Chapter 9: Tomorrow's too Far Away

“Do you want to try a bit?” I ask after my first bite.

Hoseok looks up from his plate and stares at me hesitantly. I smile and cut a piece for him. I nod and insist he try some.

Unsurely, he leans forward and slowly opens his mouth, careful not to touch the fork too much as his lips slip the crepe off of it. He sits back into his chair and chews, nodding blissfully at the sweet taste of the dessert.

Something flutters in my chest with the mere sight of his smiling face, the way his eyes crinkle in the corners and glint as he smiles all the way up to his cheeks. I feel comfortable between the realm of awe and peace, content with seeing him happy.

I lift my brows as he extends a cut of his waffle to me. “It’s good,” he insists. He holds out a chunk of waffle, slathered in ice cream and chocolate.

I purse my lips, playfully playing doubtfulness.

He chuckles and lightly waves the fork, “Really good!”

I smile and swiftly take the generous forkful. I relax back into my seat smiling. The waffle is warm and comforting in the cold of the ice cream, and the bitterness of the chocolate contrasts with the refreshing sweetness of the strawberries.

“You’re right,” I giggle, delighted by the taste. I wipe my lips on a tissue, chocolate printing the corner of my mouth.

Hoseok smiles then bashfully purses his lips as he cuts himself another piece.

The date goes by peacefully with small chat and shared mouthfuls. When we finish we order drinks, coffee to warm our full stomachs. The heater is soon . Its warmth enveloping us in its embrace, keeping us warm in our seats and begging us not to leave even as the other tables begin to empty.

The last sip is cool, long from being hot. I sigh as I place my mug on the table, the light tap on the wood assures me it was the last taste. I look up to find Hoseok eyes on mine.

“Ready?” he asks. I nod and we rise from our seats, and make our way to the register.

The owner beams to us and tells us he was just about to close. We apologize but he shakes his head and explains it was relaxing to see the two of us together amidst our busy lives. We both laugh softly in embarrassment.

The price is named and I swiftly click open my bag to find my wallet. I’m beaten my Hoseok who easily pulls out his from his back pocket.

“I’ll pay,” I say even as he counts his cash, “I was the one who dragged you here,” I reason.

His eyes grow slightly and he shakes his head. “Don’t say that,” he says as he passes the money across the counter. He slips his wallet back into his back pocket after receiving his change.

He turns to me and smiles, “I wanted to come. You didn’t drag me.”

Even after assuring him I'm fine going back alone and that it wasn't that dark yet, Hoseok walks with me. We walk back in a comfortable silence, lightly washed away from time to time for a comment or two. The light is dim under the streetlights and the surroundings bare different shades compared to when we passed by earlier.

Hoseok pulls up his sleeve and smiles, a breath escaping his lips. I hum as I turn to him. He taps on his watch.

“We stayed there for about three hours,” he tells me. He looks somewhat satisfied by the number.

“Impressive,” I smirk. I look down at my feet as we walk on the path, our footsteps following each other. “We’ve stayed longer,” I say after some thought.

He hums, still looking ahead of us he asks curiously, "How long?"

I purse my lips, “Five to six maybe?” I reply uncertainly.

He gapes and ‘ahs’ as he looks around. He laughs and rubs the back of his neck, “What did we do for that long?”

I shrug but think about it for some time as we stroll—‘I think we just enjoyed each other’s presence,' I want to tell him. I bite my lip and hold my breath. 'Maybe not yet.'

We stop by my door and I suddenly remember something. I hold a finger between us.

“Wait right here!” I instruct Hoseok. He smiles uncertainly but nods nonetheless. I hastily unlock the door and rush inside.

I find the item I’m looking for and run back out. Slighlty out of breath, I hand Hoseok the piece of clothing.

He takes it hesitantly then realises it’s his jacket he had leant me before. He smiles and politely bows his head. “Thank you, I thought I was never going to get this back,” he teases.

I laugh and apologise for the wait. “I kept forgetting,” I admit. It had been the last thing on my mind recently.

There’s a long pause, I balance nervously on my heels. “This was fun,” I say softly, poking at the silence.

He smiles and nods in agreement as he tucks the jacket under his arm. We stare at each other for a moment, both awkwardly wondering how to part.

“Uh,” I cough as a cold breeze passes. “Well, see you later,” I say awkwardly as I turn to the door.

“Um.”

I look over my shoulder, he waits expectantly with his hands firmly by his sides. I turn back around. “Yes?” I chirp in confusion.

He bites his bottom lip and scans the ground. “Next week,” he exclaims as he suddenly looks back up at me. He chokes on his words, caught off guard as I wait patiently for him to continue. He coughs into his fist.

“I have no practice,” he stammers, “Do you want to meet up again?”

I widen my eyes. Shocked  but pleasantly surprised. I nod eagerly, probably grinning far too obviously.

Hoseok chuckles shyly to his feet. He smiles and nods, “Okay.”

There’s another pause and I wish I could hold onto it a little longer because parting feels like a pity. We thank each other and say our farewells. He waits for me to enter the house before turning to leave. I watch him behind the curtain, holding my breath as he glimpses over his shoulder after the first few steps. He turns a corner and I sigh. Suddenly, even tomorrow has become too far away.

A/N: I wanted to update atleast once more before uni starts and it gets hard to write... I went to TRB Melbourne last week on Sunday... I got highfives as well and GAH. JHOPES SMILE, OUWFHS I was soooo in awe for so much of the concert. They all did so well and looked so good... after I left the room I immidiately missed them... it felt really weird... like I was supposed to and HAD to, see BTS and the other ARMYs real real soon. Like the next day and even then tomorrow felt too far away (hence the last line.) The boys also seemed pretty tired though so hopefully they can rest soon ^^

The reason I haven't been able to write is post-concert depression ahaha

Anyways! Thanks for waiting!