In the dark

17

Peri walked through the door and shook off the last remnants of the rain from her body. She started with her head and then wiggled her shoulders, hips, then legs. She sent little water droplets flying off her body to land who knows where. She slipped off her shoes and placed them next to the door, then shrugged off the sweatshirt and hung it to dry.

The sound of a small bark caught her attention, and she looked down. A small, light brown, curly-furred dog was near Peri's feet. "Aren't you the cutest ball of fluff I have seen today!" Peri cooed.

Off in the distance, Peri could hear a voice call out to her. "Peri meet Holly. Holly, meet Peri."

"Hello, Holly," Peri said, and she smiled at the dog and gave it a little wave. She continued to enter the apartment to find the face of the voice she had heard. Although she had recognized the voice and knew who it was, she still wanted to see his face. 

Holly was still beside Peri's feet when she got to the kitchen to see Yoongi putting away groceries. "Can Holly see you?" he asked while watching the two interact with one another. Peri would look down at Holly and smile and wave her hands. She'd whisper words of affection to the dog while making adorable little faces at Holly. Holly was circling Peri's feet, not enough to be underfoot and cause Peri to trip and crash on the floor. Peri had Holly's full and undivided attention. 

"I don't know. It's not like they can answer me if I ask, but I think they might have a sense." Peri told Yoongi with uncertainty. "So what do I owe the honor of this visit today?"

"I am stocking you up on fresh foods for the next couple of days, and I thought maybe..." Yoongi looked over at Peri and saw her attention back to Holly. "Who's the invisible one, now?"

Peri gave Holly a grimacing look before looking back up at Yoongi. "Sorry. Proceed."

"I thought maybe we could hang out for a little bit, tell me what you did today before I drop Holly back off."

"Did you hang out with Holly all morning? Did you listen to me and actually took some time to relax?!" Peri said with a big gasp.

"Are we done with the melodramatics?"

Peri's bright smile was fully displayed when she gave Yoongi a little laugh. She tilted her head to the sky and thought for a moment. When she did, her thoughts circled back to earlier that morning. Her head played back the memories in her mind like a movie. She could see it all playing out in her head.

Peri and Namjoon burst through the coffee shop doors and quickly shut them to close out the oncoming rain storm that was quickly approaching. Peri shook her head hard to let the water be thrown from her. Her head movements sent the rest of her body into a ripple effect, and water flew from her wet clothes. Namjoon chuckled a little watching her move.

They both turned and faced the counter. It wasn't until now that Peri had realized her predicament. They were alone in the museum. They could openly talk to one another without making it appear like he was talking to himself, even though, in reality, he was. The coffee shop was empty. It was still early enough that the morning rush hadn't appeared yet. However, the employees bustling around the shop were fully aware of who was and wasn't there.

"My treat," he whispered to her. Namjoon took a giant step toward the counter, but Peri didn't follow. "Can I have a hand-drip coffee with a splash of vanilla, please?" The server nodded and began punching in the order. 

Namjoon turned to Peri to look for her order. "Same," she told him. He looked back at the server and asked for two. They nodded again and punched in another one. Peri walked to a table and took a seat facing the door. If she sat there, then Namjoon would face the other direction with his back turned. No one could look over and see him talking to himself. It was a start.