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maplecornia · 9 months ago

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chapter six

word count :: 2.64K

pairing(s) :: taehyung x female!reader | mingi x female!oc | hyunjin x female!oc | jimin x female!oc | jungkook x female!oc

genre :: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | idol au

summary :: "is it worth it to be selfish?"

The world is cruel.

You've always known this. You've experienced it firsthand, saw the innocence of your childhood naivety fade away as you became a victim to just how cruel the world could be. It is a well-known fact we are warned of from birth, a fact which we accept and are rendered helpless to change, no matter how much we wish it. We live our lives dancing around it, hoping that we are so lucky to never experience it, praying that we can preserve our rose-colored lenses and keep them from shattering beneath the weight; no matter how foolish it may be to wish for it.

However, it is a different kind of cruelty you experience now as you scroll through the tags on your phone across multiple social media platforms.

Hatred is to be expected from any celebrity, and any person who finds themselves heavily scrutinized beneath the public eye. Though it is a sad fact that only speaks to the worst parts of our humanity, it is a fact nonetheless, and you were aware of it long before you signed that contract. Especially after the stunt you pulled a few months ago, you had grown to expect it, knowing it was bound to come in waves.

Countless people cursing your name, making assumptions about your character and who you are when they wouldn't know the first thing, faceless names flashing across the screen screaming profanities and insults that go further than the ones you had tried to prepare yourself to hear. Words that cut deep and true every time you come across them, finding their mark and lodging themselves deep into your heart, in a way you had never expected them to.

They are no different than words you had heard before, no different than the voices that speak their poison into your mind when you find yourself at your weakest, but it is somewhat worse to see them materialize in front of your eyes.

Perhaps that is the difference.

That the worst parts of yourself are what they see. That it's not just in your head. That they are right, even when they are wrong. They speak on your insecurities, your faults, your secrets, the things you have tried so hard to keep buried deep in your mind. They whisper the things you yourself have whispered in your mind. Words meant to cut as deep as they can. Words created to wound and injure.

Perhaps that is why they're so cruel.

Because they are truths you cannot find within yourself to accept as real.

"What are you doing?"

You are quick to hide your phone as Melody walks up behind you, but she has already seen the comments. She has been watching you for a while, seen the way the look in your eyes changed, the way you began to tense, your finger shaking each time you pressed it to the screen to scroll to the next comment. She knows that when you turn to her, the smile on your face is to hide the dull look in your eyes. That your laugh is not one of surprise, but apprehension as you fumble to turn off your screen and place your phone safely out of her sight.

"Nothing really." You clear your throat when she comes to sit next to you, avoiding her careful stare. "Just surfing the internet."

"Right." Melody can't help but scoff as she pulls her legs up on the bench, crossing them precariously. "You're lucky you still have your phone, I remember how hard it was when they took mine."

You smirk, recalling the chaos that ensued that first month while Melody prepared for her debut. She had already moved into the dorms at that time, but given the overprotective nature of your mother, and the fact that she was still a high school student at the time, it was extremely stressful for both of you when you couldn't reach her. Since you were working at Melody's company at the time, your mother used to rely on you to bring home-cooked meals to her dorm, sneak in calls and updates whenever you could, and check up on her from time to time to make sure she was doing well.

That was a month before you left her the first time.

Stealing a glance her way, you wonder how you could have been so blind to her pain back then. You were meant to look after her, and yet you left the minute it was the most ideal. All because you were so focused on your own jealousies and insecurities watching her achieve the dream you had fought so hard to build, you had almost forgotten she worked just as hard.

You had fooled yourself into thinking you left her behind for her sake, but you were just a coward. Running away the minute it gets too hard like you always do.

You stare at the phone you had been twirling absentmindedly in your hands, catching your pathetic reflection on the screen.

Perhaps you deserve all of this. After all, it is nothing less than what your sister had to endure. At least you have someone to lean on, at least you know there are people who are there to support you. She lost that the minute you abandoned her to face the cruelties of the world alone. Is it not right that you should carry the same burden alone?

"Do you think they're happy?"

You pause at the soft question, following Melody's gaze to see her watching Jocelynn and Jimin bicker over who should load her boxes into his trunk. They've been at it for a while now and have barely managed to load three boxes into the trunk, two of them snuck in by Jocelynn when Jimin wasn't looking.

Jimin came by a couple of hours ago to help the three of you finish packing and was going to drive Jocelynn home and help her unpack while you and Melody headed home.

"They look happy." You smile softly as you watch the two of them, the smile on your mother's face warming your heart.

"Just because someone looks happy doesn't mean that they are." Melody murmurs, and you turn to her. She doesn't meet your eyes, but you can see the strange, somber look on her face as she watches the scene. "You know that better than anyone."

The words don't cut as you had thought they would, but perhaps they were not meant to. They feel more like a plea. A desperate request to stop hiding around her, to take off the mask and show her everything you had thought you were protecting her from.

Somehow, that hurts more than the vicious words she has said in her anger.

Somehow it cuts deeper than any knife ever could.

For she has seen the side of you you have tried so hard to hide, and you were not able to protect her as you had once promised her you would. Her rose-colored lenses shattered the minute you left her side, and there is no going back to how it was before.

You swallow hard, looking away.

"I think they are happy, they're just scared."

Jimin wins the argument when he's able to snatch the massive box behind Jocelynn and hurries to load it into the car, blocking her current advances to do it herself. When Jimin returns and snatches the box Jocelynn carries in her arms with a sweet smile, she can't help but laugh, rendered helpless to fight him when he carries it to the car.

"Of what?"

"To admit their feelings. Both to themselves and to each other." You smile sadly, wondering how long the smiles they wear now will last. Wondering what obstacle they'll encounter on their path to finding a way they can hold each other in their arms without having to apologize for it. "They've already brought each other so much pain, I can only imagine they're wondering if it's worth it to be selfish."

"Is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is it worth it to be selfish?"

You freeze at the question, staring straight as the two of you find yourselves unable to stare at each other. Almost afraid to face the truth.

Melody has half the mind to take back the words, words she had never meant to say in the first place, but her anger and pride get in the way. They lead to her hands tightening around her legs, digging deep into her skin at the reminder of her sister's betrayal. A reminder that refuses to leave her subconscious no matter how many times she wishes she could forget. No matter how many times she wishes to stay by her sister's side and go back to the way things were. But this is not something they can just brush away as water under the bridge.

You know that just as well as she does.

"Melody--"

"If you say you're sorry one more time, I swear to God I'm going to lose it."

You scoff, running your fingers through your hair in frustration.

"I just...I don't know what you want me to do."

"How about pausing for one second to think about how I feel?"

You turn to her, finding her gaze focused intensely on her clasped fingers around her knees. They fidget with the holes in her jeans, playing nervously with the stray strings of the fabric. You wish you could take her hands into your own and hold tight to them until her nerves fade away and she is able to look at you again and see the sincerity in your eyes.

"What are you talking about? I care about how you feel."

But she doesn't need to.

After all, she can hear the sincerity clear as day in your words. She can feel it, hot and intense on her skin as your eyes plead with her to look your way. She knows you care, sometimes more than you care about yourself. She knows you blame yourself, she can see as the guilt eats you up inside day after day, can feel it in every look, every glance you send her way.

That's why it hurt so much, why it still hurts.

"It's not about caring, it's about understanding, and you don't understand, you haven't even tried to." She shakes her head, taking a shaky breath, her voice heavy with tears as she continues. "Yen, you were my everything. You were more than a sister to me, you were my best friend, the one person I thought I could always rely on no matter what. And then the moment I needed you the most, the moment where I was at my darkest, you just left me behind."

You were someone who loved her, cared for her before anything else. You helped raise her, she relied on you, trusted you with her life, did everything for you because she knew you did the same for her. You always thought of her before yourself, always put her first, always willing to give up your happiness for hers every time.

You still do, even as she actively tries to push you away.

And yet, it was still easy for you to leave her behind.

"Do you know how that feels? Watching the person you trust most in the world, the person you've admired ever since you could understand the word, just leave like it was nothing? Like I was nothing?"

When your sister was born, you knew it was your job to protect her. You did everything to make sure she was never hurt and tried your best to keep her from the cruelties of the world. So much so that you put aside your own needs, your own selfish desires, gave up on what was best for yourself in order to give her the life she deserved. The life you were never fortunate enough to indulge in.

You would have never thought you would be the reason she crumbled beneath the weight the world put on her shoulders. You would have never allowed it. And yet, it was your selfishness and your fault alone that led to her downfall.

"I never intended to make you feel that way."

"You didn't speak to me for months." Melody scoffs, the smile on her face faint and bitter. "The first I heard from you was when you were calling me because our mother had been assaulted, and that was days after you had already known!"

"Melody I--"

"I understand why you did what you did. I understand why you felt it was the best option for you, and why you felt like you had to escape." This time, when she looks your way, her eyes are not full of anger and hatred. They are instead full of an immense wave of bitter loss and blame that she cannot direct to anyone else but you. "But you can't even stop pitying yourself long enough to understand my side."

Her lips shake when she smiles, chuckling a little at the look on your face. So full of regret and shame that she cannot stand to look at it for too long, lest the very same guilt that eats at your insides begins to afflict her as well.

And as she shivers, hurriedly wiping away her tears, you wonder if you should hug her. If she would let you, for just this moment, hold her and comfort her until you knew she was going to be okay again. Is that even your place anymore? Are you even allowed to hope that she will one day let you resume the supporting role you had so faithfully carried on for her up until this point? That you can somehow build up the trust you had lost the minute you stepped out of that door?

But before you can answer any of those questions. Before you can muster up the courage to reach out your hand, just to see if she will take it, the bus arrives, screeching to a stop in front of you. Your hand falls to your side, and her tears are gone, reduced to a small sniffle as she stands.

"You didn't just hurt me, Yen. You betrayed me." When she looks at you, smiling sadly over her shoulder, you know there is nothing you can say, nothing you can do right now to reassure her. "It's not something I'm going to be able to get over."

What's done is done, and this time, it is she who leaves you behind. She looks behind, only once, a cold and indifferent glance over the shoulder before she turns to the driver.

"She's not coming." She says, plain and simple before turning away and finding her seat on the bus. When the bus driver looks to you for confirmation, you nod, watching helplessly as the doors close in front of you and they drive away. And as you pull your eyes away from the retreating vehicle, it is only then that you see Taehyung, waiting for you across the street.

You can't help but breathe a sigh of relief when you spot him, smiling softly at the way he leans against the side of his car, scanning the street for you. You can't help the warmth that blooms in your chest when those eyes finally catch yours and he grins, waving you over to his side.

And you realize you can’t answer Melody’s question.

You don’t know if your selfishness is worth it. You don’t know if you’ll someday grow to regret it. All you know is the jump in your chest when his eyes meet yours. The flush in your cheeks as he smiles your way. The desire deep in your heart as you long to run to him and hold him in your arms always. All you know is the heavy want to hear him call you mine.

If that makes you selfish, then you suppose that is what you are. You suppose that is your deepest wish. To be selfish for just a little while longer. To be allowed to stand by his side even if it means you will grow to regret it. Even if it means you will have to face the world’s cruelty for the rest of your days, you wish to do it.

For that is all you can hope for.

Just a little more time.

CH.07 HERE

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ravennabriarhale-blog · 6 years ago

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Searching for Sound; Only Finding Silence- Ravenna Hale’s Timeline Playlist

Seoithín, seo hó- Seoithín, seo hó, mo stór é, mo leanbh/ Mo sheoid gan cealg, mo chuid gan tsaoil mhór/ Seothín seo ho, nach mór é an taitneamh/ Mo stóirín na leaba, na chodladh gan brón. (Hush-a-bye, baby, my darling, my child/ My flawless jewel, my piece of the world/ Hush-a-bye, baby, isn't it a great joy/ My little one in bed without any sorrows.)

Heavy in Your Arms by Florence & the Machine- I was a heavy heart to carry/ My feet dragged across the ground/ And he took me to the river/ Where he slowly let me drown

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day- Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go/ So make the best of this test and don't ask why/ It's not a question, but a lesson learned in timeIt's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right/ I hope you had the time of your life

Everlong by Foo Fighters- Tonight, I throw myself into/ And out of the red, out of her head she sang/ Come down and waste away with me/ Down with me/ Slow how you wanted it to be

World So Cold by Mudvayne- Children crying, cast out and neglected,/ Only in a world so cold, only in a world this cold/ Hold the hand of your best friend, look into their eyes,/ Then watch them drift away

A Perfect Drug by Nine Inch Nails- You are the perfect drug/ You make me hard when I'm all soft inside / I see the truth when I'm all stupid-eyed/ The arrow goes straight through my heart/ Without you everything just falls apart

Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve- Cause it's a bittersweet symphony this life/ Trying to make ends meet, you're a slave to the money then you die./ I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down/ You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah.

Brick by Ben Folds Five- Driving back to her apartment/ For the moment we're alone/ Yeah she's alone/ And I'm alone/ Now I know it/ She's a brick and I'm drownin' slowly/ Off the coast and I'm headed to nowhere

End of the World by Cold- Everyone knew the ending / Opened a bag of tricks / And stumbled over their own / They blew minds away/ Sort of cripplin' just like thunder / And it's gone today / I'm so happy that it's on/ Well it's the end of the world

One Million Miles by J Ralph- Away from...One million miles away from...home

Breathe No More by Evanescence- All the little pieces falling, shatter/ Shards of me,/ Too sharp to put back together./ Too small to matter,/ But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.

Lithium by Evanescence-Lithium/ Don't wanna lock me up inside/ Lithium/ Don't wanna forget how it feels without/ Lithium

Church Bells by Carrie Underwood- Everyone thought they were Ken and Barbie/ But Ken was always getting way too drunk/ Saturday night, after a few too many/ He came home ready to fight/ And all his money could never save Jenny/ From the devil living in his eyes

Dragula by Rob Zombie- Dig through the ditches / And burn through the witches/ I slam in the back of my/ Dragula!

Never Too Late by Three Days Grace- Now and again we try/ To just stay alive/ Maybe we'll turn it all around/ 'Cause it's not too late/ It's never too late

Gone Away by The Offspring- Maybe in another life/ I could find you there/ Pulled away before your time/ I can't deal it's so unfair/ And it feels/ And it feels like/ Heaven's so far away

Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion- You were my strength when I was weak/ You were my voice when I couldn't speak/ You were my eyes when I couldn't see/ You saw the best there was in me/ Lifted me up when I couldn't reach

Key for what event each song is attached to and why each song was chosen for those events under read more:

I chose Searching for Sound; Only Finding Silence for Ravenna to for two reasons. The first is the obvious reason: it’s a reference to her deafness. The second and more important one is that Ravenna is looking for something to fulfill her. Something to distract her from all this new noise inside of her head created by the trauma of what Chad put her through. However, now she’s finding that there is nothing that is going to be loud enough to cover that new sound. Worst of all she’s finding that instead of some sound to grasp ahold of- something in the world to cover her feelings. There is only silence. And slowly she’s trying to learn how to live with that.

Ravenna is born (October 13, 2012)- This is a Gaelic lullaby that Ravenna’s Nana would sing to her.

Ravenna loses her hearing (November 2025; Age 13)- While recovering from her hearing loss, Ravenna starts to feel like a burden on her family. She can’t do most of the things that she used to do, and this starts to make her feel depressed.

Ravenna graduates from high school with half her associates done. Immediately leaves to London to get her degree in social work (May 2028; Age 16)- When Ravenna graduates and heads to London, she feels equally excited and worried. She loved her grandparents, and loved her time with them. Yet she knew it was right for her to go to London. So nervously she heads there with stars in her eyes.

Ravenna meets Chad O’Sullivan (January 2029; Age 17) and Ravenna starts dating Chad O’Sullivan (March 2029; Age 17)- Ravenna and Chad’s relationship was a whirlwind, and she ran deep into it quickly not thinking about anything but him.

Ravenna gets her Associates in Social Work (May 2029; Age 17) and Ravenna gets her Bachelors in Social Work. Starts working at Saint Barts (May 2031; Age 19)- The song is more about the kinds of things that Ravenna saw while working at Saint Barts. Too many times she’d have to watch as the world tore a good person apart, because they had no power. Often Ravenna felt exhausted by her work, but kept coming back because she knew it was important work.

Ravenna marries Chad O’Sullivan (June 2031; Age 19)- Chad and Ravenna moved so fast, because he gave her everything she thought she wanted. He complimented her all the time, he was charming, and he always seemed to know what to say to end an argument. He was the perfect solution to all of her problems it seemed.

Ravenna gets her Masters in Social Work (May 2033; Age 21)- After receiving her Masters in Social Work, Ravenna realized that this was the end of the road for her. She knew there was no way that she was going to be capable of finishing school, and getting her degree was bittersweet. She was happy that she got there, but sad that she couldn’t go any further.

Ravenna has a miscarriage (January 2035; Age 23)- This song is about an abortion, but it describes the isolating feeling that losing a child is like. Ravenna completely fell apart after the loss of her child, and this pushed Chad over the edge. It’s after this that he starts to abuse her.

Z-9 Virus starts in Georgia (February 2037; Age 25)- Apocalypse song!

Chad O’Sullivan breaks Ravenna’s hearing aid (March 2037; Age 25)- The song lyrics don’t match well, but the song is mostly instrumental. The instrumental really pins down the sort of hopeless sort of feeling that Ravenna feels as she realizes how alone she is now thanks to him.

Chad hears a radio transmission from the rebellion and goes to find them (February 2043; Age 31)- This song epitomizes how desperately depressed that Ravenna was. Just following Chad the entire apocalypse has left Ravenna empty with no hope that she could ever not feel bruises on her skin.

Ravenna and Chad find the rebel group. Ravenna meets Joseph Blackwood and Camila Grimaldi (September 2045; Age 33)- Ravenna starts feeling a bit numb as she joins the rebel group. She wants to feel hope, but Chad held a tight grip on her. In the past people had just decided it was none of their business, but over time Ravenna started to feel more hope.

Chad O’Sullivan is murdered (December 2045; Age 33)- A perfect song to describe the anger that finally was the root of Chad’s death.

The Pandora Experiment returns to Earth and arrive to the Rebel Camp (January 2046; Age 34)- Honestly, just a fun battle song. The lyrics don’t mean anything.

Humans settle in Belle Terre (February 2046; Age 34)- Belle Terre was supposed to be a new start for Ravenna. And in this song, she hopes that it’s not too late for her to build a new life.

Ravenna and Joseph Blackwood lose their friend Camila Grimaldi, she dies suddenly due to a brain aneurysm (March 2046; Age 34)- Camila’s death felt incredibly cruel to Ravenna. It was so sudden. Ravenna and Joseph both had to kill their own best friends, and Ravenna felt at that moment that Heaven was a million miles away.

Ravenna starts dating Joseph Blackwood (May 2046; Age 34)- Ravenna is convinced that it’s because of both Camila but mostly Joseph that she survived everything that has happened so far. She feels like she owes him everything, and she wants to thank him forever.

#album #album2 #music #timelinealbum

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maplecornia · 1 year ago

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prologue

m.list | sea of treasure m.list | ateez m.list | playlist

word count :: 1.4K

pairing(s) :: mingi x female!oc | taehyung x female!reader | hyunjin x female!oc | jimin x female!oc | jungkook x female!oc

genre :: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | idol au

summary :: “let me drown, if it means I’ll stay by your side forever.”

taglist [OPEN] :: @myork @eunbinism @soobmint @jaeyunverse @hyunjxnxee @yesv01 @kpopppy @jaeyunverse @fangirl125reader @kookiebbyxx @taradevonne @rae-bear @mangminnie @cana @eridanuswave @kodzuskook @gongiz

There is a saying that some of us are connected by an invisible string.

Some are able to follow the string, the path fate has laid out for us. They find their other half and hold tight to it, ensuring they will never lose the piece that makes them whole. Some who are found may also choose to cut the string in an act of defiance against their destiny. Lead a life where they choose who their forever will be with, or where they shall walk alone.

These are the lucky ones. Those who are provided a chance to choose always are.

However, there are those of us who are not given the same luxury.

Those who hold steadfast to the string and yet, are never able to find the one who exists on the other side. Who spend their whole life wandering, searching for the other half of their hearts, only to find they had already sewn themselves to someone else in that time waiting.

Melody doesn't believe in such fantasies.

She is not one to rely on fate or destiny. Love isn't something she is familiar with, nor does she want it to be. Even if she did believe in such foolishness, her string would stay lost within the abyss of the world, for she would have no desire to follow it.

Fate is cruel.

Melody knows this fact as well as she knows her very own soul.

It plays its game well, tying your string taut till it's ready to rip it apart piece by piece. Lying in wait and turning coincidence into destiny, your choices into pieces of a puzzle, almost as though your life were not your own, as though you existed as a pawn in its game.

A relentless torment of pain and suffering.

And as she stands in the very same airport that her sister stood in not a few months ago, she is reminded of that fact. Bitterness is almost as cruel, and yet the longer she stands where Yen once stood, Melody can feel it as it grows stronger and stronger within her heart.

"Are you okay?"

At Kallista's question, Melody wonders what would happen if she were to accept the truth. If she dared tell her the true answer behind her well framed facade.

She isn't okay.

In fact, she is so far from okay, she wonders if she will ever be able to confidently say those words ever again.

Does Kallista feel the way she shakes, or notices the panic heaving frantically fast beneath her chest? Is she aware of the way her knuckles whiten around the handle to her suitcase, or the reason she doesn’t answer right away is because she’s finding the strength to steady her voice so that she can hide a bit longer?

Are those small facts about herself even clear to anyone else besides her sister?

Or is Yen another piece of her puzzle? One of the ones inexplicably intertwined in her past, her present, and will forever remain beside her in her future?

Smiling softly to herself, Melody shakes her head.

"I'm fine."

Perhaps fate is not real, and perhaps the strings that tie us together are nothing more than coincidence and happenstance. But perhaps that is the very reason to believe in it. To pray and hope for destiny, if only it means you can believe in something.

As Areum follows the staff member to the CEO's office, something in her gut tells her to turn around. To run away, if that means she will avoid whatever is waiting for her behind the large oak doors.

Would that make her feel better?

Maybe it would be better if she just ignored the way her world has begun to fall to pieces around her. Maybe if she tries hard enough she can forget the way she felt the first time she stepped foot in this office, the first time she was told her dream was just inches from her reach. Maybe she can fool herself into believing that this isn't the end, that she didn't work tirelessly all these years for nothing. That she still has a chance.

But when the doors open, and she sees the look on his face, she knows.

The fragile fantasy she has been living in shatters, and she is once more greeted with the reality she had been hoping to leave behind.

Was that all it was meant to be?

Nothing?

Perhaps it is better to believe in nothing, to hope for nothing at all.

But if you don't believe in anything, then what else is left?

What else is there to hold on to in a world so cold and desolate as ours?

"Jade!"

Jade turns from the makeup artist as she finishes her touchup, to see her manager hurrying to her side. She smiles softly as she takes the phone she holds to her, patiently waiting for her manager to explain who is awaiting her response on the other line.

"They said it was important."

And at the sight of the Caller ID, Jade knows the breathless statement to be true. Against her better judgment, she smiles, a strange feeling blooming in her chest as she answers it. A feeling she had first felt when she was still a child, naive and foolish enough to believe she was worthy to dance amongst the stars.

Perhaps she is still foolish to trust in that reality.

"Hello?"

Fate may be cruel.

It may pull your world, your path out of your control, and make you feel powerless in the face of destiny. Perhaps this is the curse of our serendipity, perhaps this is what we pay for a chance to belong up there amongst the stars.

It has to be worth it.

Staring out the window, Sunji has to swallow hard to drown the bile that rises in her throat at the sign of yet another company building. She tries to tell herself that it's not like last time, that she won't put herself in a situation like that ever again, but how can she be sure?

"I wish you were here."

Touching her necklace, she tries to remember. If she was being honest, it's never that hard. After all, how could anyone forget the one that lies so faithfully in their heart? The lines on their face, the red to their lips, the feeling of their skin on yours...When someone imprints their touch on your soul, you'd find it's near impossible to erase them, no matter how many times you tell yourself you should.

Closing her eyes tightly, she takes a deep breath before stepping out of the car and into another trap. Maybe if she tries hard enough she will be able to fool herself into believing things will be different. That this time, it will be worth it.

Is it really worth it?

That is the question we must all ask ourselves, I suppose.

Only we can choose to play the game, only we can put ourselves in the position to be swayed by chance. To rely on destiny, a path that we are not even sure we want to pursue.

For some, it is all they ever wanted.

For others, it is their weakness, their curse.

And for the lucky ones...

Yen doesn't pay attention to the crowd.

The shouts, the screams, the chaos means nothing to her as long as she continues staring into his eyes. If the audience now hates her, then so be it. If her life is ruined because she dared to develop feelings for him, then let it be ruined. If she made a mistake, then why does it feel so right to stay here hidden within his arms?

Each time he looks at her, each time those gorgeous hazelnut eyes hold onto hers, enveloping her in a feeling of ecstasy and compassion; it's as though the entire world could fade away and burn and she wouldn't be able to find it within herself to care.

Nothing else matters at that moment.

Nothing but the feeling of his hand in hers, his breath tickling her skin as he pulls away from where his ruby-red lips had pressed against hers moments before, his eyes never straying from hers as their world grows with every passing beating of their hearts; nothing is more important than that. She presses her hand to his cheek, caressing it and marveling how even in the darkness his eyes still manage to glitter, the galaxy hidden within them almost dancing as she looks at him. Even amongst the chaos and the noise, he remains the one thing that makes sense. The only one who keeps her sane.

And so, she smiles.

For she is one of the lucky ones, and he is her salvation.

Perhaps this is the calm before the storm, or perhaps their storm is only just beginning to roar. Whichever it is, whichever fate decides to become their path, one thing remains abundantly clear…

From this point on, nothing will ever be the same.

CH.01 HERE

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