Brush Strokes ✓

33.

"Mmm, Taehyung..."

"I love it when you say my name like that."

"Stop it!"

"Why?"

"Because I'm busy." She turned around in his arms, not wanting to risk her current work getting ruined. It wasn't too hard to ruin it since Taehyung was quite adamant in distracting her by spreading kisses all over her neck.

"Then get un-busy. You have been holed up in your studio for almost a week now," he said, pulling her away from the canvas and the colours. He bent down, aiming for her lips only to have his lips crash with her soft cheek.

Aera giggled, trying to push his head away as he continued down her face, nipping at her jaw. She gasped at his bold actions, her grip in his hair tightening. "Taehyung, stop," she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut when he placed a wet kiss on the pulse beating in her neck.

He hummed against her skin, making the woman shiver in his arms, bringing a strange sense of satisfaction to him. "Should I?" he asked her teasingly, his hand playing with the ties of her apron. "If I stop, you'll go back to painting."

"I...I need to get those done before the month ends," she tried convincing him as she finally succeeded in pulling his head up to look at him. Looking into his eyes didn't help though. Aera had to gulp seeing the way his eyes darkened, his jaw tight and his intimidating brows furrowed in concentration.

"I know," he said, his face softening, pulling her head to his chest to hug her tighter. "But I haven't been able to see you all week and I have been busy too. I've only got an hour before going back to work. Spend it with me?"

Listening to his words now, she felt her arms tightening around him. She tended to lose the sense of time when she got in  touch with her artistic side. Ever since her birthday, it was like a dam broke and she had an incessant need to get her feelings and pictures forming in her head onto the canvas. She didn't even remember if she showered today.

On that thought, she pulled back and looked up at her boyfriend. "Of course, I'll spend it with you. I'm so sorry for not sparing time for you. Forgive me?" she asked, making her eyes big and pouting a little, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist that look.

And he couldn't as he gulped looking down at her sparkling eyes. Coughing, he looked away as if thinking something to disguise his reactions for her. He wondered if she did some kind of magic on him, for him to be so bewitched by her. But maybe it was just the red string of fate joining their hearts. Too cheesy, he thought but well, he was a hopeless romantic.

"I'll forgive you," he said slowly, "but on one condition." Aera tilted her head, waiting for him to elaborate. With a small smile playing on the corners of his lips, he came closer to her. "Make me the tea you made when I first came here and please eat the tteokbokki I bought. I'm starving," he whined, clutching his stomach for added dramatic effect.

Aera burst out laughing, throwing her head back. "You funny, dramatic fool. You could have said that like a normal person." Taehyung only shrugged, looking smug. "Where's the fun in that? Let's go now."

••

"Stop looking at me like that," Aera muttered around a mouthful of the spicy rice cake dish, pressing her hands over her face. "You are making me blush."

Taehyung chuckled, leaning forward as he wiped her lips. "You look beautiful when you blush and absolutely gorgeous while eating. Not my fault I can't stop staring."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Such a sweet talker. You weren't this bad before we started dating," she complained like a little child.

"I couldn't just flirt with you shamelessly when you were seeing someone else. I have my own principles and right now they allow me to flirt with you to my heart's content," he replied, almost nonchalantly as he dug into his mild serving.

Aera couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart, a little guilty for ignoring his feelings. "Sorry," she said, not looking up. "I was very mean and selfish, wasn't I? I didn't care for anyone but myself. I hurt you. I hurt Doyun. I probably hurt Sehee and Hwayoung a lot too and yet, you have all stuck with me when you could have walked away."

Taehyung sighed, dropping his chopsticks and grabbing her hand. "You were hurting too," he said, his eyes steady and voice gentle but firm. "People tend to make mistakes when they are hurting. It doesn't justify your actions though, but accepting your faults and striving to be better in future is what counts. You hurt others because you were hurting but you realised it and apologized at the right time. It doesn't make you a mean and selfish. It just makes you human. A human that I can see myself falling in love with."

Aera froze, her eyes wide and jaw slack as she listened to him talking like a philosopher and then...he dropped the L bomb.

She gulped hard and immediately regretted it. The food went down the wrong pipe, cutting her oxygen abruptly. Violent coughs whacked her body as she tried somehow breathing properly. She started hitting her chest, feeling a big hand patting her back to help her.

It took a little time for Aera to calm down and when she did, her eyes were watery and her chest was heaving from the efforts her lungs had to take for oxygen. Taehyung on the other hand was biting his lip to hold in his laughter, knowing exactly what triggered her.

His girlfriend glared at him hard, looking as if she wanted to choke him but instead settled on saying, "Don't say such things when I'm eating."

That's when he lost it, leaning his body on hers as he started laughing. Aera continued to glare at him but she soon found herself shaking her head and chuckling at his amusement. Leaning against each other, they continued to enjoy the free time they had.

Maybe all those tears and endless nights of longing for each other wasn't all in vain. Maybe it just made being together all the more sweeter.

~~~~
A/N:

A look inside Tae-Ra's new relationship life. Writing this chapter made me feel extremely single but welp, being single is the best.

Hope you liked this chapter.

Thank you for reading 💖💖