When The Tiger Lilies Bloom | Taekook

18. Rain on me

As if the rain stopped as if the heart was never wounded, as if the sun was never clouded, as if nothing happened, life goes on. Though it became hard to believe that everything changed, still the little ray of hope stays, reminding us that whether hurt or not, life must go on.

I like rain.

Taehyung tells himself, again and again, as if making himself believe in that. Other than his name, everything felt mute for him. As if his senses had gone numb, Taehyung stood there, not even trying to turn at the person who just called him and secured him under the shade of an umbrella.

Because he was afraid. What if they see him crying? What if they see his weakness and make fun of him? What if he was pushed to the rain again and---

"Hey, Taehyung?"

Now the voice became clear, reaching his ears like the raindrops hitting on the mud. It was soothing. As if he was standing in the middle of a desert as if he was thirsty all this time, the voice poured over him like the rain he needed oh so badly to survive. Taehyung didn't get a chance to wipe his eyes when the man placed a hand on his shoulder and made him turn.

No. Please, God, No.

It was like time paused for them, and Taehyung wanted to curse at the irony. He wished the man to leave him in the rain alone and walk far away. He wished the man to be like everyone who judged him, made fun of his feelings, and even wounded him. He wished the man would leave him alone.

Taehyung wanted to be alone. He wanted to be drenched in the rain to forget loads of things.

No. Please, leave me...

Taehyung chanted inside but the man placed a finger under his chin and made him look at the face, their eyes met and Taehyung's breath hitched. The tears he thought dried out were back, stinging the back of his eyes, heart clenching with the overwhelming feeling.

He can't.

Taehyung tells himself that he can't keep himself composed in front of the man. So he lowered his eyes to the wet footpath, staring at the little waves of water on the road. It was the same as his mind, like the tides that would hit the shore, scatter into foams and go back to the deep sea. The hurt was like a forever stuck cycle, making him tired.

"Taehyung, you okay...?"

To say Taehyung was stunned would be a major understatement. He had gone frozen the moment the smooth voice touched his ears, shaking his consciousness. With a weak smile, the person set his eyes on Taehyung.

The other didn't know how to react. Whether he should shake his head or cry in the man's arms. But there was a faint image in his head which portrayed the worries he was feeling at that time.

'Everyone will leave.

Even this person.

He will push you in the middle of the rain when he knows the truth about you.

You'll be alone again.'

'I'll be...'

Taehyung's mind was way too far from his control. His hand clutched the hem of his wet shirt, lips trembled to whisper out anything to the man who had eyes set on him. Wide eyes, that are doe and innocent, gazing at his soul.

Taehyung had seen those eyes before and they used to fill the voids in him with warmth. But today, he felt numb. He felt Jeon Jungkook was someone so unknown that he couldn't even utter a word or convey what he was feeling.