Far from home|KTH

Anticipation

Namjoon managed to keep his laugh to himself, amused by his friends obvious nervous reaction.

Tae laughed softly.

"Yes, you and me, as the representatives for both teams. Do you have a better plan perhaps?", he replied, glancing at her amused with his intense eyes.

"No, no. That's fine", she said and looked down at her screen again.

Namjoon shook his head, still strictly staring at his screen, trying to keep his face straight.
He had known her long enough to read her like an open book. He loved to see her suffer like this because she did it with a smile on her face for once and a new light in her eyes. But something was still concerning him with the situation. He could see it escalate quickly, even though that would be out of character for her. 

Her phone buzzed next to her with Namjoon's name on the screen. She read the text quickly.

"Seriously Emma, could you be a little less obvious lol . He is hot but get a grip".

She turned her head to face him and gave him a death stare, but he had a point, he always did. Tae was definitely catching her eye more than he should. She just couldn't understand why yet. So far it was just harmless games, no harm in that.

The day passed quickly under the heavy load of work and soon it was already afternoon. There were just too many things to do, too many engagements and contracts to get done.

She sighed loudly, Tae's eyes looking at her curiously from across the table.

"Are you okay?", he asked, his eyes wandering around her features as usual.

She nodded and looked away. Maybe she needed some air, she had sat down for a few hours now and her body felt stiff. 

"I just need a short break guys. I'll be right back", she said as she excused herself. 

She left the office and headed to the elevator, grabbing a bottle of water on her way from the kitchen. The main destination was the rooftop, for a few minutes of alone time to clear her head. These first days had really puzzled her mind, she truly had a few things to figure out.

The warm spring wind stroke her skin with its comfort and she took a deep fresh breath of relief. This trip was turning out to be more exciting than she thought in general. She enjoyed the new environment, all the new energies and experiences, it made her realise how bored she was with everything at home. None of it ever made her feel like this anymore. It used to.

None of it.

She leaned on the concrete  railing and took a sip of the water. That realisation hit her hard. Why wasn't she missing any of it? Not even Jin.

Maybe it was too early to miss any of it ? It had been just a few days and the fascination of newness was still present and overwhelming.

Tae entered the rooftop. He knew she fled up here for some reason and he was curious of why. He approached her slowly, leaning on the same concrete railing as her. Her startled eyes turned to meet his, but she relaxed as she met his friendly gaze.
It pleased him that she felt comfortable in his presence somehow.

"Oh , Hi Tae", she said with a smile. Her hair blowing effortlessly in the warm wind, the bright sunlight hitting her deep blue eyes perfectly, turning them into magic.

His stomach turned unexpectedly by the sight, that deep grip of desire grabbing him. He wasn't a guy without options in the female department, but he felt strangely drawn to her.

He swallowed hard,  licked his lips and looked away for a moment, her eyes still on him.

"Are you okay?", he asked and returned to her smile.

She nodded and took another sip of water.

"I think so. I'm more than okay, that's the problem really...", she replied and a sad expression entered her face.

"If you are more than okay, then you shouldn't be looking that sad", he answered, still observing her closely.

"I know", she replied."It's complicated".

He didn't want to pressure her into talking about things she wasn't ready to talk about yet obviously.

"If you want to talk, I'm a good listener", he said and reached for her hand.

She got caught off guard by his touch, but she didn't mind it. Not at all. She let him hold her hand, it felt comforting somehow.

Her eyes sought his again and it wasn't hard to find them, they were still fixated on her.

" I believe you. Maybe one day I will take you up on that offer ", she replied quietly. "Should we get back to work?".

He nodded and pulled her towards the elevator, still holding her hand and she followed him willingly. The warm sensation of his hand felt reassuring, comforting, strangely like home.

" I already sent Namjoon to the house for the last check. Should we grab our stuff and get going to the airport? The traffic in this town is seriously terrible ", he said said as they entered the elevator, still holding her hand.

" Yes, if you say so. I trust you, you know this city better than me", she replied, trying to avoid looking at him which was hard. 

The doors closed and silence entered together with the tension in the air. She still let him hold her hand, not wanting to let go of it. He effortlessly moved a little closer to her, both of them leaning against the back wall, staring straight forward. He was definitely invading her space, playing with his thumb in the palm of her hand smoothly, his arm lightly pressed against hers.

Her eyes wandered to their interlaced fingers, her heart beating faster, her mouth getting drier. He turned his head just enough to be able to look down at her, to feed off her intriguing energy.

The door opened with a loud pling and he let go of her hand as he left the elevator.

"Are you coming?", he asked with a smirk.