the waking up

But he kept waking up in an instant. He rolled onto his side and looked out of his window. He could faintly hear music coming from downstairs. He hadn't heard any of those songs in so long. Ever since the accident. He frowned. He didn't know why. He got out of his bed and went to open his window. He stuck his head out and breathed in the fresh air, feeling its warmth on his skin. He closed his eyes and felt relaxed for the first time in weeks. Almost everything seemed normal again. Almost.

Suddenly, he felt something wrap around his waist. He jumped slightly, startled. He turned around and saw a figure leaning against his bedroom wall. He gasped.

"Haru?"

She leaned forward, holding onto his wrist. Her hair fell forward over one eye. She looked at him. She reached out and touched his cheek. She smiled gently and leaned in, pressing their lips together for a moment. He froze. Haru had never been anything other than cold towards him. Always angry. But now… She pulled back. A sad smile appeared across her face.

"I know you miss me too," she told him.

He blinked at her. What was she saying? He didn't miss her. He couldn't miss her.But looking at her, seeing her, seeing the way her eyes lit up at him and smiled, hearing the sound of her voice. He could.

"You remember what happened, don't you?" she asked. She took his hand and pressed it to her forehead. He recoiled. She chuckled.

"Of course. I can see the future, after all." She looked at him. She stepped closer and brushed her fingers against his cheek. He shivered and looked away. She giggled.

"You can't run away forever. I'm right here. You won't run away without saying goodbye."

"I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Of course you do, Donghao. We both know that I'm here. You wouldn't be dreaming about me otherwise." She smiled and pressed another soft kiss to his mouth. "You can always dream of me. If you wish hard enough." She looked at him. "That's how I knew where you lived. Your dreams. I see them every night. But they're always just memories of you." She moved her hand to his shoulder. They can be replaced. Dreams aren't permanent. But I think that's something you might wanna talk to your dad about. I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, but it does seem like a big deal, Donghao. Something worth considering." She smiled softly at him.

Donghao nodded. "Yeah, maybe I will." He nodded. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Now come on, darling," she said, pulling him toward the stairs, "it's late, and I need to go and visit mom, and your father is waiting for us in town. Now, say goodnight to Mommy!" She pushed him gently up the stairs and shut the door to his room. He smiled a bit as he looked back at his door and listened to the quiet click that signified his mom had gone to her room down the hall.

~

Donghao opened his eyes. He sighed and sat up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He sighed again. He missed her. He wondered if it would have been different if he had waited.

It probably would have been different. She wouldn't have died, he wouldn't have lost his family. She might have still be alive.Why am I thinking about all this? Donghao asked himself. I already had a girlfriend. One who cared about me. Why do I still care so much about her? She left. Just like everyone else, except for maybe his father. But then again, he hasn't seen him in years, so he doesn't really know if he cares.

He grabbed the remote and clicked it. Suddenly, the TV screen flickered into life. He stared at it. Then it changed into a video call.

A video call that he definitely shouldn't be watching. It was from Jihoon. Donghao stared at his phone, debating whether or not he should pick it up. He decided he might as well. If only to get away from his thoughts. Besides, he didn't have a choice in the matter. He pressed the button to answer the call.

Chapter 8

"Hey, Donghao. Sorry, I didn't message you earlier. But we've got a new case. You can come and join us if you'd like. We're at the hospital now. We think someone is taking advantage of a patient." Jihoon said as soon as Donghao picked up.

"Oh, uh, okay,"