Art of Deceit

VIII

CHAPTER EIGHT
we shouldn't

I laid on my bed, drowning in my thoughts. A sudden buzz from my phone brought me back to earth. "Wanna go for a ride?" I read out the text mentally as my lips curved into an unintentional smile.

It had been a while since I've heard from him, the last conversation being the day of the 'kiss'. I didn't really know what to call it. It was more of a brush rather than a kiss.

"Okay." I replied almost instantly to Taehyung.

I snuck out of my home, waiting for Taehyung to arrive. It was well past midnight yet my mind was far from being weary. I felt the night breeze brushing against my cheek which sent goosebumps prickling all over my skin. After a few moments, I see him pull up a block away and I walked towards him.

"Hey," he chimed, his lips lifting into a warm smile as I got in.

"Hi," I squeaked, my lips pressed into an awkward smile as I felt the tension between us. "Where are we going?" I spoke out as soon as I realised he didn't peep a word.

"I really don't know this time." He simply chuckled as he met my gaze. As I studied his eyes, I noticed a certain sadness taint them. I realised it was the same look from school a few days ago which was the last time I had seen him.

I let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry," I began. His brows furrowed as he waited for me to continue. "At school," I said and he instantly shook his head. "I should've walked over to you-"

"Hey, it's okay." He cut me off by placing a hand on my thigh and I tense up slightly. "You don't have to apologise for anything." He gave me an assuring smile as I simply nod.

"I've not seen you around school for the past few days. Is everything okay?" There I go again with asking dumb questions.

"Oh, don't worry about that." He waved it off. "I just realised I needed a little more time off before diving back into the whole school thing again because-"

"I get it." I nod, noticing how he was struggling to pull a sentence together. I mirrored his smile with my eyes still fixed onto him. And there we were, entering into another silence as we simply basked in each other's presence, the silence ringing in our ears.

Realising his hand was still on my thigh, his cheeks grew red as he pulled away. "Should I just drive?" He asked right after coughing into his fist.

"The journey to nowhere begins." I simply let out with a smile as he began driving.

"I don't think this is safe," I said as we sat on the roof of his car. "I feel like it's about to cave in." I tapped onto it, pressing it lightly to see if it would dent and he looked to me with a chuckle.

"It's going to take a lot more than this to break through it, relax." He laughed, licking an ice cream that he had gotten through a drive-through.

I chuckled in response, licking onto my own ice cream as we sat in silence, stargazing. I didn't know what to say to him, the odd tension between us building up and Taehyung finally let out a groan.

"Jina, about that night," he finally addressed the elephant in the room. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have." His gaze landing onto me.

There was an unusual, dull ache that tugged onto my heart the moment he apologised even though I agreed with him. We barely knew each other, which is why I couldn't understand what I felt when I was around him. As cliche as it sounded, it was electrifying.

Everything with him was so adventurous and new, like a sudden spark in an endless darkness. He emitted a beguiling aura, drawing me in with every word he uttered. The fact that I had only known him for little over a week and yet he had managed to evoke all these emotions from within me made everything more puzzling.

"It's okay." I tried brushing it off with the shake of my head as I averted my gaze but he didn't let off.

"No, it isn't and I'm really sorry. I don't want to ruin what we have. These few days with you were probably the most fun I've had in a while." A sad smile painting his lips as he looked at me apologetically.

"Me too." I breathed out, "don't worry about it, okay?" I nudge him lightly and his smile broadened a little as he went back to focusing on the stars, finishing our ice cream in silence.

The trees above us rustled with the faint wind, the leaves falling onto us gently and I don't realise that one of it had fallen onto my hair until Taehyung pointed it out.

"Oh, you have a little something," and he pointed towards my hair. I frowned, reaching for it but felt nothing.

"Did I get it?" I chuckled as I tried picking it out but failed.

"No, it's—" and he breaks into laughter the more I miss it.

"Here, let me." He leaned over, his fingers going through my hair as he brushed the leaf out of it.

"Is it out?" I asked with a giggle and he simply hums in agreement, his hand still in my hair and that's when I notice his eyes fixated on me.

I feel a warm buzz flow through my body the moment his fingers start running through my hair. My eyelids fluttered shut as I found myself melting into his warm touch, his hand slowly making it's way to my face.

His fingers caress my cheek right before travelling lower, tracing down to my lips where he ran his thumb over it and that's when I look at him. He brushed against my bottom lip and I see him gulp. I found myself staring into his eyes that were gleaming with a certain longing.

"We shouldn't." I whispered as he looked into my eyes, his stare piercing.

"We really shouldn't." Taehyung whispered back, cupping my cheeks as he brought me closer towards him. He closed the gap between us, bringing our lips together.

I don't try to pull away, instantly deepening the kiss and I lose myself. My fingers raking through his hair as he pulled me closer towards him. His hands travelled lower and I feel it glide up my thigh, making me gasp.

He looked deep into me as he whispered, "maybe we should."