dejavu.
now playing | Til the end.
2:32 ——⊙———— -3:50
↠ⁿᵉˣᵗ ˢᵒⁿᵍ ↺ ʳᵉᵖᵉᵃᵗ ⊜ ᵖᵃᵘˢᵉ
spoiler: this is my favorite chapter to write so far.
status : unedited.
Exiting the bathroom, Jisung immediately crashed into a figure, causing them to stumble hopelessly before he wrapped his arm securely around their waist as their hands reached out and gripped tightly onto him. Blinking quickly, his blurred sight had faded with the sudden adrenaline rush, and revealed a surprised Aeri. She innocently stared up at him, blinking slowly as she processed the events.
"Uh," Jisung helped her stand up straight as she pushed him away with the little energy she had left. It wasn't much, but she was able to create a good distance between them.
"So," The raven whispered, shoving his palms into the pockets of his jeans to avoid the awkward atmosphere blanketing them.
Aeri traveled her eyes around the room, placing them everything except him. She didn't have that much confidence to face him, and lock gazes. And he noticed.
His fingers began to itch in his pockets, twitching to take action of some sort. However, he stayed put. He couldn't bring himself to remove his hands and reach out to her. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but a little voice told him not to. How could he ignore it? It's the only thing he had to himself.
Removing him from his reverie, Aeri finally mustered up the courage to look at his face, though her eyes stayed on the skin below his. "I," She began reluctantly, between the gnawing of her lower lip. "I hope she feels like home to you, like you find love in her, I— yeah you know what i mean, but um, anyway me and hyuck have to go somewhere, see you at next rehearsal," The brunette rambled anxiously, her lip beginning to bleed. Swiftly she wiped the metallic liquid with her tongue, then met his eyes briefly.
"I, okay," Was all he could add in before the woman hooked arms with the tanned male behind him and ran up the basement stairs— slamming the door behind them.
"We're gonna leave too," Jaemin quickly inputted, stretching as he stood from the couch where he occupied it with Jeno and Minji. With a satisfied smile of distracting the blonde, he moved rapidly to pick up his jacket and other belongings whilst motioning for the other men to do the same.
"Okay,"
"Enjoy your date," Mark patted the younger's shoulders a little too harshly before moving towards the stairs, stepping over the numerous items that scattered the floor. Yet, Jisung didn't notice any of it, and not even the approaching figure of Minji.
"Okay," He replied once more, as he stared at the basement door.
. . .
It was a silent drive. Donghyuck's fist gradually loosened its hold on the steering wheel as they pulled onto the side of the road— nightly traffic zooming past. The truck was finally stationed on a patch of grass, and the truck couldn't have gotten quieter, but it did. The silence was deafening, and it hurt their ears, comparing it to the rapid noise outside the safety of their windows.
The pair sat in their seats as statues, unmoving as both were too caught up in their heads. They stared ahead to the cars that drove out of sight, and the dark vacant city sky that blanketed above them. Their brows were knit together as they thought deeply, processing the events of the last hour, and the emotions that tied with it.
One's heart beat quickly. It panicked. It was frantic to find a solution, find something, a flaw maybe? It wanted this to end quickly, and perhaps gain a happy ending— if it was even possible.
The other beat slowly. Their chest raised up and down, as the only thing they could do now was breath. They didn't know what was to happen, if this whole thing would blossom or collapse. They despised the uncertainty of the future and the lack of knowledge they had surrounding it.
Turning his head to the woman, Donghyuck tousled his light brown locks. His eyes traced over the delicate features of her face which were illuminated elegantly with the moonlight of the evening. He could see the frown forming on her lips, and the following actions of fiddling with the hem of her shirt out of anxiousness, bouncing her right leg up and down and cracking any of her knuckles that were possible.
However, despite the numerous coping mechanisms she tried, stress still had consumed her whole, and did not have any mercy whatsoever.
"Ae—" Donghyuck began softly, though he was cut off as her voice layered over his in pure, genuine curiosity.
"He doesn't love me anymore does he?" She asked lowly, refusing to lock eyes with her friend as they stayed put to the truck's dashboard.
He knew she'd ask sooner o later, but still, he couldn't help but feel his heart face. It anticipated her reaction to his prompt answer. "I don't honestly know Ae,"
As the truth rolled off his tongue and was spoken into the crisp air conditioned air of the truck, Aeri tilted her head back— her eyes locking with the ceiling before fluttering her lids closed. "Okay," She croaked quietly.
A tremble bit the ending of her response.
And although Aeri was a strong woman, and would always be able to set aside her emotions and ignore them completely, the tears that began to flow proved her wrong. They trailed down from her closed eyes, down the sides of her cheeks and to her chin, where it fell to her folded hands. Small whimpers escaped her lips as she began to shake with despair.
It rattled in her ribcage, and vibrated her body as she tried to hold in her inner conflict that seemed to win.
Donghyuck's heart clenched painfully in his chest to the point it felt as if his chest was physically aching from an injury. He never knew seeing her cry would hurt him so much. And he wished she'd stop.
Immediately the tanned reached out and wrapped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her across the one conjoined seat to the warmth of his side. He had so much to say to her in the moment. But ultimately, he made himself recollect his thoughts to not explode as he would normally do.
You can say that he's always taken Aeri crying personal to heart, and even difficult to deal with as it bodily pains him as well as emotionally.
The boy pushed the brunette's head down onto his chest, hoping that the steady beat of his heart could be heard and calm the woman. And as her shaking slowed, and her whimpers silenced, he pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead before speaking. "Don't worry your pretty little head, he'll see it soon enough. He'd be crazy to pick that woman over you, I mean look at you. Aeri, you're one of the most beautiful girls i've seen. You're golden. Your heart is kind and you have so many talents to show the world. If I could, I'd sweep you off your feet. Honestly Aeri, you're too good for him, but I know if i say any of that opposing shit, you're just gonna want him more,"
"Donghyuck, but Minji" Unconvinced, Aeri sighed tiredly, mulling her arms over the man's waist— pulling him closer for comfort. "She has everything that I don't,"
In amusement, Donghyuck retracted. He pulled her a good distance away, and gained a clear view of her tear-striken face that poured hopelessly. It probably wasn't the best thing to do, but the male couldn't help but laugh. His brows were knit in confusion, and his eyes were slightly widened as they traced her fragile state that still flowed even through the darkest nights.
"And what is everything?" He inquired doubtfully, making the woman's shoulders fall.
It brought an immense amount of weight to her chest to relive the previous moments, but as she began to list off the perfections of the blonde, her tongue wouldn't stop forming coherent words. "She makes him smile just by locking eyes with him, she's pretty, she's kind, she dresses nicely, her voice sounds so sweet, and she's taller than me!" She whined, throwing her arms up— expressing her pent up frustration.
In his eyes, she was far too ridiculous. He chuckled lowly once more— speaking throughout his laughter. "Aeri, come on, it's just an inch,"
"And?! Still. Maybe they should be together,"She exclaimed, throwing her arms into a knot over her chest whilst facing away in a child-like tantrum.
In times like this, the woman was grateful that Donghyuck still remembered everything about her. He knew the girl more than herself sometimes. In a relaxed manner, he reached out once more and pulled on her arm— having her fall to lay her head on his lap. "Don't say that shit," He cursed, looking down at her as she stared up at him. "Come on, Aeri, where's the girl that goes for everything that she wants?"
Habitually, as if it's been programmed for him to do so, Donghyuck threaded his slender fingers through her long brunette hair. At this point, Aeri's body had given in— closing her eyes satisfyingly, however her mouth still spoke with just as much determination as before.
"Okay fine I don't want Park Jisung anymore," This made her best friend to roll his eyes.
"Aeri but you do," He sang quietly, and as if on cue, her eyes opened and locked with his. Her large doe eyes stared up at the boy— glimmering with the same emotion he saw plenty of times before.
At that moment, he knew she gave up entirely.
And it wasn't like any other argument they've had, since Aeri has always been notorious to win those kinds of things. "Yeah, i do. Something about him just makes me sing our love songs a little louder than before, y'know,"
She blinked away newly forming tears, and cleared her throat. "Does it ever stop hurting?"
Donghyuck sighed. He didn't know how to answer, but somehow in some way, he spoke as she had wanted him to. "No, you just make room for it," And although it took a lot for him to do so, he smiled gently. "Well, things will get better, with or without him," Donghyuck nodded, before turning his head up to scan the night roads cautiously— ensuring that they were safe of any harm, especially her.
Although he wouldn't show it much, he knew Jisung would kill him if anything happened to the girl laid atop his lap.
And he too wouldn't be able to live with himself if something did happen.
She was like a sister. One he always wished he had.
"Have you ever felt like this?" Aeri's silky voice withdrew him from his inner thoughts— having him look back down at her to see that she was already staring up at him.
"What do you mean?" He questioned quietly, tracing his eyes over the intricate details of her face that he's seen countless times, but never appreciated until now.
"Watching another person be with the one you love," the woman answered in a whisper, as if she said it any louder her entire facade would break again.
"Yeah, everyday," Donghyuck nodded in confirmation, smiling warily. But it shocked her. She hadn't known that he may have a special girl or guy in his life.
"Huh?"
The atmosphere was serious, until the corners of his lips quirked up cheekily. "Mark doesn't even look at me! He seriously only has eyes for a piece of colored water," He joked, causing the woman on his lap to burst out laughing— her eyes disappearing to crescents and her pearly whites showing in an open mouth smile.
And there she was.
Donghyuck's heart began to beat quickly, and his cheeks began to hurt.
"There she is," He commented endearingly, staring at her intently as her laughter subsided, and the tears of joy ran down the sides of her face.
"Huh?"
"Our beautiful Aeri," He chuckled, ruffling her hair— both his words and actions resulted in the woman turning red, and fuzzy on the inside.
"Stop," She whined, pulling her hands up to her face— covering the giddy smile that couldn't be wiped off.
However her attempts to conceal her happiness failed as Donghyuck's hands gripped at her palms and pulled them away— revealing her smiley expression. "You're seriously the most beautiful when you're happy, and I hope you can stay this way,"
For a moment, the truck silenced. The only noise that could be heard was the sound of cars zooming past their stationed vehicle, perhaps rushing home from a long day at work as the clock on the radio read 8:37 pm.
"Donghyuck?"
"Yeah?"
"Til the end?"
Donghyuck's smile impossibly grew even wider. "Til the end." He reassured, placing a chaste kiss to her forehead to which she giggled at.
"I love you," She cooed cutely, reaching her hands up, before his head could move away— locking her limbs behind his neck— hugging him as much as their position permitted her to do so.
"I love you too," Donghyuck whispered into her hair before pulling back. "Now quit with the sad sappy shit and let's go get your favorite food,"
"I missed this,"
"I missed you too, sweetheart,"
. . .
thoughts on today's chapter?