Des waited patiently for Taehyung to finish his shower and smiled shyly as he emerged with damp hair and only a dark pair of boardshorts slung low on his narrow hips.

"Hey," He smiled back, dusting at his hair with a towel in a haphazard attempt to get it dry. 

His freshly washed skin was dewy and tan against the bright outline of the tattoos that coursed over his chest and snaked their way up to the collar of his neck.

He sat down softly on the bed next to her, two fingers grazing her hand.

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah," Des replied breathlessly.

Her mind raced in circles wondering where to start. How would she begin to explain to her boyfriend who now thought she was carrying his child, that she wasn't really pregnant? 

"Um," She bit her lip closing her eyes and summing up the courage to blurt out the truth.

"Babygirl, can we talk?" Taehyung interrupted first.

Desiree's eyes flashed open, questioning.

"Before we go away together, there's some things you need to know about me." Taehyung paused, "The real me...."

The girl's eyes softened.

"But I already know the real you, Tae." She reached up to touch his face with tender eyes and Taehyung caught her hand, holding it there.

He sighed wearily and kissed the back of the girls hand tenderly.

"No Des, you don't, not really. Not everything."

Des looked at her boyfriend, baffled.

"It's time I be completely honest with you," Taehyung swallowed nervously, "What I'm about to tell you, I've wanted to tell you many times but anytime I got you alone we were always, I dunno busy doing.... other things" He smirked playfully which lightened the mood and Des smiled back blushing just a little.

It was true. Her and Taehyung's relationship consisted of very little talking and a lot more, action for want of a better word.

"There's some things that... well, I guess I better I tell you before you hear it on the news."

"The news! What do you mean?" 

The atmosphere suddenly turned serious and Taehyung looked into the girl's eyes for support as he took a deep breath and told her everything.

About his upbringing, running away from home after his mom died, getting taken in by Mr. Suleman and all the things he had to do to earn his keep at the Suleman Mansion. The fraud and money laundering behind the scenes at the bank. He explained to Des that if the Feds knew how much he'd done for Suleman, it would be enough to put him away behind bars for years. He talked about Nathalie and being forced to have sex with her up until that very last night when he decided to stand up for himself and how this might've caused the incident at the 'Wave Crave', Desiree winced at that but kept her composure. And then why after it had all ended in the fire, leaving LongPalm felt like it was the only option left. 

When he finished, Taheyung looked ashamed.

"I... just don't understand it," Desiree said slowly, "Why didn't you just tell me all this before? I wouldn't have turned my back on you. I would have helped you. I can't believe you've been through all this... alone."

A dry laugh escaped his lips and Taehyung shook his head morosely.

"I'm used to it." 

After a while, when Desiree's worried expression failed to disappear from her freckled features, he ran a light finger across her lips to comfort her.

"Don't worry it too much, babygirl. All of that... its in the past.... I just wanted you to know."

Desiree lowered her eyes feeling overwhelmed and not knowing what to think.

Taehyung lifted her chin by one finger.

 "Hey. Des, look at me baby... when we get to Paris listen, we can start over." Taehyung's tone brightened.

It warmed Desiree's heart to know that he felt even a little bit hopeful and that made her smile.

Taehyung continued his stare glimmering and warm..

"You, me....and the baby."

Then, Desiree's smile faded again.

"What's wrong?" Taehyung asked.

"Well, while we're on the topic of being honest..." Desiree cleared her throat awkwardly.

"I've told you everything Des, I swear..." Taehyung began. 

But the girl shook her head repentantly.

"No, its my turn to be honest, Tae. We're.... not really going to have a baby."

Taehyung's stomach plunged and he gripped her hand in cocnern, rubbing smooth circles over it with his thumb as he feared the worst. 

His touch felt soothing and Des felt her nerves settle slightly.

"Did... something happen after I left you at the hotel?" He asked carefully, his mouth going dry.

Taehyung had seen what stress and hurt could do to a pregnant woman. He blinked rapidly, his stomach turning ominously remembering his 11 year old self as he'd come home from school one day and say a trail of red from the kitchen to the bedroom. His book-bag dropped to the floor and the football he was carrying rolled away down the hall as he broke into a run for the door. Rattling the bolted lock, he cried out to person who he knew was on the other side.

"Mom?"

He blinked to focus again on his girlfriend's flustered face.

"No, uh. Nothing happened." She answered feeling frightened of another big reaction, "I never was pregnant. The test you saw....it was negative. I never got the chance to explain. You found me when I was just checking  to see if I was."

"Then why were you crying?" Taehyung asked, confused. 

Desiree felt embarrassed at the words about to come out of her mouth, "Because I wanted to be."

Taehyung's brows knotted together as she continued.

"Now that I have to say it out loud, I know this might sound totally dumb," Des chewed on her lip nervously, "But I thought that if I got pregnant, it would keep you from leaving me."

Taehyung watched as her lips trembled and tears sparkled in her eyes. 

"I knew that if I went back to school after all this, I'd never see you again. I knew that you were in some type of trouble. I'd go back to Paris, you'd be on the run, we'd fall out of touch and then you'd disappear. I didn't want that." She said, quietly looking down and chipping away at the last of the polish on her fingernails.  

"I know it was selfish but I couldn't think of anything else... I'm sorry." 

Fat tears spilled past her long lashes and glossed down her cheeks. 

Taehyung pulled her close, holding her tight. 

He felt upset and confused but also sorry for the girl at the same time. 

"I should have told you the truth right then but...I was so shocked when you got so angry... I wasn't expecting..." She choked.

"It's alright," Taehyung said, squeezing her softly and patting her back, "I just couldn't believe it. I'm sorry for the way I reacted. I'm a jerk and me being surprised or upset was no excuse for hurting you like that."

Desiree sniffed, feeling a tiny bit better at Taehyung's words of apology.

"Its just that, becoming a Dad is one of the scariest thoughts that I can ever imagine. My entire childhood was fucked up. I don't know what's its like to have a good father, let alone be one overnight, I..."

"I know and I'm sorry." Des argued, "I wasn't ready for it either...to have a baby... but if it meant we could have a reason to stay together, I was will willing to give up everything. I'm not saying it was right but I was doing for us." 

Taehyung cradled her face lovingly, "You stupid, stupid girl," He shook his head smiling and unable to help but feel relieved. "Never, give up on your dreams for me, ever. I want to see you shine, not put your light out. You are so beautiful and so talented, Des. Never give that up for anyone. Not, even me."

Desiree hesitated.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

"I can tell that you're lying.." She wiped her nose on the back of her hand.

"Well, you did try to get pregnant without telling me babygirl, that's kind of fucked up." He grinned.

Des grinned back.

"Do you have to remind me?" Des covered her face and flopped backwards on the bed.

"I guess that I was just so caught up in the idea of not losing you, I wasn't thinking straight." Des replied in a small voice covering her face.

"And you're a hundred percent sure that you're not pregnant, right?" Taehyung asked slowly just to be sure.

Des nodded in affirmation and Taehyung let go yet another sigh of relief.

Des couldn't help but feel a tiny sting of humilation.  

"Maybe we should call this whole thing off?" She mumbled crossing her arms in deliberation. "I don't want to force anything else on you. Maybe it was wrong of me to ask you to come with me to Paris..."

Taehyung looked at her shocked, "Why?"

"Because the only reason you're coming with me is because I asked. You never thought of it or suggested it yourself. Now that I think about it, Its very much the same as me following after you all the way here and then trying to make you stay by having your baby... now I'm begging you to follow me half-way across the world without even asking first if that's something you'd even want to do?"

Taehyung frowned.

Desiree sighed.

"We don't have to do this. Not if you don't want to." She said, "You don't have to do any of this if you don't want to. I promise we'll figure something else out like you said before... you know, call everyday, that kinda stuff. Manipulating you isn't loving you and I'm sorry, so stay."

"No!" 

Her hazel eyes widened in surprise and Taehyung could still see their sadness behind the shock.

"W-what?" Her voice cracked and she swallowed the salt in her mouth.

"Des you must have me mistaken. This is  what I really want." Taehyung shook his head in solidarity, "To stay together, to be with you ..."

"Yes I know. But Tae, I want you to come with me because you really want to be in Paris. Not out of fear or because of a knee-jerk reaction. I don't know, maybe we're rushing into this."

"Des, look at me." he lifted her heart meltingly toffee gaze to meet his deep espresso one. 

"We've known each other for a while now, right?" Tae asked.

Des nodded quietly.

A slanted smiled broke over his handsome face, "How can we be rushing into anything? I couldn't care less about Paris, that's true."

"See!" Des sulked which made Taehyung giggle.

"I mean, I don't know the first thing about living there but I guess I could get used to it. It might take time, but I will. I just want to be with you, and I'll give up anything in this world to make that happen."

"I thought you said we shouldn't just give up on our dreams, not even for each other?"

"I didn't say that about me, I said that about you. I don't have anything to give up. I'm just a worthless bastard who is lucky," He kissed her forehead softly, "... to be with and amazing girl like you."

Desiree's heart swelled with love for the man in front of her. A tear rolled down her cheek again and Taehyung quickly wiped it away, then pressed his lips to her forehead.

Desiree sighed, "I just want to be with you too." She whispered.

Taehyung pulled back and studied Desiree's reddening face, "Then how come you don't sound so sure?" He asked and this time Des couldn't hide the way she felt.

"Well I'm just thinking about....." She pursed her lips together for a second before blurting it right out, "How come at the first sign of trouble, you're always ready to give up? If you don't like Paris you might just... I dunno."

"Shhh...Des stop it. We talked about this on the bus. Are you saying that you don't believe me?"

"I want to but..." she sniffed.

"I understand. I've let you down so many times, you have no reason to but I want you to know that this time baby, you can."

***

"Which do you want, lettuce, tomato and bacon or ham and cheese?" 

Taehyung turned to Des holding up two sandwiches in each hand at a busy little cafe they'd found nestled amongst the shops in Duty Free.

"Ham and Cheese!" She smiled walking up to him hugging two bottles of water, one diet coke and a regular coke.

When they paid and left Des and Taehyung joined the rest of the thronging crowd dragging their suitcases over lateral escalators. 

Excitement buzzed inside their hearts as both turned to look at each other when they got to the gate.

22:30 Paris (BVA)

"So, you ready?" He raised an eyebrow and Desiree felt her heart flutter wildly.

"Always have been."

Palms linked and fingers entwined, they boarded the plane.

Taehyung's legs jiggled anxiously in his economy class seat.

Desiree quietly held Taehyung's hand. 

She looked into his eyes softly and Taehyung's ones crinkled at the sides as he blushed.

"I can't help it, I'm a little nervous to fly." He said, lightly trying to make a joke of the whole thing. 

Des thought she would melt from the warmth in his eyes alone.

"So you weren't lying when you said this was your first time on a plane." She giggled. "Don't worry." She squeezed his clammy hand, "I'm here."

10 hours later, Des woke up to the announcement that their plane was about to land. 

She looked over for her travel companion and smiled to see that he was still fast asleep. A baby-blue neck pillow propped between his shoulder and cheek. He looked like an angel with blonde whisps of hair floating over over his eyes and his mouth slightly open.

She touched his arm then shook it gently to wake him up.

"We're here..."

"Wh--where?" Taehyung dried the moisture from the side of his face and looked around. it only took a few seconds for him to compute and remember where he was and why. A sleepy smile emerged and he stood up to help Des take their small bags out of the overhead luggage hold.

Bursting out into the sunlight. Desiree chose them a taxi from the lineup and they bundled into the backseat. 

She watched delighted as Taehyung's camera stayed glued to one eye, capturing shot after shot. 

Des sighed contentedly. 

Everything that lay ahead seemed so uncertain and yet, it all felt so right.

   🌴 I hope you enjoyed x 🌴

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✨ BJF ✨