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“Eomma, you look…”
“Like a supermodel? Yeah, I know,” my mother flips her jet-black extensions that cascade in ripples down her back. Her lips are cherry red, just like her name, Chae Ri, and it’s hard to recognize the woman before me as she slips on her heels which are black, to match her dress that fits her slim figure nicely. In fact, she can easily pass as a twenty-five-year-old party girl with the way she looks right now – complete with a smoky eye and two silver hoops dangling from her ears – and it terrifies me.
“When will you be back?” I ask.
“When I feel like coming back,” she replies with a cat-like grin, and I roll my eyes.
“You’re such a Saggitarius.”
She pokes her tongue out at me before grabbing her purse and opening the door, bidding me a last goodbye as she disappears behind it. I count to ten, then run to my room.
I too have a date to get ready for. But it’s no ordinary date.
I pull out the dress from the wardrobe, still safely secured inside the bag it came in. Goosebumps tingle my skin as I change into it, already feeling like a different person. I wear my hair down, slip in some dangly earrings, swipe some plum lipstick over my lips and curl my eyelashes, lining my eyes with some eyeliner for a finishing touch. I go through all these motions with a fluttering heart and a racing mind as I anticipate what is yet to come.
This is the first time I am dressing up for him.
The first time I am purposefully making myself look pretty – for him. And it’s exhilarating.
He said he will meet me here, outside the building, so naturally I jump five feet in the air when I hear a knock on the door, and then the doorbell, multiple times.
“Yah, I thought you said you’d text me first!” I trip through the apartment to the door, yanking it open in a flourish. For a split second my soul leaves my body as I register that it’s really him, standing right there, and nobody else, like I feared. And my soul remains detached as he takes me in, dark eyes sweeping over the almost unrecognizable girl before him, slightly frazzled and barefoot, yet still so –
“Wow,” his husky voice tugs at my heart. “You look even better than I imagined.”
“Thanks, I guess?” I tilt my head, letting out an anxious laugh.
Taehyung scratches his head, reciprocating my laugh. “I mean, you look really good. Like, really…”
As he continues to gawp at me, my soul decides to return to my body so that I can truly admire him in that leather jacket. Something about a leather jacket makes a person look incredibly attractive, but on him…it’s almost unfair how good he looks. Even with his coconut hairstyle.
“We need to do something about this,” I fork my fingers through his bangs, surprising him and myself as I reveal flashes of his forehead, as well as his strong thick eyebrows. I smile.
“Come inside,” I drag him by his hand, and he stumbles inside, bringing in a cloud of cologne with him. I sniff, deciding that I like the scent, while taking him to the bathroom.
“Aria, whatever you’re doing, don’t give me a haircut, okay, I’ve worked hard,” he moans as I open the bathroom cupboard.
“I wouldn’t dare,” I say, grabbing the styling gel and comb.
I work my magic, parting his hair and ensuring that his forehead is well in view, and when I’m done, I step back with a triumphant grin.
“Much better,” I point to the mirror, and his jaw slackens for a moment, before he too breaks into a grin, except his is more on the smug, sexy side. He swivels to me, adjusting his jacket and licking his lips.
“Handsome, right?”
“Yah, since when did you get so cocky?” I thump his chest, and he grabs my wrist, smirking at me.
“Since I started dating a really hot girl,” he replies, as smooth as chocolate.
I roll my eyes to hide the smile on my face as I exit the bathroom. He follows swiftly, and I halt in my tracks, realizing that he is about to see my room. A room that I managed to completely trash in the span of three days. But that isn’t my only concern.
“You…wait out here, okay? I just need to get some stuff,” I point at him like you’d point at a dog to stay, but he ignores my command and begins sliding his palms onto my waist.
“Aw, can’t I come with you? I want to see your room,” the way he says the last part, huskily and in Korean, makes me want to let him see my room, but I know that if I let him step foot in there…
“Can’t we just stay here instead? Your mum will be fine.”
I blink my way out of my temporary trance, frowning at him. “No. We have to check on her. And all I have is the address of the restaurant they are going to, so we have to be there to –”
Taehyung’s hot breath is now palpable on my skin as he draws me closer to him, leaving me no escape. His voice enters my ear. “We can be a little late.”
I gasp a little as his lips meet the curve of my jaw, gently planting a trail of kisses there as one hand buries itself into my hair, the other on my hip. With every kiss, I grow weaker and more willing to succumb to his fiery touch, but I can’t. Not now, when I need to protect my mother on her first date. I need to know that she is okay, and that burning thought destroys the passion of the moment, enabling me to think clearly and gently push Taehyung away.
“Please,” is all I say, and he nods, gnawing on his lip and stepping away, allowing me to enter my room and grab my shoes, as well as my purse. When I emerge with these items in hand, I find Taehyung in the living room staring at something, and as I grow closer, I cringe.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let her put those photos up again.”
At the sound of my voice, he turns to me, a cheeky smile lighting up his features. “No, you looked cute. And you still do,” he winks, while I just shake my head, moving past him to the door.
“Let’s just go, we’re already running late.”
Slinking into the night, Taehyung catches my hand in his, lacing our fingers together, and he doesn’t let go until we are seated at the restaurant, which also doubles as a bar with a small dance floor. I immediately spot my mother in the corner, cheeks flushed and drink in hand as she laughs at something her date, who I cannot see since he has his back to us, said. I nudge Tae and he peers over in their direction, scrutinizing them.
“Is that your mum?” he looks shocked as he settles in his seat, focusing back on me, and I lean forward on my elbows, nodding.
“The magic of makeup,” I state simply, and the corner of his lip curls up as he stares at me.
“It really is magical.”
I am unable to respond as a waitress comes over, ready to take our order. Taehyung smiles at her as he asks what’s good here, and I can’t help but frown a little at the way she smiles back, listing all the best dishes, until he stops her.
“But what would you recommend?”
For some reason, she giggles, until it dawns on me. It’s that damn leather jacket.
“Chicken parmigiana is always a classic, so I’d go with that, if I were to eat here,” she flicks me a glance, and I give her my best death stare, which is in full effect when I’m wearing eyeliner, and she bites her lip.
Taehyung decides to get the chicken parmigiana while I purposefully choose something entirely different, hoping that it won’t taste bad since I’ve never tried it. And then she asks if we would like any drinks.
“Water would be great, thanks,” I say, but Taehyung has other ideas.
“Actually, can we have a bottle of wine, please?” he shoots me a wink as he says this, so I shoot him a glare. Drinking is the last thing on my mind tonight, but the waitress jots it down and leaves before I can object, leaving me with a grinning Taehyung. I scowl.
“A whole bottle? Taehyung, there’s no way we can –”
“Aria, baby, come on, I’m trying to be classy here,” he takes my hand as I continue to glare, but hearing him say baby softens me a little, the term no longer repulsive but rather…endearing.
“Can you even afford it?” I ask, but he just winks, clicking his tongue.
“Don’t worry about it…babe.”
“No,” I point at him, scrunching up my face. “Don’t say that.”
“Say what? Babe?” he giggles as I hush him with a finger on his lips, but then I remember what he usually does when my finger is near his mouth and immediately withdraw it. He gnashes his teeth at the empty air, dark eyes sparkling.
“We’re not getting drunk,” I say sternly as I see the waitress return with the bottle. She opens it expertly for us and pours us each a glass, which we clink together, maintaining eye contact as we take a sip.
“We’re not getting drunk,” I repeat, lowering Taehyung’s glass from his lips as he takes more than just a sip, and he sets it down on the table sulkily.
“Fine.”
I suddenly remember the reason we are here, twisting over to spy on my mother and Victor, who are thankfully still in their seats. Taehyung has a better view of them, but it’s better if I stay where I am, since there’s still a chance that my mother could see me and recognize me, although if I were her, I would never expect to see my daughter in the same restaurant as her, spying on her. But at the same time, that’s exactly what I would expect from my daughter.
All worries fly out the window once the food arrives, and we both dig in heartily into our respective meals, mine being some fancy filet mignon in mushroom sauce that actually tastes really good. Accompanied with the wine, the whole meal makes me feel extremely fancy and posh, although the restaurant itself isn’t considered to be either of those two things. It almost feels like a real date as we smile at each other, feeding each other pieces of our food and talking about stupid things like the colour of the table or whether one light fixture is brighter than the other. So many stupid things, and so many sips of wine, that we forget about the couple in the corner, failing to notice when they are no longer there.
“Hey, Captain, how’s the ship going?” I giggle at the joke I made, even if I don’t actually ship my mother with that Vincent guy, or whatever his name was…
“I think the ship is lost at sea,” Taehyung replies with a grave expression. “I can’t see it anymore.”
“You can’t?” I turn around, and I feel a surge of sobriety awaken my senses as I clock that there is indeed no ship in sight.
“Oh, ship,” I curse, realizing a second later that I made another joke, but this time, I don’t laugh.
“Taehyung, we need to leave right now,” I tug on his sleeve, and he raises his arm, beckoning over the nearest waiting staff. The girl from before shows up, and I can’t hide my groan.
“We need to leave right now,” Taehyung tells the waitress, who nods professionally.
“Of course, would you like to pay by cash or card?”
Taehyung pulls out his wallet, handing her a card while I stand up, scanning the restaurant. There are some people dancing to the music that is constantly playing, and there are people at the bar taking shots or chatting with people, however none of them are –
“Target spotted,” I whisper as my eyes land on my mother, just a flicker of her face in the crowd of dancing people, hidden behind a large male figure. I gesture to Taehyung once the waitress leaves, and he follows suite to the dimly lit dance area, immediately hooking his arms around my waist to blend in with the rest of the couples. I let my hair hang over my face, acting as a curtain to peek through as we sway, keeping an eye on the ship on the other side of the area. I can’t help but smile, watching my mother let loose and have real adult fun, but I frown when I notice the guy’s hands snake toward her hips, dancing close to her. Taehyung notices my displeasure and looks over, clenching his lips together.
“It’s a little weird for me,” I say to him, and he nods, understanding.
The song changes to something with a throbbing bass that demands movement of the hips, and a mischievous smirk slices through Taehyung’s well-carved features as we change tempo. Suddenly the atmosphere is heated, and I don’t know if it’s the alcohol in my bloodstream, or just the music, but I find myself flipping my hair back and writhing my body in ways I never knew I could, as I am no skilled dancer, however in that moment, I don’t hold back, and neither does Taehyung.
It’s an electrifying moment of intense, musical passion and burning glances, of potential kisses and relentless touch, until Taehyung snaps us both out of it with his husky voice in my ear.
“They just left.”
It’s our cue to leave, although I would gladly stay here forever, even if the air is drenched in sweat and fading perfume. This time Taehyung is the one to lead us through the congestion, breaking into the crisp night with gasping breaths, just in time to catch my mother slipping on a motorcycle helmet while chatting to her date, whose face is concealed with his own helmet. It frustrates me that I have not properly seen this guy’s face yet, since it’s hard to judge someone by their back. It’s strange enough that my mum didn’t let me meet him before the date, leaving with no more than a fleeting goodbye, and something seems suspicious about this guy, even though he is making my mother happy for a night.
Taehyung’s grip on my hand tightens as we watch them mount the bike, my mother holding onto him tightly while he revs the engine. I glance at his face, trying to gage his expression, but as usual, it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking, until he tells me himself.
“Aria…that motorbike looks really familiar to me.”
“What?” I squint at the bike, which is just your average black and silver model with some skull designs on the side, but then again, I am no expert.
“I don’t know why…I feel like I’ve seen it before somewhere,” he mutters, using his other hand to absent-mindedly scratch through his hair, which has resumed its former tousled mop style. “What did you say his name was again?”
“Victor,” my mind feels like it’s swimming, and my stomach doesn’t feel so good either. Maybe all that dancing wasn’t completely good for me, because I suddenly bend over, heaving my dinner onto the pavement. Taehyung is quick to support me, grabbing a handful of my hair and keeping it out of my face as I cough up chewed up bits of food, and the stench of it makes it hard to stop.
“It’s okay, let it out, baby,” Taehyung murmurs in Korean, stroking my hair lovingly, and I almost want to cry as I wipe my mouth, regaining composure. How embarrassing.
“I’m sorry,” I sob, and he just buries me into his chest, rubbing my back and telling me it’s okay. In his arms, I forget about our mission, instead feeling incredibly safe and sleepy, as well as very sweaty.
“Gross!” a passerby grimaces in disgust at the mess on the pavement, causing me to sob even harder, clinging onto Taehyung like a baby koala.
“You’re gross!” Taehyung shouts after the guy pathetically, but it manages to trigger a laugh out of me, my shoulders shaking for a different reason now.
“That was the worst comeback,” I giggle, and he smiles down at me.
“At least you’re not crying anymore,” he says softly, kissing my forehead, and I bite my lip, blinking up at him through my tears.
“You idiot,” I cup his cheek, but his attention has diverted toward something else, and judging by the drop in his expression, it can’t be good.
“Tae?”
That voice. Where have I heard it before?
“Vic?”
I turn to who Taehyung is talking to, and if it weren’t for his hold on me, I would’ve collapsed right there in shock. For it’s none other than Vic, the large guy who stole Taehyung’s hat all those weeks ago, cocking his head to the side as he regards us both. When he sees me, he smirks.
“Ah, you’re with your lady. Very cute,” he winks at Taehyung, who scowls, tightening his arm around me. “But you’re not the only one with a hot date tonight.”
Oh.
He gestures to his motorcycle, where my mother waits, watching us. I can’t tell if she can recognize me from where she is, since it’s around ten metres away, but it won’t be long before she puts two and two together.
“We’re gonna go for a ride, and then I’m gonna take her for a ride, if ya know what I mean,” Vic’s wink is accompanied by a click of his tongue and a wriggle of his eyebrows, and suddenly I want to puke all over again.
“No, you’re not,” Taehyung steps away from me and toward Vic, sizing him up.
Vic scoffs, staring him down. “Uh, yeah I am. Who are you to tell me what I can do, ya little punk? Did you forget or something? ‘Cause I have no problem reminding you exactly what you are, right here and now.”
“I fucking dare you,” Taehyung’s face is only inches away from Vic’s, and if I didn’t know better, I would think they are going to kiss or something. They stare each other down like two bloodthirsty beasts with a lot of history, and it looks like they are about to throw punches when a voice stops them.
“Hey!”
They both turn, revealing an extremely dressed up and seemingly young woman, a woman who is not young at all, because she is my mother.
And as soon as she sees me, the world comes to a stand-still.
“Aria? What are you doing here?”
【★】
lol I said I’d update more but I got lazy 😂
I’ve been working on a lot of BTS covers – if you want you can check them out on my soundcloud > https://soundcloud.com/sereneuphoria I’m not a professional singer but it’s fun to try 😅
anyways I promise I’ll update soon, maybe even today!
dedicated to Melody12430 (again haha) for being the 400th vote! 💜
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