In the dark

27

Taehyung guided Peri to his apartment and opened the key-locked door. The jingle of metal sound was coming from down the hall. A small black and tan fluff ball paddled to the door with his little feet.

"TANNIE!" exclaimed Taehyung as he reached down and scooped the little Pomeranian into his arms. The little dog seemed just as happy to see his friend and peppered him with kisses. "Tannie, this is our friend Peri. Peri, this is my dog Yeontan or tannie for short. After dinner, he can show you all the tricks he can do. You love to show everyone all the cool things you can do, don't you, tannie!" Taehyung's barton voice cooed to his dog. 

Peri wanted to swoon over the tiny pup but kept herself focused on the task. 'Eat and then get out,' she told herself. She shook her head no and politely declined. Taehyung placed the dog back down and walked through the house. He showed her the hallways to his bedroom, guest rooms, and bathrooms. He moved into the living room and talked about how he picked out the widest, comfiest couch so that everyone could sit comfortably. 

"My squad and BTS have all fallen asleep on this couch. Even I have on occasion. You should try it out, too," he told her. She could see right through Taehyung. He was stretching this out, but all Peri could think about was 'food. Food! FOOD!' Taehyung moved to the dining room and talked about his friend and family dinner and the room being used to play his instruments.

Taehyung could see the impatience on her face. "If looks could kill. You would have eaten me by now," he told her. Taehyung began to laugh at her glare. He put his hands in the air for surrender. "Ok! Ok! I have held you off long enough. Let's go to the kitchen and find something to eat.

Peri raised her head to the ceiling and internally thanked the food gods for finally answering her prayers. She followed Taehyung into the kitchen and slid into a chair at the bartop counter.

"Now, I am not a great cook like Jin-Hyung and Yoongi-Hyung, as you probably know. But I can make a mean bowl of instant ramen!" Taehyung said with his rectangular smile. 

"I'm not picky," Peri said.

"Really? Well, I am a little. I don't like spicy foods. What about you?" he asked.

"I thought we weren't going to talk? Just eat."

"Ok. No talking. The ramen won't take long, so why don't you go and wash up? It should be done when you are. Do you remember where the bathroom is?" Peri nodded her head. "Good. Take your time." he finished. 

Peri got up from the chair and headed for the bathroom. When Taehyung saw that we were alone, he whipped out his phone. Before he sent the text out, he weighed his options on who to text. Peri was in a fragile state, and if he contacted Jin, Yoongi, or Namjoon, they would bolt over here and cause her to go into deep dive. Hoseok would likely be more scared of her. Jungkook could help, but Taehyung wasn't sure if he could connect to her on an emotional level as he needed. He thought of the perfect person who could keep calm, not be afraid, and connect with her.

[Contact: Jimin-ssi]

Come over to my place alone. Now. Don't tell anyone!

Jimin-ssi: OTW. See you in 10

Taehyung closed his phone and put it back into his pocket. He looked around to see Peri was still in the bathroom. He could hear the faucet running water as she cleaned up. He went back to the kitchen and started making the ramen.

When he finished the first one, he saw Peri sitting at the bar top. He grabbed some chopsticks and slid the bowl over to her. He turned back around and started making the second package of ramen for himself. 

The second bowl was finished, and Taehyung turned back around. He was ready to sit down and have his dinner with Peri. Peri, though, had already finished her bowl. "You finished that whole bowl in three minutes? Wow! You must have been hungry." Taehyung told her. Peri ducked her head down. She was feeling a little bashful that she had eaten so fast. Taehyung handed her his bowl and turned around to make a third one.