Love Cliché | DISC 1 | ✔️

Forty-second Cliché

How is your week?
Tell me...

Mine is just okay...as usual.

➰➰➰

Given all that he had, he should have been happy. But he wasn't.

He knew that others had it worse. He knew that he had it good, if not amazing. Compared to others that was probably how it looked like. And the rich heir knew that.

Yet there was something so unsatisfying in his life. There was no way to describe what was missing in his life, because there wasn't anything missing in his life—at least physically.

The irony was exactly that. That was the precise reason why he felt as if life was unsatisfying and not worth it.

Even now it was the same. The only difference about now was that he had some entertainment now. Every moment with Mia was entertainment. Mia was just so amusing and every second with her he was learning something new whether it was about himself, her or about the world.

Living was a bit easier, now that he had something to make him laugh. It was a little bit less dreary. It was the brighter side of having met Mia.

Everyday was fun, or at least amusing for him. It was actually better than anything he had experienced.

➰➰➰

And he wasn't the only one who noticed. Everyone at the lodge had noticed, not just Jimin and Jungkook but everyone.

"Taehyung...you're awfully happy." One finally said, he had been unable to hide his curiosity and he could tell it was a juicy fun.

"What makes you say that?" Taehyung replied, his eyes on the game playing on tv. It was Saturday and a college basketball game was on.

"You're smiling all the time." Hoseok smiled as he finished his beer. His eyes crinkled as he smiled, his eyebrows arching at the youngest male. "It's fine. Don't stop. It looks good on you."

Taehyung frowned. "Shut up."

Had he been smiling that often?

"I smile." Taehyung added. "You make it sound like I never smile."

"No." Hoseok shook his head. "It's not that. You smile but it's fake, concealed but recently, it's been real."

"What?" Taehyung made a face as he pushed Hoseok back, who was leaning into him more and more. "Stop your staring. I'm straight."

"So am I." Hoseok chuckled but sat back. "But, I'm not lying Taehyung. You look happy."

"Happy?" Taehyung scoffed. "Happiness is a figment of our imagination, something created to be an excuse for those in unfortunate times."

"Well, then what are you; if not happy?" Namjoon asked as he sat on the sofa reading a new book, he was nearly done with it that he could not take his eyes off it but he knew what was going on around him. He knew Taehyung was not the same and that he was just being stubborn.

Jimin was playing pool with Jungkook. They stopped to listen to Taehyung's answer while Yoongi just snored softly on the bar, resting his eyes. They were all curious as to what Taehyung would say.

They all knew this Taehyung in front of them was the byproduct of a single petite girl named Mia.

"Content. And stop your staring. If you're all horny go get a girl to satisfy your needs."

"Like you?" Namjoon says as he shuts his book closed. The final pages were complete. He knew it was going to annoy Taehyung but he couldn't help it. If there was a chance to tease the younger man, he would take it.

"What? Who?" Jungkook frowned. He couldn't mean...? "No."

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Taehyung days as he pours himself another drink. Whether or not anything that they were saying was true would be left to silence. He had no reason to spill. "You're all awfully interested in my affairs."

"What affairs?" Jin asks as he brings four boxes of pizza. One entire box was for himself.

"Taehyung's afffairs..." Hoseok teases out. He loved being the informer or tattletale. Especially if it was about Taehyung because he was too secretive and he needed to loosen up.

"Oh, Mia?" Jin smiled softly. He could not help think about the curry he had few days ago. He didn't tell anyone but he had eaten the leftover at four am. "Can your girlfriend cook again? Anything is fine. Maybe pasta, or lasagna, or stew, just food?"

"What's wrong with your cooking?" Namjoon asked. "I thought you liked cooking."

"I do. But you fat asses eat too much. I can't cook for you all, all the time." Jin frowned as he thought about the cookies that he had baked, which he had only been able to have three. He had made four dozens, for Pete's sakes.

"Get your own. To cook for you." Taehyung looked at Jin but he had been too busy eating two slices of pizza.

"Wow. Snappy aren't we. Even after relieving yourself all night? Miss your girly?" Hoseok laughed at Taehyung's antics. "But I agree. Her cooking is so much better than Jin-hyung. And he's good."

"Ugh," eyes turned toward the bar, where a sleepy Yoongi raised his head, and his arms raised up to stretch. "I did not need to wake up to that."

"Yoongi, if you're going to sleep go sleep in your room." Jin was on th next slice of pizza.

"Yes mother." Yoongi shrugged as he went to get juice in the fridge. Jin didn't say anything about the nickname. He was too used to it. "And Taehyung next time, please close your door properly. I could hear everything."

"Ugh, y'all are annoying." Taehyung pushed himself to his feet, and dragged himself to doorway.

"Where are you going?" Jin asked as he watched Taehyung as a mother watching her child run away from home. "It's late."

"Away from you all!" Taehyung rolled his eyes as he walked out into the hallway and continued until he reached the lodge.

In the dim lights of the campus and the moonlight path, he walked, a tune slowly easing out of his lips. It felt good to be in the open, which was a first. Very rare for him to be in society but lately it been easier for him to go out into the streets.

Taehyung's eyes went up to see the moon high above him. He liked the half moon, it reminded him of how she had murmured his name with half lidded eyes. He chuckled as a heat rolled inside his stomach. He was growing exciting, very excited for what was ahead of him.

On Sunday, Mia was in for a night.