Scarlet Craving

Chapter 2: Taehyung

Two days later

A couple of days had passed since meeting Taehyung. He's been following me around campus non-stop like a lost puppy which has started getting on my nerves slightly. He also now sits next to me in every class we're in together. I've tried to encourage him to make some other friends so he can get to know everyone better and you know not just talk to me all the time. But he said he was content with just sitting next to me?

I know that sounds mean trying to push him away, especially since he's been nothing but nice to me. But I've never had someone or a guy for that matter be this interested in me before. I don't know how to react or behave toward someone that practically hovers next to me. Of course, Ava and I are close but we have time apart as well. With Taehyung I feel like he's there as soon as I open my eyes. Various girls from our lectures have been giving me dirty looks since Taehyung never leaves my side. Probably out of jealousy but I didn't ask him to follow me around!

This is all Mr Lewis's fault! I just want to come to class each day and then crawl back into the warmth of bed each night unbothered. I don't want to be harassed by a group of girls who constantly glare at me and say rude remarks under their breath.

I sighed deeply as I sank into my seat at the cafeteria table next to Ava and of course, Taehyung pulled a chair out to sit opposite us. Again he had only brought an apple with him for lunch. I swear this guy doesn't ever eat anything. "You good?" Ava asked me, slightly concerned.

"Yeah, just the mob is giving me some stress," I said back nonchalantly.

"The mob?" Ava asked, confused.

I pointed behind me, Ava turned around to see a table not too far away full of girls staring at us harshly. "Oh right...ouch," Ava said awkwardly.

I groaned slightly as I put my face into my hands "Why are they glaring?" Taehyung asked me softly.

I looked up from my hands to meet his gaze. How could he not know? They're staring because of you! "Oh um...I think they might be admirers of yours." I tried to say kindly back. I guess it's not his fault for being ridiculously beautiful.

"Oh really?" He said in a surprised tone. Surely he gets people fawning over him all the time with a face like that?

"Should I talk to them? Since they're bothering you?" Taehyung asked me.

I blinked a few times in shock at his proposal "Ah-what? No, no, it's fine. I'm sure they'll stop soon enough." I turned to look at the group of girls and flinched slightly when I saw their eyes full of envy. Before I could turn back around Taehyung had walked into my field of vision heading towards the group of girls. My mouth fell open as I desperately tried to whisper to Taehyung to get back here! But he just turned and winked at me.

I quickly spun back around, not wanting to see the carnage that was about to unfold. "That was nice of him," Ava whispered into my ear.

"He's going to make it worse!" I said back in a hushed tone.

"I don't know. They all look pretty satisfied." Ava said as she glanced at the table behind us.

Urgh! I groaned loudly as I began eating my food. Soon enough Taehyung was back at our table, swiftly sitting down in front of us. I peered up slowly from my lunch to look at him "So what did they say?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Oh well, they explained that they were too shy to talk to me in person. That's why they've been staring at us. They didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He said soothingly to me. Yeah right, what kind of an excuse is that? Well, I guess it's fine as long as they stop giving me dirty looks around campus.

"So then what did you say?" I asked.

"Oh I just said they didn't need to feel shy and that they could talk to me anytime," Taehyung said to me in an unbothered tone. No wonder they looked happy then. They're probably going to try and talk to him non-stop now that he's given them the go-ahead. More people hovering around me...great.

"You don't look too happy," Taehyung said to me as his dark eyes inspected my face.

"Ah, I'm fine! Just tired..." I tried to quickly cover up my expression.

Taehyung nodded slowly before Ava spoke. "Oh yeah! Should we meet in the library tonight to finish up our presentation for tomorrow?"

Aw crap. I'd forgotten all about that. "Sure what time?" I said glumly.

"Does six work with everyone?" Both me and Taehyung nodded.

The bell then rang out for our next class, the whole cafeteria started to head out the door and back into the cold. As we began to leave Ava shouted to us that she would see us later. I waved back and started pacing to the building my next class was in with Taehyung walking fairly close to me again.

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Library 6:30 PM

We had been working for about thirty minutes before I started to complain it was too cold to even think. The library at our campus was old which meant it was freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer. As much as I admired its vintage interior I wished dearly that they had proper heating installed so I didn't become an icicle.

"I-I can't do this anymore!" I said with my teeth chattering.

"I-It's not that bad Piper." Ava tried to say through her teeth which were also chattering.

"I-I can't even feel my fingers, Ava!" I said back in protest. The only person who didn't seem to be affected by the temperature was Taehyung, as he sat there completely unbothered. He wasn't even wearing gloves. How could he still feel his hands?

"F-fine! I will go buy us some drinks." Ava got up abruptly before asking us what we wanted.

"T-tea!" I said loudly. Taehyung politely declined Ava's offer. This resulted in both Ava and I looking at Taehyung strangely before Ava decided to think nothing of it and pace over to the cafeteria.

"How are you not cold?" I asked suspiciously.

"Thick padding?" Taehyung said as if he wasn't sure himself as he pointed to his coat. I eyed him for a second longer before deciding to drop it. I can't argue when my limbs are frozen.

I began trying to scribble my notes away in my notebook which was proving difficult as I couldn't really move my fingers. I turned to see what Taehyung was doing and noticed his face was barely inches away from mine. I jumped slightly in my seat but he didn't move.

Suddenly we were locked in each other's gazes, neither of us speaking. His eyes trailed over my face as mine did to his. I noticed he had a small mole on his nose that I had never noticed before, well I guess that's because we hadn't been this close to each other before. His skin looked so smooth as if it was marble, I wanted to touch it. But before I could my eyes gazed down to his lips and I saw his teeth gritted together tightly. I couldn't feel him breathing, was he holding his breath?

Concerned, I leaned back slightly "Are you okay?" I asked embarrassed that we had been staring at each other for so long.

He leaned away from me too as he tried to re-compose himself "I'm fine." He said evenly as if he hadn't been holding his breath at all?

"So why were you-"

"I noticed your nose was red." He said quickly as if to defer from the fact that he had been holding his teeth so tightly together. It's only then I noticed his hands were balled up into tight fists.

Before I could ask anything else Ava appeared. "I'm back!" She said happily as she placed our drinks on the table.

"Are you okay? Your whole face is red." Ava asked worriedly. Now I feel even more embarrassed!

"Yes, I'm just cold!" I said quickly as I took the hot beverage into my hands. Taehyung to my side chuckled ever so slightly.