Coward | kth

4

4 | 50 questions

Everything around us slowly becomes blurry and the noise, coming from the kitchen and the other guests chatting, fades into the distance.

For a moment, Taehyung and I just stare at each other.

It is only him and I. And I can't put into words how much this togetherness frightens me.

I can feel the sweat drench my skin, the throbbing of my own eyes and the thumping of my heart against my chest. My fingers are curled into a fist, nails digging into my palm. I can't hear my rapid breathing, but I can feel the oxygen flooding in and out of my lungs.

Like a great rush of water, memories flood back to me. The way Taehyung's skin feels against mine, how he smells, I can feel it all right now. Those imagines are putting me together, only to rip me into shreds a few seconds later when I see him looking at Mina as if she was the universe. After all, I had tried to forget our past for a reason.

Everything I have tried so hard to repress crushes into me now. I feel pain and shame but most of all, I just feel sad.

I feel sad because I want to tell him so much. But even if I could speak in every language on this planet, there is no possible combination of words which would capture even a sliver of what I am feeling right now.

As he manages to change his stunned expression into a bland one, Taehyung is the first one to get his act together.

Between the two of us, he was always the one who had his emotion under control and knew how to figure things out. I smile. At least that hasn't changed.

"She is the girl from the night two days ago!", Mina turns herself towards Taehyung. „You know? The crazy drunk one."

Taehyung nods, but his gaze is still on me.

You could take any random guest of this event and make them watch our interaction. In the end, everyone would have figured out that the vibe between Taehyung and me didn't feel quite right. Anyone, except Mina.

I turn my head to Mina, eyeing her friendly. "Yeah. Sorry for that, though", I grimace when I recall the memory. "That wasn't my best night. I am Sohee, the bride's sister, by the way."

I stretch out my hand and Mina shakes it slowly, when realization hits her. "Ahh! So you two know each other!", her eyes jump around between Taehyung and me.

I open my mouth to refuse kindly but Mina preempts me fastly. "Why didn't you mention anything? If I had known that you're an acquaintance of Tae, I would have invited you inside! How mannerless of me", Mina sighs loudly and shakes her head, thinking embarrassedly about the way she acted.

Acquaintance. Honestly, I am not sure if that word is the right expression to describe our relationship.

When he notices Mina scolding herself, Taehyung finally meets eyes with her and puts his big hand on her smooth-looking cheek, "Babe, it's okay, you didn't know. Besides, we are not even that close."

Ouch.

When Mina looks at me again, I smile and nod sadly. "It's true", I breathe.

Is this how it is going to be now? Taehyung and I are both going to live in denial about our past? What if I am not ready to forget completely?

The moment my weak knees are about to give in, I pull myself together one last time and run my palms over my dress. "If you two would excuse me, I was heading to the restroom to refresh myself."

I give them a polite nod and then push the door open.

Inside, I put my hand on the golden sink and stare at my tired reflection in the mirror.