The Seven Wonders of My Life (BTS) ✔

Chapter 8

I was helpless. I had no idea whether to climb back up the stairs to dig up the former king's grave and give him one hell of a lesson for ruining an innocent's life, or to remain huddled next to the man my heart twisted in all sorts of emotions for.

When my hand reached the side of his face, his eyes met mine. A single, silent tear slid down his cheek that at first had his eyes widened in a mixture of shock and embarrassment. And God, how I ached to wrap him in my embrace and bury whatever pain tortured him, within me. But I feared that the slightest touch would break down whatever shred of strength he still had. When he cried there was rawness to it, like the pain was still an open wound. The sobs were stifled at first as he attempted to hide his grief, then overcome by the wave of his emotions, he broke down entirely. All his defenses washed away in those salty tears. He blinked tears from bloodshot eyes, his thick lashes dark and clumped due to the wetness, while his hands opened and closed, rhythmically clenching as if there could be some violent solution to his pain if only he could find it.

"Taehyung," I whispered, reminding him that I was still by his side. "I'm here. For you." My hand clasped tight around his, trying to sooth them into remaining still.

If he had stayed in his daze for a second longer, I would have thought he hadn't heard a word I said, but then with a feather-light, hesitant touch that slowly turned into a possessive, desperate hold, his hand reached my neck and pulled me towards him. He had his arms around me and his face nuzzled in my hair, like a child clinging to his safe, familiar doll.

"I know." His voice was muffled as he spoke.

Then, just when I thought the breakthrough would come and he would trust me with his vulnerability, the shutters came down, his emotions were walled off behind a mask of coping. And I knew he would just keep wearing it if I didn't try to get him back to his senses.

"Please don't do anything reckless." My hand clung to his shirt as I looked up into his eyes. "Promise me."

He put my head back against his chest and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.

"I promise," his voice whispered close to my ear, "I won't do anything I'll regret."

I had a feeling he was convincing himself more than he was trying to assure me, but I had no choice than to believe in him.

We remained in a bundle on the ground until I felt the rise and fall of Taehyung's chest calm down. I saw his face now was void of any emotions, which was a better assurance than the anger that had been itched between his brows. Easing ourselves back to our feet, we were taken back by the disastrous condition of the room. Like a settled snow globe after being shaken up, the bits and pieces lay in a sea of shards of glass and scattered objects. Taehyung didn't even bother to pick up whatever survived the tantrum. Instead, our eyes fell on the red drops scattered on the white of my ankles. I hadn't even felt the pain.

"How could you just walk in?" He asked absentmindedly, kneeling down to inspect the injury.

It was just a couple of scrapes so taking my heels off, he wrapped a handkerchief around my ankle and put them back on.

"That will do for a while," he said, standing up and taking my hand. "Now let's leave this place."

As we walked out of the room, I looked back and asked, "what about the mess?"

He halted and his features hardened. "They can deal with it; I'm never coming back here anyway."

It was evident that J-hope had planned to throw a rant at me once I met him at the castle's gate, but his anger dissolved into confusion when Taehyung and I met him. For any passerby, the man at my side would have looked like he'd had a slightly rough day, but to J-hope, who'd known Taehyung for even way longer than I did, he knew something was awfully amiss.