Ambivalent

12

Taehyung's POV

Time seemed to be passing by quickly. A week working turned into month and then into three months. It went from catching up with Jimin, to him going back to being a regular part of my life. Dinner with everyone on the days I picked up Jihoon was normal now. The only thing that changed was that now Jimin was a part of it too.

Talking with Byulyi in the mornings and in between classes was now expected of me. It felt wrong when we didn't. Hyuna and I had lunch together all the time, telling stories about our pasts. We weren't just friendly, but full on besties.

I had already gotten used to Sehun and his friends being little jerks whenever they could. Thankfully Dahyun always stood up for me.

Her being the first student I saw each school day was the usual routine. She would always walk in with a smile and a greeting that cheered me up.

Foundation became something I regularly applied now, courtesy of Hyuna who taught me how to cover up my hickeys that Jungkook loved leaving on me.

Jinyoung and Hwasa didn't bother me as much anymore. Probably because I hardly paid any attention to them. They just weren't even important enough to dwell on.

Jungkook sometimes joined Hyuna and I for lunch. It was nice to have my boyfriend and my new friend hanging out together. They got along well.

Hyuna also met Jimin. The two were instant friends. I think they got along better than they did with me, but it didn't bother me. I was just glad to have someone else that I could count on and hang out with. Even happier that she got along with my own friends.

She was yet to meet Jihoon like she wanted to though. I was sure that he would love her too.

Yugyeom and Youngjae also liked to tag along with Hyuna and I every now and then. I didn't get to hang out with them much, but when we did it was always really nice.

Work overall was much better as time went by. I was almost halfway done with the school year and it seemed to have gone by in the blink of an eye.

I realized that I really liked being a teacher. I liked explaining things and being asked questions and seeing my students understanding things. I even liked grading things. There was something so relaxing about it. It also felt insightful when I read their essays and saw if they were really getting things.

It was almost December and I wanted to decorate my classroom, so I was at the store picking out a small tree and little ornaments and other decorations.

Jungkook hadn't gone with me because he was out with some friends from work. Jimin couldn't either since he was hanging out with Jin.

I was kind of glad to be able to go alone. I wanted to just go and take my time without talking to anyone. It was relaxing to just walk around the aisles and stare at ornaments, taking forever to just pick one.

Certain ornaments reminded me of my students, so I picked them out for them. I wanted them to look at the tree and feel like it was theirs too in a way.

It was kinda dumb and I wasn't going to tell them, but I liked choosing them either way. I picked out a little angel thinking of Dahyun since she always saved me.

After finally finishing up, I paid for my things and then drove over to the grocery store. We were running low on things, so I decided to go since I was already out.

I was in the ice cream aisle when it happened.

I was deciding whether to get mint chocolate chip or strawberry ice cream. Just staring at them and ignoring how my hand was getting cold. Eventually I just put both of them in my cart.

I looked up, about to drive my cart when everything stopped. Nothing else mattered now as I looked up at him.

Time had been moving too fast for me. Time seemed to just go without a care and the days passed by like nothing. Everything was fast paced.

Until then.

Suddenly everything slowed down. Time seemed to be nonexistent.

Suddenly it didn't matter how many years it had been or the things that had happened. The things that he'd said. The tears that I had cried. The anguish and the sorrow and the pain and all of the bad things that I'd gone through because of him. It suddenly didn't matter at all.

All that existed was me and him in that ice cream aisle, staring at each other. Both of us afraid to make a move.

Taking each other in. Looking at the changes that the years had brought to us.

My breathing had stopped too. I just looked at him with widened eyes and felt a dam that I didn't even know I had built in my brain break down, and I was hit with the full force of emotions that I had been trying to hold back.

He looked as beautiful and perfect as always. He was angelic. Unearthly. Ethereal. It almost made me want to cry.

I gripped onto my cart and felt myself let out a shaky breath. Felt so nervous. Didn't know what to do. I couldn't pretend like we didn't see each other. Not when we'd been staring at each other for so long.

I just stayed still and watched him approach me.

My brain screamed at him to stop. I wasn't ready to talk to him. It had been so long. So much had happened.

Still, another part of me took over and ignored the part that was afraid to talk to him. The part of me that longed for him and that had been missing him even when it wasn't supposed to.

I walked forward too and met him halfway.

Walked close enough to be able to reach out and touch him if I wanted to. Which I really, really did want to.

A part of me must have known that I shouldn't. That I should turn around and leave.

It was such a small part though. So insignificant. It was too weak to be able to beat the part of me that was already moving my mouth to speak.

"Hello Hoseok."