haphephobia | j.jk

0.1

Y/n's POV

You used to love walking as a child. You'd beg your parents to take you on walkes. At one point you even talked them into getting a dog so that you could go on walks. That love continued all through your teenage years, until it stopped. You were in a horrible relationship a few years back. He treated you horribly. It caused a lot of deep rooted issues, one of which was a fear of being touched. Whenever your skin would come into contact with someone's you would get flashbacks that brought back every emotion you felt back then. The thought of having the chance to come into contact with people caused you to shut yourself away from everything. You worked from home and whenever you needed things like food you'd just buy them online.

Today was different from other days. You didn't quite know why you felt that way but you did, maybe it had to do with the fact it was pouring down with rain. Whenever it rained, everyone seemed to shut theirselves away indoors. That meant that there was a high chance that no one would be at the park you used to go to as a child. Maybe you would be able to enjoy yourself there for once, like you always used to. With that thought in mind, you grabbed an umbrella, threw on a wearable outfit and left the house.

To your joy, you were right about the people. No one was out. You skipped down the pathway free of all the worries you usually had. You swung your head lightly from side to side and hummed a little tune happily. If you were being honest, you hadn't been this happy in a long time. Sure, working at home had its benefits, but you missed the outdoors. You felt like you were in a cage and, every once in a while, you were released and allowed to explore as you wished.

The park was exactly how you remembered it, even with the insane amount of rain falling down. Colourful flowers bloomed around the edge of the park, in built-in brick containers. A path ran around the park, just infront of the flowers, and a huge patch of grass in the middle. You walked around the park for a while, before deciding to sit down and rest on a wooden bench for a little bit. It was then that you noticed him. A man was stood in the trees, opposite the bench you were sat on. A weird feeling creeped up your spine. He moved from behind the trees and walked towards you on the path.

He seemed to be quite tall. He had simple brown hair in the classic coconut style. He had a long jacket on and timberland boots. You didn't really see the necessity of a coat and an umbrella, but who were you to judge. You couldn't really see his outfit but what you could see seemed to be a pair of black, baggy jogging bottoms and a white shirt. The closer he got the more you noticed. He had beautiful doe eyes, they had such a pretty shimmer to them. You found yourself thinking that you could get lost in them. He had a jawline to die for, you had never actually seen a jawline that defined in real life and you had to admit it was kind of hot. He had a rather adorable nose and thin lips that fit his face perfectly.

It was just then that you realised how much you had been staring and how he was staring back at you. He was pretty close to you now and the only thought in your head was to run away. Before you had the chance, it was too late. He was stood before you, smiling down at you. That was another thing you would have to add to the list of perfect things about him.

"Hi. I couldn't help but notice you sitting here all alone. Would you mind if I joined you? I know this might seem kind of creepy but I was watching you earlier and you seemed so happy. As soon as you sat down you seemed so sad. I don't like people being upset, so I'd like to try and cheer you up! If that's okay?"

"I- um-" You stuttered with nerves. He was just
𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦. After toying back and forth with the idea in your head, you decided to give him a chance. As long as he wasn't too close to you, everything would be fine. "Okay, I guess. Just, don't sit too close, please?"

"Of course." He smiled again and sat down next to you. He slumped back slightly into the backrest and huffed slightly. He fidgited a little bit before shotting up in his seat. You jumped and looked at him a little weirdly. "Okay, so if I'm being honest, I think you're really cute. Like 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 cute. I actually came over here to see if I could get your number? So we could talk. I just- I don't know. I guess it was a stupid approach." He sighed, once again, shook his head at himself and sumped back into the bench.

You contemplated the idea. He seemed nice. He seemed like he wouldn't treat you like 𝘩𝘦 did. But then again, looks can be deceiving. You didn't think 𝘩𝘦 was going to treat you the way he did, but he did. You didn't want history to repeat itself. You didn't know if you'd be able to deal with it this time. There's also the fact that you thought anyone in a relationship with you wouldn't be happy. If you were scared of touching someone in the slightest, how were you going to hold hands with them? How were you going to hug them? How were you going to do everything that people based a relationship on? You couldn't. Unless, on the off chance, you found someone who understood you. Listened to you. Cared for you enough to help you with your issues.

In that moment, you realised that if you kept focusing on the negative you'd never be happy with anyone. You didn't want to be the same way your whole life. You wanted to have a normal job, a family, friends and all the things that came with being human. Maybe, just this once, it was time to leave your comfort zone. And maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't turn around to bite you in the ass this time.

"It's not stupid." He perked up at that. "I think it's kind of cute. Also, you're pretty attractive yourself. You seen really sweet, so I'll give you my number. But, just so you know, if you want a relationship with me, I have a lot of baggage. There's issues that I need to work through. If you're prepared to help me with that then I'd happily date you." And, surprisingly, he gave you the biggest smile that he had yet.