"So..." -Kim Taehyung's lips curved into a coy smile as he looked at Joohyun who had just entered the living room after sending her friends off at the door.

"Umm..." -Bae Joohyun pursed her lips tight, slowly swaying her body from left to right and crouching her shoulders inwards sheepishly. "So...?"

Brushing the back of his head with his fingers, Taehyung cleared his throat off and quickly looked away, trying his best to stop himself from behaving like an idiot in front of Joohyun. He leaned back against the sofa, crossing his legs and resting his hands on its armrest to try and act as if he was not nervous recalling what they did last night and knowing that he was now all alone with her, at home.

"Uh...so..."- He repeated, clearing his throat again before he continued, "Umm...about last night..."

"W-What about it?" -Joohyun nervously asked, looking everywhere but at him as she fiddled with her sleeves.

"I guess it's safe for me to say that our...umm...feelings towards each other, at this point is...more than just a tiny bit." -Taehyung lightly grazed his thumb against his lower lips as he speaks, a little afraid that his assumption might not be in sync with Joohyun's.

Giving Taehyung a hesitant shrug, Joohyun shyly said, "At this point, I guess it's already a little too obvious for me to deny."

"Well, then. Phew...glad we're on the same page." -He muttered under his breath, lifting up an embarrassed smile on his face as he rubs the palm of his hands together. "So, uh...Sh-shall we do something about it or do we just...let this be what it is?"

"Hmm~I think that kind of depends on what you have in mind..." -Joohyun said, wishing Taehyung would just stop beating around the bush and just get to the point. "What do you think we should do about it?"

"I don't know..." -Taehyung now rubs his chin as if he was thinking hard about the matter. "I was thinking if we could start going out and see how this thing goes for us...but...it doesn't really make sense since we're living together...and we've practically been doing almost everything together before...umm...last night."

"...but I believe that we've been doing those stuff with our 'emotions' guarded so...I think we could keep on doing what we've been doing but this time, maybe we could be...I don't know, a little more expressive with these...feelings that we have...towards each other?" -Joohyun shrugged, still coyly swaying herself from left to right as she waited for his reply. "It's just a suggestion. You don't have to agree with me."

Chuckling at her uncertain idea, Taehyung took this moment as an opportunity to with some questions, "How expressive do you want us to be?"

"Clear enough for me to know how you really feel about me. I'd like us to be a little more honest with each other about our feelings. We could, for a start, speak our feelings through actions." -she suggested, smiling at him sheepishly as she speaks, "Then...maybe we can see how this goes."

"So...by that I assume you wouldn't mind if I greet you with a kiss on the cheek every morning and hold your hands whenever I come to pick you up at work? That's kinda expressive to me."

"I actually wouldn't mind that..." -she boldly admits, "I would do the same."

"Really? Okay, then. How about hugs in the evening before we head to bed?" -Taehyung stood up on his feet and walked towards her with a smirk on his face. Her answer was making him feel a little more curious as to how far she'd like the both of them to go with their 'expressiveness'.

"I wouldn't mind that either..." -Joohyun said, taking a few steps back when she realised how close Taehyung was getting towards her.

"So, you're saying that you really don't mind if we do stuff that people in relationships normally do? Even though we're not technically 'together' yet?" -Taehyung an eyebrow, eager to hear her response, this time. "What about cuddles...in bed? Would you mind that?"

"N-No...I don't mind." -Joohyun gulped, fully aware that Taehyung already has his arms wrapped around her waist. Placing her palms against his chest, Joohyun nervously locked her gaze to his lustful ones, half-regretting having this discussion with him. "I-I kinda like cuddles..."

"Good to know...but what if cuddles turned into something a little more intimate?" -Taehyung asked, this time leaning in to rest his forehead against hers. "Would you mind that? Would you consider that expressive enough?"

"I would...but hey l-let's just stop at cuddles, in the meantime..." -Joohyun's voice quavered in nervosity as her hands start to grasp on his shirt. "Just...cuddles..."

Chuckling at her reply, Taehyung cupped her face in between his palms and locked his gaze to her wide-eyed ones. His gaze into her eyes was intense yet soft and fond as he gently caressed her cheeks with his thumb, causing her heart to race fast and her face turn red. When Taehyung dropped his gaze to her lips and gulped, she felt a rush of heat creeping through her cheeks, making her feel hot and anxious.

"...and if I kiss you right now...would you mind that?" -he asked,

As soon as she shook her head no, Taehyung carefully connected their lips together, pressing his ones against hers tenderly as he wrapped her tight into his frame. With no one else interrupting them this time, he made sure to whole-heartedly express his emotions out the way Joohyun wanted, through the kiss. He was amused at how bold yet shy Joohyun was about the whole matter but he was glad she made it clear about what she really wanted out of this 'thing' they were having for each other. The last thing he'd ever wanted was to cross her lines and ruin this for her.

Feeling Joohyun's arms curling around his shoulders and her fingers caressing the back of his head, Taehyung knew that she too was enjoying the kiss as much as he did. He bent down a little knowing that she was struggling to keep her balance standing on her toes. He could have just grasped her hips and lift her up to make it easier for the both of them but he knew having her legs clinging on him would make it a little hard for to restrain himself from getting a stiffy. It was already tough enough to control himself around her and he has been doing a pretty great job at it thus far.

Although he would have loved to take it further, he knew he had to be the first to break the kiss before it gets too heated up. Gently pulling her away from him, Taehyung held her face in his hands and smiled.

"I like you a lot." -he said,

"I kinda like you a lot too." -she wrapped her arms around his waist and chuckled against his chest.

"Kinda? Only kinda?" -he questioned her sullenly.

"Ugh!! Fine~ I like you a lot too." -she sighed, rolling her eyes as she pulled herself away from him.

"I like you more than a lot."

"Let's not turn this into a competition, Kim Taehyung."

<<------>>

From that day forward, Kim Taehyung would come over to Joohyun's workplace more often to have lunch with her whenever he could or pick her up from work when the day ends. Even though she had countlessly told him that he didn't have to do so religiously, he tries to make it a point to always set aside some time to be with her. To Taehyung, effort was everything. Presence meant so much more to him than just physical affection.

The beginning stages of a relationship is always the best and Kim Taehyung was not afraid to give his all. For some reason, Taehyung was more than positive that they were heading towards something that's even more real than the past relationships he has ever been in. Perhaps it was the fact that they've been living together and they have already witnessed the best and worst versions of themselves before they had their feelings involved but Kim Taehyung surely still has a lot of faith in love for someone who needed two years to mend his broken heart from his previous relationship.

His frequent visit at her workplace has definitely caught the attention of Joohyun's colleagues who never really thought that she would ever have herself a boyfriend. It was probably the first time they had ever seen her behaving all sweet and flirty around a man and they would often find themselves gawking at the couple who seems to be head over heels for each other.

Meanwhile, also witnessing the smitten couple get all over each other o