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April 12, 20XX Sunday Pt. iii
Taehyung and I scurried for cover in one of the restaurants, the rain starting to fall down heavy.
"Is your camera okay?" I ask Taehyung, checking if his camera got wet.
"Are you okay?" Taehyung runs his fingers through my wet hair and my hand snaps up to wrap around his wrist, eyes wide as I stare at him.
"Can I help you two to a table?"
I pull away from Taehyung, glad the restaurant's hostess interrupted.
"Yes, thank you." Taehyung smiles at her, who signals for us to follow her over to an empty table, one of many at this hour.
I sit across Taehyung, ears hot from the brush of his fingertips earlier.
Why would he do that?
The mind forgets, the body remembers.
Is that it? Does he not realize how wrong it is because it just feels right?
Being alone with Taehyung is going to be harder than I thought.
There's no telling what he'll do next.
"Jennie?"
Taehyung looks up from behind his phone.
"Do you know what you're getting?"
"O-Oh where's the menu?" I search all over the table to which earns a barely audible laugh from Taehyung.
He taps the center of the table, revealing a QR code to scan.
I take out my phone, joining Taehyung's in the center to pull up the menu.
Coincidentally, both our phones ring out to notify of an incoming text. Taehyung gets one from Irene and I get one from Sungjae.
We look up at each other, each having read the other's phone screen.
"Ready to order?" The hostess checks in.
Taehyung's still looking my way and I just pick the first thing on the menu with a strawberry lemonade as my drink. He just orders a soup with a cup of warm tea.
"How did you and Sungjae meet?"
"Um, we bumped into each other one day and then another day and we just became close. He's the one who let me know about the job at Winter Bear, so I'm grateful."
Taehyung ponders, his eyes on the table.
"He's a good friend."
His eyebrows crease when he hears me refer to Sungjae as a friend. "Aren't you...together?"
I shake my head, "No, he's just a really good friend."
The drinks get placed onto the table and I'm grateful there's some kind of barrier between Taehyung and I.
"Irene's a friend, too." Taehyung tells me, whispering, "Just a friend."
My heart moves, and I scold myself internally. Taehyung shouldn't have to explain himself to me, yet I'm happy.
I'm really really happy.
"She seems like a great friend."
Taehyung tilts his head, "I could say the same thing about Sungjae."
"Sungjae's a good person."
"So is Irene."
Ha.
I shut my mouth and sip my lemonade.
Feeling Taehyung's stare, I look up to see his fond smile as he rests his chin against his palm.
"She's not you."
"Mm?"
Taehyung shakes his head and makes space for our food. It takes me a second to move because Déjà vu hit the wrong person.
I try to let his comment go, even having doubts he said it at all.
"Jennie?" He calls for me in the middle of eating.
I lift my eyes to his.
He stirs his soup. "Thanks for staying."
I lean my fork against my plate, my heart fluttering.
"I just wanted to see the city..."
"Even so, I'm happy. There's something about you that makes me calm. I know that right now you might not see me as a someone close to you, but I want you to know that I do. I've told you things that I never really told anyone else. You didn't judge me, you just listened. That made me really happy..." Taehyung's eyes go from looking around the room to smiling my way, "...so thanks."
I nip my lip, shrugging softly as I say a "you're welcome" with rosy cheeks.
Taehyung,
Why did you have to say that?
Don't you realize that when you say those things...
When you look at me like that...
They make it harder for me to stay away?
_____________________
Authors note;;
Hi everyone! Hope you guys are doing great ♡ This chapter made me feel all warm and fuzzy for what's coming (;
Also, I'm super excited because I managed to snag the luckybox from weverse!
