~Chapter 5~

Aera’s POV:

We waved at the boys as they slowly got further away, leaving me and Jihun in an awkward silence in front of the restaurant. I fidgeted with my sweaty fingers and looked down at my feet, not knowing what to say, the tension was so thick you could've cut it with a knife.

"Thanks for wanting to spend more time with me, you didn't need to do that tho"

"Yes I did" Jihun answered while casually sliding his hands in his pockets.

"Huh? W-why?"

"Aera... Maybe we haven't had a decent conversation in four years but, I can still see when something is bothering you, and today you weren't quite yourself." He said slowly tilting his head. Ah well, there goes my effort in trying to hide that.

"Jihun, I-"

"It's ok,I don't really know what happened, and you don't need to explain it to me.. But I want to be there for you, you know.. make you feel better, if you'll let me." He looked... Concerned? God damnit, his eyes are so beautiful, I'm getting lost in them. Come on Aera!! get a grip and answer the guy!

"Okay!"

Jihun's POV:

We're strolling on the sidewalk side by side.. I pull out my mask and my glasses from my jacket and put them on.

"Is that your disguise?"

"Yeah, you don't want half of Seoul taking pictures of you and me"

"Hmmm.. why not? They'll make me famous too!" She let's out a small chuckle.. Cute.

"Because they'll most probably say you're my g-girlfriend"

"So what? I don't mind" She shrugs like people putting us in a relationship is the most natural thing in the world.. Thank God I have the mask on, I'm blushing so hard right now..

"S-so uhh, w-were do you wanna g-go?" PARK JIHUN STOP STUTTERING!!

She looks at me with a smirk on her face and a look I already know too well. Aaand in 3, 2, 1

"Ice cream!!" Yep, there it is

Narrator's POV:

Aera's face lights up as soon as she sees the ice cream shop. Yes, her life was a bit of a mess at the moment, that's true, but nothing could cheer her up better than a cone of icecream.

"One ice cream with chocolate and one with strawberries please." Jihun says and gets out his wallet to pay.

"Woaah, you remembered my favorite flavor?!" Her smile almost reaches her ears as she stretches her arms to take the strawberry cone from Jihun's hands.

Tsk, she looks like a kindergartener- He thinks to himself

"Ofcourse I remember. You wouldn't shut up about it in high school, you always dragged me to the convenience store to get it"

"Haha, I did didn't I?" Aera chuckles nervously. "You know, I really miss it sometimes, being in high school, young and carefree."

"Mm, I miss it too. But..." Jihun stops mid sentence like the words got stuck on his tongue.

"But what?" The girl looks at him with curiosity glistening in her eyes.

"ButImissedyoumore" he spits out the sentence with the speed of light, his tone low, cheekbones flushing pink and eyes looking on the ground.

"Sorry? Jihun-ah, you spoke so softly and fast that I couldn't hear a thing."

He takes a deep breath, mustering up the courage to say it again. Come on Jihun, you're a worldwide famous idol, you can do it, you can do it!! He lifted his gaze from the ground and hooked his eyes with Aera's, his full lips slowly parting and a hand running trough his hair.

"But I missed you more." His voice wasn't high and shaky anymore, it was deep and hoarse, steady, letting the words flow slowly out of his mouth.

Aera's POV:

Jihun's words were reapeating in my head like an echo in the forest. He missed me... I felt my hair stand up on my body at the roughness in his voice. My whole body felt like it was melting, my mouth was open like a fish without water and my hands got wobbly, making the ice cream cone fall on the concrete.

"Y-yah!! You made me drop my icecream!" I slowly slap his arm in an attempt to erase the awkwardness, but he doesn't stop staring at me, eyes piercing trough my soul, like he's waiting for me to say it back. Should I.. say it back?

Jihun's POV:

"I-.. Uhm, I m-missed you too Jihun.." A smirk crept on my face as she said the words back, her flustered face hid behind her hair as she was nervously biting her lower lip. She's much shyer than I remembered her to be..

"Why are you hiding your face? Let me see those beautiful eyes" I put a strand of her red hair behind her ear. I know it's not fair from me to do these kind of gestures since she has a boyfriend, but you know what? Fuck him! I'm gonna do everything I want as long as she allows me to. I have a feeling he's a dickhead anyway.

DING

Aera's phone started to ring and I caught a glimpse of who was calling. Jacob.... must be her boyfriend. Her eyes widened and she quickly stood up from the bench we were sitting on.

"I'm sorry.. I have to go home now" she said still staring at her phone

"Oh..ok, I'll walk you to your house"

"No no no! I live r-really close from here. You d-don't need to come with me.." why is she so nervous all of a sudden?

"Are you sure? There's-"

"I'm s-sure! I'll be ok on my own" she started to take slow steps away from the bench.

"Hey Aera, before you leave, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"When I went to check on you at the restaurant, you had a bruise on your hand.. and then when we were walking I noticed you're limping. What happened? Are you alright?"

"O-oh.. t-that, haha yeah, it's a funny story actually. I.. uhhmm, fell. I live on the fifth floor and the elevator's broken so when I was going down the stairs I tripped and hurt my leg. You know how clumsy I can be.. Y-yeah, that's what happened."

I open my mouth to speak but she cut me off.

"I really have to go Jihun. But thanks a lot for hanging out with me today!" She crashed into my arms, circling my waist with her tiny arms, her face on my chest. I hugged her back, burying my face in her hair.. she was shaking, something feels wrong, like terribly wrong.

Narrator's POV:

Aera was now standing in front of her apartment door with her hand on the handle. She could feel herself shake uncontrollably, fear creeping inside her.

"Okay Aera, deep breaths, it's ok, it's going to be ok, just open the damn door" she said to herself in an attempt to calm down her racing heart. She slowly pushes down the cold metal, peeking inside the apartment. It was pitch black. She enters, leaving the door behind slightly open, she always did that when he was mad. It brought her a sense of comfort, hoping that maybe someone would come and save her, or maybe she could make a run for it, but that never happened. No matter how much she tried, she knew better than to run, she could never escape him...

The girl walks through the darkness of her apartment until she reaches the bedroom door that was wide open. Inside, on the bed, stood a man in his 30's, his styled back hair was as black as the abyss. He was dressed in a fancy expensive suit and his thick eyebrows were hiding his small eyes that were looking down at the phone in his hand.

"J-Jacob..." Aera whispered