No Ordinary Love |KTH|

House of Cards

Spring and summer combined into a wonderful day of hot weather and clear skies. In one more month or so I'll have graduated into becoming an official adult with a degree in criminal justice. Three months of crucial exams and internships have left me with enough stress and stories to tell my children whenever I decide to become a parent.

Ever since that fateful day, Taehyung and I have been inseparable. We don't go a day without seeing each other even with the hectic things happening separately in our lives. I met with his mom on multiple occasions and she took me in like her own, showing me cute little baby pictures of Taehyung and I couldn't stop squealing.

I told him about my parents and the arranged marriage that's been hanging over my head since I was a child. We agreed to do a visit during spring break and introduce him to them.

I'm nervous to say the least but more than excited to show my family proof of the unloveable black sheep being loved. I haven't a clue how they might react but I'm not going in there fully expecting them to accept this.

I've been coming up with ways of overcoming my fear of standing up for myself. Namjoon and Hobi have been coaching me on what things they might say and it's been working exponentially on my confidence.

So when we got out of the car and walked up the long porch leading to the door, I swallowed the fear that told me to hide or run. It was a long drive to get here and many times I thought about telling Tae to pull over or turn around.

My stomach sank with the feeling of having to face my family again and be in the presence of their neverending torture to ruin me. They are expecting me since I got drunk last week off of wine to grow even the slightest of balls to text my sister Nyla that we're visiting.

I emphasized the 'we' and she gave me the eyeball emoji and replied with, "This is going to be interesting." Over the phone, I talked to her briefly about what's currently going on in my life and what to expect.

She's two years older than me and is the only one I have an inkling of trust that she won't go running all over town with this information. She also told me some things that's been going on in her life—very minimal—and our family since I've been away for school.

Apparently, our parents are thinking about getting a divorce which is completely frowned upon in our family since there's business tied into marriage. It's the whole reason for arranged marriages in the first place. Hearing this made me wonder if I could slip under the radar without as much as a blink from them cause they're too busy dealing with their own problems.

Taehyung tightened his hold on my hand bringing my attention to him. I told him a lot about my family and he also told me more about his. He said that his family is just like mine when it comes to the business aspect so he kinda knows what to say and expect when meeting everyone. Even with his confidence I still feel unhinged.

Gathering my thoughts in a barrel I pressed on the doorbell and heard the fancy chime. Then walking down the corridor we could see through the crystalized door a woman with springy hair and a thin figure come walking and unlock it.

"Hello, mom," I say, trying to show disinterested and waved. My other hand was too busy being squished in Tae's to even try to remove. She cast her glance down at our entwined fingers and look back up, only to stare at Tae for what seemed like a stretched minute then back at me.

"Noelle, it's good to see you're not dead." Her voice was restrained as she opened the door wider and we walked in. Nothing's changed since the last time I step foot in here and that was two winters ago.

The family portraits are still hung perfectly on the wall as we walk down the corridor. Each one taken with straight faces and no smiles, all looking like we're forced to look normal.