Stigma [Book 1]

Chapter 43 : Meeting You Again

Tzuyu quickly turned around and buried her face into his chest, silencing her sobs with the warm fabric of his clothing. Taehyung enclosed his arms around her shaking body and held her tight. Something he had wanted to do for a long, long time. He placed one of his hands behind her head as he ran it through her long brown hair. She on the other hand clenched onto his back so tightly that wrinkles were easily seen from his jacket. But he didn't care. All that mattered to him was the moment right now, right in front of him.

"Shhhh... it's okay Tzu... it's okay. I'm here now," he whispered into her ear.

"No... no it's not... not after everything I've done to you..." she said while softly pounding his back.

They stood there while she poured out all the emotion she held in for the past month. Ever since the night of MAMA, finding out that Jae Won was always with her, things haven't been the same.

"I'm so sorry... Jae Won... you're here..." she softly said, followed by more sobs.

Slowly, she pulled off of him, her face still full of tears. Taehyung moved the strands of her that were covering her face and brushed them aside. She stared into his eyes. Remembering all the precious moments they shared together in this very playground. She couldn't believe that all this time, he was really here. Right with her. Just like he promised.

"I..." she whimpered through chokes.

He released his hands from her back and cupped her face, bringing her close to him. Their noses were nearly touching as they could feel the breath of each other on their face.

"You're as beautiful as the day I met you here," he softly whispered.

Suddenly, she connected her lips with his as she brought her hands closer to his neck, deepening the kiss they know shared. A kiss from his lips, one she deeply missed from nearly a year ago since they were forcefully broken up. But unlike before, this one was full of meaning. Filled with joy that she lost and found again. She felt him smile into their kiss causing her to draw back as a small string of saliva slowly dropped from their mouths. She still sniffled, not fully comprehending the moment. She suddenly lunged into his chest again as she softly began crying once more in his arms.

"And you're as handsome as the day I lost you..." she said muffled but enough for him to hear.

He smiled as he looked up at the sky. This was the moment that he'd been waiting for. All those stressful nights of wondering if she was okay. All those times were he was upset with her for leaving him. None of that mattered anymore. All that mattered was the girl in his arms.

She pulled off of him as he interlocked their hands. The two walked by their favorite swing set, sitting next to each other. They sat in silence for a moment. Not because they had nothing to say. But because they wanted to take a minute to fully enjoy each other's presence.

"I missed you,"

She turned to see him, looking at the ground while softly kicking his feet in the dirt while slowly swinging himself.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He turned to look at her. Her eyes were still sad. But not sorrowful. Sad because she felt like she wanted to know why he stayed hidden from her all this time. He sighed before answering.

"I was scared you know,"

They sat in silence once more as Taehyung gathered his thoughts. She knew when she waited for an answer like this was simply because he thought about every word he wanted to say first to leave no questions asked.