They had just landed in New York. It was nearly noon by the time they got to their vehicle. December thirtieth. Tae’s birthday. But he was well aware that for Tia it was now December thirty-first. She was probably sleeping, so he would wait a few hours to call her. Around nine in the evening, he picked up his phone and dialed her number.
Tia’s phone rang. She glanced down at it. Tae’s gorgeous face was staring back at her. Her screen displayed “TAE!” in big, bold letters across the top. She grinned. Her boyfriend was calling her. On her birthday. She unlocked her phone and answered the call.
“Happy Birthday, Tia!” Tae’s voice floated through the phone line.
“Happy Birthday, Tae!” She laughed. “So for you, it’s your birthday in New York?”
“Yep. But for you, it’s already your birthday in Korea!”
“So we can actually celebrate our birthdays simultaneously.” She sniggered. “Well, that’s unique! It almost makes up for the fact that I can’t actually see you on my birthday.” Nor am I likely to for many years to come.
“I know, Tia. I’m sorry. I miss you too. But I did enjoy our time together on Sunday.”
“Me too! So much, Tae! Do you need to go? Or do you have time to chat? I wanted to tell you a story Julieta shared with me today.”
Tae sighed. “You have my undivided attention for five minutes. Then I have to go.”
“Oh.”
He could hear the disappointment in her voice, but he couldn’t do anything about it. The truth was this was going to be their life for several years if they chose to stay together. And come April, he’d be gone for months. Now it was his turn to sigh.
He loved being part of BTS. He loved the stage. He loved singing and dancing with his friends. He loved traveling the world and meeting their fans. He loved ARMY.
But he also loved Korea. He loved Seoul. He loved Yeontan. He loved his family. He loved his own bed. He loved the days he could sleep in. Especially during the winter.
And now…he loved this girl. Tia. And more than anything, he wanted to be with her. So, in that moment, he resolved to text her often throughout the day over the next few days. But first, he would delight in listening to her story…
—
The next day, Tia watched the New Year’s Eve special live. She grinned throughout Tae’s performance of Make It Right. She was so proud of him. And he looked like he was having an amazing time. He had called her briefly as she was passing into the new year in Korea. He’d only had a minute, but he had wished her a happy new year, and they had shared a FaceTime kiss. She still remembered what his face had looked like as his lips had touched his screen. She’d planted her lips over his on her screen. She was still laughing about that. It had been his idea. This guy was so sweet.
Now she settled back as she watched him singing Boy with Luv with his best friends. They were so cute. They were so talented! And she knew all of them. It was extraordinary! She found herself feeling extremely proud of all seven of them.
She watched intently, waiting with bated breath for her T, Tae’s special mark of love for her. Their very own secret code. When it came, she grinned broadly and exclaimed, “Yes!”
Julieta glanced at her. “What was that about?”
“What?” Tia asked absently, her eyes never leaving Tae’s face as the song came to an end. “Oh. Nothing…”
But, of course, it wasn’t nothing.
