Taste | Changbin

Chapter Fifty-Eight

The soft rumble of the bus beneath the band was comforting. Seungmin and Felix were playing with Nintendo Switches on the floor. I.N and Lee Know were wrapped up in their own quiet conversation. Hyunjin was sketching something in a sketchbook and Chan was standing over the stove making everyone lunch. 

Lennon was unaware that Changbin was watching her every move. They were driving through some random town in the middle of an unknown state. The sun was still shining. She was soaking in all the businesses. A mass majority of them, she'd never see them again. They were small blimps on her radar. Within a few days, she'd forget about them and continue on with her life. 

Obsessed was an understatement for Changbin. He wanted to reach out and touch her. Brush the fallen eyelash out from beneath her eye. He wanted to feel her skin beneath his and remind himself that this wasn't a dream. This was real life and he had somehow managed to nearly capture the girl of his dreams. 

All he had to do was figure out a way to make it a reality. She deserved the best, so he didn't want to rush anything. Plus, he knew she was still afraid that JYP would fire her. He had to find a way to make everything work without his company finding out. 

"Oh my god!" Han's voice came out. He slapped a hand over his o-shaped mouth. His brown eyes nearly bugged out of his head. The younger member had been sitting a few feet away from Lennon and Changbin. He had been trying to figure out what happened between the two of them that had made them so close to each other. 

Changbin glanced over and raised an eyebrow at him. 

Without meaning to, Han's voice grew louder. "You two fucked, didn't you?" 

Time seemed to freeze. Seungmin and Felix looked up from their games. Hyunjin's pencil slid out of his hand and rolled across the floor. I.N and Lee Know instantly turned their attention to Lennon and Changbin. Chan glanced up from the stove. 

Feeling caught, Lennon slowly sunk down in her seat. Without meaning to, her body language gave it away. Her cheeks were stained bright red. She glanced at Changbin for help, but he was just as shocked as she was. 

"Hyung, is it true?" I.N asked. 

"No!" Changbin finally found his voice. "Of course, it's not true! JYP would kill us. Even if we did, it's none of your business!" 

"They totally did," Hyunjin spoke up. "That explains why Changbin has been so much happier lately." 

"Shut up!" 

"Wait!" A grin lit up Seungmin's face, "it was in her hotel room, wasn't it? The night that we were hit by the hurricane there were moans coming from her room. I know because I.N and I were right beside it. I.N was sleeping while it was happening. I thought she was just watching porn super loud or something." 

Lennon shoved her face into her hands. "Can we please stop talking about this? This is so humiliating!" 

"It's okay, Changbin is very attractive," Felix commented. "You don't have to feel bad about it. It's a normal thing that humans do sometimes. We're not mad about it, in fact, we're all thrilled. It's about time Changbin asked you to be his girlfriend." 

"Stop!" Changbin groaned. "I haven't asked her yet, you know how JYP is with us dating people!"

"And when has that ever stopped you before?" Lee Know cut in. 

Changbin shot him a glare over his shoulder. 

Lee Know innocently raised his hands. "I'm just saying, he's never stopped you before. What difference does it make?" 

"The difference is that it's me," Lennon finally raised her head. "I'm your makeup artist, I'm not supposed to be anything more than that. He might not be able to fire Changbin, but he can fire me." 

"Screw him! Lennon, we love you and that's never going to change. If you guys truly like each other, you should be together. JYP doesn't have to know. If you can hide it from the fans, you can easily hide it from him. So be together, do your thing. You can be lovey dovey around each other, we don't care." Seungmin crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Please don't take it too far. If I hear the two of you getting freaky on this bus, I'll jump out of it," Lee Know threatened. "I don't give a shit if it kills me, I don't want to hear that." 

"I second that!" Hyunjin added. 

"Leave them alone," Chan went back to cooking. "We've clearly embarrassed them. They can do whatever they want to do. However, Changbin, if you hurt Lennon, we're going to have issues." 

"You're supposed to be on my side!" 

"No, I'm on team Lennon."

"Me too!" Han added. "She's my best friend and if you hurt her, I'll hurt you."

"What the hell guys? What happened to being a team? We literally make up 3racha!" 

"Not if you hurt Lennon!" 

"I'm not gonna hurt her!" 

"That's why the two of you couldn't get along for weeks." 

"I'm a changed man!" 

"Alright, that's enough you two. I don't see anything wrong with it. As long as you're keeping it away from the fans and JYP, you should be fine." 

"And use protection!" Seungmin continued. "We can't afford to have any babies with our schedules. No matter what happens, wrap it before you tap it!" 

Changbin rolled his eyes. For whatever reason, this was Lennon's final straw. Maybe it was because she was embarrassed or maybe it was because the whole thing seemed so surreal. Laughter bubbled up inside her chest and there was no stopping it. 

"I'm serious! Besides, Changbin is scary when he's angry. Do you seriously think that he'd be able to handle a newborn that shits its pants all the time? It'd be a terrible idea. Imagine how angry he'd be if he was changing their diaper and they pissed on him." 

This only caused Lennon to laugh louder. It didn't take long before others joined in. Chan shook his head, placed the spatula beneath the grilled cheese he was making, and flipped it to reveal a golden brown color. The smell of toasted bread was starting to fill the air. 

Lennon placed her forehead onto the table in front of her. Her body shook with laughter, but no sound would come out. She slammed her fist into the table trying to knock Changbin's unamused face out of her head. The annoyed look that quickly followed had been the cherry on top of the conversation. 

"Way to go Seungmin," Changbin crossed his arms over her chest, "you broke my girlfriend."