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Jeongguk, ridden with anxiety and time blindness, arrive extra early to the restaurant. Despite the reservation being set for 7pm, he walked into the gourmet dining hall 15 minutes early and spoke with the hostess.
“Hi, I have a reservation for Jeongguk,” he said politely.
The hostess was the picture of poise. She stood tall with her shoulders back, jet black hair slicked into a low pony that was the length of her back. Dark red lipgloss and long lashes shaped her pompous proper expression toward Jeongguk.
“I see your reservation isn’t for another 15 minutes,” she spoke with a deep silky voice that would lull one to sleep, “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until it is exactly 7 o’clock.”
Jeongguk nodded in understanding. “Sure, sure, I’ll be waiting outside then.” He smiled politely and exited into the evening air.
He took a seat on a bench just in front of the entrance, looking out into the parking lot of luxury branded cars getting checked in to valet.
The plaza was bustling with life of all shapes & sizes but this particular corner of the plaza all had one thing in common. Money. Money that Jeongguk simply did not have unless he skipped meals and worked himself to death without sleep. That was the only way he could afford a restaurant like this.
It was his date who suggested this restaurant and the boy held too much shame to object to the idea.
As upper class business men and their elegant wives blissfully came in and out of the restaurant, he felt terribly underdressed in his drab 6 year old grey suit he kept from his senior prom.
He checked the time on his outdated phone and saw, in real time, 6:59pm become 7:00pm.
His date should be there at any moment but, by means of restaurant etiquette, he decided to secure their reservation ahead of his date’s arrival.
JK: Hey, I just got here, I’m gonna claim our reservation
He texted quickly then shuffled toward the door in a haste.
He greeted the hostess like an old friend but wasn’t met with the same respect. “Err… I’m here for my reservation,” he said awkwardly.
“Name?” The hostess asked as if she hadn’t just seen Jeongguk 15 minutes ago.
“Jeongguk…” he reminded her with a raised eyebrow.
She scanned through her large book of reservations and landed on Jeongguk’s name with a hum. “Yes, I have you as a party two. Are both of you present?”
Jeongguk nervously checked his phone for a message back but saw nothing. “No, not yet. But they’ll be here any second.”
“I’m afraid I cannot seat you until more than one member of party has arrived,” the hostess explained in a patronizing tone.
Jeongguk looked at his phone again with no notifications. “They said they're just parking,” he lied.
“I’m sorry, sir, but it’s our policy.” She said flatly. “I’m sure you can wait just one more miunte to be seated if he’s so close by,” she gave him a tight lipped smile.
Jeongguk swallowed, shoulders slumping with a huff but nodded in understanding anyway. He went back outside, hovering by the entrance while checking his phone every minute.
He waited, eyes searching the parking lot and the plaza for a familiar face. But as 5 minutes turned to 10, and golden hour turned dusk, he felt his heart chipping away.
The anxious boy went back inside to plead his case. He opened his mouth to speak but the hostess cut him off.
“Your reservation will be surrendered in 5 minutes if your party does not arrive.” She wore an expression so apathetic he would’ve thought she was made of wax.
“Surrendered?” He repeated, baffled.
“You will no longer have a table.” Her voice was laced with venom.
“I don’t see why I can’t be seated first,” Jeongguk hissed, agitation growing.
“Is this your first time here?” The question could be innocent but the implication shredded Jeongguk to dust. “We do not allow single seating. If you cannot find your party, please dine elsewhere.”
Jeongguk checked the time on his phone, there were still 4 minutes left before their table would be revoked. He went back outside for some air.
JK: hey, are you gonna be here soon? They’re gonna take our table away if we’re not both here
He texted his date with desperation.
A minute passed and he finally heard back from his date.
SH: having family issues rn, I gotta cancel last minute, sorry
Jeongguk’s heart pumped with frustration, the tension and anxiety built up within him released in the shake of his fingers, adrenaline overriding it.
He starved himself for this date. Worked 18 hours straight everyday for two weeks. He worked himself to the bone on nothing but instant ramen just to save up enough money for a date like this. Just for it to kick him to the curb, call him poor, and spare no seat at the table?
He couldn’t go down without a fight. Though he’d much rather spend his night at the bubble tea cafe across the plaza, he had a point to prove. He reserved his spot at the table & he’s gonna eat the grandest meal of life no matter the cause.
He checked the time. One minute left.
~
Taehyung clocked out of his shift later than his usual exact 7 o’clock timing. The store was overrun with ambitious teenagers kicking off the first night of summer with sour candy and spiked fruit punch. They swept the aisles clean but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a mess left.
He stayed behind for 10 minutes helping his replacement sweep and reorganize the aisles. When he left, the evening sky was lilac and navy blue, and a man in a grey suit coming from the glamorous restaurant next door scurried toward him.
“Excuse me?” The guy said politely.
Taehyung raised an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic respect. “Err… hi,” he responded.
“Are you in a rush to go anywhere?”
Taehyung checked his hand-me-down watch. “Uhh… just gonna grab some dinner real quick but that’s it.”
“Perfect!” The guy smiled. “Let me treat you.”
Taehyung looked at his suit and the restaurant he pointed to, and was highly aware of his distressed light wash jeans and wrinkly band T-shirt. “No, no, I couldn’t go in there.” He shook his head.
“Please,” the guy begged with his absurdly round eyes. “They won’t seat me alone.”
Taehyung took a moment to let the thought simmer. Free dinner. At the most expensive restaurant on the block. Invited by a guy who’s not half bad looking. Actually quite attractive, in fact. And he was begging. He wasn’t on his knees but his tone might as well put him there.
He sighed. “Okay sure. Why not?”
The guy smiled, quickly ushered Taehyung into the restaurant with a respectful hand pressed to his shoulder blades.
When they entered, the hostess in front shot daggers at them but his “escort” was unfazed. “My party arrived.” He said proudly.
The hostess checked the time herself, finding it to be exactly 7:15pm and she huffed. “Right this way,” she said reluctantly and beckoned them after her.
Taehyung noticed his escort take very deep and long breaths through his nose as they headed toward their table.
They passed by several tables of high class men in suits having business negotiations or cheating on their wives. High class women showing off their designer bags and snickering over expensive wine. And there was Taehyung in his ripped jeans, thrifted T shirt, and unkempt hair.
They were shown to a small table near the back of the restaurant dim with candle light and the sparkle of crystal champagne flutes. The two strangers sat across from each other as the hostess begrudgingly offered to bring them a beverage of their choosing.
“I’ll just have water,” Taehyung timidly said.
“Still or sparkling,” the hostess replied.
“Oh, still,” Taehyung stammered.
“I’ll take a bottle of Cabernet.” The man in the suit ordered with a glint in his eye.
The hostess nodded and left with a snide smile.
Taehyung tapped his foot anxiously, tucking his hands under his thighs as he took in the fine scenery.
“I’m Jeongguk,” the man introduced finally, “I’m sorry for dragging you along.”
Taehyung shrugged. “It could be worse. I’m Taehyung.” He said, biting his bottom lip.
Soon after, a server in a shirt and tie with an apron tied around their waist approached the table, placing Taehyung’s “still” water and Jeongguk’s Cabernet on the table. Then subsequently, two wine glasses in front of both of them.
“Are you ready to order?” The waiter asked.
Taehyung silently shook his head and embarrassingly realized how useless that was.
“No, we’ll need a minute,” Jeongguk spoke up for them.
The waiter nodded and left with haste for his other tables.
“Do you come here often?” Taehyung asked, genuinely curious.
“No, this is my first time actually.” Jeongguk took the wine bottle & poured himself a glass full. “Why do you ask?”
“I mean, I work at the H Mart next door and I’ve never seen you come around before.” Taehyung explained. “If this is your first time, I guess that explains that.”
“Have you been here before?” Jeongguk returned the question.
“God no.” Taehyung laughed. “I could never afford this place. I mean, look, just an appetizer is 20,000 won!” He pointed to a dish in the menu.
“That makes two of us,” Jeongguk sipped his wine like a hypocrite.
Taehyung shot him a befuddled look, head tilted to the side. “Are you kidding?”
Jeongguk shook his head then set his glass down. “I didn’t wanna come here tonight.” He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “I had to starve and exhaust myself for two weeks to afford this.”
“Why put yourself through all that trouble? It’s not worth it.”
“For a date,” he shrugged, “a date that suggested this place and cancelled on me at the very last minute.” At this, he took another sip of his wine. “And then I was judged the minute I stepped through the door and they refused to seat me because I was a sad little party of one. And then I found you outside. And really, you joining me for dinner is a doing me a huge favour.”
“Hold on,” Taehyung paused, “they stood you up?”
Jeongguk nodded.
Taehyung couldn’t fathom it. What he was met with the minute he walked outside was a dapper respectful young man with generous intentions and a face of an ancient sculpture. Who would pass up a luxury dinner date with this?
“What about you? What’s your story?” Jeongguk asked.
“Me?” Taehyung asked with wide innocent eyes.
Taehyung was sent to this side of the plaza as Jeongguk’s personal angel. Well, that’s what he felt in the moment. And why wouldn’t he? Taehyung seemed a man close to his own age. He sported street wear and painted nails. His sun-kissed skin wasn’t bleached to impossible porcelain like the rest of the crowd inside of ‘Gourmet Glamour’ he liked to call it. And his hair was a wild blonde that put him right at home on the beach. He was the perfect picture of down-to-earth and not at all snooty.
He couldn’t lie, the moment he got Taehyung’s attention, a coil twisted inside of him staring at the blonde’s perfectly sharp face. Narrow eyes, slanted nose, and wide smile. All offset by the roundness in his cheeks. He really was so beautiful in the evening lilac glow.
“Yeah,” Jeongguk nodded, “ what happened today that brought you here?”
“Just work, I guess,” Taehyung just shrugged. “Nothing quite as memorable or, in your case, traumatizing as being stood up for a date.”
“I guess I win,” Jeongguk joked with a sad smile that Taehyung matched.
“Who is this asshole anyway that left you hanging?” Taehyung interrogated with sudden protection over his new friend.
“Ahh,” Jeongguk huffed an embarrassed laugh, “no one really. I’m not that hung up on it. I mean, we’ve been talking for a few months now but… it’s not like I have feelings for her or anything… not yet anyway…”
“You’re still gonna give her a chance after tonight?”
“She’s not a bad person, don’t get me wrong.” Jeongguk nibbled on his top lip and sighed. “I don’t know, should I break it off? I spent so much time and energy into this weird situationship for months. It feels like failure to let it all go.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to view your relationships with people as something that can pass or fail like some exam.” Taehyung started. “Think of it more as entering and exiting a room. There’s the rooms you feel comfortable in and the ones you don’t. But you can enter and exit them both whenever you want.”
Jeongguk nodded with a pensive look. “Like if I hadn’t exited this restaurant, I wouldn’t have found you.”
The words brought heat to Taehyung’s cheeks and pulled a shy smile from the corners of his mouth. He blinked back his composure and shot him a playful look with narrow eyes. “Yet here we are inside of the restaurant.”
“I guess I made an uncomfortable room more comfortable.”
Taehyung has to look away to keep himself from slipping under the rosiness of his words. “Alright, enough metaphors. What are we eating?”
“Anything you like. I saved up enough for the most expensive dishes here.” Jeongguk offered.
“I doubt I’ll need anything that fancy.”
They ordered something respectable. Nothing titled with words they couldn’t pronounce or foods they couldn’t picture in their heads. Jeongguk settled for an 8oz sirloin steak with a few side dishes & Taehyung gingerly ordered a seafood pasta with a hum of approval from the other.
As the night went on, Taehyung’s glass of water was replaced with a glass full of wine. They drank the bottle empty and couldn’t help but order another.
Glass after glass, their heads became loose, their bodies more lax, and their smiles were permanently glued to their faces.
Taehyung was more receptive to Jeongguk’s flirtatious quips and shot quite a few back but not without his cheeks going pink and rosiness blooming in his tummy.
Jeongguk revelled in the giggles coming from his new date. He didn’t want it stop, saying whatever it took to hear it.
He watched Taehyung take bite of shrimp from his fork, eyes only focused on his plump pink lips.
“You have such nice lips, y’know,” Jeongguk said.
“Do I?” Taehyung covered his mouth as he chewed and spoke.
“Do you have someone in your life?” The wine started to take effect.
Taehyung swallowed his food before speaking. “Like a relationship?” Jeongguk nodded inquisitively. “Oh, no…”
“Really?” Jeongguk said with surprise. “That’s hard to believe.”
“Why’s that?” Taehyung laughed.
“You’re just… so beautiful…” he took another sip of his wine.
Taehyung narrowed his eyes, reading the other’s sincere expression. He licked his lips and shifted in his chair before speaking. “You’re very pretty, yourself.” He said with a sweet tone and rosy smile that matched the red of the wine.
“Am I?” Jeongguk tilted his head.
The blonde smiled behind his own glass of wine, letting his teeth hit the rim before he took a sip, the red liquid coating his lips briefly until he licked it off. Jeongguk was mesmerized.
“Cute suit by the way,” Taehyung commented.
Jeongguk looked down and adjusted his collar. “You like it, huh?” He held his jacket open with a smug look. “Wore it to my senior prom.”
“Wow, vintage,” Taehyung joked sarcastically, “I can see you’ve grown into it… almost out of it.” He noted the way the buttons of his shirt were pulled tight against his broad chest.
“The pants are a bit snug,” Jeongguk confessed. “I woulda bought a new suit if I could afford it.”
“You won’t be needing a suit when you’re around me.”
“So, I’ll see you again after tonight?” Jeongguk asked hopefully.
Taehyung shrugged with a sheepish smile.
By the time their plates were wiped clean, their second bottle of wine was also completely empty. Although their date could have ended there, they used dessert to prolong this sweet night.
“Why don’t we sober up over some dessert?” Jeongguk suggested.
“Sure,” Taehyung gleamed.
Even though he started this night off sour, in his own stubbornness something sweet came out of it. Taehyung was the sweetest tart he’d ever spent time with. He spoke with such a dark yet soft timbre, a gentle finesse with his slender fingers & an eye smile that melted his heart.
Taehyung's day, like most days of his life, had always been about routine, playing it safe. But tonight he took a risk for the sake of hearing out this begging man in suit’s story. He said fuck it & found himself wanting to crawl inside Jeongguk’s head & learn everything about him.
Taehyung placed his elbows on the table, resting his chin on top of his interlocked fingers with a tilt to his head and grin of curiosity and nosiness. He thought of a snowball of questions albeit he couldn’t help but get lost in that gorgeous head of luscious hair and piercings.
A single strand of waved hair fell from his middle part to the front of his forehead whenever he looked down and Taehyung was hypnotized in the way it swung.
Jeongguk noticed the stare with a smirk. Confidence and wine overtaking him. “What’re you staring at, baby?”
Taehyung squinted and pursed his lips, taking a moment to think about being mildly honest, vaguely honest, or wildly honest. “Your pretty little head,” he chose mild, “and everything that makes the gears turn in there.”
“What do you wanna know?” Jeongguk chuckled.
“I don’t really know,” Taehyung scrunched his eyebrows, “I kinda like you like this already. All mysterious and… unforeseen.” He swiped his tongue over his bottom lip.
What happened to sobering up? Jeongguk didn’t know. He embraced the red haze & walked head first into the fog.
Under the table, Jeongguk’s crossed leg extended and his pointed brown brogue shoe caught the wide cuff of Taehyung’s jeans, riding it up his ankle for a moment then relaxing his leg back down.
Taehyung’s breath was caught in his throat, a wave of tension traveling up his body.
Dessert was a game after that. Their eyes were locked as they ate their desserts in prolonged silence, no time for talking as their lips wrapped around their spoons and their tongues lapped up whipped cream from their fingers, moaning at the sweetness dancing in their mouths.
Their date started with class, an etiquette that only comforted “Gourmet Glamour” and its patrons, but it only dwindled as the night went on & two strangers who lowered their guards traded fictitious class for unabashed cheekiness that the prestigious would flush at the sight of.
Soon enough, 2 hours had flown by and it was 9pm. They both shared their urgency in getting home before late, the common working class experience when they have a morning shift the next day.
Jeongguk called for the check with a nervous breath but didn’t let the server catch on.
Taehyung’s heart murmured as the realization set in that this night was ending, that he may never see Jeongguk again. They could keep in contact, but something about the serendipity of meeting like this held a whimsical sense of impossibility that just couldn’t be replicated.
It was a night of magic charitably given to the two people in this city who could never afford it. This couldn’t happen again, not even if they tried.
Jeongguk walked him out of the establishment from behind, a protective stance that crowded him away from the glamorous patrons.
The late evening air was cold, a light breeze that was welcomed in sunlight but sent a chill down Taehyung’s bare arms under the starry sky. He rubbed his shoulders which Jeongguk clocked immediately. He shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over his shivering date’s frame.
“Oh, you don’t have too—“ Taehyung started to say, but lost the words as he took a good look at the man’s broad shoulders and full biceps. Jeongguk rolled up his shirt sleeves to his elbows which showed off his veiny forearms, his right one covered with tattoos.
“Hey, I’m not that attached to the suit anyway,” Jeongguk joked. “If it ain’t your style, you can go ahead and throw it out when you get home.”
They stood awkwardly in front of the restaurant, waiting for the other to leave first. “Do you… have a car?” Jeongguk asked.
Taehyung looked down at the asphalt and shook his head. “No, I take the bus… or an Uber sometimes if it gets late.”
“How late?”
“Like… now,” he shrugged.
Jeongguk shot him a concerned look. “Do you want a ride home?” He asked with less confidence as before.
“Oh, no no, I’m okay,” Taehyung declined politely.
“Are you sure? It’s no trouble,” Jeongguk couldn’t help but feel responsible, “I asked you to stay longer and now you have to take a bus in the cold late at night.”
“Uhm,” he took a moment, a wave of Deja vu coming over him.
What’s one more thing to say yes to? He thought to himself. “Sure.”
He saw a smile tug on the corner of Jeongguk’s mouth but the man didn’t let it pull all the way back.
Jeongguk walked them back to his beat-up 2008 Accent with chipped red paint that he cherished like a baby.
He scurried to the passenger door and held it open for Taehyung to hop in. “I know he’s a bit rough on the edges but I treat him like a princess. I promise.” Jeongguk assured.
“You talking about me or the car?” Taehyung teased, making Jeongguk flush with a chuckle.
“Both,” Jeongguk replied.
Taehyung shied away from his smirk as he took his seat, noticing the fruity refreshing smell, its near spotless dashboard and console, and seats that wore black washable covers over the original cracked leather. He really did treat his car well.
Taehyung pulled the jacket tighter around his shoulders as Jeongguk sat into the driver’s seat. As the latter started the car in silence, shifting gears and reversing out of his parking spot, it all felt so surreal to Taehyung. Sitting in a car with a man he just met 2 hours ago.
A man who now knew his workplace and is about to know the place where he lives. And yet, Taehyung felt no fear. No anxiety. But there was nervousness, in the best possible way. He liked Jeongguk and wanted to see him again and he was grateful for delaying the end of this night.
Jeongguk drove with only his left hand on the wheel, his right arm lingering on the middle console next to the gearshift. Taehyung imagined his tattooed hand resting on his thigh as he drove and couldn’t help the temptation to move it there himself. But he didn’t.
Instead he leaned his leg toward the middle, as far as it could lean for Jeongguk to get the message. When he didn’t make a move, Taehyung bounced his knee up and down incessantly in hopes that his date would find it annoying enough to gently place his hand down to stop it.
Jeongguk tried to be a gentleman. The moment he pulled a random guy from the plaza into a date, he knew there was a tone that needed to be set as to not come across as a total pathetic creep. Truthfully he wasn’t looking for anybody to swoon, only a nice night with a new friend.
But Taehyung was a sugary high Jeongguk could not come down from. His sweet voice, honey skin, and tender mannerisms sent himself over the edge with the need to sweep him off his feet. At some point into the date, Jeongguk found himself wanting to court him like it was the 1930s.
Maybe it was the dapper facade that was forced on him by the glamour to bring back chivalry. Or maybe it wa Taehyung himself that brought out this side of hopeless romance… Or maybe his date standing him up was just a white light that Taehyung stepped in front of, not a halo…
Whatever it was, it wasn’t easy to maintain with the man in his passenger seat leaning his legs toward the middle console as his angular face is bathed in the glow of green and red traffic lights and sharp intense shadows, especially of his long lashes on the plush of his cheeks.
Jeongguk cocked his head to the side and cleared his throat, waving off the temptations telling him to grab Taehyung’s thigh. They’ve known each other for 2 hours, get a grip. BUT NOT ON HIS THIGH. Oh god, his head was going crazy and it wasn’t the wine. He should not be driving.
His mind raced to the thought of driving up to Taehyung’s place. His car on the curb as the latter would turn toward him and invite him inside for “just a few minutes”. Then minutes would turn to hours. Hours turn into the next morning, woken up by the hangovers of each other.
Jeongguk fantasized for the entire drive and before he knew it, he was turning onto Taehyung’s street and pulling up to the curb across from his apartment. That was way too fast even for Jeongguk to space out. What, like 8 minutes? No wonder Taehyung was fine with taking the bus.
“This is where you live?” Jeongguk questioned in disbelief, staring up at the brown brick complex that looked approximately 5-8 storeys tall. It wasn’t new, looked to be at least a decade old with the overgrown vines along the sides and wild bushes shoved next to the foundations.
“Don’t remember it too well,” Taehyung joked, unclicking his seatbelt.
“And why’s that?” Jeongguk turned to him, his right elbow resting on the middle console, left arm slack over the wheel. “You don’t wanna see me here?”
“Not without an invite, baby,” Taehyung smirked.
He looked to the driver in his tight fit shirt with buttons about burst at his broadness, whose posture was even broader, surrounding Taehyung in an alluring heatwave. It was then that he realized they have not once touched except for that fleeting brush of shoes under the table. Never felt the warmth of his body under his palm, or the solid flesh of his toned arms in his grasp, or the soft skin of his moisturized face. They never even shook hands when they met. Taehyung was itching with touch-starved hives to lay a hand on him in anyway that he could.
“Uhm,” Taehyung said like it was a hiccup, “can you walk me to the door?”
Jeongguk deduced it was because he parked across the street and anything could happen between here and the lobby at this hour of night. And that was partly true. Whatever the case, he wasn’t opposed.
Taehyung clung to the jacket around his shoulders as Jeongguk came beside him, ready to escort his date back home. Maybe he was just too polite, but Taehyung couldn’t stand the distance he maintained between them. With his hands in his pockets, he kept all skinship to himself.
It was driving him crazy. Taehyung had a natural affliction for skinship even with the most distant of friends. With boundary of course. But if this jacket were still on his date’s body, he’d grip the lapels, pull Jeongguk towards him, and smash their lips together in an instant.
But he won’t do a thing. They both won’t. They both know boundaries and the strangeness in their time of meeting. However strange, they couldn’t feel more familiar. More comfortable. And it’s that familiarity at this stage of acquaintance that only made it stranger than ever.
As they walked further into the light of the lobby that shown through dirt stained windows, the want to abandon their awareness of time grew stronger than the awareness itself.
When Taehyung went for the door, Jeongguk stopped him gently with a tattooed hand on his shoulder.
“Taehyung…” he said, turning Taehyung to face him.
The touch shot electricity throughout his body as his eyes landed on the alluring glimmer in Jeongguk’s own. He was speechless at the sight. “Oh, did you want this back?” Taehyung moved to remove the jacket from his frame.
“No, no,” Jeongguk stopped him, secured the coat even more snug around his shoulders, then he held them. “I… uhm… I had a great time tonight. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” They stood so close, Taehyung saw the world fall away to darkness behind Jeongguk’s radiant face. “I had fun too,” Taehyung smiled.
“I’m glad.” Jeongguk nodded, letting his hands drop from Taehyung’s shoulders and fall back into his pockets. The latter sighed in disappointment, an almost audible whine may have escaped his throat but Jeongguk didn’t notice.
“You think we’ll see each other again?” Jeongguk asked.
“I hope so.” Taehyung shrugged. “I’ll admit… I really like you.”
“You do?” A smile urged its way onto Jeongguk’s face, his cheeks as rosy as Taehyung’s plump lips that he couldn’t stop staring at. “I feel the same way.”
“Can I get your number before you go?” Jeongguk finally asked.
“Sure,” Taehyung chuckled and rolled his eyes as he initially hoped for something more.
Jeongguk pulled out his phone and created a new contact, then let Taehyung input his number. All while his heart was pounding.
When he was handed his phone back, the name he originally typed as “Taehyung” was changed to “Taetae♥” and he smiled.
“My turn to ask you for something,” Taehyung said firmly with narrow eyes.
“And what’s that?” Jeongguk questioned, matching the same flirtatious energy.
With his slender fingers, Taehyung nimbly held onto Jeongguk’s tie and tugged. Not enough to really pull him, but it sent the message that he wanted him close. So Jeongguk did just that and stepped forward. But not close enough apparently because Taehyung tugged again. Another precarious step closer, the tips of their shoes now (literally) toe to toe. And nothing but an inch of awareness between their barely brushing noses.
“Can I kiss you?” Taehyung said quietly, just shy of a whisper, now playing with Jeongguk’s tie between his fingers.
Jeongguk’s face rushed into warmth as did the pit in his stomach. Was it too early for this? To think he started this night with the intention to date someone else and now was ending it in a kiss with another. Would it be fair to him? Does it matter? He wanted to be a gentleman.
And yet what’s more chivalrous than consenting to a kiss? An innocent kiss, what’s the harm in that?
“Okay,” Jeongguk answered softly, so subtle his lips barely moved, holding back an embarrassingly giddy grin.
Tentatively, Taehyung held onto Jeongguk’s arms close to the elbow.
He touched him like he was made of porcelain, the lightest touch of slim fingers gently finding its grasp around Jeongguk’s solid body, barely a firm hold but a tender taste of the warmth beneath his skin.
Jeongguk wanted to touch him ages ago but held himself back… until now.
He matched the other’s gentleness and slid his hands around Taehyung’s waist. His fingertips navigated Taehyung’s curves until the rest of his firm palm held the blonde boy in place.
He saw Taehyung’s eyes flicker from his eyes to his lips, his batting lashes couldn’t hide it.
Taehyung’s movement stuttered as he leaned closer but stopped half way. Jeongguk did the same, tilting his head slightly, receptive to whatever the other had in store. The assurance brought Taehyung to copy him, tilting his head to the other side as his lips lead the way forward.
Their lips met like the float of flower petals that fell on the undisturbed surface of water. Their bodies rippled at the touch, Taehyung’s hands travelled up Jeongguk’s biceps to the base of his neck, Jeongguk’s arms fully wrapped around his waist, bodies fully pressed together.
However restless the water was, their kiss never rose the tide. For as much as they wanted more, they held onto that want as a promise to see each other again. When the water ebbed out, Jeongguk pulled away for a breath and left a fleeting peck to Taehyung’s parted lips.
Taehyung stepped back with a shy expression, eyes averted to the floor as he nibbled on his bottom rosy lip. “Goodnight,” he said softly, reaching for the door.
“Goodnight.” Jeongguk nodded and grabbed the door before him, holding it open like the gentleman he wanted to be.
Taehyung let out a laugh, clutching the jacket around his shoulders as he headed inside the lobby. Jeongguk watched him go further inside and, to his heartfelt delight, saw the blonde boy look back to him over his shoulder. He couldn’t help this giddy smile anymore and beamed it.
Taehyung rolled his eyes but his own grin overshadowed it. He pressed for the elevator and Jeongguk waited until the doors opened and he was shut inside.
With a skip in his step, Jeongguk walked back to his car with a goofy smile, eager to message Taehyung as soon as possible.
Immediately, as Jeongguk slid into the driver’s seat of his car, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.
JK: hey, it’s Jeongguk :)
Taetae♥: miss me already?
JK: you have no idea
JK: when can I see you again?
Taetae♥: when’s your payday?
JK: Friday it is!
The End ♡