The Girlfriend Package (Taehyung x Reader)

The News

"Yeah, okay, I found it." You voiced into the receiver of your cell, stuck between the sweaty skin of your neck and the material of your shirt that arched over your shoulder. Swiping at your damp forehead with the back of your hand- how long had you been in this damn grocery store?-you nodded to yourself and said once more, "Okay, thank you, Rosa. I'll be there soon."

Clicking off the call, you stuffed the phone into the back pocket of your jeans and reached around Solar, who was leaning against the cart, boredly popping her bubblegum between her lips, you grabbed the box of rice mix cereal from the dozens of other brands off the shelf and tossed it into the already full cart.

"Okay, that's it" You couldn't help the relief that filled your voice, as you headed toward the check out at long last, Solar's heels clipping on the tile as she kept pace beside you. "Thanks for coming with me, Sol." You shot her a grateful look.

"Sure thing." She grinned over at you, arching a perfectly manicured eyebrow as she waved her finger at the small grocery store near your mom's house. "You know I'm always willing to tag along and see Rosa and Leo."

Piling the groceries onto the conveyer belt, the two of you were silent, as the woman behind the cash register, who recognized you by now after all the years of haunting this particular grocery store, rang you up.

"$107.89, doll." The older woman flashed you a smile, and you returned the gesture, handing her some cash, as she leaned over to count out your correct change. "You out for a visit with you mama, darling?"

"Yup." You took the cash she handed you, stuffing it back into your worn purse, as Solar finished loading up the rest of the groceries. "Same old, same old, Matilda. You know me." You offered her another kind smile, as you stepped in the direction of the pharmacy.

"Well, you tell her I said hello then, honey." She waved you off, already distracted with the next customer, and you swallowed hard, the words stuck in your throat that you would love to tell your mother hello from her, if she were conscious or could hear you.

"You okay?" Solar asked quietly, as you stood in line to get your mother's medications from the pharmacy.

You nodded, not quite looking at her, and thankfully, she couldn't ask any more questions, before it was your turn at the window.

You were slightly caught off guard to see an unfamiliar face today, not the usual pharmacist, who knew you by now and always welcomed you with a smile and crinkled eyes behind his glasses as he asked after your mother's health and rang you up, not batting an eye when you paid for the expensive medications with a pile of cash.

Nevertheless, your lips parted to say the words you said every week, just the same, as you glanced up into the new young man's unsmiling eyes. "I'm picking up a prescription for account #24132." You monotone, as the young man began to click away on the keyboard on the computer, pulling up our mother's account silently as you stood, drumming your fingers on the counter.

He left without a word, and returned moments later, looking down at the labeled bag he held in his hands as he read off boredly, "Prescription for Morphine?" When you nodded, he turned again to his computer, not looking at you, as he said woodenly, "That'll be $257.65 since you don't have insurance coverage."

You handed over three crisp $100 bills, sliding them across the counter without thinking, as you paid this all the time, but when the man hesitated in placing the money in the cash register and ringing you up, you met his suddenly suspicious gaze, caught off guard, as he looked at the money skeptically, before sniffing, "I'll need to see some I.D."

You slid your driver's license across to him, wondering if this was protocol, as the old pharmacist had never asked you this, and as the man's eyes scanned the license he said cooly, without looking at you, "May I ask what you're going to be using this for?"