Our Summer

Chapter 38

An hour later, everyone crowds around two combined tables, watching as Madam Cha and Mister Kang, SeungHo's father, play a trivia quest on who knows Mister Cha the best. Mister Cha is seated in the middle, with his wife on his left and Mister Kang on his right, followed by Madam Kang, who is giggling loudly when her husband got a question wrong and feigns a look of despair on his face.

Taehyung is seated at the other end, his waist coast still intact but his sleeves rolled up neatly up to his elbows due to the summer heat basically making him sweat. Seori is beside him, talking to Yoongi and Jungkook about the best universities for Miyeon to further her studies in the near future. He likes looking at her in her natural element - speaking of education and its various paths, the varieties of opportunities one can take and what is the career path one may take through their decisions in tertiary education.

This is a side of her he has yet to see but now loves very much. She knows her stuff and when she uses education jargon with Yoongi, his amazement towards her skyrockets.

Taehyung glances at her, realizing she has turned her body towards Yoongi more and a tiny bit of jealousy sprouts in the centre of his chest. As discreetly as possible, he slides his hand under the table, taking her hand from her lap and twining their fingers together. He hears her breath hitch, making him smile triumphantly.

Seori gulps, feeling the warm jitters travelling up to her face. She turns to glance at him, finding him smirking despite him looking somewhere else as if he knows she is looking at him but refuses to acknowledge her - a tease. She turns to Yoongi again, letting Taehyung pull their hands into his lap, his thumb caressing her knuckles in such feathery touch.

Out of nowhere, she feels him behind her, and then she hears his voice very near to her ear.

"You look very pretty it is actually distracting me"

She blushes, albeit trying her best not to look so obvious that she is entirely distracted from the very educational conversation she is in.

"Let's take a walk at the beach later. I am deprived of my time alone with you"

Thus, about twenty minutes later, here they are, walking barefooted on the beach, the late night warm air blowing through them, the sounds of waves hitting the shores so gently filling the silence of the night, the faint moonlight shining upon them thanks to the clear sky and very little clouds, distance echoes of birds chirping in their nests and the slow music playing from one of the beach hut not far from them.

Taehyung has been holding her hand since they left Madam Cha's house, and not even once he releases her hand. Seori teases him about it earlier but he says he just loves holding her thus she can tease him as much as she wishes to, but he still wants to hold her hands.

His adorable answer made her blush she has nothing else to say about it.

"My grandma used to take her usual morning walks here. Sometimes I would join her - if I woke up in time"

Seori smiles softly at that, glancing at him as he speaks.

"She loved baking too", he laughs lowly, tracing his memories. "She taught me a lot of recipes"

Seori squeezes his hand as a means to comfort him, somehow sensing recalling his memories might fill his heart with sadness. Taehyung turns to her and stops walking.

"I actually stopped baking after her passing", he breathes in deeply, his eyes looking at their feet in the sand.

"Taehyung", she calls him softly and his eyes flick up to her face. "Did you bake the strawberry tarts you have me the other night?"