Parfait

Chapter Forty-Two

"Do you usually go to museums alone?" City traffic was at a standstill, and the back seat of the car had grown quiet. Hana was accustomed to comfortable silences at home, but those often happened because they had their own activities. Without a book or a pen and notepad in her alpha's hands she felt pressured to entertain him. Why else would she need to be there?

"Sometimes another member or two comes along, but mostly if there is an artist or topic they're already interested in," Namjoon replied with a shrug. "Would you have preferred someone else coming with us?"

"No, that's not it!" she answered with a quick shake of her head. "I was only curious. I've never known anyone who goes to see art by themselves... not that I've known many people who make a habit of going to museums or art exhibits in the first place."

Hana definitely felt out of her depth already. When she thought of museums, she thought of grand halls and fine art, so she had put on one of her nicer dresses and pulled her hair up into a more formal style than usual. Eunji had made quite a few suggestions for accessorizing her outfits, so even though she had a high-collared dress on to hide her bandages, Hana incorporated a scarf by tying it to her purse handles. Looking in the mirror in her room, she had felt very stylish, and ready for a sophisticated day out.

Her confidence had fallen when Namjoon came to collect her. The alpha was in shorts, a t-shirt, and a beanie, casual and comfortable. She was obviously overdressed. Her eyes had dropped to the floor and she heard a surprised noise. "You look nice today." There was a pause as she fidgeted with the scarf on her purse, unable to look up at his expression. "Should I go change...?"

"No, of course not. The car should already be waiting." So they hurried down to the parking garage, took their places in the back seat, and eventually ended up in the midst of an awkward conversation. Hana was glad she had her new medication. It didn't stop the doubts or discomfort, but it did stop them from causing her skin to crawl. Despite her insecurity, she could breathe, especially once the car began to move again.

She jumped when she felt a soft touch on her fingertips. It was Namjoon, of course, and he seemed hesitant after startling her. Hana pushed her hand back towards him and he quickly twined their fingers together. His touch grounded her a little further. "You look nice today," he repeated, perhaps afraid she had not heard him earlier. "I should have asked what you were wearing. I look like I'm ready to shop lift, sloppy compared to you."

"You don't look like a shoplifter," she giggled. "I don't think shoplifters usually wear designer branded beanies, for one thing. You look like someone not worried about fitting in. Meanwhile I feel like I'm trying too hard. I aimed for what I thought a museum visitor should look like, and I missed."

Namjoon's fingers squeezed hers momentarily. "No you didn't. All kinds of people can go to museums, and do. And if there were other patrons there today, they would probably look more like you than me. I usually aim for comfort."

The reassurances did soothe her ruffled feathers a little. This transition from house omega to mate was more complicated than she thought it would be, with so much to learn about her pack's life outside of home. And at least her alpha had actually complimented her appearance, which was an upgrade from prior experiences. She twirled the end of the decorative scarf around her free hand, taking comfort in the soft texture as she recalled those. "I probably should have known to rein it in a little, anyway. I can't count the number of times I've over-dressed for first dates."

The alpha's eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh, shit, this is our first date." Hana couldn't help herself; she burst into laughter at his panicked expression. For the remainder of the ride she tried to comfort him as he stammered apologies for his appearance all over again.