My Ex

After eating a light lunch at a restaurant, the two of them decided to go to a local beer shop.

Though Anna tried wine a few times, she never tried drinking beer or whiskey before. She remembered whining to drink beer with her brothers after they grew older. This promise was also long forgotten by the time as they grew apart as if all these promises never existed, to begin with. Though somehow, she never drank alcohol to her heart's content and shared a sorrowful tale while drinking with anyone either. Because whenever she wanted to do something like that with Kiera, Kiera would always tell her not to drink as it would be bad for her health.

But still, she should thank God as at least she could have Jaemin by her side to make this silly wish of hers come true somehow.

They found a quiet corner inside the shop and sat there on a table for two.

"Jaemin Ge, you still remember the childish promise I made?"

Jaemin looked at her and smiled a bit. Since when did he start wearing glasses? It looks quite good on him though she never imagined him wearing those before. "I do," he nodded.

Anna didn't know how to start as all the questions were coming altogether from inside her mind. Isn't Jaemin Ge also curious about her? Like how she was living her life until now and all. It's not like she is really willing to answer those to anyone right now. Sometimes, she feels like he knows everything but pretending to be unaware and nonchalant.

"How about them? The others?" Anna finally asked something that was roaming her mind since she met Jaemin, trembling in uncertainty. But the next moment, his answer made her stuck in awe.

"I don't know. I lost contact with them long ago."

"Are you serious?"

"I am," Jaemin looked straight at her. Is he really telling the truth then? But how come he lost his connection with them?

"You don't know where they are?"

"Of course, I know. It's just after you left, everything got messy back there. So, somehow things didn't resume as they were. Without you, it's kinda impossible, Anna."

As soon as he said that, he regretted mentioning the whole thing to her. In an instant, her expression turned pale as a sheet, her eyes looking distant and full of despair. Annabelle is surely going to make unnecessary assumptions on her own, Jaemin thought. He shouldn't have said the truth in the first place. He could have made up something and said it to reassure her. It's just that he can never tell a lie when she is with him, though he was quite accustomed to telling lies in his line of profession.

Anna didn't know how to react to this. Because of her, they were hurt. Because of her, their beautiful relationship was shattered into pieces. And now she had to bear another burden on her shoulders. Just because of her foolishness, they are not together as she imagined they would be. And here she foolishly thought, though she is no more with them, they could still be happy like the way they used to be. What has she done? She has ruined everything with her own hands.

She didn't know, maybe she was feeling very dejected right now, so she ordered more beer cans than she could handle. She started to swallow cans after cans as if she was very thirsty. At first, Jaemin didn't say anything as she said she was good at handling her liquor, but when she started to drink exceeding her limit, Jaemin stopped her forcefully from drinking and convinced her to go home for today.

Annabelle felt her visions a little blurry as she staggered a bit while walking. Jaemin couldn't help but support her by grabbing her shoulder. Damn, she thought she would at least get to know many things from him today, about all the things she wanted to know. Then again, here is she, unable to control her burdened feelings just because she heard one thing from him. How pathetic she is. A few days ago she was scolding Kiera for getting too drunk, and here she is now, dead drunk, helplessly walking supported by someone else.

Jaemin was feeling more pathetic than her. The Annabelle he knew was no longer here. She was never so good at hiding her true self, at least in front of him. But now, his position in her life is no longer better than her parents. He still regrets the day when he didn't chase after her when she was in despair. He didn't know that time, he didn't realize that the Anna he knew would never do something so unforgivable just if she was in her right mind. Her life was already very difficult, so why did the three of them choose to not understand her when she needed them the most at that time? It was their fault all along. If not for them, she wouldn't be so miserable right now.

Jaemin supported her back to his car when Anna's phone rang.

"Hellewww?" Anna was already super drunk and feeling so drowsy that she forgot to check the caller ID.

"Where are you? You are not home."

For a split second, Anna snapped back to reality. Is she hearing things? This was the very cool, composed, deep voice that she craved to hear for a whole month.

*Why the heck did you get this drunk Anna? Now, you are hearing things!*

As Anna was still dwelling on the idea of whether she heard right or wrong, the person from the other side again spoke up.

"Where are you, Annabelle?" oh, damn! Even in her imagination, him calling her name sounded damn sexy to her.

"Me? I dount knowww….. Ask Jaemin Ge~ he knows everything! Hehe!"

Jaemin scratched his head, feeling very troubled. Who might have called her now? Was it Kiera? Jaemin knew very well what kind of person Kiera is. If she knows somehow that she got this drunk while hanging out with him, she will make all his efforts to open her up to him again go in vain right at this very moment.

"Anna, give me the phone. Who is it?"

Anna looked at her phone confusingly. Is this device called a phone? Oh… gosh! How can she forget this vital information? Why did she drink so much today? She shouldn't have, right?

"Phone? Right, this is what a phone looks like huh?.... Hick…. But no no…. I can't give you this because this call is *private*!"

Anna said it dramatically giving a great emphasis on the 'private' word. Jaemin pressed his temple in utter frustration. On the other side of the phone, someone was getting very impatient as they heard all the conversation happening there.

"Are you drunk?" This time, the voice was loud and clear enough to make Jaemin hear that. It was a male voice. The moment he realized that he became stiff. Who has he called Anna at this hour having a controlling voice? As if, he had some right to control over her. All of a sudden, Jaemin's heart filled with uncertain feelings which he couldn't fathom himself. What is it? Why does his chest feel so tight?

"Drunk? Me? Noww~ never ever~ why did you call me, huh? I thought you forgot about me," when Anna finished talking, she felt a little sad in her drunken state too, making her voice sound like a whisper. There's a saying, when you are drunk, your feelings deep inside of your heart pour out. Anna didn't know why, but the corner of her eyes became a little moist.

"What's the password, Annabelle?"

"2309Anna," saying that Anna cut the call abruptly. She knows it's just her wishful imagination, all inside her head, one of the dreams she sees every night related to him. She didn't know which password her imagination was wanting from her, but she told her apartment password when she couldn't find anything else to answer. Maybe she didn't want to fade this imagination on its own, so she just cut that call by herself.

"Who was he, Little pie?"

"My ex. Drive me to my apartment, 11024 Forest view lane."

Jaemin was more than confused by the response but couldn't reply back to her as she was sobbing silently. Who knows for what reason she was crying like that, but it was sure that the things which made her cry out all of a sudden must be related to the person who called her. What did he miss? Who was the person on the phone to make such a great impact on her? It pains him to see her being sad for someone else, really.

Though he doesn't know many things about her now, as far as he knows she was never involved in any relationships. Come to think of it, he didn't get to know about the person in the picture of that scandal. He really wanted to know who that person was but decided to wait till she opened up to him again like before. He will wait, no matter how long it takes.

Anna was also confused herself as she didn't know why she wanted to go to her apartment all of a sudden when she was staying at Mr. Kavin's penthouse these days. Maybe she wanted to feel this dream as the real one. Or maybe she wanted to check if her imagination will still last when she reaches there. Maybe she could at least meet him in her drunken state.

Why she became so desperate to meet him, she didn't know herself. She really must have come to like him, right? Somehow, getting dead drunk isn't that bad. She could get to feel something in her dream world and accept some true facts she can't in reality. Isn't it kind of amazing?