*Thank you for clicking the "read" button. English is not my native language, please excuse my mistakes and give it a try*
We like to think of life as a constant...Yet it can be ended in a heartbeat
–David Gemmell
"Jolene."
Dead silence was heard on the other end of the line.
"Are you still here? Shit. Jolene–"
The mobile slipped out of her hand. The glass screen was splintered into pieces, like the shattering of her heart.
Once and for all.
She wobbled a few steps to the side, as her legs felt weak, clutching her chest as if it could soothe the heartache.
Among the bustle of strangers, only a few stopped to spare a pitiful glance. The broken mobile was long forgotten after being trodden to the edge of the street.
"Record-breaking heat was recorded in the morning. Temperature soars above 38 degrees Celsius. Please be aware of possible signals of heat illness..."
Trembling terribly, she struggled to yank the piece of cloak over her shoulders. Despite the unbearable heat, all she felt was coldness seeping through her veins, straight to her soul.
"What are you doing here?"
Jolene looked up and stared for a little while. She turned to the brick wall instead, rubbing her reddened eyes, but still something was welling up in them.
Her awkward reaction made him giggle aloud.
"What do you even plan on doing, sitting on the ground?" Shin gently pulled Jolene up with a slight smile, patting the dirt off her down jacket.
The moment she heard the voice she missed so much, tears tickled upon her pale cheeks. She buried her face in her scarf before she embarrassed herself further.
"Come on, Jolene." He pulled her into himself from behind, his masculine arms tightened around her stomach, at that she froze, and relaxed at the familiarity of the embrace. His warm breath against her ear brought her a glint of comfort she could not deny. "Don't tell me you're really mad at me?"
Worried, he turned her over and flattened his forehead against hers to check her temperature, "Are you feeling unwell?" Up close, it was difficult not to notice her teary eyes. The gentle smile was immediately wiped off his face. His eyes turned dazzlingly cold in less than a second.
Jolene gripped tighter onto the edge of the scarf, hoping not to reveal her crying face, but he wrapped his hands around hers and yanked it down, only to see Jolene biting down the sobs, her round nose red from sniffing.
"Jolene."
He opened his mouth, but words stuck in his dry throat.
"I'm sorry...I left."
Guilt soaked his hoarse voice as he mumbled.
Jolene sniffed into his shirt, quietly. His white shirt was dampened from her overflowing tears, yet he pulled her even closer, locking her in his arms.
"Shin," Jolene blew her nose onto his already wet shirt, as she always did, "Shin Li."
Shin responded to her mumbling with a gentle ruff through her hair, as if putting a crying baby to sleep.
"Would you ever...leave me...again?"
Jolene's voice grew softer and softer with each word, afraid to hear a disappointing answer. She was unaware of how tight she was grabbing onto Shin until her knuckles turned white.
Having bent his knees, Shin was then at around the same height with Jolene and gazed intensely into her teary eyes.
"I would never want to leave you."
Only then she realised he never really answered her question.
"Miss, are you okay? Can you hear me?"
A blabbering crowd centred around the unconscious girl, busy with camera flashing and social media. Finally one stood forward and picked the phone up, dialling to the first appeared in the missed call reminders, "Hello. Is this family of the mobile owner?"
"Yes. Thank god, is she–"
"She fainted."