Timeless Snow ✓

Ch. 80 - Winter Escape

Taehyung went first down the fire escape, ensuring he was behind you should you slip on the frozen iron bars without groves. The two of you made it to the bottom with little noise aside from the rusted metal creaking as the winter breeze rattled the structure. Taehyung steadied your hips as you jumped past the last few bars of the fire escape and landed in the settling snow. "You're feet," Taehyung said, realizing his jacket wasn't enough to protect you when you were in socks. 

"It's fine." You insisted, raising a hand to pat softly against his chest, implying he was without a coat. "Pain just means I'm alive, right?" Your smile tightened as you looked up at him. The situation may be hard to explain, but her admiration and love toward him were unbound. She didn't mind the cold or the rumbling storm above, five minutes ago she assumed she'd be nothing more than the sidewalk art. Now, here you were. Nearly lifeless, now you pranced through the snow with the man you loved. Escaping the hells that were confined in those white walls for something better, an unknown future. As long as it was with him, you wanted the experience. He was what it meant to be alive. 

"Happiness is also living." Taehyung said, his lips mimicking your smile. His boxy grin spread widely as a devious idea popped into his head. He was going to sweep you off your feet, quite literally. Bouncing down he scooped his arm under the bend of your knees and his other arm wrapped your shoulder to cradle you safely. Lifting you up as if it was the easiest thing in the world. 

Kicking his foot against the ground he quickly brought the two of you into a fast spin that caused you to involuntarily squeal with glee. Looking up at the sky, you could see the flakes of clouds falling toward you, swirling around your face as you spun. Extending your arm you let yourself escape in the blissful moment. The feeling of the cold wind stinging your fingers, spots of snow melting on your cheeks, the smell of the trees in the distance. 

It was the quick, simple moments that made you fall in love with him. The way he played with you, made your heart spin with delight. The world existed in the tiny moments that make our hearts sing, the memories that come to us in our darkest moments to bring us back to the light. Keeping nature playful, Taehyung halted his spin and started to jog off toward the direction of his car. You bounced in his arms, running insured fewer people had a chance of seeing them dart off in the snow together, but the frequent fall of snow was allowing fog to build and lower visibility. 

Taehyung giggled like a schoolboy as you glanced toward the ground, a bit frightful he might fall and send them both trembling to the earth, again. "I've got you." He said, leaning in to whisper into your ear, keeping his eyes ahead as he continued to rush forward. "Almost there." He ensured. Nodding, you wrapped your arms tighter around his neck to steady yourself. Piggyback would have been more practical, but he had a flare for the romantic. 

Making it to Taehyung's Toyota, he got to the passenger side and carefully set you down. Swiftly, he grabbed the handle and popped it open as he held the door ajar for your access. Smiling as thanks, you ducked into the car quickly and allowed Taehyung to shut the door. The car was cold, the benefit of no wind but the freezing temperatures had still invaded the metal box like a freezer. Releasing a breath you could see the rolling mist from your lips as the cold caused it to condense and become visual. You assumed the two of you were in the clear now. The fog on the already tinted windows would help hide whoever was inside as they drove off. The perfect time to run away, and you hadn't even planned it. 

The pop of the driver's door drew your attention to him as he sat on the driver's seat and slammed the door shut behind him. His breathing was heavy from the sudden jog. Looking at his face, how tired he must be. He had just saved you from suicide and now was carrying you off into the white horizon. 

Breathlessly, he turned his gaze on you causing your heart to skip its beat. His brunette locks were speckled with flakes of white from the falling snow. Sprinkles of sparkling white clung to his lashes. Intricate shapes too small to admire melt on the heat of his perfect lips. Taking in a breath, you bit the corner of your lip and averted your eyes. The audacity to look that fine. 

Your salacious thoughts soothing as the car rumbled to life and you remember, you were midway through an escape attempt, not in a romance novel. Your head snapped back in his direction at the grip of his fingers on your chin. Wide-eyed, like a dear in highlights you lost yourself easily in those chocolate eyes. The heat starting to pump into the car wasn't the only reason her cheeks were starting to gain pinkish color again. 

"I love you." 

Sike! It's a suicidal romance novel. A little fucked up, but who doesn't admire a twisted love? For it wasn't each other that they twisted. It was how the two of you were capable of twisting the world into your desire, shaping it into your own form of happiness. The 'maybe-not-so-moral' choices you made to get here. Fights were never about each other, for the only reason to fight was for each other. 

"I love you." 

The way he could turn a tragedy into a beautiful moment to admire is incredible. He made you feel the most alive in those little slices of time where your heart skipped and sputtered because of him. Taehyung was reason enough to make anyone want to live, to fight to hold onto those precious moments. 

Despite the desire to lock lips and heat up the car another way, they needed to finish the escape. A knowing look was exchanged between the two, they shared the same thought. Shifting to the steering wheel, Taehyung pressed his long leg into the break as he shifted the car into reverse. His smile lingered on you with a sinister little devil of a grin that caused those butterflies in your stomach to come alive again. 

Your body shifted forward as the car began to move. Reaching back you grabbed the seat belt and wrapped it around your waist before settling into the passenger seat with a wiggle of your behind. She could feel the heat leave the vents in the car aimed at the freezing skin of her face. Finally, it sunk it. The weight of all you had just gone through, you felt heavy. Your body sunk into the seat, breathing in the warm air you used to try and soothe yourself. You watched as Taehyung drove the two of you out of the parking lot and took off on the nearest road. You couldn't help but look in the side-view mirror to see if anyone was following you. The roads were almost completely bare. Most people opt to stay home in the face of snowy conditions. There were no hospital cars following behind or sirens in the distance from the dispatched police. 

Taehyung caught your worried gaze and reached across the center console as he placed his hand on your knee. "Relax." He commanded gently. "You never have to go back there again, I promise." Your eyes snapped in his direction. Ever? How? Scrunching your brows at him, he only smiled. That carefree smile made you believe in him, trust him. To make such a declaration and mean it. What future awaited her, if it weren't in that hospital? 

With one hand on the steering wheel, he raised the other to your head. His eyes bounced from you and the road understandably, never the less you were just as important to him as his vision. Brushing the remaining flakes of snow that had yet to melt from your hair. Your scrunched brow relaxed, your eyes fixated on his face. Nodding your head, you portrayed your understanding though the reasons why were still a mystery. 

In that mystery, it's where one found wonder, the possibility of an infinite amount of futures. Curiosity and our ability to satisfy that feeling with knowledge are what separated us from other sentient beings. Surely a playing kitten is just as curious as a newborn reaching for the bright colors in front of their face. The child will one day grow and no longer be fascinated with the hues before their eyes, but that curious cat will forever be a little curious. Who was winning in that situation? 

You rushed to a conclusion based on an imaginary clock that ticked with anxiety. Even now, you are still worried about what the next minute could bring. Not a single second was guaranteed, each breath could very well be your last. For death is the only death that comes when called, you had already tempted him once. What hell would he release upon your life for your disobedience? 'Relax' You repeated in your mind, hearing the heavy tones of Taehyung's voice call out to you as you replayed it on record in your head. Each moment was a miracle and if her miracles were numbered, what was the point of spending them in fear?