The Cupid Complex

20. Familiar Stranger

Taehyung arrived at the cafe an hour after he had left the grocery store like he had promised. He entered and took a look around. He didn't see the woman he recognized yet, so he moved to take a seat at a table in the far corner. The table was half hidden behind some huge leafy plant. Taehyung took the chair that was behind the plant so that he would have a bit of cover. He was still completely covered up with his beanie, hood, sunglasses, and face mask, but that may not be the case for long.

Taehyung didn't like being deceptive. He knew that it would complicate things revealing who he was, but he also didn't want to merely use this woman to get to the end goal. He had told Jungkook as much when they had arrived back at the apartment. He and Jungkook were the same as far as telling the truth came. Taehyung had left for the cafe alone, telling Jungkook that he ought to clean up the apartment some while he was gone. Jungkook had teased that there was nothing really to clean since they just moved in the day before, but Taehyung just chose to ignore it. If telling the truth worked the way that it was suppose to, then he wanted to invite her back to their place to hash out a proper plan.

They needed at least one person on their side if they were to succeed with what they had come to do in such a short span of time.

- - -

He is here.

Ruby could tell when he entered the cafe. She had just come back out front after grabbing some new cups from the storage closet. She put the cups away where they were supposed to go before going out back to the employee area. She had shoved the small bag of groceries into her work locker. She tugged it out just as Talia appeared.

"Taking another break?"

Ruby glared over at Talia as she used her elbow to shut her locker, trying to move past Talia with the bag in hand.

"No. I'm just delivering this to someone that just came in."

"Oh? Is he your boyfriend? Did you finally find someone after Dexter?"

Ruby's cheeks heated up. Talia would never let her forget having accidentally fallen for a married man. Ruby hadn't known. Dexter had just started working at the cafe at the time. It had been an honest mistake. It wasn't like Ruby had purposefully been trying to go after a married man.

"Excuse me," said Ruby as she ducked her head and slipped past Talia, hearing the other's laughter behind her.

Ruby moved to grab up a small box of cookies that she had packed and paid for, planning to add it to the groceries. She still felt responsible for Freddi's almost assault. Walking over to Taehyung's table, she took a deep breath.

"Hey," said Ruby.

She put the bag of groceries on the table with the box of cookies.

"I wanted to apologize again for earlier," she continued.

Taehyung looked her way for a moment, not saying anything. Ruby was wondering if he was mad about the whole thing after all. Instead she was surprised when he asked, "Can you have a seat?"

She nodded as she sank down in the chair across from him. From where she sat, she saw that he could be hidden from the view of the front counter by the leafy monstrosity of a plant that the owner would not get rid of. Ruby - on the other hand - was in full view of the front counter. She could tell without even turning her head sideways that Talia was looking over at her.

Talia with her perfect looks, life, and boyfriend. Ruby tried to not let it get to her. She couldn't let it.

"I don't know where to start," said Taehyung finally which got Ruby to look back his way. "I suppose I'll start with thanking you for the groceries."

"You're welcome," said Ruby. "It was the least I could do after what happened."

"Would you mind helping me and my friend with one other thing?" asked Taehyung. "We're looking for someone."

Ruby felt panic spread through her, and knew that it showed on her face. Could Freddi have been right after all? Were these strange men after her sister for a malicious reason? Taehyung could see the panic, and realized that he hadn't phrased what he wanted to say in the best way.

"No. Please don't freak out. I don't mean it in a bad way. I just..."

Taehyung paused. How did he say what he wanted to without sounding completely insane?

"Look, my friend...This woman that everyone is calling panic girl might mean a lot to him. He wants to meet her again to see if she is the girl of his dreams or not."

Ruby tried to connect two and two together. Ame didn't have many romantic relationships, so what man would possibly have already met her once? The only relationship Ame had was the one that she had with her fiancée that cheated on her last Valentine's Day.

'Is that why he's all covered up and being all weird?' thought Ruby. 'Did he finally realize what he lost out on with Ame and sent his crony to try to feel things out?'

"You can tell him - if it's who I think you're talking about - that he was the one that cheated. He doesn't deserve to even look at her again, let alone think about her."

"I...I don't think we're talking about the same person," said Taehyung when he saw Ruby launch into being defensive.

He was going to try to wait on the truth a bit longer, but he was starting to see that he was out of options.

"Look. I think something needs to be clarified," said Taehyung. "You just have to promise to keep it a secret."

Ruby crossed her arms across her chest as she looked at Taehyung across the table from her.

"Fine," she said.

Taehyung looked to make sure that he was covered the best he could by the leafy plant before reaching up his hands. He slipped his face mask down so that it rested under his chin before bringing his fingers up to his tinted sunglasses. He removed them slowly, still keeping the hood and beanie on as he looked across the table at Ruby. He saw her look go from defensive and irritated to complete and utter shock. There was an awkward silence that stretched between them as Taehyung quickly moved to put the sunglasses and face mask back on. As he did, Ruby still remained silent.

"Um...are you alright?" asked Taehyung finally.

"I...I don't know," said Ruby as she put a hand to her head.

Here she was again imagining V, but this time she had placed V's face over that of an actual person. How long was her concert high going to last?

"Do you know who I am?" asked Taehyung as another follow up question, wondering if she maybe didn't even know who he was.

"I...I think, but then again I could just be hallucinating still."

"You've been hallucinating me?"

"No! No, I mean..." Ruby's cheeks turned a dark shade of red. "I've been thinking that I've seen V everywhere since the concert on Valentine's Day. Now I'm seeing his face on yours."

Taehyung couldn't help but to laugh then. So she did know who he was. Ruby mistook the laughter for the other making fun of her, rising to leave while she had any shred of dignity left.

"No...no, don't go. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed. I just...you're right," he said.

She paused in her half risen position from the chair, sinking back down to take a seat.

"You're really...?"

"Yes," he said as he looked at Ruby. "Now will you help me?"