Eloise

"What is that?!" Taehyung laughed heartily as I tried to make a circle with my feet controlling the paintbrush.

"A circle, idiot," I retorted but as I looked more at my 'circle' I couldn't help but notice how much it looked like a blob rather than what I claimed it should be. "Ugh, this is hard!"

"You're the one who wanted to try it!" He countered as his laughter echoed in the room.

"Yeah because you made a big deal about the artist and I wanted to do it with you. It seemed fun but I didn't know I'd suck this bad," I groaned and let my paintbrush go, laying down on my back.

Soon enough, Tae plopped down next to me on the floor. "That was a bit tiring," he chuckled under his breath as we both continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"Tell me about it, trying to be precise like that was exhausting," I giggled, turning around to look at him. I leaned up on my elbow to get a better view of him then, wanting to take in every detail etching his face. "But it was worth it," I whispered, causing him to turn his head and look at me.

"Yeah?" he grinned, the boxy smile of his taking over his face like always. His eyes held a certain warmth as they met mine, shaping little crescents as his smile widened, making me all the more weak at the sight.

"Mm, definitely," I whispered as I leaned in and planting a soft, impromptu kiss on his lips, before moving in to his cheeks.

"I could get used to this," he teased, smile widening at his own words, making me pull away with a chuckle.

"Yeah, me too," I smiled and laid down beside him again. It was weird, today was weird. But in the best kind of way. It was like my world was suddenly out of balance because someone else was stepping into it. I really... really like him, I realized. And today, it was like we were finally letting each other in.

So we stayed there in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence as we let the smell of paint take over.

"Hey Eloise?" Taehyung broke the silence.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." I turned my head to look at him, frowning at his words.

What's he talking about?

"Why are you thanking me?"

"You care," he simply stated, before turning his head to look at me. "Thank you for caring about me the way you do."

"Tae," I started as I sat up to get a better look at him. "You never have to thank me for that."

"Yes, I do." He sat up as well with a small smile. "No one has ever pushed me to be better, they've never cared enough. Growing up with absent parents was... lonely, that's why I always stayed over somewhere else because, ultimately, I hated feeling lonely every night," he whispered while looking down at his hands.

"Tae-"

"I just— you've taught me so much Eloise. I learned what it is to be passionate about my dreams. You inspire me, everyday, to be the best that I could be, and I'm so thankful for that. I'm so grateful for you," he whispered, coffee-brown eyes meeting mine before looking back down at his hands.

My eyes studied him then, how his shoulders were slumped and hunched over, his intent eye contact with his hands on his lap— he looked...small. For the first time since I've met him, he looked like he needed someone. And I just wanted to hug him and never let him go.

I slipped my hand into his larger one, catching his attention. "Taehyung," I started with a smile. "You never have to thank me for being in your life, okay?" I questioned, making him nod hesitantly. "And if we're being honest, I think I should be the one who's grateful."

"What? No—"

"Yes," I interrupted him with a smile. "I may have shown you work ethic but you teach me so much, everyday. You calm me down, always. Your presence, your remedies, your company- everything about you. I used to write until my hands bled, never taking a break, not even for a second. But you showed me that there's more to life than work. You gave me a new perspective out of life, Tae," I admitted and tightened my hold on his hand.

"You mean that?" He inquired with wide eyes.

"Every word." I grinned and leaned my forehead against his. "And hey, it's a good thing the both of us hate feeling lonely, we can just annoy the hell out of each other," I added with a grin, causing a light chuckle to escape his lips.

"You never annoy me," he smiled and rubbed his nose against mine.

"Mm, don't lie." I closed the distance between us, kissing him yet again tonight.

And tonight, as Tae held me closer to him than he ever did, I didn't feel so alone anymore.

ﾟ❁ུ۪ °ₒ 𓂂 ˚ 𓂂 ₒ ° ₒ 𓂂 ˚˖⋆
author's note

yoyoyoooo !!!

so they're like... kissing randomly now and having heart-to-hearts 🤓🤓🤓

what do y'all think?

also i can't believe we're already in this part of the story🥺🥺
i love my dandelion babies smsmsm !!!

but enough about what i think💀
what do y'all think about the story? be honest!!! :]

anywayyy
HOW ARE U GUYS? 🥺

i hope u have been kind to each other!!! and learning how to love yourselves!!!
[playing "answer: love myself" as we speak]

anyway ! i love u bbies🥺

please stay safe and healthy, both physically and mentally 🤍