Just One Heartbeat

Chapter 7 ~ meet again

Taehyng rushed out of work that evening. Keeping as silent as possible and avoiding eye contact with the other workers. He knew they knew. He knew damn well they saw what happened with that other man but they did nothing. Taehyung felt helpless, he couldn't quit his job otherwise he wouldn't be able to help his dad to pay the rent and he would feel like a burden if only his dad payed for both of them. He'd have to look for a new job if it happened again, he knew that but it simply wasn't an option in his mind.

Leaves crunched under his feet as he trudged his way down the street. It was almost September but it had already started to become cold and so taehyung wished he'd dressed a little warmer for the trip home. With his shoulders hunched and hands hidden well within his pockets from the cold he made his way home with countless thoughts running through his head. Each thought he had would only turn back in some way to be of the man from the shop. Who was he?. Taehyung couldn't understand why he was so bothered about knowing more but he couldn't help his curious thoughts. Was he a hidden murderer ? Maybe a drug dealer? Perhaps he was involved with the biggest criminals of this day! The possibility's were limitless. The man was definitely young, around his age. Taehyung could easily tell that due to his facial features. Clean baby faced and not a wrinkle in sight. Despite the sinister look of the man his eyes had something beautiful about them. They turned into crescent moons when he smiled, even though it wasn't a genuine smile.

Taehyng shook the thoughts out of his head as he arrived at his familiar front door. He didn't even bother turning on the lights after entering, he only walked straight to his money box from the bookcase and retrieved enough money for a taxi. A taxi to the hospital.

Jungkook had been sat bored out of his mind since Taehyung had stopped texting him at the most random time but he knew the older boy was busy in work so he couldn't really complain. He didn't know why but he felt uneasy at the disappearance of his new friend. Maybe it was just his loneliness that made his longing for just one more text stronger or maybe it's because time seemed to laze about when Taehyung wasn't around. It felt like an entire week had passed to jungkook but the reality was that it had only been a night and a few hours since their first encounter.

Jungkook had hardly anything to do in the hospital and he didn't know anyone nearby to call over. His only friend was Taehyung and he blamed that on his need to be homeschooled. His only chance to make friends was online through his wonderful world of gaming, but even then his shy personality would take over his body. Even at the thought of joining a chat and allowing others to hear his voice made his throat run dry as his body would quiver with nerves. He would get tongue tied at all the wrong moments and that then causing his voice to crack from embarrassment. It wasn't worth it. He stuck to messages but would often leave people on read, unsure of how to hold a conversation, participating in only small talk within any group chats he was dragged into unwillingly. It's not that he didn't like the people or conversations, they were all teens discussing games and strategy's, something Jungkook loved but he just couldn't socialise no matter how hard he wanted to. So why was Taehyung different?

Yet again for the hundredth time dreamy thoughts of a simple and calming friendship with Taehyung floated into his mind. Simple fantasies such as gaming nights and sleepovers danced around his mind with endless happiness. He just wanted to have a normal life with a normal friendship, with Taehyung. Jungkook envied others his age who had the freedom to party, have fun, go out, do what they wanted and to put it simply. Live life. He too had the freedom to game but not in the same way as others, he couldn't go to a friends house and have a 'gaming sesh' with the 'squad' he couldn't host or join parties, heck he'd be lucky to even step outside of his dull hospital room anymore.

It hurt. His chest tightened. His lungs heaved. Taking big puffs of air his eyes stung before filling with water, that then turned to tears that he unwillingly allowed to flow down his soft cheeks and drop into his lap. He bowed his head in shame, gritting his teeth. Even as his shoulders began to shake he made no noise. The only sound were his ragged breaths that he could not control even through the barricade of gritted teeth. He could do nothing but sit there and cry silently. Feeling shame over his weaker side being exposed to his own self. He wasn't weak he was just hurting. this pain was not something easily seen like a scar similar to the one on his cheek. This pain was inside and he had the choice of showing or hiding it but to hide it from himself was not his choice to make. Frequently all his emotions would come bubbling out of him at an unstoppable pace that led him to feel tired and weak afterwards.