🍂 Part III 🍂 

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Another Project?

"I'm sorry Jackson. Thank you so much for this opportunity but I won't be able to stay on any longer."

Jackson sighed and folded his arms over his chest leaning back in his chair. He assessed you, all heavy on the hair-gel in his three-pieced pinstripe suit. 

"I can respect that, Wren. But we'll all miss you here." He gives you a sly grin that you really won't mind never seeing again.

Really? Miss me...or more like, you'll miss stealing my ideas?

You forced a smile and left Jackson's office. But not before Taehyung cornered you on the way out of the building.

You sighed heavily. You really hoped not to see him before you went away.

The last three weeks of the snow globe project were bitter-sweet and absolute torture as well. 

It was entirely your fault. 

For continuing to sleep with Taehyung even though you knew how bad it was for you mentally. Night after blissful night, your fears rose up. Thinking that you never wanted anyone else but him to ever touch you again. You only wanted him. 

Deep down, you knew that want would only leave you lonely in the end ...and hurt. 

Your friendship with Taehyung had formed so quickly and you'd become intimate so fast. Now, your emotions were way too invested and this, this was just a fling.

"Wren!" He searched your face out of breath, "I heard you were staying with us a little longer..." Taehyung can't mask the hope and anticipation in his voice, "Is that true? Jackson offered you another job, right?"

"Yes," you answered slowly, "But..."

You bowed your head a little, unable to meet his eyes.

"I... I didn't accept."

"What?" He questioned.

Taehyung took a step back from you to rub the crease of forehead in disbelief and you gulped silently.

"What's wrong?" you ask even though you already know the answer. 

You knew Taehyung wanted you to stick around. You two had fun together and the sex was amazing but it wasn't going to lead anywhere.

You look up, and to your surprise, he looks a little devastated, a little desperate. You didn't mean to hurt his feelings by cutting the good time you both were having so short. Especially when you'd been given the perfect opportunity to extend it.

But you couldn't fight your fears. The deeper into things you got with Taehyung, the more likely the chances were of you getting incredibly, irreparably hurt. 

You just couldn't take the chance, not after hearing those three words slip from him the other night and thinking back on the way it made you feel, made you hope for something that probably wasn't even there.

Taehyung might have thought it was cute to do, to say that he loved in a moment of bliss. But the shock that rocketed straight through to your heart when hearing him say that, made you terrified of the wanting to believe him. You knew better after all, it was during sex and he couldn't really mean it.

Your throat constricts slowly as Taehyung fixes his gaze on you and you feel that sudden deep lurch and longing inside. You had to get away from him. 

"Wren, I know we said that it was just fun," he begins to ramble, "I know that, but...."

He shakes his dark head, trying to organise his thoughts. He looks up at you again, his eyes deep, honest, without any playful spark and its as if you can understand everything he wants to say to you in that one look. Everything you were hoping he'd want to say. Maybe you were imagining it.

You bit your lip, cursing the tiny seed of expectation that was blossoming in your chest and you wanted to stamp it out. You didn't want to be the pathetic girl who'd lied and said she was okay with just being casual and then turned around, wanting more from the guy than he would be willing to give. You also didn't want to be the girl who was lied to with a promise of more, 'someday'  just so that the guy could keep on getting what he wanted out of you until he no longer wanted you anymore.

Your jumble of thoughts is thankfully interrupted when,

"Wren.....Taehyung....?"

Jackson emerges from his office catching the pair of you off-guard and you spring a further distance apart. 

Taehyung bows politely acknowledging him and Jackson eyeballs the two of you with a quizzical look on his face.

You take the opportunity to escape.

"I was just leaving." You say and smile weakly in a slow retreat until your calves hit the door.

You turn without looking back, sprinting out into the open.

The security checks your boarding card.

"Have a safe flight!" He grunts to you in a cheerful tone and you force a smile thinking how ironic it is, they were so nice to you when leaving their base in comparison to the icy reception you got upon arrival a couple weeks ago.

Gathering your stuff up from the conveyer belt a heavy feeling that you can't shake settles deep within your chest.

Tears are openly running down your face now, without a care about who could see them.

Don't get attached to anyone or anything...

"Sorry Sir, only passengers beyond this point!" you hear the air-base security guard say. It sounds like there's some sort of scuffle happening so you decide to turn around out of curiosity.

Your defences crumble as you take one last look and spot Taehyung standing there behind the barricade. His shirt is ruffled and his dark hair hangs loosely in his eyes.

Seized with shock. You can't believe he showed up. You had no idea he knew when your flight was leaving and a thousand conflicting questions immediately fill your mind but its too late to find out the answers to them.

A disembodied voice sounds loudly over the intercom again filling the air-base. You look about, confused. Your shuttle is about to depart at any minute.

"Sixty seconds left to departure- Base 9."

You catch one last glimpse of him again and he stares back at you sadly, arms limp at his sides before you turn away once and for all. Because it hurts too much to look back and you know that you shouldn't.

What happened in Base 3 was a fantasy and you could only go on for so long believing that it was real. The sooner you stopped believing, the sooner you could get back to your own life.

Back to reality.

6 Months later

Life was simpler here in Base 9 and that made you happy.

Your short-lived adventure six months ago was now a distant menagerie of memories. The bad ones, you forgot about and the good ones, you gently decided to let go.

Clear water poured from the tiny watering can in your hand and you smiled fondly at the striving little green office plants sitting on your window-sill.

You watch as a small dew-drop slides from the broad leaf of a Peace Lily and sigh contentedly before getting back to work. You sit down to the drawing board, pencil on one hand, ruler in the other when suddenly, the silence is disturbed by a feint knock.

"Hey," a voice all too familiar at the open door makes you turn. And all at once, you feel your throat tightening. 

Taehyung?

You thought you were in control of your feelings. The past was in the past. But seeing him standing right there, in front of you made your body weak. You thought you might dissolve.

"Hey," You answer slowly with shimmering nerves but Taehyung acted natural.  

"So, this is you..." He says brightly taking his time surveying your studio.

"Uh, yes this is me...I guess." You croak, smiling.

It was surreal to see him here in the flesh.

In your territory where everything felt equal and you were just two ordinary people, a man and a woman.

It was as simple as that.

You didn't find it hard to strike up conversation again after so long. In a few moments you were both right back in your comfort zone. Chatting together, you filled each other in on all the professional achievements you had in the last six months. It was so much easier to get ahead in Base 9. Everyone was treated the same and if you worked hard, you were rewarded.

"Well, you deserve it Wren." He said, eyes gleaming over you,  "You are.. not doubt, incredible..." 

You go silent as Taehyung looks down at you softly. His hand strokes your cheek and you feel your temperature rise.

"I missed you," He says.

"I missed you..." The response bubbles up from inside you before you can stop it. 

Without warning, he envelopes you in a hug and within seconds, you're kissing. You feel lost, your legs are like jelly.

"Wait, Taehyung. We should stop," You pull away, your voice coming out raspy.

 His eyes implore you and you feel yourself being stretched in so many different directions.

Run, cling to him, stay, push him out, cry.

Taehyung smiles and strokes your hair. 

"Wren, all I've been thinking about is you. All the time, every day, you."

His fingers slide smoothly down your arm, playing with your fingers until yours are linked with his. There's silence. 

Taehyung gazes at your face, his brows furrowed.

"Wren, do you still have feelings for me?"

"Y-yes. I mean, I think so but I-" You feel your heart make a sudden almost sickening flip inside your chest. 

"Then I'm here to give this another shot. You don't like it there where we started out so I came here."

"You mean, you want to be here? In Base 9?" Your voice breaks as you ask the question. 

"I'm not sure yet yet." Taehyung ponders out loud, "That kind of depends on you. I want a real relationship, Wren. With you."

A relationship?

Your body stiffens in surprise.  Taehyung had been nothing but a nice guy but the thing that happened between you two before...well, you knew he was only using you.

"And before you say anything else, I promise that I've already thought this over. I really have, I mean, we're in the same field. I have the technical skills to fit in well here in Base 9. Maybe we should even try working together? But we don't have to move in together just yet. I can wait. I mean, if you want to..."

You couldn't help but smile at the idea of that, remembering how well you and Taheyung got along work wise and how many of your ideas were the same. He would make the perfect partner. 

Still, you didn't let yourself get carried away.

Move in together? All this unexpected news took your heart by storm.

"But what about....why did you say that what we had was just 'fun'?" You blurted out asking, "I got the impression that you didn't want anything serious."

Taehyung laughed wryly and strummed his fingers through his hair.

"I only said that because I got scared. My feelings for you were growing and I heard that girls from Base 9 didn't like guys who were too clingy. So I... wanted to see how you would react." His eyes pierced you with sincerity, "I really didn't want to scare you off... I said I only wanted fun but I didn't mean it and then you told me that's what you wanted..."

"Well that worked out..." You quipped before you could stop yourself and Taehyung joined in with you for the laugh. You couldn't believe that you'd both gotten each-other so wrong. 

Getting serious again, you open your mouth, then close it.

"Taehyung--" You weren't sure what to say next.

All this felt too good to be true. Taehyung was saying all the right things now but Base 3 men were known to be chronically traditional, family oriented. You didn't know anything about his world apart from what the flashy images broadcasted on TV, neither did he know all that much about yours. Everything could wind up in a disaster.

Taehyung saw the doubt casting like a shadow over your face, "Wren..." He grabbed your hand. "I don't want to come on too strong, but there's something about you that....I can't let you go again. This..." You both look down at your hands cupped together, "This is what I want."

"Tae..." You try to interject but he doesn't allow you to interrupt. 

He wanted you to trust your feelings. He needed you not to change your mind.

"I was an idiot not to make things clearer from the start. I should have realised..." He stops himself to catch a breath before letting his deep brown eyes settle on you.

"I don't know if you even want me anymore, Wren but that is what I came here to find out. That's why I'm here, to ask you. If you want to be with me because I want to be with you....and if you say no, then I'll go away, you'll never have to see me again..." His Adam's apple bobs with emotion and you could see his heart slowly breaking with those last words. You felt like yours would too. 

He doesn't finish speaking and your office lays silent.

Tears are shimmering in his eyes. This wasn't really his style. To be this nervous, to outright beg you but that's how you knew that Taehyung was being honest. This wasn't a joke or a ruse. He wasn't taking you for a ride.

"I.... want to be with you too." The words leave your mouth and your body tingles in disbelief at what is happening.

Taehyung's eyes widen. Hopeful and almost puppy-like. 

"I'm in love with you, Wren." his voice is a little husky and hesitant, "This isn't just 'fun'. I want it  be Us, I want whatever you want, I want forever."

Your face is hot and your whole body tingles, you breathe in his scent and feel his strong arms close around you. His soft lips touch yours and his hand slides up the small of your back getting lost in your hair. A small moan escapes as he cups your face with the other hand, kissing you and pressing yourselves more deeply into the kiss you melt into each other.

Finally drawing apart you cover your shy smile with your fingers and hide against his capable chest. Taehyung holds you tight, his warm breath tickling your ear, "So what do you say?" He asks.

Despite you wanting to deny it before, it was only the truth that Taehyung had settled in a special place, permanent within your heart. 

You close your eyes and clutch at his jacket, letting go a long breath and feeling something unwind from deep inside you. A tension that you hadn't realised was there until now until you finally took the leap.

"I agree," You say into his shoulder, "Forever, sounds nice."

THE END

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