Missing Link

🔗Chapter 54🔗

Taehyung sank into the soft, plush seats as his bag sank to the floor with an audible 'thump', too tired to bother checking if he broke something and instead relying on faith that nothing was damaged as he pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes.

Lunch had been a... riot.

As expected, it had been loud, wildly inappropriate on some levels and by the time the check had arrived, Donghyuck had made three waiters cry - one of which wasn't directly his fault, as he had simply shifted into a cat which resembled the one the waiter had gotten as a gift from an ex.

By the time the arrived at the airport, all Taehyung wanted to do was hide under a blanket and never again emerge to greet the light of day.

Watching Rilla say goodbye to her family and friends had been difficult. He'd been so worried about how much she'd sacrificed for him to be comfortable and to have a memorable experience and seeing how indulgent she had been with her cousin's antics, how she let him hold her whenever and however he wanted, how often she'd whisper to Johnny or chip in teasing remarks about Jungwoo to Yuta and how she sympathized with Taeil over Donghyuck's actions gifted him a little reassurance.

She seemed happy, to have been able to spend the little time she was given with them. That would have to be enough for now.

"All set?"

He brought his hands down in time to see her slip into the seat opposite his and pull out her phone from her pocket.

"Yeah... London is our last stop, right?"

"Uh-huh." she nodded, eyes trained on her phone. "We should be there in a little over twelve hours. And with any luck, we'll be back home in three days. Thank goodness."

The hostess strutted to where they were, serving Rilla a glass of water and him a cup of tea. For once, he wasn't eagerly reaching for the calming substance, tired of pretending that there weren't a million things he wanted to say, tired of hiding in a dreamless sleep while she watched over him, alone.

"Rilla-"

"Why did you take up photography?"

His jaw went slack and his eyes widened, train of thought vanishing in the face of a simple question.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that too sudden?" she queried in a concerned tone, brows furrowed. "I just... I've seen your portfolio and some of the shots you've taken since we began this trip and your skills are impeccable. I'm curious on how you started out. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

He blinked, still a little caught off guard, but not entirely about the question.

"No... I want - I want to tell you. It's just... it's been awhile? Since I thought about it."

She nodded, leaning back and picking up her glass of water and he tried to pull his thoughts together.

"When I was growing up, there was a picture of my mom in the living room. Right above the TV. On some days, I'd just stare at it for hours on end, trying to figure out what she was like and why... why that particular picture. There had to be other moments, other places and times when any other picture could've been taken. She was kneeling in dirt and her hair was a little messy and... I just didn't get it. So I asked my dad."

He paused, inhaling shakily and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Taehyung-"

"I'm okay. Really." he assured with a tiny smile, moving along before she could persuade him otherwise. "He told me about the day the picture had been taken. How they had just moved into our house and how hot it had been and how she had insisted on working in the garden. Because... because she wanted her baby to grow up in a warm, loving home, surrounded by nothing but beauty and colour. My dad said his muscles had moved without his brain's consent. And when he looked at the picture, all he could see was his whole world, as opposed to the simple photo of a pregnant woman about to get a sunburn."