Trusting (KTH)

Chapter 44

Everyone agreed that the concert went better than expected. Taehyung was relatively recovered from his night of excessive drinking and seemed renewed from just the small amount of time he spent with Clara. Across the board the energy was high and everything was going smoothly.

As soon as the concert was finished Taehyung was anxious to get back to the hotel. He knew he needed to be at his best for the conversation tomorrow morning and he really hadn't slept more than a few hours the night before. He was just exhausted.

Changing out of his stage outfit was just about all he could manage before he collapsed on the couch in their stadium reception room, waiting for the others to be ready to go. He'd take a quick shower back at the hotel and then enjoy a night deep in sleep. When everyone else was ready Jimin roused him for his sleep and helped steer him to a waiting car while Taehyung remained half asleep. As soon as he had his seatbelt buckled he closed his eyes and let rest overtake him for the ride back to the hotel.

Dragging himself off the elevator he knew it was too late to check in on the boys so he went directly to his room, sighing in relief as the door closed behind him.

It felt empty without Clara and the boys. He'd gotten used to being able to stand over their crib for a few minutes even when he got back late, assuring himself that the twins were comfortably snuggled next to each other. Recognizing it might be a long time before that happened again he let himself into his room, flicking on the lights to grab a few essentials before he hopped in the shower.

What he wasn't expecting was to find Clara sleeping in her normal spot in the bed. He quickly turned the lights off, but not until after he noticed a note left on his pillow. Quietly he grabbed it and made his way into the bathroom to find light to read the letter and get himself ready for bed.

He sat on the empty sink counter, carefully pulling out the handwritten note.

My dearest Taehyung,

I wanted to spend the night sleeping in the same bed before our conversation tomorrow. I hope you don't mind.

No matter what we decide, know that I love you today and forever.

Clara

Taehyung's mind was spinning. It was a good thing that Clara wanted to spend the night with him, right? But did this mean she was going to still leave? He had hoped today might have signaled a little bit of progress, maybe he was wrong?

He spent his entire shower considering every possibility and how he might respond. By the time he stepped out to dry himself off he'd all but given up on learning any deeper meaning. Instead he was going to focus on holding his wife in his arms and hoping she would remember how sweet it was to be close to each other.

Crawling under the covers he immediately slid closer to Clara. He didn't want to wake her, but he knew he needed her as close as possible. She was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt, a departure from their normal approach of sleeping free from clothing.

"Hey sweetheart, I'm back. I'm glad to see you here. I missed you."

"Mmm, welcome home. I missed you too." Clara mumbled in response.

Taehyung wrapped his arms around Clara and immediately noted that she felt very hot.

"Hey angel, you seem really warm, do you want me to help you take off some clothes?" Taehyung was pleading in his mind for her to say yes.

"I...I'd rather keep them on."

Taehyung sighed but wasn't surprised.

"How about you just take off the sweatshirt but leave the t-shirt on? And you can probably take your sweatpants off too since you'll be covered with the sheet and blankets. Does that seem ok?"