1945; Love during War

Chapter 5: The Commander

Taehyung woke up to the sound of birds chirping. He found himself in a stiff position sleeping on the chair outside in the balcony. As he was about to stand up, he felt a heavy weight on his chest, only to find the book he had finished reading throughout the entire night. A smile formed on his lips as he recalled the book and how the words echoed in his mind. Though he had only two hours of sleep, his body and mind felt at ease, unlike earlier days. Then, he moved to the bathroom with his robe in his hand. As he was lost in the water dripping down his body under the shower, he remembered each and every chapter of the book from his mysterious author.

As he walked downstairs, he saw the table was beautifully set with breakfast, filled with an delicious aroma. Namjoon was reading a paper, sipping on his coffee and Jin was setting up the table. "Good morning" Taehyung said with a bright smile. The couple was surprised to see Taehyung in such a good mood. Generally, when he had such conversations with the couple, he would sulk down for a day or two. But today it seemed different.

"You look very fresh Tae. It seems you slept well" Jin said, with a sweet smile. "Actually, I only slept for two hours. I had some reading to do"Taehyung replied, the smile and happiness evident on his face. "Looks like it was quite the book, for you to be so jolly despite such limited hours of sleep Tae" Namjoon added putting his paper down.  " Well, it was one in a kind" Taehyung said while sipping his morning tea.

Breakfast went smoothly and Tae was helping Jin clean up the table. As they were washing the dishes, Taehyung brought out the topic Jin least expected him to. "Jin Hyung, at what time is that commander friend of yours coming tonight?" Jin stiffed for a while and very hesitantly he replied, " He was suppose to come at around 7 in the evening but Namjoon and I think we should dine outside you know. Since, he's new in town, he could use it as an opportunity for sightseeing too."

Taehyung knew the couple was being considerate towards his emotions and that's why they had the sudden change of plans. He didn't want to burden them more so he replied, "Hyung, I think he should dine with us, in the house. He is about to stay here for quite some time, he can sightsee during the day too. Plus, its quite rude not to invite him in the house during his first visit, don't you think?"

Jin was taken aback from such a response from Taehyung. "You sure Tae, I mean if you are not comfortable, we wouldn't want to push you." Taehyung finished wiping the water from the washed plates and as he was putting them into the cupboard, he said, "I insist hyung. Even, I could use the change. Its been quite sometime that I haven't met new people". 

Jin couldn't have been more happier. He hugged Taehyung tighlty and said, "Thank you so much dear. I promise you will not regret this." Taehyung looked at his excited hyung with a smile. He recalled a chapter from the book,

 Forget and Forgive

Life is not always fair. Sometimes, it takes more from us, more than what we owe. Our loved ones, our precious memories and our desires to live, but that is not the end of life. These moments are what makes us realize the importance of what we have and how we should treasure them more. If we hold onto grudges, we leave no space for new people, new memories and more importantly, more happiness. Being able to forgive and forget is how we can stay happy.

Taehyung opened the gallery and as usual, there were quite a few visitors. He was even able to sell a few paintings throughout the day. As he was arranging the counter, he heard the door open. "The gallery is closed for today" Taehyung said, while counting the money. Despite that, he heard footsteps coming in. A little annoyed he looked up to see a fair man, in his late 20s dressed in a commander suit.  Any other day, Taehyung would have politely requested any soldier to leave without even listening to them, but today, something in his heart reminded him not to.

"I am sorry for barging in like this but it seems that I am quite lost here. All the roads seem very similar and I am unable to track the house I am suppose to go to." When the commander saw Taehyung was looking at him with confused eyes and how he had been going on without a pause, he stopped and said, "My apologies for ranting on and on. You see I am in new in town. I am not quite familiar with the place. Could you kindly help me with the directions, please?" 

There was no doubt Taehyung was a kind soul and this wasn't the first time a passerby was asking him for directions. His neighborhood in La Rochelle had similar housings so people were likely to get lost. "No, worries. I am happy to help" Taehyung said with his sweet boxy smile.  The commander had to admit the man in front of him was phenomenally beautiful. In fact, he was afraid that he might get too captivated by his beauty that he wouldn't be able to keep track of what the painter was saying.

 "And after that, take a left and there you have your house" Taehyung finished handing the commander his paper. "Thank you for the help and sorry for the trouble" the commander replied. 

"Oh, its no problem. I hope you find your destination" Taehyung said with a warm smile. "I hope so too" the commander replied with a bow and took his leave.

Since, Jin had been busy with the dinner preparation and Taehyung wasn't able to help him, he thought he take a bottle of champagne. As he entered the main door, he could see there was an unfamiliar coat hanged near the door, meaning the guest had already arrived. He took his coat off and after taking long breath, he entered the living room, only to find a familiar face. Jin saw Taehyung come in, "Taehyung, you are here. This is our guest Tae, commander Min Suga". 

Taehyung looked at the commander who had his hand brought forward for a handshake, with his gummy smile. "Well, its a pleasure to meet you, Taehyung, again" the commander replied with an emphasis on the word again. Taehyung took the hand and replied, "Same here".

A/N: Are you all liking the story so far? Feel free to drop comments :)