It was pretty windy for a summer day. I listened to the leaves sway and rustle as I passed by. I usually stay inside, but the cool, yet sunny day called me out. I didn’t really have a set place to go to, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed the day any less.

A right turn here, a curve there, and another intersection over. Maybe a few more and I’d have ended up lost without realizing it. About twenty minutes into my journey for self-discovery in this suburban college town, I received a text message from one of my friends, Jimin.

He’s always had a knack for knowing when any of us are off in our own world and made it his life's mission to always bring us back to Earth. Whatever it was that triggered his angel senses, I was happy for it. I was reaching that point in my reverie where I just wanted to nap under one of the many trees that looked surprisingly comfy. I unlocked the flashing notification on my phone.

You free right now?

Depends lol. What’s up?

That’s a yes. Come over, my friends wanna meet you.

So much work. Nty :)

We’re getting boba. I’ll pick you up on the way

If I must…. Gimme 15 min. I gotta walk back home

Kk

As I turned to head back home, I thought about how different my college life would have been if I hadn’t met Jimin. Sure I’m pretty friendly and easy to get along with, but I never really felt the urge to get super close to people. So as many friends I had, there were only a couple I could call my “best friends” Although that’s likely more my fault than anything else. So it was quite a surprise when Jimin and I became close after attending a few GE lectures.

I heard the car before I saw it as I rounded the corner to my street. A gray Civic pulled up beside me and rolled their passenger window down. I didn’t expect it to be Jimin since he was likely the one driving, but I definitely wasn’t expecting a random stranger either.

I looked to the driver and was relieved to find my friend. Jimin laughed at the expression on my face since I was caught off-guard.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he snickered. “Get in and I’ll introduce you guys.”

I got in the car and sat behind Jimin’s friend. I’ve hung out with Jimin often enough to be familiar with his circle, and him with mine. But I was pretty sure I have yet to meet the handsome stranger in front of me.

“So Alexa, this is one of my best friends, Taehyung. He goes to the same school as us and he’s a Music Major like me,” Jimin elaborated as he looked at me from the rearview mirror. I nodded at him to show that I was listening, and as I did so, Taehyung turned to me from his seat.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” an incredibly deep voice greeted me. He stuck his hand out and offered a brightly lit box smile with it.

Not one to turn down a new friend, I smiled back at him and shook his hand, “It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Alexa.”

His eyes lingered at my face for a little bit longer, almost as if he was trying his best to tie my name to my face. “Taehyung. But you can call me T-Tae,” He stuttered a bit in the end which made Jimin giggle as he drove. Tae pouted at him for a bit while Jimin just grinned back at him. It was cute seeing them so close to each other. Tae puffed his cheeks and turned back to the front.

“Tae’s been studying abroad for the last two quarters, that’s why he hasn’t been around,” Jimin explained.

“Yup, I’ve been travelling across Europe since January,” Tae added as we arrived at the milk tea shop.

We all exited the car and headed for the counter to order our drinks. While we waited in line, Jimin and I took turns asking Tae how he liked Europe and the kinds of adventures he had while he was there. We could tell he really enjoyed his time abroad, the boy talked a mile a minute and would only pause when Jimin reminded him to take a breath every once in awhile.

We got our drinks and sat outside to talk a little bit more. It was clear to see how close the pair was. Jimin sat through all of Tae’s excitement and even made noises of disapproval when he told us about the time he got lost in the middle of nowhere somewhere in Scotland. It was all quite endearing and I was glad Jimin brought me along.

Time passed quickly after that. None of us realized that we had already been sitting outside for a couple hours until one of Jimin’s other friends, Yoongi, gave him a call asking where he was. Apparently it’s only been a couple of days since Tae came back from Europe and they were supposed to have a big “Welcome Back” dinner for him.

“Aww, but this was fun,” Tae pouted as Jimin forced him up.

Jimin looked like he was thinking for a second before asking, “Alexa, do you want to come? All the guys know you and I’m sure they won’t mind.”

Tae brightened up at that, but I couldn’t help but decline. “Nah, I think I’m good. You guys should have your bonding time. I already stole you guys during the day, I’m sure they want to spend time with you as well. Especially you,” I grinned at a sulking Taehyung.

“You sure?” Jimin asked again.

“Yup, and if anything, we can always hang out as a group next time. I’ll even drag my friends out,” I smiled at him so he wouldn’t have to worry about it later. Jimin finally agreed to that and we set off to bring me home before they met up for dinner with their friends.  

_____________________________________________________________________________________

I stretched my back against my chair and began to put my notes away. There wasn’t a lot for me to review before school started up again, but it wasn’t like I had much else to do anyways. I kept a few days off of work just so that I would remember to enjoy my summer vacation, but lately all it’s been good for was lying in bed and reading manga. It wasn’t bad, but it did get boring after awhile, so then I turned to studying. There was a cheap secondhand bookstore downtown, so I bought a couple books to leaf through in my ever-growing spare time.

I was thinking about what I should make for dinner later that night, when my phone rang its familiar bell tone. The message came from a number I didn’t recognize.

Hey, it’s Tae! I got your number from Jimin, I hope you don’t mind >__<

Wow. I didn’t expect him to reach out to me on his own, but I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to seeing the excitable boy again.

Haha it’s all good. How are you?

Pretty good. We all stayed up really late last night catching up.

That’s good. I’m sure they missed you a lot :)

Yeah, I missed them too. The guys are like family to me

Aww that’s really sweet

You should come hang out with us next time! I didn’t know you were close with Namjoon too

LOL it’s because we’re both engineering. We tend to suffer together

Ahh. Maybe I’ll join you guys. I really liked hanging out with you yesterday, would you mind if I message you more often?

I don’t mind :)

Tae and I spent the rest of the night messaging each other. It was far too easy to fall into conversation with him and it felt like we’d been friends for years. From talking about our general hobbies, irrational phobias, and our nonsensical dreams from the night before, it wasn’t long before the sun rose on us.

The next few days after were filled with work, studying, and constant messages from Taehyung. I still wasn’t sure to expect anything from him aside from friendship. Sometimes he came across as flirty, but regardless, his caring nature showed affection and that was enough for me.

Once he was finally settled in his shared room with Jimin, we made plans to hang out more frequently. It started off with Jimin, Namjoon, and a couple of the other guys, but after the first few hangouts, it seemed like the guys made it their mission to make sure Tae and I were alone. Not that either of us were complaining, it was just amusing to see how Yoongi and Hoseok would go out of their way to eat at a different cafe if they saw that Tae and I were already there.

Jimin was also trying to gauge my feelings for Taehyung. He would try to find roundabout ways of asking me, without actually asking. My interest for the boy grew, no doubt about it. But I wasn't ready to fall for a guy that wasn't ready nor willing to catch me if I did, so I held off for a while.

It wasn't til a couple weeks later that Taehyung asked me point blank at dinner. We were watching Mulan on my couch as we ate the pasta that we cooked together. A Girl Worth Fighting For started playing on the screen and he turned to me and said, "You're definitely a girl worth fighting for," with a cheeky grin.

I laughed along with him, but accepted the compliment nonetheless. It seemed that wasn't enough of a response for him, so he pushed on. "Is there someone that would fight to keep you to themselves?" he asked intently.

The question was lost to me at first but I responded the only way I understood, "No? I'm not seeing anyone. If I was, I wouldn't see you this much," and stuck my tongue out at him.

He nodded in acknowledgment, "that's true..." Whether he was lost in thought or completely absorbed with the movie, I couldn't tell. But the conversation ended there, at least until the movie ended.

We started clearing our dishes from the living room and began cleaning the kitchen. My roommates went back home for the summer, so the apartment has been pretty empty. It was really nice to have Tae around to keep me company at home.

I didn't realize I voiced my thoughts out loud until Tae replied, "I can be here as much as you want me to. I like spending time with you."

I smiled at him, a little embarrassed at my uncontrollable mouth, but happy nonetheless. As I reached for the cabinets to put the plates away, Tae came up behind me and rested his chin on my shoulder. Before I could turn to him, he gently wrapped his arms around my torso and spoke, "Would you like to go on a date with me?" He was so close that I felt the deepness in his voice more so than I heard it.

I tried to turn to him to give him an answer, but he just tightened his hold on me. It looked like he wasn't going to let go until I replied. Instead I angled my head towards him to see his expression. His eyes were staring down at the counter in front of us and he looked pretty unsure of the response he was going to get.

That's when I realized I didn't like that worried look on him, that I'd rather he be smiling and bouncing all over the place like usual. I already knew what my answer was. I kissed him softly on the cheek, "I'd love to."