In a Split Second || BTS

Chapter 5

"You have no idea how much I hate hearing you say that."

I swipe the tears from my eyes with my sleeve. "Can we talk about something else now?"

"Yeah, okay. But I hope you know how much I care about you, Cherisse."

"I do," I say with a soft smile. "I really do."

...

A brilliant sunset burns in front of me and a cloud-smudged night sky rises behind me. The city's skyscrapers are illuminated on either side by the brightness of the universe. The dusk air is chilling against my exposed skin, so I pull my hood over my head and tuck my hands into the fleece-lined pockets of my black hoodie. I don't exactly remember the way to the hotel – I am just trying to backtrack the route the taxi took this morning. Given the unfamiliarity of my surroundings, my brain's GPS is slightly incorrect.

My eyes are glued to the ground, subconsciously counting the steps each tennis shoe takes on the nearly pristine sidewalks. All of a sudden, someone turns a corner too quickly for me to move away and their shoulder smacks into mine, sending me flying backward. The course of adrenaline rushing through me at the pure shock of it all masks the pain from the accidental blow. The person desperately reaches out and grabs my waist, overcompensating and pulling me so close that our faces are inches apart. I completely stiff, barely daring to breathe as I glance up to examine the person's countenance. He is wearing a mask, but I would know those eyes anywhere. They are not unique – many people have eyes the same shade – but for me, they are different from anything I have ever seen, and I don't know why.

"Taehyung," I murmur.

Taehyung's POV

I feel like I'm going mad. Every time I try to redirect my thoughts, something always reminds me of her — the mention of a croissant. French. Cherisse – an afterthought about the golden railing in the elevator. Flecks of gold amidst gorgeous blue eyes. Cherisse. Why is this happening to me?

"Tae-hyung, are you all right?" Jungkook asks, frowning. "You have seemed off since the beginning of practice this morning."

"I am fine," I insist. My tone comes out colder and sharper than I meant. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean it like that. Thank you for your concern, but I am fine."

Jungkook raises an eyebrow at me. "It's that new choreographer, isn't it?"

My eyes flicker up to meet his dark orbs nervously. "What?"

"Don't pretend your emotions are invisible, no matter if your nickname is 'Blank Tae'. I saw the way you were looking at her, and believe me, we are all feeling the same way."

"What way?" I ask, ignoring the urge to ball my hands into fists anxiously.

"She may seem shy, but she is going to work us very hard. I know people like her – I can tell."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess she would do that. Is that a bad thing, though?"

"I never said it was, but it will be different. What do you think?"

"If it will help us improve our performances, I am up for it."

Jungkook nods. "You are probably right." I smile and ruffle the maknae's hair affectionately before stretching out on the sofa.

"Hey, do you want to hear a joke about paper?" Jin-hyung asks, peeking his head in the doorway.

"No," Jungkook groans.

"Okay," Jin-hyung pouts. "It was tearable anyways." His face lights up as Jungkook groans and covers his eyes with his forearm.

"Do you ever stop?"