Abscond| KTH

•Chapter 9•

Unlike his luxurious car, the apartment was modest, with two large bedrooms, a living area and a kitchen. We took off our coats and put the bags down on the counter. Taehyung went to put the coats on the rack as I took in the space. It was surprisingly neat, with a few paintings decorating the walls. I made my way towards the canvases as the boy returned to the room.

"Did you paint these?" I asked, eyes widened at the beautiful piece.

"Yup," he rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly shy.

I couldn't tear my gaze away from the swirling dark colours. "They're beautiful, Taehyung,"

His laughter was nervous as he thanked me. Through the open door of the bedroom, I noticed a grand piano sitting in a corner.

"A piano?"

"Uh, yeah, it was my roommate's. Do you play?" Taehyung questioned, leading me towards the instrument.

"A little." We sat side by side on the stool in front of the piano and grazed my fingertips over the keys, familiarizing myself with black and white pieces. I began playing a tune with my right hand. Soon my fingers took over, dancing on the keys involuntarily.

The low notes of the chords suddenly accompanied my higher notes. Taehyung's hands were on the piano now, he played in sync with me, and the smooth melody filled the empty bedroom. We lost ourselves in the music, soft smiles on our lips as our fingers moved together.

When the piece finally came to an end, we were quiet for a few moments. I turned to Taehyung, who was already looking and smiling at me, his eyes sparkling in the dim light of the room. I held his gaze for a second too long, and suddenly our smiles had disappeared.

Tension buzzed in the air between us, and we were so close. So close, I could feel his breath hit my lips. I could see his lashes casting shadows on his cheekbones, and my gaze dropped lower as I gulped.

And suddenly, I pressed my lips to his. In the silence of the room, my heartbeat roared in my ears. The kiss was soft and quick. I pulled away, trying to gauge his reaction, but a moment later, he leaned forward, kissing me again.

Taehyung brought one hand to my jaw, and his other hand moved to my back, holding me close as I grasped the front of his sweatshirt.

I clutched the soft material tightly, and under my palm, I could feel his heartbeat racing, mirroring my own. His fingers tangled in my hair as the kiss grew deeper.

We both pulled away, gasping for air, but still seated awfully close to one another.

"I had been thinking of doing that for a while now actually," I said, surprising even myself.

Taehyung raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" He smirked, "Then why didn't you."

"I dunno," I shrugged my shoulders, "waiting for the 'right moment', I guess."

"Well, that was perfect." Taehyung's gaze was soft, and so was the bright smile on his lips. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, grabbing my hands and pulling me to stand. "Come on."

We went back to the living room and Taehyung started placing the snacks on the table in front of the couch. He handed me the remote and asked me to put the movie on.

"So, who taught you to play like that?" I asked him. I sat down first so I wouldn't have to go through the painful process of overthinking and deciding between sitting next to him or a bit further away. He can do that. I searched for the movie and pressed play.

"My old roommate, the one I told you about before. It's his piano too, he'll probably come to take it soon." Bringing out the last of the snacks Taehyung returned to the room and sat down right beside me. I froze for a second before forcing myself to calm down, barely processing his words. "What about you, where'd you learn?"