CHEAP TEQUILA | knj

14TH SHOT

NAMJOON HUMMED A soft tune as he scribbled another line messily across the blank page of his notebook. pursing his lips, head tilting, he stared at the words he'd written, scrutinising them.

shaking his head, he cancelled the line and rephrased the statement. "better." he mumbled, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. an excited dog ran past him and he gazed after it, a small smile pulling up the corners of his mouth.

the park was peaceful, warm sunlight streaming in through the trees, bathing the people underneath them in dappled patterns of gold. the air was fresh, the smell of flowers and grass filling the park. there weren't a lot of people out so it wasn't loud which namjoon thought was great.

leaning his back against the tree he sat underneath, he let out a soft sigh. twirling the pen between his fingers, he breathed softly as another line came to him. looking down at the notebook that rested on his raised knees, he penned down the words quickly.

"why do i keep needing you when i know i'll get hurt?"

pressing his lips together, his gaze burned into that one line. eyes blinking slow, he felt his chest tighten with slight pain. one hand came up to ruffle dirty blond hair. he'd decided to stop trying to reign in his feelings and just let them run wild. the pain, the anger, the love, the regret, the confusion. he let them all consume him whole and found that the words suddenly came easier and he scribbled down everything that popped into his mind.

a shadow appeared over him, hiding him from the sun rays. he looked up, head leaning back, eyes squinting. a dimpled smile found its way to his face as his gaze met gisela's.

she held a picnic basket in both hands, warm smile on her face. locks of rich black hair flapped in her face, the white chiffon blouse she wore over two toned jeans billowing in the wind that swept through the park. "writing going well?" her eyes shot down to the book that sat on his knees.

shutting the notepad and setting it aside, he nodded his head, watching as she took a seat next to him on the soft blue blanket he'd laid on the grass earlier. she sat cross-legged, placing the basket by her side.

namjoon mimicked her actions, turning to face her, tucking longs legs underneath him, hands pressing down on the blanket. his eyes shifted to the basket, lips pressing together in a child-like smile that caused deep dimples to pop out. "yeah, i even figured out the rough instrumentals. wanna hear it?" his eyes moved back to her face.

"of course," she nodded, tucking strands of flying hair behind her ears. beaming brightly, he twisted around and picked up his ipad. gisela watched his long fingers glide over the screen. he pressed a button and passed her his ear buds. sticking them in, she waited for him to press play and listened as the tune filled her ears. his eyes observed every expression that flashed across her features, gauging her reaction.

her wide eyes brightened and a smile split her lips. "namjoon, this is amazing." she looked at him, slowly pulling the buds out of ears. "you think so?" his voice made it clear he was waiting for her approval. she chuckled at his expression. "i'm no music guru like you but it sounds really great." she assured, placing her hands over his. "thanks, sela." he beamed.

his eyes shifted to the picnic basket still sitting on the blanket. "so what are we having?" he took on the expression of a child getting cotton candy at the fair. a giggle escaped her lips and instead of answering, she opened the basket. "a lot." he noted, looking at her. she bobbed her head in a nod. "hope you have a big stomach."

☀️☀️☀️

three more chapters and an epilogue to go. it's almost over!