11 Hello, You

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"Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly." 

— Charles Addams

Flinging your sling bag to the side, you arrive at the agreed location. You glance at the exterior of the mid-century themed coffeehouse and sigh in satisfaction, this is it. Opening the door with anticipation, the doorbell chimes, gabbing the attention of some individuals. You look inside but do not spot anyone dressed in purple. He must be late, you think. You grab a seat near the large window to retain the taste of the evening sun barely pouring inside.

The coffeehouse looks ethereal. It has a unique décor with contrasting colours. The tables and chairs are adorned with tanned plywood and retro cushions. There is a collection of vinyl records at one corner, some hung on the wall and some sitting on an old table beside an elegant gramophone. It's just for show though, the modern speakers being the source of soft melodies resonating in the enormous room. There's an archaic stairway that leads to the first floor but you chose not to sit there as being in the crowd is what you had planned.

Waiting for Kookie, dressed in a purple scarf and a bulky violet cardigan, and hoping to be recognised by him when he shows up has been a thrill. You feel out of place dressed up like this but choose to suck it up. Your confidence was at its highest when you had planned this but the closer you get to actually see him face-to-face the more nervous you are becoming.

Your palms start sweating, which isn't uncommon during the winter but you know it's not just because it might snow soon. The entrance door has been opened a few times since your arrival but none of them was the one you are expecting. There's a weird feeling you get, as if you are being watched from outside the shop but whenever you look around, you find no pair of eyes looking in your direction.

You've been aggressively texting Wendy due to nerves when the door-chime rings, making you jump in your seat and scan the entryway. Your heart skips a beat when you find a tall, broad-chested man wearing an oversized purple sweater looking on the opposite side. He has messy black hair, or even darkest of browns. He inspects the room and you feel like sinking in your seat, hoping the earth will eat you alive. But none of that happens because the man looks right at you, looking confused at first but he smiles sheepishly when he catches you gaping back at him, clad in purple.

He waves his hand and your heart skips a beat. To say that he is handsome would be an understatement. You're sure he can be one of the contestants in TC Chandler's most handsome men in the world... and actually win it. He walks towards the table and takes a seat opposite to you.

"Hi," he introduces. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting for long."

You keep staring at him, his boyish yet deep voice taking you by surprise, everything is happening so fast that your brain has started to glitch. "Huh? Yeah." You mumble. "No, not at all."

"Wow, a lovely lady with a lovely voice," he professed. You shrug and mouth a thank you, feeling extremely nervous. Realising your edginess, he chuckles.

"Do you want to hear something funny?"

"Yes, I do." You encourage.

"When I was on my way here, I saw an old couple arguing over ice cream. The old man wanted to eat scoops on scoops of vanilla ice cream, but the lady wanted to nope out of there. So, she kept his fake teeth away and asked, 'how will you eat now?' and he said, 'I don't need teeth to eat ice cream Velma!' and proceeded to eat the ice cream."

He nudges his head towards you, expecting a response. You are taken aback for a moment, not expecting him to be bold and to be able to make lame yet kind of funny commentaries so soon. You cave in and start giggling, sounding like a high-schooler.

"Well, he wasn't wrong. You can eat ice cream without teeth." You admit.

"I agree. Can't wait to have no teeth and try eating ice cream." He takes a pause, remembering something. "My name is Jungkook by the way. It's funny how we never got to introduce ourselves."

"We were obviously too busy picking matching outfits," you point your finger at your bulky cardigan. "I'm ____, but you must already know that. Since my username is so detailed."

It was his turn to grin in the cutest way possible, his bunny-like incisors coming into full display. Your heart swoons and you feel like you are in a dream. The more you look at him the more his face becomes familiar, making you think you have known him for ages. You furrow your brows making Jungkook stop laughing.

"Have we met before?"

"Hmm?" he hums after a moment's reflection.

"You look so familiar. I thought that maybe we have met before." You are not sure anymore.

His smile widens, turning into a smug smirk. "Not to sound too full of me but maybe you have seen me on billboards or magazines. I used to do part-time modelling."

"Oh, is that so? That must be it. You do look like a... someone... who would..." you start fiddling with your fingernails. "Like a model."

His cheeks start turning into a shade of pink and he looks away, outside the window. The discomfort that you were having before meeting him is slowly melting away like an iceberg because of the warmth he radiates. He is just as funny and charming and sweet and homely as he is in texts when you chat online. He tells you about his main job as a software developer that he recently got, and how boring it is. At least, he can concentrate on one job now, so he says.

You tell him about your mundane life as a full-time chemistry major and a part-time bartender. You talk about alcohol, books, and your love for Harrison Ford. And Jungkook seems to agree with you, adding Johnny Depp to the list.

The conversation eventually drifts towards a topic you would rather not discuss, but it has been finding its way back into your life every day. The topic of Edgar Allen Poe, or whoever this anonymous stalker is, or a prankster in the words of the cops who could not take you seriously enough. Jungkook is understanding, and he comforts you in the best way.

"I trust that you'll take care of yourself just fine. And if anyone crosses their limits, I'm only one call away." Jungkook assures you.

"Thanks, really. I kind of dragged into you in this mess, you had told me numerous times not to do anything stupid but I didn't listen to you."

"Hey, we all make mistakes." He lays his hand gently on yours for a second and pulls away. "I forgot to turn off the stove the other day and it could've almost burned my house."

"But you turned it off, right?" your cheeks start hurting after smiling so hard.

"Of course, I did. How would be able to come in one piece otherwise?"

"You are comical, you know?"

"So I've been told." He takes a sip of his coffee with a content grin.

Your phone chimes making your heartbeat fasten. Who could it be? You take a sideways glance at it, internally crossing your fingers. Relief floods over you when you see it is a text by Jimin. However, you suddenly remember what happened a while ago and don't even think of unlocking your screen. 

Your attention is drawn back to Jungkook who goes on about the time he went to McDonald's as a kid and mixed all the flavours of soda thinking it will taste heavenly. He was wrong apparently.

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A/N : I started writing this back in 2020 but due to many reasons I didn't think fit to continue. I had a moment of epiphany in 2021 that made me resume Obsession (reading Verity by Colleen Hoover helped a lot too). This particular chapter was written somewhere in the first half of 2021. I hope you're enjoying it so far <3

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