sweetheart margarita | DISCONTINUED

23

"You've got this, I'll only be next door. I'll be waiting okay" Jungkook held the elders cheeks and pressed multiple kisses along the elders forehead.
Jungkook took hold of the elders hands which where fiddling with the end of his hoodie and caressed them softly.
"Everything will be okay" Jungkook whispered bringing them into a loving kiss.

Taehyung slowly nodded and hugged Jungkook one last time before giving him a soft smile and walked into the room. Jungkook waited until the door was fully shut before walking into the cafe next door and did some paper work for Taehyung which he was behind on.

Taehyung however, walked in to the room, noticing how everyone was stood around chatting. There were all kind of ages there, but Taehyung definitely looked the youngest even if he was in his early 20's.

"Okay everyone take a seat" someone called, making everyone sit on one of the chairs which followed around in a circle.
"Come join us young man" Taehyung heard, he looked up nervously as saw everyone look at him.
He found it difficult to read what they were all thinking, because his mind was screaming at him to run. He hated being vulnerable, he had only just started getting used to it with Jungkook let alone a room full of strangers.

He took a seat in one of the few empty chairs and was sat next to a older man, who looked like he was in his 50's. He seemed gentle, which was why Taehyung chose to sit there.
"Okay everyone I'm glad to see you all back here this week, it's also nice to see that we have a newbie joining us. Could you introduce yourself and tell us why you are here" She asked gently gazing at Taehyung with soft eyes.

"Uhm my name is T-Taehyung, and I'm here because of my issue with a-alcohol"
"Hi Taehyung" they all said at once giving him accepting smiles.
"Now I'm not going to force you to talk, but could you tell us a bit of what's going on in your life. This is a safe environment, anything shared in the circle stays in the circle. This is a place for you to feel listened to, and get advice when you seek it. It's also a place to listen to others and see how you can reflect from their experiences"

Taehyung awkwardly shifted in his seat before clearing his throat.
"Uhm well ever since my family died, I had problems with sleeping, so I started leaning on alcohol, which I found was the only solution to help me get through the night without having a nightmare. I thought I could cope with the idea of drinking whenever I needed to, but that all changed when my boyfriend came into the picture"

Taehyung chuckled to himself not even believing the words coming out of his mouth. He looked around seeing how everyone seemed liked they wanted to listen rather than looking like they were being forced to listen.

"My boyfriend, he's great. So great, he's so understanding and is so patient with me. He was there when I was violently throwing up until I was unconscious. He accepts me, and I accept him. But it's scary, I haven't let anyone in my life till now, I don't know why it changed. But here I am wanting to be the best person I can and not throw my life away, which I really wanted to do about a week ago"

"How does your boyfriend make you feel? It doesn't matter how long you've been going out, I think it depends more on the connection you have with each other?" the leader of the grouped asked.
"I've never felt such a thing with someone before. The warmth he gives, I haven't smiled this much since my sister was around. The butterflies he gives me, the way his hugs just brings such comfort to me, I'm not sure how to explain it"
"He's your home" someone spoke up.

He looked to see who it was, and it seemed she was in around her 60's. She seemed scary to the naked eye, but what came out of her mouth sparked something in Tae's heart.

"Y-yeah, he is, he is my home. We've only just started dating recently, but I've been working with him for a few months, and he's just perfect in every way. I just hate how much baggage I carry and now he's got to deal with it too"

"What you have isn't baggage, view it more like a backpack full of rocks, which are weighing you down. You need to find a relief, a way of making your backpack lighter, this can be by trying to take the rocks out or become stronger so you can carry them without a struggle. Your boyfriend, is both a relief and a form of making you stronger. Just remember he has rocks on his back too, which I'd imagine he comes to you about"

"Yes yes definitely. I love when he relies on me, I feel happy knowing he can lean on me and trusts me"
"Now why do you think it's any different for him? He wants to support you, he'll feel the same sense of pride and happiness being there for you"

Taehyung sat there and nodded as he took in the feedback.
"I'm sorry for rambling, I never usually do it" Taehyung moved in his chair uncomfortably.
"Never apologise, we all are hear to listen and to understand, whenever you want to share something don't be afraid"
"Thank you" Taehyung slumped in his chair which he then received a shoulder pat from the man next to him.

"Okay everyone it's been a week since I saw the rest of you, how is everything going?"
"I've been sober for 6 months today" someone spoke having a huge smile over her face.
Everyone smiled at her back congratulating her, it was a huge milestone.
"That's amazing news, do you want to share to the rest of the group how you've gotten this far?"

"Honestly it really wasn't easy, but relying on those around me helped me open up. Not only that rehab, it helped me so much and although I hated it at the start, I found things which made me happy and made loads of friends. It was great"

Taehyung looked at how genuinely happy she was. He felt happy for her. He can't remember the last time he had been sober for over 2 days. He just hated the pains he got and couldn't deal with it.

"I relapsed the other day after 4 months... I had another nightmare when my partner who got shot next to me in war, and I couldn't think of anything other him. I miss him so much, and the bottle of vodka was just sitting there. I feel even more shit knowing that I relapsed, but this was the month he died. It's so pathetic of me and I feel so weak"

"You shouldn't feel weak or pathetic. It's amazing you we're able to stay sober for so long. It'll only make you stronger" Taehyung jumped in straight away, he felt like he understood and decided to share.
"Exactly what Taehyung said, it'll only make you stronger. Just keep doing what you're doing, if you want to talk after I'm here. Just don't let it consume you, it used to be your best friend and you've done so well to get this far and next time will be even better"

Time passed and the session came to an end. Everyone had spoken and shared their thoughts and experiences. Taehyung felt a sense of belonging. He felt understood. As much as he feels accepted by Jungkook, it was a different level in this support group. They were all going through something similar, so he didn't have to worry about the feeling of judgement.

"Taehyung I just wanted to tell you how amazing you were today, and it seemed you picked up the environment really well. I hope you'll come back next week"
"Thank you, hopefully you'll see me next week" Taehyung said goodbye and left the room.

He walked into the cafe and saw Jungkook working hard in the background. Taehyung smiled and made his presence aware to the younger.
"Tae, how was it?" Jungkook quickly pulled the elder to sit down in front of him so he could talk.
"Good..like really good. It was nice, hopefully I can go back next week"
"Tae that's amazing, I'm so proud of you" Jungkook beamed, gushing over the boy who was sat opposite him. He was genuinely happy for him, which almost made Taehyung tear up.