detective kim; kth (ambw)

Chapter 29

"Thank you for doing this." Chantelle mumbles to Taehyung as they step out the elevator in her apartment building.

"Yeah, of course." In one hand, he has a suitcase with most of her clothes in it. In his other hand is a tote bag full of other necessities.

Chantelle, meanwhile, is carrying Cinnabun and his pet supplies.

They manage to make it out the door and to her car with the plethora of stuff they are carrying. They place it all in the backseat and trunk before climbing in.

Taehyung hasn't left her side all day, whether it was waiting outside for her while she talked with the police or holding her hand reassuringly as she got her check up at the hospital.

And Chantelle isn't too sure what it all means, but it's one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for her.

Right now, she is supposed to be going to her parents' house to spend the night because just being in her apartment for half an hour almost gave her a panic attack. But she has something else in mind.

"Alright, we're here." She sighs, sounding glum as she pulls into a parking spot in front of the hotel.

"It almost sounds like you don't want me to go." Taehyung teases, turning to her with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"That's because I don't." She answers simply. "I also don't want to deal with my overbearing family right now."

"Okay, so then come with me." He suggests, all the humor dissipating from his features as he looks at her.

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose or anything."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I wanted to talk to you about something anyway."

"Well, now you've peaked my curiosity so I have to come."

Her words make him grin widely, his adorable boxy smile on full display. "Cool, let's go then. It'll be worth it, I promise."

It's quite the struggle to carry all of her things up to Taehyung's hotel room, but they manage to make it work. Once they arrive, both detectives drop her things on the floor with a heavy sigh at the exact same time.

Once they realize what they've done, they burst out into laughter.

"I'm gonna take a shower." Taehyung says, grabbing some items from his suitcase. "Feel free to make yourself at home, there are drinks in the fridge."

"Okay, thanks." Once he has disappeared into the bathroom, Chantelle moves all her things to a corner of the room so it doesn't take up as much space. Then she grabs a bottle of water from the mini fridge and takes a seat on the futon.

She replies to a sweet message from Jimin, in which he apologizes for not being able to see her today because he got so wrapped up at the lab. But he promises to make it up to her soon. Then she calls her mom to tell her that she will come over tomorrow instead.

Initially, she's upset but she calms down when she hears that she will be staying with Taehyung. Go figure.

After the blond detective emerges from the bathroom, Chantelle gladly takes her turn.

She makes the water burning hot, almost to the point where her skin can't stand it. Then she scrubs it thoroughly, hoping she can rid herself of any remnants of Seokjin's touch.

Speaking of the devil, the cop-turned-criminal is currently sitting in a jail cell awaiting trial. And she hopes he rots in there.

Luckily, Chantelle escaped the ordeal with only a few minor scrapes and bruising. The emotional scarring is much worse, it seems.

And Taehyung is completely fine except for a small laceration on his leg where he was grazed by a bullet. She's still amazed by the fact that he risked his life for her like that. She doesn't even want to think about what could have happened if Jin had aimed better.

"What are you doing?" She giggles a bit when she exits the bathroom, only to see a 5' 10" Taehyung trying to lie down on a futon that can't be more than 4 feet long.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Trying to make a miracle happen." She scoffs. "Just come on the bed, there's more than enough space for both of us."

"I don't wanna make you uncomfortable, though." Taehyung frowns a bit, sitting up on the couch. "I know you had a long day, you need your space."

"It won't make me uncomfortable. You know why? Because I'm actually starting to enjoy your company." She smiles, sitting on the bed and patting the spot next to her.

"Wow, I feel so relieved." He playfully rolls his eyes at her teasing. Nonetheless, he gets up and climbs on the bed next to her.

It's a king size, so there's enough space for them to both be on the bed without having to be on top of each other.

Once they're close, Taehyung stares at her wordlessly for a few moments. "Didn't you say you wanted to talk to me about something?" She asks softly, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Oh yeah, you're right." He clears his throat, smiling sheepishly. "Okay, here goes nothing."

"Wait, why are you turning around?" Chantelle raises an eyebrow when he turns his back to her, sitting cross legged and facing the window.

"I get super nervous when I talk about my feelings. And I really, really don't want to mess this up."

"Uh, okay." She nods, deciding to just go with it even though she has no idea what is about to happen. "I'm listening."

Taehyung sucks in a breath. "Chantelle, I wanted to say that I..you..sorry, let me start over." He clears his throat once again.

"Today made me realize a lot of things. I mean, when Namjoon told me you were in trouble, I got so scared. All I could think about was finding you and making sure you were okay. And when I finally had you in my arms, it was like...I don't know. Everything was right again.

You do weird things to me, Chan. I get so fucking happy when I'm around you. Even when you're pissed off at me because I did something stupid." He laughs a bit. "And it's been freaking me out because I've never felt this way about anyone. But no matter what I do, it won't go away. Trust me, I know this is bad timing because of everything that just happened. And you don't need to say anything right now, but I-"

"Taehyung."

"Hm?"

"Turn around."

As soon as he does just that, Chantelle's lips are on his. They melt into each other and Taehyung's gentle hands pull her closer by her waist.

Even though they haven't done this in six months, the spark is very much still there. His lips taste like heaven and everywhere he touches feels electrified.

"I think what you're trying to say is that you like me." She smiles when she pulls away, still caressing his face with her hand. "And I like you too, but I need time."

"No, I completely understand." He nods eagerly. But then he starts to search her eyes for answers. "Wait, what do you mean?"

He's so adorable that it takes everything in her to not laugh. "Tae, what I mean is that I want to take things slow. We need to get to know each other better and right now, the Ashford case comes first."

"Right, right, got it." Taehyung nods again. "Quick question, though. Is cuddling still on the table?"

"Yes, Taehyung, we can cuddle."

"Yes!" He cheers. Then he tackles her with a hug, making them both fall down onto the sheets.

She giggles, reaching over to brush his hair out of his eyes. "I wonder how long you've been waiting to do that."

He snuggles into her side, letting out a hum of satisfaction. "Pretty much all week."