Jeonkake: My author note is the first thing in this chapter for a good reason. I was just checking up on Wattpad for my notification, then I glace over at Soulmates. .
Thank you so much for +1k!! I still comprehend the fact that there is so many of you guys reading this book! I'm not going to lie, I've though that this book was never get any votes, comments, and especially so many reads. And yet, here I am, thanking you precious babies for handling my crappy plot in my first book. I even had to call to my sister and tell her I had over 1k reads on Soulmates.
As an other thank you, this chapter will be more than my usual little over 1,000 words.
This will be a longer chapter!💕💕💕
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Hours turned to days, days into weeks, and those weeks into the month of December. Jimin noticed how nervous Taehyung seemed when ever they talked or even stood in the same room. The blond asked the boys what was going on with the mint haired male, but they all said the same thing. 'His birthday'. He even asked Mr. Kim, but the father always, ever so smoothly, managed to change the dangerous topic of his son. Jimin was convinced enough to think he was just over reacting.
Yet, from what the universe knew, a special day was just three days away. The Friday before the thirty-th arrived to the world. Taehyung munched on the honey bread was he was sitting on the glossy, wooden floor of the school's dance room, watching his soulmate practice once again for the competition. The last verse of the song drifted off, Jimin paused his dance with the end of it. The blond then huffed softly, and with a smile, he walked to Taehyung.
The mint boy returned the sweet smile with his own while handing the blond his water bottle. The latter gladly took it, sat down beside the younger, and swallowed the tasteless liquid.
"Do you think you are confident enough for the competition, Jiminie?" Taehyung asked after finishing the sweet bread.
Jimin nodded as he slowly turned his face to Taehyung.
"I'm going to rest this weekend so I don't become sore on Monday." the blond stated.
"Ah! It's next week Monday? Oh gosh, that's so close. I didn't realize it came so close." Taehyung said genuinely surprised.
"Yeah! And it's your birthday. I kinda wanna plan something for you that day since it's your day." Jimin said while slowly packing his stuff into his dance bag.
"No no!" Taehyung said rather loudly which caused the latter to flinch with wide eyes.
"I mean, I-I have something planned for y- everyone that day after your competition. Don't worry." the mint boy mentally scolded himself for raising his voice so quickly that startled the older.
"Oh. Okay then. What is it?" Jimin asked with genuine curiosity.
"It's a surprise. Don't worry, it'll be special." Taehyung said as his special boxy smile appeared.
Jimin couldn't help, but smile as well. Even though Taehyung had said it was a surprise and special, it just spiked the blond's curiosity about it. Although, he knew that if he tried asking the others, they'll not tell him if they even knew what the mint haired male planned. Jimin was confident enough to survive the weekend for the surprise.
"Alright, is there anything I should know? Like, am I being picked up or something?" Jimin asked.
"You'll find out when the time comes, hyung." he had said, earning a small pout from the blond.
Jimin sighed and gave a look of 'fine, whatever'. He got up from the floor and swung his backpack over his shoulder. Taehyung got up with him and held his bag. The boys walked out of the dance room out into the hallway. A loud ring of a bell echoed the school which released a hoard of students out of their classes for the next.
"Jimin, we have our schedule for this weekend at six a.m. to three p.m., yeah?" Taehyung asked while dodging the stream of loud students.
"Yeah, we do, why?" the blond asked, trying to stay close to the younger so he didn't get hit the others.
"After our shift, would you like to-"
Taehyung was cut off from his sentence when he heard a loud 'ow' from behind him. He turned around to see his hyung on the ground. The mint haired male quickly went back for him, knelt down, and shielded him with his own body from the careless students. Jimin looked up at Taehyung with wide eyes from his choice of action. The younger hissed and winced from something Jimin didn't seem to notice.
Two girls that saw them on the ground ushered the other students around them so they didn't get trampled on anymore. Taehyung got up and offered a hand to Jimin, which he gladly took. Once they were able to stand properly, the boys turned to the two girls who helped them from the situation.
"Thank you for that. It's appreciated." Jimin said with a small bow.
"Ah, don't worry! People are just so careless, it's annoying." one stated who had a dirty blond pixie cut.
"Yes! Don't thank us. It was our pleasure. Please be more careful." the other added with a big smile.
The boys bowed to the joyful girls and parted ways from them. Taehyung took Jimin's hand and quickly led him through the decreasing crowd. Jimin felt his cheeks flare up. Jimin wanted to hold it. To intertwine his fingers with the younger's. To give a gentle squeeze of affection. He just wants to.
'What if he doesn't want me t-'
"Hyung, please hold my hand tightly. I don't want to lose you or have you on the ground again." the younger said loud enough for the older to hear through all of the commotion.
Jimin looked up at the back of Taehyung's head. His eyes looked down at their hands as his fingers slowly wrapped around the palm and held tightly to Taehyung's large hand. Jimin's legs followed close behind the younger, who swiftly got them out of the hoard. To Jimin's sadness, Taehyung released their hold to turn to his hyung.
"Are you alright, Jimin? Are you hurt?"
"I-I'm okay. Don't worry. Are you? You used yourself as a shield for me, so I don't know if you're alright. I would be surprised if you didn't get hurt." Jimin answered while examining the mint haired male's body.
"Just my hand. Some bastard stepped on it. I'll be alright." Taehyung replied with his boxy smile at the end.
"Put some ice on it, yeah?"
"I will, don't worry, hyung." the mint boy replied.
Jimin smiled, nodded his bed, and turned on his heel to head to his last class. Taehyung then gasped to himself and ran up to Jimin while calling him out.
"Hyung!"
Jimin looked back at him with a questioning look for the younger.
"Will you like to come out with me after our shift to hang out? We can take the others out too if you want." Taehyung asked with a pleading smile.
The blond gazed down for a while. He then looked back up at younger, and gave an eye-closed smile with a strong nod.
"Just us would be fine, Tae. I'll see you after our shift then." and with that, Jimin walked away.
Taehyung threw his fist into the air then back down quickly while hissing out a silent 'yes!' to himself. He felt so bubbly inside, his heart did somersaults in his chest. His went to his own class feeling as his whole entire day felt so nice now. It wasn't even a date, yet he couldn't help, but imagine it as that. He was finally able to hang out with his soulmate without his father around, or his friends.
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Saturday rolled in for the world. A loud ringing sound erupted in the small room. Taehyung opened his eyes to only have them squinted as he looked for his phone on the nightstand beside his bed. He saw the light glowing the dark room, so he grabbed it and turned it off; silence swallowed him again. The boy groaned as he got out of his warm bed to head for the bathroom. He washed his face, brushed it teeth, brushed down his bed hair, and walked out to his closest.
He searched for the white button up shirt and black pants when wore for work. He soon found the clothing, and slipped them on lazily. Taehyung grabbed a pair of socks, slipped them one, and then waddled out of his room into the cold hallway. He had to be extra quiet since a certain sleeping grizzly bear was his neighbor in the house they shared. Taehyung creeped down the polished wooden stairs, and quickly made his way to the door.
Taehyung removed his coat from the coat rack that hung on the wall near the door. He slipped it on, and zipped it closed. He then slipped on his work shoes, grabbed his scarf which he wrapped around his neck and around his ears. Winter had rolled around and he wasn't risking getting a cold this week before everything. He grabbed his house keys, and quickly made his way out of the house.
Taehyung locked the door, slipped his keys in his pocket, put on his wool gloves, and walked down the sidewalk in the cold morning. He threw his hoodie over his head after putting in his ear buds for music while he walked to the café for his shift. The cold air hugged his warming up body. He felt the tip of his nose and ears become numb from the cold, knowing full well they're probably are a shade of bright red. After a shivering 15 minute walk to the soft café, he was securing his green apron around his neck and back.
While Taehyung was checking in with Jin, Jimin stumbled into the warm building. The blond went into the break room, removed his sweater, jacket, scarf, and gloves then stowed them away into his assigned locker. He put on the same apron and then made his way next to Taehyung in the break room.
"Ah! There you are. Now that you're both here, I can assign you guys out there." Jin happily stated.
"Jimin, you'll do the counter shift. Taehyung, you're taking table orders. This weekend, into this week will be busy because of the holidays. Many people come in for the pastries, so be alert for that. You guys work until three, then Jungkook and Taeyong will come for their shift at that time. Got it?" he continued.
The two young males nodded and walked out of Jin's office to the counter. 7 a.m. rolled in which timed middle and high school students to flood into the cozy café for some warm drinks to block away the cold from outside. Many of them stayed inside to warm up so Taehyung rushed to each table; therefore, he handed Jimin order papers for the drinks to be made. Jimin rung them up once they were made. Taehyung grabbed them and served the tables their wanted drinks, earning satisfied sighs after sips were taken.
A new round of people came, but adults who were heading to their jobs lined up in front of the counter for take out. Jimin needed to call Taehyung over to help with the piling counter orders, which he gladly helped with. Their shift kept bouncing around from time to time. Taehyung would suddenly get busy. Jimin would occasionally call Taehyung over and so on. Jin soon came out of his office after finishing some paperwork and helped out with the youngest boys.
Their shift ended, time flew above their heads without them noticing. Jin excused them out when Jungkook and Taeyong arrived at 3 for their shift. Jimin and Taehyung went into the break room, took off the aprons and wrapped themselves with their only chances of preventing colds from the outside. They walked out together on the busy sidewalk.
"Where are we going today, Tae?" Jimin asked.
"I was thinking going to a karaoke bar. What do you think?" Taehyung answered with a small smile for the blond.
"Sounds great! Lets go and have some fun!" Jimin said, grabbing Taehyung's hand and quickly leading him to the closest karaoke bar with an excited smile.
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Jeonkake: I want to save the karaoke bar scene for the next chapter since the others before the next will bring the long awaited moment.