The sand crunched between Jennie's toes as she stepped out of Taehyung's flip flops, and she buried them beneath the grit with all the excitement of a child, grinning as a warm breeze whipped up around her bare legs. The waves crashed onto the shore, deafening in nature as the wind picked up, howling around the irritable surf with no remorse. The sun burned into the top of Jennie's scalp, and her skin bristled in the heat. Seagulls squawked above her, and she shielded her eyes from the blinding sunlight as she squinted up at the sky. She skipped down towards the surf, flicking the sand up around her ankles as she moved. As she reached the damp shore, two large arms came round her waist and Taehyung buried his face into the crook of her neck. Jennie giggled.
"I forgot how happy coming here makes you" he said, taking her hand and marching down the beach alongside her, much to Jennie's delight. Jennie grinned.
"It's been a long time" she said wistfully.
The water lapped at her feet as she danced in and out of the spray, and she shrieked when Taehyung hauled her over his shoulder and marched into the waves, smacking her on the ass playfully as he dropped her into the water with a splash. The water was icy and Jennie yelped as the surf crashed into her ankles and up the backs of her legs. She shoved Taehyung in the chest as he smirked down at her, and she couldn't help but smile back, ignoring the chill that shot up her spine as they messed around in the briny. Jennie splashed Taehyung, and shrieked when he returned the favour. She tried to run back to shore but he captured her small frame in his large embrace once again, and Jennie squirmed in his hold. Picking her up he sloshed back into the saline and Jennie yelled when a wave smacked into them, soaking both her and Taehyung from head to toe. Writhing from the cold, Jennie dropped to her feet once again, and when she did, Taehyung pulled her close and kissed her hard on the mouth, corners of his lips breaking out into a grin as she refused to kiss him back. Jennie scrunched her face up as he went in for another kiss and when she didn't comply he tickled her sides.
"No" she giggled, pushing his hands away gently. Laughing, he planted another salty kiss on her open mouth before taking her hand and returning to shore, his feet leaving heavy footprints in the wet sand as they headed slowly up the beach. Jennie gripped his arm as she found her footing on the uneven surface, eyes glinting off the large white food truck idling on the busy promenade. People milled around them, and using Taehyung as a support she slipped back into his flip flops. Taehyung squeezed the water out of the end of his T-shirt, before casting a glance over at the food truck with a pensive expression.
"You hungry?" Taehyung asked.
"Absolutely".
*
Jennie stepped out of the car onto the footpath, the setting sun searing into her skin through her T-shirt. Taehyung rolled down the passenger side window. Jennie leaned in, locking eyes with him as she did so.
"Don't open the door to anyone" he said. "I'll be back at nine".
"Sure" she replied, turning and heading towards the apartment building without another word, twirling the keys around between her fingers as she headed towards the entrance, tapping the fob against the keypad before disappearing inside the foyer.
The lock clicked shut behind her as she stepped into the apartment. Moving to the television she clicked into the YouTube application, and played the first list of songs that came up on screen, desperate to fill the silence. She hated being in the apartment on her own. As dusk fell, she stepped into the shower and created a lather, rinsing the sand and salt off her skin as she did so. Turning off the faucet, the apartment plunged into an eerie stillness once again. Wrapping a towel around herself, she emerged into the bedroom. The muffled sound coming from the television filled her with a fleeting sense of security. She dressed, and moved around to Taehyung's side of the bed, a flash of black at her feet making her crouch to investigate. She pulled the item out from under the bed and a nauseating sense of nostalgia came over her when she copped that it was the same rucksack she had taken from Kai's flat the night of her escape. Flicking on the bedside lamp, she unzipped the back and emptied the contents onto the bed, balking when loose cash fluttered onto the divan. Jennie picked up the wada of cash that still had elastic bands wrapped around them, choosing to count the money whilst she had the chance. Remnants of cocaine lingered between the notes, and swallowing the lump that formed in her throat she brushed the powder off on the side of the bed, before continuing with the task at hand. She had managed to take over one thousand dollars in cash. Holding the money in her hands she couldn't help but feel dirty, the events of that night forever etched into her mind. A loud clanging from down the hall made her heart leap into her mouth and she froze. The clanging came a second time, only louder. Panicked, Jennie stuffed the money back into the rucksack and kicked it under the bed. Bile heaved in her gut as she stood and listened out for a follow up to the noises, her heart hammering against her ribcage as the adrenaline shot up her spine. A minute passed and a vociferous crash rang in her ears. The desire to go to the door and explore the source of the intrusion was quickly extinguished by an unmistakable instinct that something bad was about to happen. She stepped towards the door, choosing to trust her instinct in this scenario. The sound of heavy footfalls on the wooden floor told her that it wasn't Taehyung. Her mouth became dry. Peering out through the crack in the bedroom door she could roughly make out a tall figure clad in black mooch about the apartment, smashing furniture as they tore the place apart, searching for something that Jennie wasn't privy to. She watched the intruder toss the couch cushions across the room before moving to the chest of drawers in the corner with the movements of a man possessed. When they didn't find what they were looking for, Jennie saw the figure stand and turn in the direction of the bedroom. She acted fast, sliding open the closet door and climbing inside, scrambling amongst the rows of clothes, hangers and shoes as she backed into the darkest corner, pulling her small self in behind a large suitcase as she tried to hide. Reaching upwards she yanked hard on the clothes above her, letting jackets, hoodies and the odd hanger tumble down on top of her to provide extra cover. A hanger landed on her lap, and as the intruder busted their way into the bedroom, she manipulated the malleable item into a hook, keen to arm herself with a weapon in case she needed to fight her way out, an outcome she was well used to at this stage. Her hands trembled as she twisted the metal into shape, the sound of floorboards creaking outside the closet door instilling a strong need to defend herself in her mind. The closer the intruder got the faster she worked. A sliver of light cut into the closet, and Jennie eyed it carefully, using it to determine the proximity of the unwanted guest as best she could. A shadow blocked out the light much to her dismay, and her palms grew sweaty. A voice she didn't recognise penetrated the quiet, and the shadow vanished from the closet entrance. Jennie couldn't make out what was being said, the voice becoming just a mumble as it moved around the room, followed by another crash, one that made Jennie jump in fright. She wet her lips, mentally preparing herself for an altercation at any moment. The footsteps halted at the entrance to the closet once again, and Jennie slid further into the dark, watching out of the corner of her eye as the door was pushed open, and a covered head and arm reached into the space. Jennie held her breath.
"It's not here", the stranger spat to no one in particular.
Frustrated, they slammed the door shut in their wake and walked away, the footfalls vanishing from earshot as they left the room. Jennie exhaled a ragged breath, senses on high alert. Counting down from ten she clambered out of the closet and, glancing back and forth to assess her surroundings, she tiptoed into the hallway. The smell of body odour and cigarette smoke lingered in the air. Glancing down at the door she saw that it had been smashed in, bits of metal and wood littered the ground, and it was left swinging wide at an angle. Raising her makeshift weapon, Jennie looked into the living room. The couch had been upturned and drawers littered the ground. The television had been switched off and there was a crack in the glass top on the coffee table. At her feet she noticed overlapping wet boot prints leading from the hallway into the kitchen and then to the door. She felt sick. Slowly she walked toward the entrance, glancing around her as she did so, not wanting to be caught off guard. A scuffle outside made her duck behind the wall. Convinced the intruder was back to do one more sweep of the place, Jennie gritted her teeth, eyes darting back and forth, ears picking up any unusual sound that would direct her to the location of the trespasser. A shadow came around the corner into the kitchen area, and that's when Jennie pounced.
Taehyung yelled when she leaped in front of him, and suddenly overwhelmed, Jennie dropped the hanger to the ground, unable to stop herself from bursting into tears at what had just happened. Taehyung pulled her into a tight hug.
"What the fuck happened in here Jen?"
"Someone broke in" she sniffed, wiping her eyes on his T-shirt. He smelled like perspiration and lynx body spray.
"Did they hurt you?"
"No", she choked. "I managed to hide in your closet".
Taehyung walked into the living room, picking up a couch cushion as he drank in the state of the room, grimacing at the mess. He turned to Jennie.
"Do you know what they were looking for?"
"I've no idea", she said, wiping her eyes. "But they didn't find it, whatever it was".
Taehyung didn't respond. Standing in the centre of the room he hauled the couch back into the middle of the living space, slotting the thick cushions back into submission without a word. He then crouched next to the mess of drawers and debris, and taking initiative Jennie joined him, picking up old sheets of paper, the odd photograph and some of Taehyung's souvenirs from his travels. They didn't speak as they tidied the mess. Jennie peered at Taehyung from beneath her lashes. He kept his gaze glued to the ground.
"Are you going to say something?" she whispered.
"What can I say?"
He got up and put the last of the drawers back into position, lingering slightly as he assessed the rest of the damage. Jennie got to her feet, feeling like a bold child who misbehaved and now awaited a punishment. Taehyung looked at her, eyes sad.
"I'm glad they didn't hurt you", he mumbled.
Jennie winced. His words lacked sincerity.
"I don't know who did this Tae".
"I know".
Jennie met his eyes. "You know?"
Taehyung shrugged. "Yeah, I mean there's no point in me getting angry over something that was out of both of our control, is there?."
His tone was icy. He brushed past her into the kitchen, and Jennie followed.
"Tea?"
Mugs scraped against the marble countertop.
"Yes please".
Jennie tucked her knees up under her chin as she sat on the couch, picking absent mindedly at the fabric. She sat the steaming mug in her lap, wrapping her fingers around it so as not to let the contents spill. Taehyung sat opposite her.
"This can't keep happening" he said.
"I know".
"So I'm going to make it my mission to get us some weapons to protect ourselves".
"It's a start".
"Ideally", Taehyung began, taking a sip of his tea, " I'd rather go to the police, but -",
"We can't !" Jennie interrupted.
"I know we can't".
Jennie took a gulp of her tea, despite it still being scalding hot. She watched the liquid swirl in the mug, not wanting to engage with Taehyung any further.
"What did the person look like?"
"I didn't see their face", Jennie replied, meeting his gaze.
"Anything at all?"
"They had a deep voice. Male".
Taehyung mulled over her words, scratching at his beard scruff as he did so. Jennie tapped her fingernails against her mug.
"I'm sick of this, Jen" he said, after a pause.
Jennie's heart leaped into her mouth.
"Sick of what?"
"The torment".
Jennie stared at him, willing him to elaborate.
Shifting into a more comfortable position, Taehyung placed his mug on the coffee table.
"I'm sick of not being here when they come around" he added. Jennie sidled in next to him, placing her mug down so that she could drape an arm across his back. He gazed at her, waiting for her response.
"I promised you I'd protect you", he said, when she didn't respond.
"I know you did"
"And it angers me when I can't seem to do that".
"They only target me when they know you're not around", Jennie said, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Well, that's going to have to change".
"As long as I have you, I know they can't harm me" she whispered.
Taehyung kissed her softly on the top of the head. Jennie snuggled into him, feeling safer than she ever had in a long time.
