Art of Deceit

XXI

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
goodbye

I walked into the little space, into the second basketball court and I saw Taehyung standing there with his hands tucked into the pocket of his pants as he stared at the painting.

"Hey," I called out and he turned around, a look that sent a chill down my spine greeting me.

"Hi." His voice was soft, low and sombre.

"What is this about?" I walked towards him, getting slightly anxious. It's been a while since we've held a conversation with one another.

"You know, the last time you and I were here, I remember being so sure that you'd be the first person I fell in love with." He said and I feel my heart skip a beat, getting nervous as to where this conversation was heading.

"I thought I'd finally have it, that gut wrenching, overpowering first love." His eyes start glistening as tears pool his eyelids, and I stood there completely unaware of what to do.

"But then everyone started getting in my head, the guilt about Yeona coming back to me and now I think I finally understand this." He looked at the boy that was crouched into the corner. "You changed what the boy meant to me, you made me see myself in him."

"Taehyung-" I try speaking but he cuts me off.

"No, no." A tear escapes his eye and he wipes it immediately. "It's not a bad thing." He sucked in a deep breath, his chest puffing up. "I-" and he paused as he sighed. "I'm scared. I know that now. I think I've never been able to fall in love because of the fear of ruining someone, maybe myself even." He nodded to himself, acknowledging it.

I stood by, watching with a dejected gaze falling upon him. Taehyung walked towards me, his hands digging into his pockets as he pulled out a tiny box. His eyes stared into mine as he handed me the box.

"If only we had more time," he breathed out. "You would've been the one, I know it." He looks down at me, his hand now cupping my cheek as he got me to look at him.

I don't say a word, my heartbeat racing.

"Promise me you won't open this until you get home." He said, placing the box in the palm of my hand.

"What?" My brows furrow as I tried having a better look at the box but before I could, his lips meet mine.

I freeze for a moment, but I don't fight it. Even though we hadn't spoken to each other in a while, the familiarity in the kiss brought me comfort, remembering how he had been my haven.

He pulled away, his forehead resting on mine. "Promise me," he whispered, his voice shaky as though he was about to break.

"I promise." I let out with a frown, eyes welling up with tears for some reason as I see the vulnerable side of him.

The moment he hears my promise, he leaned in again, kissing me deeper and there's a slight shift in the way he kissed me. It's soft and slow, feeling how his warm lips moved against mine with such longing. He pulled away slowly, trying to savour every second his soft lips were on mine and he stared into my eyes.

"I really don't want to say goodbye."

I opened the box, pulling out a piece of fabric and I stared at it with bewilderment. I took it out completely, finding a piece of paper in the box. I picked it up and examined it. A certain confusion tinged with hope swarming in me but as soon as I read what was written on the paper, the tiny spark of hope faded.

The fabric's always going to be there, isn't it?