieved he didn't say anything more revealing.

"I'm sorry Jimin, I'm in the car. I am giving a ride home to Hana- Miss Wright," he corrects himself. She looks over at him, surprised. "I can't speak to you right now, I'll call you later."

"You better!" he says before Taheyung hangs up on him to prevent him saying anymore. He looks at her, flushed pink with embarrassment.

"That was Jimin, the man who came with me to the school to survey the work that needs to be done," he explains. She smiles.

"Your oldest friend." She remembers. He nods, smiling, and hopes she won't ask him anymore about the call, not yet.

"Where do you live?" He opens the navigation system on the screen.

"Oh, it might be easier to drop me at the library. I can do some studying before I head home." He's a little disappointed at the suggestion and she can tell by the way his face has changed. "I usually get dinner at a cafe nearby," she says, explaining herself better. There is it, the second mention of dinner. Now he realizes this is the sign he shouldn't ignore.

"I'm quite hungry myself. Would you mind if I join you? For dinner? I mean, would that be appropriate?" He still wonders who is waiting at her home. She considers it, and then smiles at him.

"That would be nice." She hasn't entirely answered the question, but then, he didn't ask the question exactly. She gives him the name of the cafe, "A Twosome Place" not far from their current location. He smiles at the name as he enters it into the navigation system. He follows the guide and pulls away from the little school just as the sky begins to grow dark. He watches the road, but he senses that she is watching him, studying him. She might just be on the verge of asking him a question she hasn't figured out how to ask yet.

"Mr.- Taehyung," she corrects herself. "What is it that you do?" she asks finally. He grips the steering wheel a little bit tighter. "I have an idea you must be in business, but, you don't strike me as a businessman to be honest." He laughs a little and then sighs. She watches him carefully, more curious now.

"I'm an artist." He glances over to see her response and she nods.

"That makes sense, you definitely have the aura of an artist." He smiles. "What medium do you work in?" He laughs at the question, which makes her frown a little.

"I'm a recording artist. I'm in music. I sing, I dance, I write." He admits, unsure how much more to reveal, or if he even needs to. He looks over at her as they pull up to a stoplight. She looks away.

"Oh." She thinks about what he's said. "I didn't guess that." She turns and looks at him as an idea comes to her. "What Chinsun said? About her sister?" She looks at him, and he nods slowly, registering her reaction before the car behind him honks to alert him the light has changed. He turns to look back at the road quickly. "Hmm." She thinks about it. He feels the blood rush to his face, and his heart races a little wondering what her reaction means. She sits quietly and her silence is almost too much for him to bear.

He pulls up near the restaurant and looks at it, it's small, but it's not crowded, which is good because the other part of being who he is might make this a very disturbing dinner out for her, if many people recognize him. The car begins to parallel park and he turns to her. She is surprised the car is parking itself and she looks at him and the steering column moving on it's own, slightly bemused.

"Do you really not know who I am?" he asks, a little nervous to hear the answer. She laughs a little, at herself more than the question.

"I'm afraid I don't really listen to music released after about 1965." She smiles a little awkwardly, biting her lip, embarrassed. He smiles broadly at finding one more thing about her to appreciate.

"Really? Like what?" She thinks for a moment.

"Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington." She rattles off a few names and he smiles and nods. She looks at him as the car has finished the maneuver. "Is it safe to leave the car now? Is it done parking?" He laughs.

"Wait right there." He jumps out of the car and runs around to the passenger's side door. She smiles at him through the window as he opens it for her. As she steps out, she leans toward him.

"What is this, a date?" She laughs. He freezes, his expression drops. It is. But by her laugh, it's clear to him that she doesn't realize it. He swallows hard and turns to see her walking up to the door to the small cafe. He takes a deep breath and locks the car. He runs to catch up to her just as she reaches the door and pulls it open for herself.