I'm Here

10

The weekend ended before they knew it and the boys found themselves back in a routine. Mostly.

Taehyung realized more and more each day how much Shireen had consumed his life. In between classes, they'd meet up to study or grab a snack. They'd eat lunch together every day and then do homework at the university library. After Shireen left for her part time job, Taehyung would then spend some quality time with his friends, before meeting up with Shireen later at night.

She was a constant part of his every day, which made the now empty moments that much more prominent.

Taehyung texted the group chat he had with the rest of the boys, trying to understand their schedules. No one seemed to be around when he was free, so he was stuck on his own. The breaks were too long now, too quiet.

His mind wandered often. Back to Shireen, yes, but more so back to his lack of life direction. He needed to find a new purpose. Something else that filled his time that made him happy.

Something that couldn't be easily ripped away.

So that's how Taehyung found himself signing up for a drop in art class. He always liked doodling, but never seriously tried to apply himself. Now that he had some extra time, however, he decided to give it a try. Why not?

His first class was late Friday afternoon in an airy, bright studio. Canvases were spread out randomly, facing all different directions. Only four other people were in the room, so Taehyung chose an easel near one of the large windows. An older woman walked in moments later, stepping into the center of the room.

"Welcome, everyone," she croaned, her voice leathery. "Today we're focusing on use of color and texture. Use whatever materials you want and create whatever you want. Really, that's it. Let me know if you have any questions."

A student raised his hand.

"True artists only ask themselves questions," she said, waving her hand dismissively and turning her back. "Now get to it."

Tayehyung watched the other students walk to one side of the room, collecting their materials. He followed suit and took in the wide array of supplies. Oil paints, water colors, pencils, and acrylics were all arranged neatly in rows. Taehyung selected a palette and squeezed out a few of the acrylic paint tubes, focusing on blue and purple colors. He then got to work.

The two hour class flew by and before he knew it, the teacher was dismissing the class.

"Put your work in the back room. It'll be safe there while it's drying."

Taehyung looked down at his canvas. Nothing too spectacular, but it perfectly reflected his inner thoughts. He could feel the sadness from his break up deep in the overlapping paints. He signed and dated it before putting it away.

He went back to the apartment and found Jungkook and Chloe on the couch.

"Hey!" Jungkook perked up as soon as he saw Taehyung walk in. "How was the class?"

Taehyung joined the pair in the living room. "It was very cathartic. Freeing. I think you'd like it, Kook. You've always been into art."

"Yeah! Maybe I'll come with you next time. It's a drop in, right?"

"Exactly," Taehyung affirmed. He turned his attention to the girl next to his friend. "Hey, Chloe."

"Hey, Tae!" Chloe smiled enthusiastically. "Are you coming out with us tonight?"

Jungkook had texted the group earlier in the day to see if anyone wanted to go to a bar tonight. Jin and Namjoon each had dates, and Yoongi, Hoseok, and Jimin were planning a quiet night in.

"I think I'm going to take it easy tonight," Taehyung replied. "It's been a tough week."

"Ah," Chloe said. "First week without Shireen?"

Jungkook jabbed his elbow into her side.

"Hey!" She shouted.

"It's fine," Taehyung intervened. "But yeah, I never realized how much time I spent with her."

"I noticed," Jungkook mumbled.

Taehyung rolled his eyes, a slight smile playing at his mouth. "Well, anyways, I hope you guys have a fun night."

"You too!" Chloe waved.

Back in his room, Taehyung kicked off his pants and exchanged them for sweats. A knock sounded at his door and Jungkook poked his head in.

"You decent?"

"Aren't you supposed to ask that before you come in?" Taehyung arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, nothing I haven't seen before."

Taehyung shook his head. "You headed out?"

Jungkook nodded. "Just wanted to check in before we left. Are you okay? I can cancel and we can order in if you want."

"I'll manage. You go have fun with Chloe. It's been a while since you spent quality time with her."

Jungkook shrugged. "Doesn't feel like it's been a while."

Something occured to Taehyung. "Hey . . . so . . . about yesterday . . ."

"Oh, so you can bring it up but I can't?" Jungkook teased.

"Do you think that's considered . . . cheating . . . on Chloe?" Taehyung watched Jungkook, curious for his response.

The younger scrunched his eyebrows. "Well. Hm. I don't think so? We never had the exclusivity talk."

"You don't think she's seeing other people, do you?"

"I guess I don't know. I'll have to talk to her about it tonight."

Taehyung nodded. "That might be good considering you've been seeing each other for like, what, five months?"

Jungkook ran a hand through his long hair. "Shit. Has it been that long?"

"Why do you stay with her if you aren't serious about her?" Taehyung asked.

"She gives good head?"

"Goodbye, Kook!" Taehyung waved his friend off and prepared to settle in for the night. Maybe he'd even fall asleep early for once.

Little did he know the wake up call he'd get.