01
Nora
Head ducked down, shoulders slumped, he makes way to his usual seat. I imagine his dark eyes locked with mine, the thought being enough to make my heart race with anticipation.
"Can you please stop being so obvious?" Naina whispers in my ear.
I immediately avert my eyes from him, cheeks heating in embarrassment as they land on the professor.
She snickers when I pretend to pay attention to the lecture.
Minutes later, out of the corner of my eye I saw some movement. Automatically, my focus went to him again as he moved his hand through his fluffy brown hair to push them back. His long, slender fingers rested on his neck, to lightly massage it. I imagine them on my own neck then moving down slowly-
Clenching my thighs together, I curse mentally.
"You're doing it again." Naina whispers, eyes sparkling with amusement.
Fisting the cloth of my skirt, I rest my forehead on the desk, trying to think about anything but him. I'm screwed.
***
Kim Taehyung was invisible to all his classmates, including me, until I accidentally sat on his seat two weeks ago.
On the fated day he came to the class, avoiding everyone as if we all had flu (well, someone had it because my best friend was sick at home.), droplets of water stuck in his hair, wet splotches on his blue shirt, he made his way to his seat only to find it occupied by a girl with wild hairs.
Unable to ask me to move, he stood awkwardly beside the desk until I noticed him and got a glimpse of his dark, enchanting eyes that looked everywhere but into my eager ones. I shifted in my seat, so he could sit beside me; the way his eyes roamed around, I could tell he was looking for another seat but decided to sit with me anyway.
None of us spoke a word. Some droplets fell from his hair and landed on my bare arm trickling down to my elbow only to be absorbed by clothes. I kept pretending to focus on lecture to hide the fact that I was acutely aware of the boy beside me.
Throughout the lecture I sneaked glances at him, a little disappointed to not have him stare back. His glasses hung low on his perfectly chiseled nose as he scribbled sloppily in his notebook. Once the professor was done speaking he leaned back, hands resting on his thighs, his fingers tapped on his jeans as he licked his lips. I felt my cheeks heating up as a not so appropriate thought crossed my mind.
As if he heard what I was thinking, his head whipped towards me, the dark eyes met mine for a millisecond then went to linger at my shoulder. He chewed on his lower lip as I waited for him to speak.
"Is it okay if we do it here?" His voice was so deep that I felt goosebumps rise on my skin. His gaze went down, I snapped back to my senses and realized what he said.
My eyes widened, I was sure I didn't say anything to him yet. "What?" I asked, bewildered by his straight-forward question.
"The project?" He said, still refusing to look at me.
"I'm sorry, what project?"
Without lifting his chin up, he looked at me through his long, thick lashes. The crease between his brows suggested I was openly gawking at him, but I couldn't look away.
"The project Mr. Song just told us about?" His frowned deepened when there was not even a flash of understanding in my eyes. "He partnered up seatmates and...were you not listening?"
Heat rushed to my face, as I blinked away from his stare, fingers clenched in fists to avoid fiddling. "Sorry, I was-uh...thinking...something."
He chuckled then played it off by clearing his throat. I narrowed my eyes at the desk and started gathering my stuff.
"So can we do the project here?" He stood up seeing that I was ready to leave. "I mean not here exactly, in the library."
Silently kicking my distracted mind for not paying attention to class, I replied, "Okay, at 6?"
He nodded then moved away, giving me space to leave, and I was more than glad to get out, as I'd already made a fool of myself. While passing his towering form, I caught the scent of forest and vanilla coming off him. It made me halt for a second; where did he get a cologne like that? As much as I wanted to stay and sniff around, my defense mechanism kicked in, reminding me of my previous embarrassment and I paced away from the overly attractive boy.
In every class for the rest of the day, my eyes scanned every face involuntarily, but he was in none of them. At exactly 5:30, I went to washroom to look at my state, saying I looked like I walked through a storm would be an understatement. My hairs weren't as bad in any other time of year, but the moisture of rainy season made them go lunatic. I put them into a ponytail, and the baby hairs created a messy arc right above my forehead, sighing in defeat I just let them fall back on my shoulders.
On my way to the library, I pouted thinking I'd have to look for him in that huge place, only if I'd gathered up enough courage to ask for his number.
To my relief he was waiting outside, eyes trained on the floor. I greeted him and he lead the way to a corner table in the library. Since I paid no attention in today's class, he had to explain what we were supposed to do, then we spent some time brainstorming and deciding what we would actually do. Soon we fell into ease as we divided the parts and studied quietly. After discussing and exchanging notes we headed out.
Halting at the sight of the gate, I nearly groaned. I was not the type of person who got sappy and gushed over how romantic rains are nor did I despise it. I was extremely neutral when it comes to rain, but being on my period, I hated the idea of getting wet, instantly I was ready to wait even if it took all night.
"Are you going to wait?" He asked, voice a little louder so I could hear him over the noise of rain. I nodded.
"You have a car?" He asked and I shook my head, hair tingling my cheek. My hair! I raked my hand through them in a futile attempt to tame them.
"Wait here, I'll get umbrella." He said and walked inside before I could stop him. Who is gonna lend him an umbrella in this weather?
Just as he said, he came back with one.
"Sorry, I could get only one." He said, eyes trained on my shoes.
"That's okay," Then I realized we'd be sharing it and my heart stuttered as he opened the damned umbrella. I got under it beside him, leaving an inch between us, but it wasn't big enough and my shoulder was getting wet as we stepped into the rain. He saw it right away and circled his arm around me. I waited for it to rest on my shoulder but it hovered above me as we kept walking.
My heart beat doubled as a giggle left his lips, the vibration making me aware of the few centimeters gap between us.
He giggled again, and I couldn't stop myself from look up at him. I regretted it immediately because on his face was stuck the cutest grin I'd ever seen, turning his eyes into crescents.
"What's funny?" I asked, wanting to know what had led me to be blessed with his smile.
"You hair." He said, still smiling but mine was nowhere to be found.
"Huh?" I grew self-conscious.
"They're tickling me." He said, and his vacant hand moved touch them.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled, frowning, as I pushed them over to the opposite shoulder while taking a step away from him.
"No, no, it's so cute." He said promptly as he pulled my body to his side using the hand that was initially hovering around me, finally resting on my shoulder. I stared wide eyed. Our expressions mirrored each others once he realized what he blurted out.
The thudding noises made by rain on the little umbrella resembled my heartbeat perfectly. His mouth opened as if to say something but he decided against it. I thought he'd remove his arm from my shoulder, but he didn't.
After a long awkward silence, I decided to ask a basic question that I should've asked hours ago. "What's your name?"
He snorted as if I was supposed to read it off his forehead then replied, "Taehyung."
"Hey, you also don't know mine!"
"I do. It's Nora."
"How do you know my name?"
"Because it was written on your notebook."
"Right." I pouted and he giggled again. It was so cute I would squish his face if he wasn't mocking me. None of us uttered a word after that and I got lost into the rhythm of soft squeaking noise my shoes made.
I was walking with a stranger, under an umbrella, with his arm around my shoulders, having no idea where we were going until he stopped in the parking lot and unlocked a car. It made two beeping noise pulling me out of my trance.
"Get in. I'll drop you." He mumbled looking down at my wet shoes and jeans.
"No, no, I prefer walking." I put my hands above his on the stem of our shelter. My pinky brushed his thumb right when clouds rumbled loudly making me flinch.
"No, I can't let you walk in this weather. You may get struck by lightening." He teased, lower lip tucked under his teeth, he glanced up at my face for barely a second.
"I-" I can't even think of a comeback. He is so shy that he can't look directly at me, so I try to make him comfortable but then he mocks and teases me and I have no idea how to respond. His behavior is contradictory.
"Shhh" He leaned towards me, black eyes staring into my soul, the image of the shy boy washed up by rain, all that remained was his intimidating glare. "It is not safe and you may fall sick. We still have a project to finish. Please get inside."
He opened the door for me as I tried to decipher the glint in his eyes. They held me captive under their gaze until I obliged and settled my butt on the passenger seat.
Once out of rain, my squeaking shoes got awfully loud in the silent car and I embarrassingly asked him to play some music. We didn't talk for the rest of the ride except for me giving him directions.
When we reached, I thanked him politely before running to the shelter of my apartment building as he drove away.
Next day, Naina had recovered enough to attend classes but stayed salty because of me refusing to welcome her with a hug. I'd like to not get sick thank you very much.
Despite me not hugging her, I started feeling my nose getting clogged up by lunch and obviously I blamed it on her. Throughout the day my eyes kept searching for him, but not once did he grace me with his presence. It was natural because we had no other class in common except one which was off today.
I thought his name probably a million times by now but I wondered how it would sound aloud. Wanting to know I moved my lips and let his name roll over my tongue in a whisper.
"Are you talking to yourself?" Naina eyed me weirdly. "I didn't show up for one day and you made imaginary friends."
I threw a lettuce at her face to which she gathered me in a hug saying the damage is already done.
And god she was right. By the end of last lecture, my head pounded inside my skull, as I told Naina about staying for the project in my ugly nasally voice. She handed me her spare pack of tissues and hugged me goodbye.
I dragged my body to the library, not caring if I looked like a beaten football in front of the boy I can't stop thinking about.
Someone bumped into me as I was getting an energy drink from vending machine and I snarled at him. The poor guy apologized nervously and walked away. I pouted as I was so ready to fight. In my defense I was on periods, had cramps, a headache and lost the ability to breathe through my nose. Trying not to be so moody, I blew my nose in the tissue to hopefully clear the path.
Still breathing through my mouth, sipping drink that was probably doing more bad than good, I finally got to meet Taehyung after the long day.
"Hey." I greeted.
His eyes darted to my face then to my hands and rested on a spot near my shoulder.
"You got sick?" He asked in his husky voice that my ears had been craving to hear all day, but it did nothing to fix my mood.
"No, I'm fine." I replied curtly, looking at the pendant that rested between his collar bones.
He nodded and went inside, I followed behind him and sat on the opposite chair. He raised his eyebrows momentarily, then avoided eye contact. The day before we sat side by side since it was easier to work that way. He got up from his seat. Assuming he went to get books, I took out my stuff and turned on the laptop. The chair beside me moved, I glanced up only to meet his eyes. He was nibbling on his lower lip nervously as he settled beside me.
"You'll get sick." I mumbled without looking at him.
"I thought you weren't sick." He retorted. I rolled my eyes.
"Whatever. Don't blame me when you end up losing your sense of smell." I said dryly and opened my notebook.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his body gravitate towards me. He inhaled against my hairs. "I won't." He breathed out.
I also let out the breath I was holding involuntarily. He then went on to explain some recent article he came across that we could use as reference.
The rest week consisted of me glaring at clocks to strike 6 so I'd meet him again and listen to his velvety voice speak at lengths about things that I would've never found interesting if they weren't rolling off his tongue.
Last day of working together came sooner than I thought, and I was about to sulk because we were done an hour before 8 pm. I packed my stuff at an excruciatingly slow pace to stall for more time together. We hadn't exchanged numbers; we didn't talk much in our time together because we meet only to finish our project and since that was done we had no reason to talk, which somehow put me in a gloomy mood. He wasn't even hinting that he wants to see me after we were done. It was moments like these when I wonder if all the stares across the class, the subtle touches, his fingers brushing my hairs at any chance he gets and everything else that floods blood to my cheeks and infuses butterflies into my stomach mean nothing to him.
I took a deep breath and faced him, ask his number it's not a big deal. He will become your friend that way. The voices in my head were encouraging me while the boy won't even look at me to say goodbye.
Feeling stupid about this whole matter I stomped away without a word. He is clearly not interested and I'm too much interested and that says I can't ever be happy just being his friend.
I halted in my steps when the said boy came right in front of me, blocking my way.
"I-um-" The lump in his throat bobbed.
I raised my eye brows questioningly.
"Would you mind eating with me?" he winced. "I mean have dinner with me and my brother, since we finished early."
His eyes went down on my face to rest on my lips. The revelation alone made my stomach do somersaults.
"Yeah okay." Too easy, a faint voice echoed in my head but I decided to ignore it.
A faint smile tugged the corner of his lips as we walked side by side.
"Exit is that way." I pointed out since he made a wrong turn.
"I know. Namjoon hyung, my brother, is a professor."
I nodded my head as my lips formed an o.
Kim Namjoon, the hottest professor the university walls has ever seen was Taehyung's brother. For a moment it was hard to believe but one glance at his sharp jaw, perfect nose, and everything else I've been admiring for the past week, the only word that came to my mind was: genes.
Apparently the sexy professor who 'has heard a lot about me from his brother' and wasn't aware of, or as he said after getting a not so subtle nudge from Taehyung, has forgotten the dining arrangements made with his baby brother and had made plans with Professor Suzy. He apologized to me like a gentleman and handed his car keys to Taehyung, instructing him to take me, or as he said, this pretty lady to a fine restaurant. I now know why those girls from his classes are ready to bite him.
This is not a date. I chanted in my head looking out the window of the same car in which he dropped me home on the day we first met.
We were near a street where I knew great place to eat. It was perfect, had delicious food at cheap prices. The kind of place people like me preferred over 'fine restaurants'.
"Taehyung," I rarely say his name, for some reason it feels like a forbidden spell that must be used cautiously.
He turned his head towards me fully, the car swerved.
"God! Look ahead!" I scolded him as he muttered a sorry.
"You were saying?" He asked.
"Yeah, there is a place that I know of around here. Umm...can we go there?" I asked and as he was considering, I hastily added, "Food is great there, I promise."
His expressions softened into a sweet smile that made me wish I hadn't asked him to look ahead.
"Okay."
Once we reached the place, I could tell from his face that this is not what he expected. There was no space to park around the small store so he asked me to go inside and order. As I stepped out the smell of their noodles hit my nose and I trod inside happily.
As soon as he tasted the mouth-watering noodles, a grin dawned on his lips.
"I told you they are good." I folded my hands and give him a smug face.
"It is, but I wanted to take you some place fancier."
"Why?"
"Huh?" His eyes widened.
"Why did you want to take me to a fancier place?" I asked. Is this a date?
He looked down again, away from my prying eyes. In this stance I can't help but comply to the demands he doesn't even voice.
"I think this place is perfect. I come here a lot with my other friends." I added to ease his discomfort.
"Yeah, I like it." He mumbled to his noodles and gave a thumbs up.
After that we talked at lengths about random things and laughed at each other's jokes. His laugh is so ear-pleasing, the way his deep voice vibrates, turning his deep eyes into little crescents and bringing his teeth from behind his lips out for the world to see perfection.
We lost the track of time, too engrossed in our conversation. All the time we talked he didn't even look away from my face and I didn't even notice. But I noticed plenty of other things like how he is not really good with words and occasionally stutters to find the right ones and how he swipes his tongue over his lips too many times, and every time I can't stop staring at them. He didn't seem too shy as he flirted with me once or twice. It made me wonder if he just lacks confidence.
We were interrupted by Namjoon's phone call and as Taehyung went away to talk I took out my own phone to check messages.
12 missed calls from Naina. I checked the time. 10 PM
I hit the call back button, dreading her wrath.
After asking my whereabouts she scolded my for not picking up.
"Calm down, woman! My phone was on silent!" I had to talk over her as she wasn't simmering down.
"Why was it on silent? I called you! A million times!" She exaggerates everything when angry.
"Because I study at the library! And it was only 12 times!" I huffed in frustration.
"Which library is open at 11?!"
Taehyung slid back into his seat, watching me with amusement, clearly heard my conversation from across the room.
"It's 10 not 11 and I'm not at the library right now. I'll be home in twenty minutes."
"Oh god. You're with someone?"
I rolled my eyes. Freaking finally. "Yes. We'll talk when I get back."
"Are you...hooking up with someone? Did I interrupt something? " She squealed with delight until, "Oh wait, I didn't because you put your phone on silent."
"No, I am not. And I was at the library you're supposed to do that to your phone there."
"We have a lot to talk about when you get back." She chimed suggestively.
"Shut up. Bye." I hung up on her.
"Let me guess, Naina?" He asked with a grin. In the time we spent, I obviously told him about two of my close friends at the uni.
Rolling my eyes in mock annoyance, I said, "Who else?" And broke into a sheepish grin.
We walked side by side to where he parked. The back of his hand brushed mine a few times, none of us tried to hold other's hand, but every touch ignited my skin with desire.
We didn't speak in the car but there was a lot of tension in the air that made me want to get out and run home, but also ruin his utterly kissable lips with mine. I did none of that and stared straight ahead.
He pulled over at my home. I thanked him and opened the car door.
"Wait," he said in breathy voice.
I turned to him, heart pounding in my ears as he leaned towards me. My breath got caught in my throat as his hands moved forwards.
I let it go when he opened the glove compartment and tried to compose my thoughts.
He held up a single pink camellia to me, and I melted into a puddle.
"I got this for you." His dark orbs pierced right through mine as I willed my hand to accept the flower but it stayed frozen by my side
"Thanks." I breathed. "When did you buy it?"
"After parking the car, I saw an old woman was selling them." He said looking at the flower. My heart fluttered.
"Thanks. It's beautiful." I smiled and held it between my thumb and index finger. His hand moved away from the stem only to brush a strand of my hair back and then to the steering wheel.
With flushed face, I took this as a cue to get out of his car. I waved him as he drove away.
And after that we didn't talk.
***
"Go and talk to him!" She whisper-yelled right when the professor was about to leave.
I shake my head, but she pushed me from our seat to go after him.
"If you don't move right now I'll go and ask his number saying my friend has a crush on you."
"What the hell?" I stare at her in disbelief.
"Okay, I won't. But go and talk to him. He is leaving! Go! You got nothing to loose. We talked about this."
"But-"
"Gooo" She whines, giving me one last shove and I start striding down towards him.
With downcast eyes, he heads to his next class. I call his name, but he couldn't hear, my voice drowned out by the pointless chatter of students in the corridor, none of them paying attention to him as he passed.
Groaning internally, I rush to block his way. He stops. Finally, his hooded dark eyes gaze into mine and my mind goes blank, all the planning done with Naina instantly evaporates. He breaks our eye-contact again, and without thinking I put my fingers under his chin to gently lift his face up.
I was about to say hi, but what tumbled out of my mouth was: "Why are you always looking down?"
***
Thanks a lot for reading!
Leave a feedback if you want and please vote if you liked this chapter.
(I apologize if there are mistakes.)