The Ardent Lovers

035

Taehyung looked at his reflection at the mirror, making sure that every side of him looked handsome. He felt like he was going through their first date all over again. The nervousness almost ate him whole. Somehow, somewhere deep inside him, he knew that this meeting of theirs would also seal their fate as a couple. With a bouquet of fifteen mixed red and white roses, he arrived at the meeting place one hour before the said time.

He had been drinking tons of water since then but his throat still felt dry. Anxious, he kept drumming his fingers at the wooden table. He was in a deep trance, thinking of how to properly talk to the girl again. But every now and then, he'd look around to check if she was around the vicinity.

When the bell hanging by the door tinkled and a familiar figure crossed his sight, Taehyung automatically stood up.

While he was in his complete office outfit with suit and tie, she was in her casual clothes – a thick coat wrapped around her upper body while she opted for pants for her lower torso. Nonetheless, as she swept her hair back, she had Taehyung gaping. Her beauty was eternal and perhaps, the longing also made her appearance more magnified in Taehyung's eyes. She was as gorgeous as he had last seen her; but this time, she was more whole than broken.

Dahyun, on the other hand, looked around and realized that the café was not like it used to be. It was renovated yet it still carried the nostalgic aura for her. The two of them used to study in this café back in their university days and it was the same café where she had formally met Jennie as Taehyung's fiancée.

When her gaze met his, her lips curved into a small yet timid smile which he reciprocated with his own. Her feet automatically moved towards him even if each step was heavy to take.

"Hi," it was Taehyung who first greeted her.

"Hello," she awkwardly replied.

"Uhmmm," Taehyung hummed as if his brain shut down for a moment when he saw her. But then, his eyes travelled to the flowers and with a cough, he handed it to her and said, "For you."

"You shouldn't have bothered yourself," she whispered before putting the flowers back to the table.

As both of them sat down, he asked, "So am I going to order the usual?"

"So am I going to order the usual?"

The sentence echoed in Dahyun's ears. It was meant to be a normal part of their conversation but that was what it pained her — they can never go back to the way they used to be.

"No. It's okay," she said with her gaze kept down low, "Let's just talk."

"Ahhh," he merely replied before sitting back down in silence. He tried to smile and in an attempt to facilitate a conversation, he asked, "So how's your vacation?"

"It helped a lot, I guess," she gave a weak chuckle but he noticed how pain crossed her eyes.

He wanted to beat around the bush so that he could extend their time together. He then asked, "How are Chaeryeong and Chaeyeon doing?"

"They're doing well in school and they've grown up beautifully too," she answered. "It's just that, Chaeyeon's being cautious about her weight now."

Taehyung chortled a little before asking again, "And Hyunjin?"

"Hyunjin's taller than you now, and he had even dyed his hair," she said with her gaze still on the wooden table.

"And ommeoni?"

Dahyun bit her lower lip before giving a small smile as she said, "She's fine too. Her health condition is improving."

There was a long silence before Dahyun heard him ask another question.