KINNPORSCHE: TimeTayTem Story

Chapter 6: The Wound That Heals Itself

Summary:
He smiled and arched his perfectly cut left eyebrow at me. He ran his hand through his hair while his eyes flashed with a certain fire. “Nine months and you’re still thinking of me.”

“Not like that.”

“Like what?” he whispered.

“Time…”

He moved closer and stopped just inches away. “Tae…”

TAE POV

I had missed home but coming back felt as if I had been submerged in the ocean with bricks tied to my feet. I felt like a runaway, always looking over my shoulder waiting for Time to come out of the shadows. I wasn’t naïve to think he was not aware of everything I had been up to since I left. It was not in his nature. As the days went by, not hearing a word from him, I felt tenser than ever. As if I played the highest stakes of hide and seek.

Three days ago, I found myself standing in Time’s office. Somehow, I convinced myself that I was getting ahead of things. It was only a matter of time before he came looking for me, but it was better if I beat him to it. Deep down, I knew I had wanted to see him and a part of me would have used any excuse to do so.

Time’s head lifted from the stack of papers on his desk.

“Tae? What are you doing here?”

I took in a shaken breath. He stopped what he was doing and studied me narrowly. There was so much wicked vitality in his eyes.

“What game are you playing?” I accused.

“Game?”

“Time…”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t explain how my paranoia mixed with this gnawing desire to see him again had brought me to his office. I felt angry and embarrassed.

As if he could read my mind, he was on his feet and beside me in no second. There was something unusually grim in his dark eyes as they flickered over me. He moved closer and reached for my elbow. A hundred butterflies took up residence in my stomach at his touch. The vivid memory of our past flocked into my brain.  Surprise was my downfall. It rooted me to the spot, opened my mouth even, and he took advantage of it all to sweep me into his arms and bend his head to kiss me. He held me by the small of my back and urged me to kiss him back with his tongue. It was a hard, merciless kiss but, to my surprise, I fought hard to get out of his grip.

Eventually, he let me go and stepped back.

I wanted to see him, but this was not what I had in mind.

“Are you serious right now? I haven't seen you in nine months and you act like you still own me?”

"No baby, you own me."

"Stop. I'm not yours and neither are you mine. I came here today because I am on pins and needles waiting for you to pop out of the shadows like I'm in a horror movie, and I couldn’t take it. I want to make it clear that I did not come back for you.”

He smiled and arched his perfectly cut left eyebrow at me. He ran his hand through his hair while his eyes flashed with a certain fire. “Nine months and you’re still thinking of me.”