He could feel Tori smiling into his kiss, and all his doubts, worries about her not feeling the same way about him evaporated in a second.

Maybe she did like him too.

When they tore away from each other, Taehyung’s face immediately fell to the grass beneath him, too anxious to look at her in the eyes.

But she wasn’t having any of it, she placed her index finger under his chin and lifted it up so that they were looking into each other’s eyes.

“I believe, Mr Kim,” she started, a cheeky smile on her lips, “that you kissed me that time.”

He didn’t make any reaction, just continued scrunching his eyes shut and opening them.

Tori’s smile widened, she couldn’t believe how adorable he was.

“Are you busy tomorrow?” she asked and he shook his head, taking himself out of the trance he was in.

“Huh? Uhm yeah, I’m going to be at the labs all day tomorrow, the final copy of my appraisal is due in on Monday.”

“You work too hard,” she sighed and he smiled.

“No I don’t, you just don’t work hard enough.”

“Hey!” she exclaimed in defence, although she knew he was 100% correct. “That’s not true!”

“Really? It isn’t?” he asked, turning to face the lake again.

“I work hard, okay, maybe it’s not enough but I work hard!”

Taehyung laughed, “Why do I even bother?”

Tori draped her arm around his shoulders, “Because you care,” she whispered into his ears and he shuddered, feeling her warm breath tickle the hairs on his ears.

Turning around, he locked eyes with her, yet again.

I do.

He thought.

I just wish I knew how to tell you that.

Tori seemed to understand what he was thinking, although she didn’t know exactly.

“Are you tired? Do you want to go back?” he asked, and Tori shook her head.

“Not particularly, are you?” that was when she realised that maybe he was asking her that because he did feel tired, and he did want to go home.

And now he was probably going to lie and say he wasn’t at the tiniest bit tired.

“Oh, no, I’m not the tiniest bit tired,” he replied, biting his lip, trying to hold back a smile and Tori knit her eyebrows.

“Oh… okay,” she seemed fazed for the smallest second before she snapped back into reality, only to see Taehyung’s eyes drooping from his side profile.

She outstretched her legs and put her hands on his shoulders.

He jumped at her touch, turning over his shoulder to look at her but she didn’t say anything.

Instead, she gently pulled his head down to rest on her thighs, which were covered by her jeans, so Taehyung getting all nervous wasn’t accounted for (but she found it cute nonetheless), and she took her jacket off, putting it on top of him.

“Rest,” she whispered and he started to get up.

“I’m no-” she stopped him, and he landed back on her lap.

“If you want to get anything done tomorrow, I suggest you rest now, Tae,” she said and he sighed, knowing that there was no way he was going to win this argument.

She took his hand in hers and he let her, while her other hand brushed his hair, to the rhythm of the faint sounds she heard of water below swishing against the concrete.

Before she knew it, the grip on her hand tightened and her eyes shot down to look at him, and he was breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply, sweat breaking all over his forehead and his jaw.

“Mom, I never got to tell you…” he whispered, “How thankful I am to have you.”

A single tear slipped from Tori’s eye, landing on his cheek. She managed to wipe it away before he felt it, but it was much harder to stop the tears that were welling in her eyes from falling.

He’s going through it all on his own.

She sighed.

I wish I could do something to help you, Tae.

--

“Okay, make sure to eat well, and drink lots of water,” Tori told Taehyung through the phone and due to the silence that followed, she just knew he was probably looking to the floor, shifting his weight between his feet with his cheeks, the colour of ripe tomatoes.

“Tae?” she asked, waiting for his response.

“H-Huh? O-Oh, yeah, th-thanks,” he stammered and Tori smiled.

“No problem, okay, I’m gonna go and study for my exam on Monday, talk to you later!”

“B-Bye,” he replied before hanging up and putting his phone on the table.

He paused and tried to catch his breath but that was proving unsuccessful. His smile wasn’t doing anything but growing wider and wider after that phone call.

She cared about me.

Just like mother did.

The only other person who did care in my life.

But… was she going to leave too?

He shook his head, feeling tears spring to his eyes at the mere thought.

But he knew, that all good things must come to an end, especially when it came to him.

Despite getting award after award for his high school studies, scholarship after scholarship for his university academics, he still felt on edge whenever he was happy.

First it was his father.

Even though it was over fifteen years ago, he still felt the need to hang that burden over his head.

And over those fifteen years, he created the most beautiful bond with the woman who raised him on her own.

But she too, left.

His hands started shaking, and he put the conical flask down on the table.

It only had been a month.

Every time he thought about her, he was a mess.

“I miss you,” he whispered, closing his eyes, “so much.”

--

Hey Tae!

You didn’t call me so I thought I’d text you.

I didn’t want to disturb your working so I refrained from calling.

Hope you’ve eaten well for lunch and dinner!

If you haven’t, you’ll be in trouble…

Anyway, I’ve finished my work for the day so I’m heading back to home.

Talk to you tomorrow :)

Taehyung stared at his phone, and the overflow of texts he received from her.

She cared.

She really did.

Taehyung felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he didn’t know what it was.

Looking back down at the texts, he opened the keyboard to type in a reply.

Hey Victoria,

He started tapping at the screen.

I’m still here at the labs, just finishing the final touches, but it’s getting really late so promise me you’ll go to sleep as soon as you get home?

He stared at it for a few seconds. This wasn’t the way he normally talked to people. Well people other than his mother that was.

He was in disbelief with the fact that he would even think about talking to Tori in the confident way he was, but maybe it just meant she was starting to break his walls… or at least help him build himself some assurance.

He sent the text, surprising even himself and put the phone down, trying not to anticipate a reply.

Looking back at his work, he mixed the solution in his flask one more time, and when there was no change in the colour or smell, he quickly read over his conclusion and closed his hundred-and-something page ‘mini thesis’ as his professor liked to call it.

In fact, Taehyung was working on his PhD, however, no one really knew about it. This assignment was actually a small step he had to take along the way of his thesis and so he made sure to give it more attention than his masters at the university.

Okay

I promise

The reply came in a soon as he was about to leave and he felt relieved.

But then again, why was he worried?

Tori was not one to let anything become awkward.

He was the one to make things awkward, while she would usually try and help conversation retain normal atmosphere.

He smiled as he thought about how, in that way, they matched.

Saturday went by just like that, and then Sunday did as well. Tori went to the gym, and then hung out with her friends and they didn’t get to spend any time together.

Instead, Taehyung just went over his notes that he would have gone through the day before, and after, he sat down in his bed with a cup of coffee, his round reading glasses perched on his nose and a book in his hands.

He divulged into the book, loving everything about those next few house. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had sat down and read a book like he was right then.

Hours passed like they were minutes, minutes like they were seconds, and he was loving the alone time he was giving himself.

Despite the fact that his life was basically him sticking himself inside a room all day, alone, it was mostly spent going through workbooks and doing practice questions, as well as reading the extra credit work and finishing those.

Reading a proper book, for his leisure was very uncommon for him.

--

Monday came along and they finally saw each other again. Tori was waiting for Taehyung by the entrance to the campus, then as soon as she saw him, her face li