Wingman

He Likes Her

Chapter Twenty-Four

[ unedited ]

"How'd it go?" you ask quietly, walking alongside Taehyung who holds a low smile.

A new school morning, you drank your coffee, Taehyung drank his hot coco. With treats tucked in your tummies, the two of you walked away from the café and out to the route taken to your class then. Taehyung's hair stooped low onto his eyes, length pocked from his Belco cap near the nape of his neck. His body hugged in a dark hoodie, dark sweats, and flip-flops attached to socks for footwear. You joked about it when you first saw him but seeing the pathetic smile he tried to give back, you stopped joking and drank coffee in peace.

"I'm sorry I left you," Taehyung now whispers, shoulders rubbing close to yours when walking slow. "I uh, I wasn't thinking about others."

You shake your head. "It's totally fine. I caught a ride with Jin," you start, hand on his hoodie's forearm hesitantly tugging away. "It's clear everyone was happy you left with Namjoon."

Taehyung nods.

You walk in silence. There's an itch at the back of your throat. You clear it, whispering, "When the two of you left..."

Taehyung glances over. "I asked him to take me home. I guess he took that as taking me to his place for the night. I didn't care though, I was just grateful we had some place quiet to talk alone."

"I'm glad you guys spent time together." You nod. From the ways Taehyung answers, he makes it clear he doesn't want to go in detail. Seeing it, you respect his space the best you can, dimming curiousity.

It's as if he reads your mind. Sighing, Taehyung stares to your shoulder, your hair, then the bright in your eyes. He smiles and says, "I'm sorry if I'm coming off distant...I just want the conversations we had to be between us brothers."

"That's completely understandable."

He shyly glances away. The redness that creeps on his face, you don't comprehend. Chuckling, you ask, "What?" He knows he's been caught when you do. Taehyung shakes his head. Your laughter grows, hands less hesitant to hold onto him. "What is it?"

"I'm grateful for you, that's all." Taehyung let's out his own laugh when speaking. There's a hint of nervousness attached when his hand sweeps away from your hold. He lets his fingers tap yours. "The fact that you're willing to give me my space says a lot. Thank you."

You move your fingers away from his. Awkwardness frames his face, but you can't let him do this. The itch is back, and you scratch it. "I wouldn't make a good friend if I was clingy in your space. What happens between you two brothers is none else's business. I understand that no matter how curious I am."

Taehyung swallows hard, "Friends, right." He thinks to the hood, your feelings, his feelings, and how he didn't get his dance with you yet. He wants to say what he can, wants to tell you what he feels, but he fails to. Instead, now he nods and smiles when you force one his way. Silence kills the mood and the boy lets it.

"I'm glad you're alright."

Taehyung nods. "I could've easily smoked, drank, or snorted, but I didn't do it. I talked to Namjoon while eating leftovers he had from the previous night." A chuckle relieves him. "The talk was terrible—hard and heavy—but it was needed. This whole year I went on avoiding him when all I needed to do was sit down, man-up, and talk to him."

"Are you two okay now?"

"No," Taehyung honestly whispers, "We're not magically alright now. I've heard his story, he's heard mine. We'll work from here."