Meet Me Here

Chapter 14: Fly Away

"This is nice." The childhood sweethearts mused silently to themselves, sighing collectively at the warmth that their love gave them.

For a second, the world was held on pause, graciously granting the lovers a sliver of time; that extra grain of sand that they have both been hopelessly praying for.

And then the air turned serious, for carefree joy was a transient passing of time in the lives that they led now. Past that, they had to face those tides threatening to engulf and drown them in its icy cold waters.

"Is something wrong, Binnie?"

It was a simple question. On a normal occasion, Hyun Bin could have probably shrugged it off with an honest claim that he was fine. But tonight, it only drew out his inner demons, reminding him of a future that he truly didn't wish to embrace.

Not when that future excluded Ye Jin, his best friend, his girlfriend and his soulmate.

"I'm leaving..." Hyun Bin confessed softly. "Appa's bringing us to the US."

"Leaving? For how long?" Ye Jin asked instantly, startled by the sudden news.

Letting out a huge sigh, Hyun Bin let his eyes wander over to the lonesome moon accompanied by the stars that came and went like strangers, never fixed and never settling. No wonder the moon never once had a friend. At night, the only constant was the moon, yet the ones that stood firmly always somehow ended up being alone.

"Maybe for a year, maybe for two, maybe...indefinitely." The lost boy's voice wavered against the blowing breeze.

"Oh..." Ye Jin was at a loss for words, unsure of how she should feel about her boyfriend leaving.

From the day she was born, Hyun Bin had always been there beside her. The moment she was out of the hospital, their parents had placed them in the same crib together. Growing up, Hyun Bin existed in every little nook and cranny of Ye Jin's memories and vice versa.

From the sound of their bare feet down the hallways to the sound of their little laughs. From the days they would race cars on the kitchen floor while they waited for dinner, to the days they would line their little plastic dinosaurs and animals along the edge of the windowsills.

Those were all the little things that they would cherish for as long as they lived.

Ye Jin's fondest memories of Hyun Bin would always be of his hyperactive self, dancing before bedtime.

Hyun Bin's fondest memories of Ye Jin would always be her peppy self, jumping on him to wake him up on the morning of their sleepovers.

Even as children, whenever they looked into each other's eyes, it was as though they had their own secret club.

Ye Jin might have hated Hyun Bin's guts once upon a time, but there was no denying that parting with him would have hurt her more. Now, the thought of not having Hyun Bin beside her was unfathomable.

But what could they do?

"I don't want to leave..." Hyun Bin's voice broke as a new pang of sadness punched him in his gut.

And truly, Ye Jin didn't want him to leave either. But...

"Help me understand, Binnie. Why do you have to leave?"

Somehow, Hyun Bin was reminded of the time at their school bleachers, when he had first confessed that he was sick. Now, Ye Jin was staring back at him with that same wistful gaze, waiting patiently for him to let her in.

So, he confided in her once again, sharing the reasons behind his reluctance to leave and the fears he had suppressed all this while. Even without telling Ye Jin his true sickness, Hyun Bin had already shared more with her than he has ever shared with anyone.