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Cas (6:58pm): hey :) are you home?
Tae (7:00pm): yes why?
Cas (7:01pm): i want to bring you smth
Cas (7:01pm): can I come over?
Taehyung's eyes widened. Curiosity filling his mind. He hadn't seen her in a week after all and had barely exchanged some texts. Both being too caught up with other things and somehow always missing other at daycare those past days.
Tae (7:03pm): sure :-)
Ari was sitting in her playpen, playing with her animal toy bricks. His eyes wandering around the rest of the apartment then. It wasn't too messy, but there were still some of Ari's toys scattered around the carpet and the tests he was correcting piling on the coffee table.
Quickly, he picked up everything from the floor and put it into the pink toy box, before grabbing the pile of papers and shoving them into his desk drawer. He still had tomorrow to finish them.
It didn't take too long until the doorbell's ringing startled him.
"Hey," he casually greeted when opening the door. Realising he had missed seeing her smile.
"Hey," she shyly greeted back, "Just wanted to bring you this." Her gaze fell onto the object in her hands. Taehyung arching a brow when noticing the food container she was holding. Breaking into a smile. He stepped aside then. "Come in," he motioned with his chin and walked into the living room.
Cassandra blinked, perplexed. Her plan had only consisted of dropping the pie here and disappearing again. Assuming it was too late and he was busy. She hadn't expected him to actually invite her in. So it took a moment before her brain registered and told her to move. She closed the door behind her and followed him inside. "Oh, it's nice here," she spoke out loud while allowing her eyes to travel around the living room.
His eyesbrows lifted. "You sound so surprised?" he noted with a deep chuckle.
"I kinda am," she admitted while spotting the shelf with vinyls and art posters on the wall. "I expected it more chaotic." She saw Ari then, greeting the baby by lightly pinching her chubby cheek.
"What did you bring there?" Taehyung asked from his seat on the couch. Watching her leaving the baby and taking a seat next to him. "Me and my mum baked my favourite pie.. but it turned out way too much? So.." She could feel her cheeks flushing, uncertain of what to say. A playful groaned passing her lips and she stretched her hand out towards him. "Just take it, ok?"
His brows furrowed and he took the plastic container from her hands with a laugh. A sweet scent of apple and cinnamon filling his nose when opening it. "Oh." His eyes went round. "Smells nice."
"You sound so surprised," she giggled. Using his words from before, causing him to stifle a chuckle. "I just didn't know you could bake."
She shrugged. "It's not hard if you follow the recipe. And mum helped."
"I follow the recipe and it still doesn't always turn out well," he mumbled disappointed. He looked cute when pouting, she thought and made a mental note. Seeing a sly smirk spreading over his features then. "And what makes me deserve this pie?"
"As I said, I had way too much. I couldn't possibly eat it all," she laughed, "Been giving it around everyone I know. And.." She paused for a moment. "And since you helped me out the other time with the hospital, I thought it'd be the least I could do."
"It was nothing, really," he quietly said, looking down at the pie. "I couldn't leave you there alone."
"I mean, you could have.." He surely could've easily done that. It was sunday night after all and he had to go to work in the morning. And they weren't that close back then either.
He contemplated her words, eventually nodding. "I could've.. but I'd have felt terrible if I did." He frowned then, remembering something else. "How did you know where I live though? I forgot to tell you my address."
Tilting her head, she smirked. "I know it from your application. Duh."
His brows rose and an amused laugh left his full lips. "You sound like a real stalker now."
She wiggled her brows. "Maybe I am one after all." And they laughed. "Well, I don't wanna bother you any longer," she said then and made move to stand up, when Taeyhung gave her a smile, shaking his head. "You're not bothering me. In fact, I could need a little company. I haven't properly talked to any adult this whole week. My brain's about to collape."
"To collapse?" she repeated, amused about his use of words and sat back down. "Hard week at work?"
He dragged a sigh, letting himself fall back to the couch padding. "Yeah, a bit. I like the kids, but talking to eighth-graders or a baby only is tiring." His focus going back to the container on his lap. Taking out a piece of the pie then. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he wasn't the biggest fan of sweets and desserts. Especially since it was handmade and a gift from her.
He peeked at her wide eyes as she was observing him with anticipation while he took a bite. His brows knitting together then. "Holy.. this is delicious!" Hiw words coming out more startled than he had intended. He had been genuinely surprised though. It was soft, yet crunchy. And so, so good. The whole apple slices and cinnamon really giving it an intense taste. He wasn't a big fan of sweets, but he liked this one.
Cassandra's eyes lit up and she smiled widely. "Glad to hear that."
"Where did you find this recipe?"
"Uh, it's my grandma's," she explained, "She always makes that pie. Or at least used to. Hence why it's my favourite one."
He nodded, plopping the last bit of the piece in his mouth. Munching on it happily. It reminded her of a child and she had to bite back a smile.
"I get why. Tell your grandma she's a genius," he nodded.
"I will! She'll be happy to hear that."
For a moment, they grew silent. Just peeking and smiling at each other, when Taehyung's lips parted. "Ah, what should we do now? Do you wanna watch a film maybe?"
"Sure." She tried not too show it too much, but she was actually happy about his offer. Usually she was the one wanting to spend more time with others. She only had to call her mother and tell her to keep Isavella a bit longer. Not that she would mind anyway. Her mother was obsessed with her granddaughter. If Cassandra let her, she'd have her 24/7. "And which one?"
"Since you're my guest, I'll let you choose. Here." He handed her the remote. "I got everything, just browse around and choose something."
Her brows widened looking at the device in her hands. "And if you don't like my choice?"
"Based on last time, I'm sure I'm gonna like it," he grinned. She really liked his grin. It was charming. "Just give me five minutes to put Ari to bed."
Cassandra nodded quickly. "Sure, take your time," she smiled, "I'll take forever to decide on a film anyway."
"Just go with the first one you see and like," he said while picking up Ari. Waving her little hand at their guest. "Say 'goodnight'," he whispered to the baby who only responded with a bubbly noise. Cassandra laughed, reaching out to indicate she wanted to take her in her arms. So Taehyung leaned forward, carefully handing Ari over.
The little girl was rubbing her eyes before staring at the woman in an almost surprised manner. "Goodnight, cutie," Cassandra smiled and gently placed a kiss on her velvety-soft cheek. Rocking her a little bit before giving her back to Taehyung, who had been silently observing the two with a fond look. Cassandra was good with children. He knew that. And he liked that she got along with them the way he did.
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Unknown voices coming from the buzzing tv made Taehyung blink an eye opened. Annoyed. Realising they came from the film he had missed half of.
A long yawn escaped his lips and he stretched himself. Lowering his feet from the coffee table to switch the device off. Despite the volume not having been high, it still made his sleepy mind fuzzy. So he was glad about the following silence. His eyes fell on the clock on the wall. Past 2am. Perhaps starting a second film hadn't been a good idea.
A faint breathing was heard then and he looked beside him. Seeing Cassandra's head tilted to the other side, laying on the back of the couch. Breathing in and out calmy. He wondered if he should wake her up or not. Then again, what use would it have to wake her up? She was sleeping peacefully and it was pretty late, too. Sure, he would obviously offer to drive her home, if she wanted to. However, considering his own tiredness, he wasn't sure if it'd have been a good idea. And besides, he'd have to take Ari with him as he couldn't leave her alone there. Most likely waking her up while doing so. Therefore, the only logical thing right now would be to simply let Cassandra crash on his couch for the night.
Besides, he didn't mind her staying the night. Even if this indicated they were closer than just some acquaintances from their kids' daycare. Maybe he wanted them to be closer than just this. Because he liked hanging out with her. He liked talking to her. And he liked the idea of them being actual friends. He could use a friend like her.
And so he got up and walked to his bedroom, only to return minutes later with a blanket and a pillow. Resting the later one on the armrest. He gently pushed Cassandra's shoulder then. Causing her torso to slide down and lay on her side. Her head falling right on the pillow. Curls cascading down on one shoulder.
The girl frowned then, her long eyelashes fluttering lightly and a muffled whine came from her lips. Making Taehyung freeze in fear of having waken her up. However, much to his relief her features softened soon back to their natural calm expression. He heaved a sigh and continued by spreading the blanket over her. Making sure her whole body was covered by it.
Another tired yawn escaped his lips and he went to the lamp at the corner of the room. About to switch it off when for a moment, he paused. Glancing over his shoulder at the sleeping girl on his couch. She might wake up in the middle of the night, confused to where she was and perhaps afraid in the dark.
So he decided to leave it on for her, just in case, and headed to his own room. Checking a last time on the baby, tucking the winnie pooh blanket over her before letting himself fall onto his cool sheets. Clearly influenced by the film they had watched, a dream of a failed drug business with his friends playing in his sleep. And Cassandra.
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An ambulance siren made Cassandra's sleep end in a rather abrupt manner. She groaned. One of her eyes opened, realising the sun must have already been up as there was light coming from behind the curtains. Illuminating the thin fabric.
In a poor attempt to shield her eyes from it and maybe sleep a little longer, she pulled up the blanket she felt on top of her. Turning around, when she realised the underground was different than usually. Her eyes shooting open once again. They felt dry and burnt a little. Most likely because she hadn't removed her lenses before sleeping.
Her gaze wandering around then, taking in the surroundings. She was in a living room. Taheyung's living room. She remembered. They had been watching some gangster comedies which had popped up in the recommendations. That was all. She probably had fallen asleep somewhere in between. Her body abruptly sat up at the memory. The blanket sliding down by her movements and her eyes narrowed. A blanket. And a pillow. He must have got them for her.
She bit her lip. Had she embarrassed herself last night? Last thing she wanted was being a burden to anyone. Especially him.
Her gaze went to the clock on the wall. 9:01. With a sudden rush of guilt and distess she got up. Unsure of what to do exactly. Should she just head home? Wait till he got up? What was she supposed to do?
She wasn't good in moments like this, so she decided to at least get to the bathroom. Regretting it the moment she saw herself in the mirror though.
Her hair was a mess. At least on one side her curls didn't really look like curls anymore. And the eyeshadow she always used for her winged eyeliner was lightly smudged at the corners. Only good thing was her mascara still looked decent. Fixing her hair luckily wasn't a big problem. Wetting it made the curls re-appear. And even the smudged wing could be saved with a cotton stick. After making herself somewhat presentable again, she decided to dare take a look outside. See if maybe Taehyung was up already. And indeed, there were muffled noises coming from behind the closed kitchen door.
Cassandra took a deep breath. Not being exactly sure why she was even that nervous when carefully pushing open the door. Peeking her head through the gap, only to spot Taehyung sitting at the kitchen table. Head low as he was too focused on the pile of papers in front of him to notice her. Ari was beside him in her highchair, wiggling her rattle enthusiastically when seeing the woman. Making Cassandra instantly break into a smile.
"Good morning," she shyly spoke up. Not wanting to startle him in any way. She observed him straightening when hearing her voice and he looked up. Greeting her with an equally big smile.
"Oh hey, good morning." He pushed back the glasses on the bridge of his nose. Of course he looked even great with glasses on, while she looked like a strict librarian when wearing hers.
She slid onto the chair opposite of him, eyeing the papers and the pen in his hands. "What are you doing?"
"Correcting some tests," he sighed and looked down at the one in front of him. Scrunching his nose. "My head feels dizzy."
"Take a break then," she shrugged and curiously picked up one of them. Skimming it. "'An interval may be described as ___, ___ or ___ if it refers to successively sounding tones' ," she read out loud. "And the answer is 'horizontal, linear or melodic'?"
He hummed in response while scribbling the correct answer to another question on the side of the test he was currently correcting. Her eyes widened, feeling her own mind swirling while reading the rest. "Honestly, I don't understand half of these words," she awkwardly laughed out then. "'Minor third', 'perfect fifth'.. What?"
Taehyung chuckled under his breath, arching a brow at her. "Guess you didn't have music in school."
"I did actually. For two years," she playfully huffed then and crossed her arms, before proudly adding, "I even played an instrument."
He furrowed his brows, confused. "And you don't know about intervals and all these terms?"
She shook her head. "No, never learned them. We only learned the notes of our instruments and how to play them. And obviously played songs. But we didn't have any music theory otherwise."
"Were you at a fine arts school?"
"No, a normal one."
"Ah, see. That explains it," he nodded to himself and put his signature under yet another test. "And what did you play?"
She blinked, not understanding. "Huh?"
He smiled. "Your instrument. What was it?"
"Oh, the cello. I played the cello."
He nodded to himself, ticking the right answers on another test. "Suits you."
Her eyes blinked again and she giggled. Curiosity filling her as she leaned over the table. Propping her cheek on her fist. "Oh, really? Is that so?"
He shrugged, licking over his dry lips. "Yeah, I think so. I wouldn't have made you pick something common like a violin or flute. Besides, you've mentioned you'd be quite lazy," he laughed, "So what better instrument then a cello? It's quite uncommon and you always have to sit while playing it."
"T-hat's indeed the reason I picked it!" Amazed would be an understatement. She was fascinated, adding, "And because only two other girls picked it. Majority of class went with violins."
He nodded, content with his deduction skills. They might suck otherwise and he wasn't the most knowledgable person out there. But when it came to his subject, he knew a thing or two.
"You must play an instrument, too, right? I mean, as a music teacher.."
"Yeah, a few.."
"A few?" she repeated with widened eyes. "So you play more than one? That's h-" She quickly pursed her lips, cutting herself off as soon as she realised what she was about to say. "That's nice. Which ones?"
Not noticing her stutter, he went on correcting. "Sax, violin and trumpet."
Damn, that's hot, she thought to herself. This time preventing her lips from speaking out her thoughts too quickly. "Basic violin, I see," she chuckled, seeing him also crack a laugh.
"Yep, but also not so basic ones."
She nodded. "Yeah, saxophones are pretty cool and interesting sounding. Suits you."
"You think so?" he smirked, glancing at her briefly before going back to correcting.
"I do," she nodded, smirking back as she leaned in a bit more. "The sound fits your deep voice." He smiled, feeling a bit shy.
"Maybe if I had a teacher like you, I'd have been more interested in music.." She sighed then. "But guess my heart always rather belonged to art classes."
He perked up. "You're into art?"
Nodding vigoriously, she smiled. "Let's say it'd be a dream to have a garden like Monet. And spend my days just strolling in it. Painting its pretty flowers."
For a moment he was simply looking at her with soft almond eyes. Picturing that life she had described in his mind. And how she would sit in her pretty garden, surrounded by flowers and painting them. And he liked it. That image of hers. He could see it clearly. And he realised, it was close to what he'd like having.
"Sounds like a nice dream," he eventually nodded, his gaze returning to the test sheets. "I like art, too. Not as much as music, obviously. But I like it a lot."
She couldn't help but smile widely. "I could tell from the Basquiat poster in your hallway."
He arched a brow, giving her a lopsided smirk. "You know him?"
"Sure. Not one of my top artists, but I like his works."
For a moment they smiled at each other before Taehyung's expression fell unti a frown. "Sorry, I didn't even offer you anything for breakfast." He gave her an apologetic smile, scratching the back of his neck. "Do you wanna eat something? I have.. not much actually." He laughed out. "Jam.. and your cake."
"It's okay, the cake is for you. And I should let you correct your tests in peace anyway. "
Ari, who had been quietly playing with her rattle and the toy blocks in front of her, looked startled when Cassandra stood up. Almost pushing down one of the toy bricks.
"Why do you always think you'd be bothering me?"
She stopped in her tracks. Taken aback. Truth was, it had always been an insecurity of hers. The fear of being a nuisance to someone. "I don't know. I just assumed you.. Because of the test.."
And there it was. This award-winning smile of his. It wasn't exagarrated or overacted. It was soft. Gentle even. And friendly. It radiated warmth along with his browm eyes. "You're not. Don't worry. I'm on my last test."
Pursing her lips, she nodded. Taking her previous seat. And his smile changed into a content one.
"D-did you also fall asleep during the second film?" she asked then in an attempt to change topics.
He awkwardly laughed and nodded. "I did. Quite a pity, it seemed good. A little weird, but good."
"I'm glad you liked both my film choices," she grinned proudly. "There aren't that many who do."
"It's alright, my friends don't always comprehend my taste either," he winked before signing the last test. Another B. "But that makes it more fun when finding someone you can actually watch them with."
She felt her chest clenching in an exciting way. He had a way with words. Even if he didn't realise it. "I got time before picking Izzy from my parents. If you don't have anything else to do, we could -"
"Continue it?" he grinned. To which she grinned as well.
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