FOREVER LIES

Part 12

Lisa

Taehyung texted that evening, telling me he would pick me up at three the next afternoon. He also instructed me to dress casually and bring a sweater but refused to tell me where we were going. I laid awake that night for ages, wondering where we would go, and what Taehyung would look like in casual clothes. I hadn’t seen what was under the suit, but his sculpted physique suggested he would look mouthwatering in anything he wore.

Despite a short night of sleep, I woke easily, excitement thrumming in my veins the moment my eyes opened. Wanting to release some of that pent-up energy, I went to the gym inside my apartment building and ran until my muscles were thoroughly fatigued. I tried to keep a regular exercise regimen, but lately, I’d been too busy to do anything more than get a run in whenever the chance presented itself.

After the run, I wobbled down the block in my sweat-soaked gear to the corner coffee shop and loaded up on caffeine. No, it didn’t make sense to wear myself out just to stock up on caffeine, but we can’t all make sense all the time. Sometimes, we just have to do what feels right, and that first sip of creamer-rich coffee tasted all kinds of right.

On my way back to my building. The sensation of being watched crept into my awareness just as it had a few days earlier. Rather than trying to be discrete, I stopped mid-step and spun around, searching the street behind me. It was early on a Saturday morning, and while the area far from empty, it was less crowded than it would be later that day. Not a single person looked suspicious or out of place. No one startled at my abrupt about-face or even noticed me, for that matter. I decided to march my crazy ass back home and attempt to chase away my newfound case of paranoia with a shower and some breakfast. The coffee might not help matters, but there was no way I was giving that up.

It was just after ten in the morning when I arrived back home, still hours and hours away from my date, with nothing to do but get myself ready. I jumped in the shower, ridding my body of all unnecessary hair, scrubbing myself within an inch of my life. Once I was fully buffed, shaved, shampooed, and conditioned, I started the chore of deciding what to wear.

Dress casually.

Any woman would know that was a joke – there were infinite degrees of casual in a woman’s wardrobe. A slight heel on a sandal or the thickness of the straps of a blouse could drastically affect the feel of an outfit. Casual dress to ride the Han River cruise would be far different than the casual dress for a Broadway show.

I tried on dozens of outfits before deciding on mint skinny jeans with a sleeveless floral to and ivory cardigan. Using the curling wand, I have my long hair gentle waves, then applied a full face of barely-there makeup. To my utter dismay, it was only one o’clock when I applied the last strokes of mascara. I had drawn out my routine as long as humanly possible and still had two hours until Taehyung would arrive.

The clock ticked by agonizingly slowly. By the time two forty-five rolled around, I had watched an hour of Naked and Afraid, organized my kitchen junk drawer, and cleaned the lint out of my dryer. When the text came through from Taehyung saying he was waiting downstairs, relief that the wait was over helped balance out my nerves – until I walked outside and saw Taehyung leaning against the sleek lines of his black Audi R8.

I’d been right. Taehyung in a suit was a sight to behold, but Taehyung in jeans blew a circuit in my brain. My thought dissipated in a puff of smoke before a surge of nerves threatened to overwhelm me. Taehyung, on the other hand, was unruffled as always in a casual button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows, his jean-clad legs crossed at the ankles. He was every girl’s spank-bank goldmine. Images of him standing there like a ruthless god could get me through a year-long dry spell.