Fifty shades of Kim

Chapter twenty-three

When I wake up, it's still dark. I have no idea how long I've slept I stretch out beneath the duvet, and I feel sore, deliciously sore.

Taehyung is nowhere to be seen. I sit up, staring out at the cityscape in front of me. There are fewer lights on among the skyscrapers, and there's a whisper of dawn in the east I hear music. The lifting notes of the piano, a sad, sweet lament Bach, I think, but I'm not sure. I wrap the duvet around me and quietly pad down the corridor toward the big room.

Taehyung is at the piano, completely lost in the melody he's playing. His expression is sad and forlorn, like the music. His playing is stunning.

Leaning against the wall at the entrance, I listen, enraptured. He's such an accomplished musician. He sits naked, his body bathed in the warm light cast by a solitary freestanding lamp beside the piano. With the rest of the large room in darkness, it's like he's in his own isolated little pool of light untouchable lonely, in a bubble.

I walk quietly toward him, enticed by the sublime, melancholy music. I'm mesmerized, watching his long, skilled fingers as they find and gently press the keys, thinking how those same fingers have expertly handled and caressed my body. I flush and gasp at the memory and press my thighs together. He glances up, his expression unreadable.

"Sorry." I whisper. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

A frown flits across his face.

"Surely, I should be saying that to you" he murmurs. He finishes playing and puts his hands on his legs.

I notice now that he's wearing sweatpants. He runs his fingers through his hair and stands. His pants hang from his hips, in that way- oh my. My mouth goes dry as he casually strolls around the piano toward me. He has broad shoulders, narrow hips, and his abdominal muscles ripple as he walks. He really is stunning

"You should be in bed." he admonishes.

"That was a beautiful piece. Bach?"

"Transcription by Bach, but it's originally an oboe concerto by Alessandro Marcello."

"It was exquisite, but very sad, such a melancholy melody."

His lips quirk up in a half smile.

"Bed," he orders. "You'll be exhausted in the morning."

"I woke and you weren't there."

"I find it difficult to sleep, and I'm not used to sleeping with anyone," he murmurs. I can't fathom his mood. He seems a little despondent, but it's difficult to tell in the darkness. Perhaps it was the tone of the piece he was playing. He puts his arm around me and gently walkes me back to the bedroom.

"How long have you been playing? You play beautifully"

"Since I was six."

"Oh." Taehyung as a six-year-old boy my mind conjures an image of a beautiful, black-haired little boy with dark eyes and my heart melts- a six years old boy who likes impossibly sad music.

"How are you feeling?" he asks when we are back in the room. He switches on a sidelight.

"I'm good."

We both glance down at the bed at the same time. There's blood on The sheets- evidence of my lost virginity I flush, embarrassed, pulling the duvet lighter around me.

"Well, that's going to give Mrs. Kang something to think about," Taehyung mutters as he stands in front of me. He puts his hand under my chin and tips my head back, staring down at me. His eyes are intense as he examines my face. I realize that I've not seen his naked chest before. Instinctively, I reach out to run my fingers through the smooth yet firm chest to see how it feels. Immediately, he steps back out of my reach.

"Get into bed," he says sharply. His voice softens. "I'll come and lie down with you." I drop my hand and frown. I don't think I've ever touched his torso. He opens a chest of drawers and pulls out a T-shirt and quickly slips it on.

"Bed" he orders again. I climb back onto the bed, trying not to think about the blood. He clambers in beside me and pulls me into his embrace, wrapping his arms around me so that I'm facing away from him. He kisses my hair gently, and he inhales deeply.

"Sleep sweet, Seokjin," he murmurs, and I close my eyes, but I can't help feel a residual melancholy either from the music or his demeanor. Kim Taehyung has a sad side.