Perpetual Rain ✓

Little Gate

Upon leaving the warmth of the coffee shop, you were greeted by the nipping cold and misty rain. Pulling your scarf up you used it to shield your nose and mouth as well as part of your ears from the unforgiving cold. You sunk down deeper into your woven sweater, following alongside Taehyung in silence, still bitter with defeat.

"You look like a turtle." He abruptly pointed out.

"And you look like a brat." You bit back without a pause. 

"A snapping turtle, I see." He laughed lightly at your misery. He was laughing now. "This way." He pointed as he took a sharp left turn down the closest alleyway to the coffee shop.

You've lived here long enough to know the direction he was heading housed nothing but trees and foliage. An area without people usually. Stopping at the mouth of the alley, your heels dug into the soggy ground as you planted yourself. The lack of the sound of second footsteps caught Taehyung's attention.

"What's wrong?" He questioned as he turned to the side to face you, only a few feet ahead.

"Where are we going?" You opted to question back, refusing to move from your spot.

"Didn't I say trust me?" He questioned as one of his large hands found its way into the pocket of his lightly caramelized trench coat. For a moment, his face reverted back to that emotionless expression he had worn up until a few minutes ago. 

"And didn't I say I barely knew you? You're leading me into the woods, this is stereotypical horror movie crap." You folded your arms together against your chest, now standing like a pouting child with vulgar language.

He cocked his head back toward the sky and sighed, letting himself stare at the clouds as they swirled by. Water droplets splashed against his sun-kissed skin and dragging down his cheeks to a mad race for his extended neck. You could see his hair slowly starting to get darker due to the rain, the color you saw the other day. This man had what seemed like a flawless physique. But you couldn't be fooled by a pretty face, if anything it made you that much more alert.

"Look, just up the way is a trail that leads to a view of the forest. It seems like a spot not many have been before. I want to show you." His head fell back down as it turned toward you. He seemed disappointed that he had to ruin the surprise but he knew he had to tell you if he wanted you to trust him.

'Why me? Why is he so damn concerned for me? Why does he want to show me this secretive spot?' There were too many unanswered questions and you hated not knowing. But, you knew this town like the back of your hand. How could there be a spot you weren't aware of? What did it look like? Why were you so curious?

Curiosity had always been a downfall for you, ever since you could walk, that mixed with your reckless and clumsy behavior. You recalled once crawling through storm drains with one of the neighborhood kids and ending up a few miles from home, but you had found the clearest, most beautiful creek in your life at that time. It was worth the lecture you had gotten once you finally got home.

". . . Fine." You once again huffed in defeat.

"Look, I'll keep my distance too if that makes you more comfortable." Taehyung surprisingly offered, which did offer you some ease but that didn't mean you'd let go of your reserve. 

You nodded your head in reply, almost like a sign of gratitude that barely shined through your irritation.

"Just follow me, okay?" Why did he now sound like he was leading a small child? Like you were his little sister being taken on an adventure.

"Okay." You grumbled as you began to step forward and follow after the mysterious man you met nearly a week ago.

The rest of the walk was silent. Your eyes on his back, you let your mind drift to the unanswered questions as you desperately tried to figure them out as if it were a puzzle but the pieces weren't all there.

You always had a hard time keeping focused on one thing, so before long your mind began to drift to other mysteries. You weren't left in a daze long however before you snapped back to reality at the sound of a hinge creaking. Taehyung pulled an old wooden gate open and waved his hand for you to go first.

The wood was moussed over from years of rain and age and likely still damp to the touch. Leaves piled around it, the path overgrown. It was clear no one came this way often, you couldn't even recall ever having been here or even the slightest it aware that there even was a trail. You could see the rolling fog lingering just beyond the gate, but watched it dissipate with each step closer you had taken.

"Are we breaking onto private property now?" One of your brows perked upward, once again planting yourself in the ground like a tree too stubborn to bend to the wind's will. 

"Not exactly."

"Then exactly, what are we doing?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"And you barely answer any of them."

"Touche." Rapid fire responses ending with a simple word. He laughed deeply. You could see his broad shoulders shake with amusement that you didn't share. 

You took in a deep breath and stepped forward, letting your body slip between the two posts despite your brain's objection that this whole idea was arbitrary.

"You really are a paranoid person, huh?" Taehyung asked as he closed the gate behind himself and jogged softly to meet your side.

"I'm cautious, it's kept me alive this long." You shrugged your brows.

"Well, that or it's killing you." He opened his arms wide to shrug his broad shoulders, his trench coat hiking a few inches higher.

"You like doing this whole 'mysterious' thing, don't you?" You questioned in return instead of offering a response statement to his sarcastic remark. "I mean, I could barely get you to talk back there and now you're 'Chatty Cathy'." You pointed out as you tossed a look to him, a questioning gaze from the corner of your eye. 

"I wasn't being quiet. I was just enjoying the coffee. Not mysterious, just adventurous. It's kept me sane this long." He said as he reworded your statement just as you had done to him. He cracked a smile and turned his head to you, his lips almost forming a box. The expression he wore was so carefree yet calm as he flashed you his pearly whites."

"Right." You said, rolling your eyes. "Smart ass." Despite your efforts, you broke your stern behavior for a single moment as you found his smile infectious. Your lips spread a bit thinner as your teeth showed. Lowering your head to make it go unseen, you shook with a soft laugh. Brown locks swaying about, your sounds gave your amusement away.

"Oh hey! You are capable of laughing!"

"Don't sound so surprised! I'm not a prude."

"Could have fooled me."

"Are you trying to get me to hit you?" You huffed as you shot your sights toward the man. Your smile faded from sight and instead was replaced with a threatening glare.

But he just smiled. Damn it, this guy was starting to make you question your sanity. He would catch you off guard, interrupt you, avoid your questions, put you right back at ease, then irritate you. Why did you decide to follow him again? At least he was talking now, you both were. There were less soul-crushing silences and more pointless banter but, at least it was something.