waxing crescent

TAHANI SET HER jewelled foot forward, eyes peering behind the night market stands and into the village.

The sun was still far from setting, pleasantly casting a shimmery orange veil over the wooden stalls that lined the small town entrance. She was sure the smile that ignited her face as she took in the view would have shone similar to daylight then. Her gaze tracked the first tables of intricate jewellery, necklaces, earrings, anklets created with so much care and precision, to the abundance of fruit and vegetable stores that followed, the foods overflowing into roped baskets on the ground. However, the stall that caught Tahani's eyes were the delicate, handmade novels sitting right at the end of the line.

Her feet instantly picked up speed, bells and bangles clinking together as she sprinted toward the table and skirt flying in the wind. Hands immediately wrapping themselves around the closest book, she brought it closer to her face as she examined the complex threaded work on the cover, and she felt a beam blossom across her lips. Then, satisfied with its beauty, she opened to the first page and began reading.

"Hi, lovely lady," a voice broke her trance about three minutes in, and Tahani looked up to see the stall owner (she supposed) watching her expectantly, "Would you like for me to help you with anything?"

"Oh," Tahani sent the older woman a polite smile, her grey rivulets of hair flowing from the crown of her head and her kind eyes, which instantly captured her own in some sort of a warm embrace, reminded her of her own mother. "No, that's alright, thank you very much. I seem to already be in love with this one."

She bent down to check the title of the book and nodded, "I would have recommended that to you, anyway. It's our most popular book," her smile deepened suddenly as the woman looked at something past Tahani's shoulder.

Furrowing her eyes, confused, she took a step back before turning on her heel to see what it was. But as she did so, she was met with another person's shoulder, accidentally knocking into him, causing whatever he carried in his arms to fall.

Eyes widening, Tahani surprised herself when she instinctively reached her hand out to catch the falling object.

A loaf of bread.

Blinking down at the bakery food in her hand, she slowly raised her gaze to meet a pair of honey-brown eyes on her.

"I-I'm so sorry," she tried to keep her composure as she took in the image of the man in front of her, "I'm so sorry for making you drop this."

"That's fine," the man sent her a polite grin as he lowered his basket for her to place it back on top, "I'm sorry for bumping into you."

Tahani was sure she was going insane. Because there was no way someone who looked like this could exist in this world.

"Ah, sweetheart," the owner of the bookstall spoke then, and they both tore their eyes from each other.

How was it that in those mere heartbeats she felt something rope around her lungs, leaving her gasping for air? A feeling she'd never experienced in all her twenty-three years of living.

"Hello, grandma," the man's voice flowed through the air again, grounding Tahani but causing her to ball her fists to refrain from sighing at the sound. An entire choir of angels would envy the dulcet voice he owned. "I hope you didn't miss me too much," he stepped out from behind the girl who was trying to fascinate herself with the stitching on the table mat, as not to intrude in their adorable interaction.

He placed the cart on the table and handed the old woman two loaves of bread, "Would this be enough for the next two days?"

"This is plenty," in her peripheral vision, Tahani saw her pinch the man's cheek, "Thank you, sweetheart."

"That's okay," he lifted the basket again, "I'll be back in two sleeps."

"I wouldn't suppose you have any treats for the young lady?" she then asked just as Tahani picked up another book. She had debated walking away from the stall; however, after spending such an awfully long time there, she thought it rude to leave without buying anything.

The name rang familiar; Plato's Republic. Then she remembered that Rowan had mentioned the name a few times and gushed about how she wanted her own copy to fill with notes and annotations. Butterflies filled Tahani's stomach as she thought about the joy she'd bring her little sister if she bought it for her.

"Huh?" the man asked, once again bringing her back to reality, "I'm sure I do."

A few moments of silence passed then; Tahani tried her best to concentrate on the book in her hands as she counted the seconds. Then, upon hearing him clear his throat, she slowly looked up to see his gorgeous cinnamon eyes already on her.

"Wh—" she didn't know what to say; why was he looking at her?

Blinking rapidly, Tahani then saw his outstretched hand in which a small piece of a grained treat lay. Her eyes widened, and she jumped a little in surprise, "Oh! Is this-is this for me?"

Raising an eyebrow, the stranger fixed his gaze on her, and she felt her cheeks burn at the action.

Ah, of course, the young lady was me.

Nodding slowly, "Yes. Would you like it? Hopefully it's to your liking. I'm still quite an amateur when it comes to making bread, so I'm sorry if it's not the best." His eyes, an abyss of copper with gold flakes dancing through it, grasped her own right away, not allowing her to shift her gaze. That same brown speckled through them also stemmed down from his forehead in rivers, hair that looked both dishevelled from intense labour but also impeccably styled into a middle parting caused the girl's fingers to twitch as if she wanted to run her fingers through it.

He looked down at her now with an uneasy smile that somehow turned his entire face into an image of comfort, despite not knowing a single thing about him.

Wait, Tahani thought, why was he smiling like that?

"Uhm," he slowly retreated his hand, and Tahani had realised she'd taken too long to answer his question.

"Oh!" her arm shot out as her fingers quickly wrapped around his hand, "Of course, thank you."

Pursing his lips together, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, and she had to try with all her might not to shut her eyes in embarrassment.

I'm making an idiot of myself right now, aren't I?

"Well, I'll get going now then," he spoke after a few moments of the pair staring at the soiled ground below their feet, "Bye, grandma! It was nice meeting you."

As he said that last part to Tahani, her head shot up, "W-Wait, uh—"

Freezing mid-step, he turned back. "Yes?"

"Do you-do you have much bread left? I-uh-I would love to take some back to my family."

"Oh, really?" a smile lit up his face then, and she was sure it lit up a part of her heart too.

"Yes, please, if you have any left over, I would really appreciate it."

"I definitely do," he pointed a thumb over his shoulder, "But I'd have to go back to my place to get it. Would you be able to wait a half-hour or so?"

"Oh, you don't have to go through all the trouble of going and coming back," Tahani waved him off, "I'll join you! Just give me a second."

Turning back to the table, she was faced with the owner of the stall again. The woman, now, was smiling a little teasingly at her. Clearly, she had witnessed the humiliation of their conversation.

"Uhm," she mumbled, "How much for both these books?"

"Ten uwuros, darling."

She then fumbled in her purse for coins and paid her before joining the baker again.

"Okay, now I'm ready."

THE PAIR HAD been walking for a good five minutes now; the quiet was pleasant, despite Tahani's urge to fill it with something. It wasn't silent, however, the jingling from her kolusu and the clattering of her bangles along with the rustling of wind against dry foliage and the occasional child's laughter sprinkled tiny sparks of comfort between the two. The first few times her anklet chimed, she noticed him look down to find the source of the sound, his expression of confusion and surprise somehow sent a blazing current through her veins. It was adorable.

"Uh," he finally broke the quiet, "Are you sure you don't want to wait while I bring it to you? I would hate for you to wear the soles of your shoes."

"Oh no," she grinned, "Don't be silly. Besides, I don't come out to this end of our country that often; I'm really enjoying this."

And she was. The sun was finally starting to set, which meant a muskier shadow had painted itself across the horizon. Verdant leaves and amber buildings set a gorgeous scene that she didn't want ever to forget. Adding to that, Tahani observed the display of young children running home, clasping onto bags much bigger than them, frantic parents chasing after them and older citizens hobbling across the gravel to get to their destination. It all reminded her of both her love and hatred of the moments of sonder that tend to fill her mind time and time again.

"Yeah, actually, I meant to bring that up," he slowed down a little to match her pace, and she couldn't miss the way his breathing hitched as they got closer.

She wasn't sure if he was panting from the stroll or being affected by her the same way she was by him. Although she was almost certain that couldn't be the case.

"As I don't think I've ever seen you around."

"I'm not from around here," she didn't particularly want to bring up the fact that she was fourth in line for the throne, "It's actually my first time."

"That makes sense," they had been treading through open, dry terrain for a while now but finally were approaching another congregation of small buildings, and she let out a quiet gasp when she saw it.

"Are we nearby?" Tahani couldn't hide the wonder in her tone. These little establishments looked a lot like those described in the storybooks she would stay up hours on end devouring when she was little.

When she turned to watch him, waiting for an answer, she found he was already looking at her, biting his lip in a way that it seemed he was biting back a smile.

"Yeah," his eyes drawled on her a split second longer before pointing to his left, "It's just there."

They soon passed his bakery, and Tahani furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. However, when they continued walking toward an assortment of small dwelling places, she realised that he must be taking her to his house instead of his bakery. As they headed toward it, she observed little collections of people walking out of their homes, bringing out small lanterns that they hung at their doorsteps and the sight continued to make Tahani a fuzzy on the inside.

"I really wish I came here a lot more. This all feels so... cozy," she had said, not to anyone in particular, and the man seemed to pick up on it.

"You should," was his prompt response.

He finally stopped at the entrance to a small house, placing his crate down and started to search for something by the pillar at the front. Emerging again with a box of matches, he lit the lantern hanging above his head. Then, motioned for her to enter the house with him.

Immediately she was met with the mesmerising scent of freshly baked bread, and she saw the shelves of it in the corner of the kitchen by the stove. The living room was quite humble, with only two seats facing each other and a small coffee table separating them. A shirt was strewn messily over one of them, a blanket covering the other, and this made Tahani giggle to herself.

She had lived all her life with her sisters, never knowing how men cleaned up after themselves. And this was a nice introduction.

"Excuse the mess," he coughed a little, quickly picking up the stranded clothing and threw it into a nearby room. He then guided her over to his kitchen and pointed to the endless loaves of bread behind him.

"So, how much did you need?"

"I'll take six," she twisted her purse back to the front of her waist, "How much would that be?"

"Wait—no, you don't have to pay me," he waved his hands at her, "I couldn't ask for that after making you walk all the way back to my home."

"Oh please, you didn't make me do anything," she insisted, "Was it five uwuros a piece?"

"No, no, really, you don't have to—"

"How about you give me an extra for free, then?" she tried to negotiate, "And I'll pay for the six."

"That's seven loaves."

"I have ten sisters," Tahani grinned up at him, and this time the smile seemed to infect him too, pushing his lips back to reveal two small dimples on either side.

Her heart sank. Could his appearance get any more endearing?

"Seven loaves it is," he got to packing, pulling out another basket into which he placed the bread gently, "I don't suppose it's too early to ask for your name?"

Two heartbeats passed then, and Tahani mentally slapped herself for not even realising that they hadn't had that exchange yet.

"Oh—" she paused, trying to decide if it would be safe, to be honest, or if it would be safer to lie.

"I could start," he sensed her hesitation. "I'm Jimin."

Jimin. Jimin. Of course this beautiful man owned a name as pretty as that.

Opening her mouth to reply, Tahani looked up to see his shoulders shaking, a musical chuckle reverberating from him.

Catching her off guard, she tried not to focus on how his laughter seemed to wipe every negative feeling she'd ever had from her mind.

"Wh—"

"I'm glad that both I, and my name, are pretty," he told her, causing her eyes to widen (to the size of saucers, she was sure).

I said that out loud, didn't I?

"Oh my goodness," she bit her lip, "I—"

Shaking his head to himself, he resumed his packing of the loaves, a brilliant smile still very much present on his face, "It's your turn now, by the way."

"M-My name is Tahani," she sighed, accepting the fact that she would just continue to make a fool of herself around this man.

"Well," he met her eyes, "It seems that your name is just as beautiful as you are, as well."

ahhh i'm so excited for you to join tahani's journey, i really really hope ur liking this story!