"Debbie" Minho said as he reached the counter where she was standing.

The woman took a look at him frowning "yes?"

"Minho" he said pointing at himself, watching her as her face changed, she circled the counter and got closer to him, wrapping her arms around him with comforting hug.

Minho froze, he stared at her till she let go of him "I look…Tae- Tyler, can't find where…" he mumbled with the much he knew in English.

"Oh, sweetie" Debbie said with a trembling lip, her eyes became teary "Tyler is gone"

He looked at her puzzled "태민 어머니님, 아버지님...엄마, 아빠?" he said desperately.

"You're looking for his parents…? Mom? Dad?"    

"Mom, nae…mom!"

Taking his hand in her she lead him to sit by the counter before she looked for her bag and took out her cell phone, she looked for Mrs. Lee's number and wrote it on a napkin for him.

Minho looked at the napkin and then at Debbie before he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed.

He waited for what seems to be eternity before a soft and quiet voice filled the line "hello?"

"Mrs. Lee? It's Minho…"

"Minho…" Taemin's mother whispered his name with a sad voice.

"Where is Taemin? Is he alright? I called you for so many times and nobody answered, I came here and-"

"You're in Wisconsin?" she cut him off a little surprised.

"Nae… I tried to call you but you wouldn’t answerer"

"Minho, where are you?"

"At the diner"

"Wait for me over there"

"Mrs. Lee…please, where is Taemin?" he asked desperately "please, is he alright?"

"I'll be right come Minho, wait for me" she said and hung up the call.

Minho looked miserably at the phone before he glanced at Debbie "태민이… 어디?"

Debbie shook her head "I'm sorry sweetie, I can't understand" she said looking at the frustrated man in front of her, she placed her hand over his and tapped it gently like trying to calm him before she turned from him and went into the kitchen.

Minho frowned when she got back moments later with some coffee and bagels and placed it in front of him "you should eat" she said and gestured with her hand- waving it in front of "eat"

It's been a while since he had been eaten, he hadn’t even noticed it, he felt hungry now as the smell of hot bagels and cream filled his nostrils but he couldn’t bring himself to eat, not now when he was so worried.

"Eat" Debbie said once again.

He cut himself a little piece of bagel and placed a cream on it but before he could put it in his mouth the little bell above the diner's door rang and Mrs. Lee walked in.

Jumping off of the stool he was sitting on Minho closed the distance between them with few steps, Mrs. Lee's eyes were red and puffy, she looked ill and her voice barely sounded when she said his name and held his hand squeezing it tightly.

"Where is Taemin?" Minho asked without any introductions.

"Let's sit" she said and glanced at Debbie, the two women shared a look as they walked toward a privet booth.

"Why aren’t you telling me?"

"Minho-ya…"

"TELL ME!"

Taemin's mother sat by his side and held his hands in her, warm tears rolled down her cheeks as she it "Taemin-ah…he didn't survive the crush"

Minho thought his heart stopped beating, it should have, there was no point in living anymore now that his young lover was…

"Taeminnie…" he choked, his vision blurred "Taeminnie…" nothing could stop the pain that took control over his body and paralyzed him.

Mrs. Lee wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, sharing his pain, crying along with him.

"We were… about to- to move in together" Minho mumbled into her hug, his body shook savagely and he couldn’t stop crying.

"I know…he told me all about it, he couldn’t stop talking about it"

"We…we found a place, we-we even bo-bought a bed and…we were s-s-supposed to move when, when he'll finish his degree"

Mrs. Lee closed her eyes and let the memories about late night talks with her son flood her mind, remembering his angelic smile when he talked about Minho and their future together, she tightened her hug can't let go of the young man in her arms.

For a long hour they sat like that hugging each other in silent, eventually Mrs. Lee let go of Minho and wiped his tears "let's go home" she said.

"I want to go visit him"

"I'll take you tomorrow, I promise. It’s been a long day…you need some rest"

Minho wanted to argue but she was right, it was getting dark anyway. Nodding he let her pull him from his seat and they made their way toward the door.

"Mrs. Lee, wait…" Debbie called and got closer to them, she looked at the young man as she grabbed his hands and placed something in it "Tyler forgot it here, just before he took the flight to Korea"

Minho looked at his hand and his tears renewed, an old Rubik's cube- the one that he gave him when they were kids.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Minho couldn’t sleep all night long, he tossed in bed till dawn and eventually got up. He heard Mrs. Lee crying and Mr. Lee trying to comfort her, they haven’t slept as well.

Walking around the house he allowed himself to go into Taemin's room, it was clean and it seems like no one had been there for years even though he was there few weeks ago, his books were organized on the desk along with his laptop, his pajama on the bed, his shoes on the floor, the nightstand by the bed was decorated with few frames with old pictures.

Minho got closer and sat on the floor by the bed, he took the frames and a sad smile crossed his face, tears sprang in his eyes when he looked at some old photos of them together, they were young, kids, Taemin always looked so small next to him- maybe it was the reason why he used to protect him all the time.

He couldn’t believe he was gone, forever, there were so many things he hadn’t told him yet, he truly believed they would be together forever like a stupid fairytale.

"Minho…" Mrs. Lee's voice caught his attention and he raised his head to look at her as he placed the frames back on the nightstand.

"Let's have breakfast before we'll go to the cemetery"

He wasn’t hungry, he couldn’t even think about food but he knew that he have to eat so he won't collapse eventually.  

They went down stairs together, Mr. Lee already sat to the table, he looked as bad as his wife, his eyes red and puffy from crying over his dead son, in his shaking hand he was holding a mug of coffee that he wasn’t even drinking.

Mrs. Lee made breakfast mechanically and they all sat quietly to the table, eating with no appetite, each one of them in his own privet thoughts about the young boy.

After breakfast they all drove to cemetery, Minho asked himself how could the sun shine on a sad day like that, didn’t she know that his lover was dead?

While Taemin's parents visited his grave Minho found it hard to get out of the car, he watched them from afar like being so distance would change the fact that the love of his life was gone. But it was the truth and eventually he got out, Taemin's parents were already on their way back, Mrs. Lee stopped him before he reached the grave and held his hand "it had been found on his hand" she said and placed something in his palm.

Minho looked at it and saw Taemin's bracelet, heart breaking groan rumbled in his throat and he fisted his hand around the metallic jewelry as he made his way to the grave.

"Taeminnie…" it was stupid to talk to a stone but it comforted him, his hand the cold marble as tears spilled from his eyes "I'm sorry, I shouldn’t have let you go that day, I should have make you stay when you said you're not feeling good. What I'm going to do now? How could you just…we were supposed to start our lives and now... my body aches just by missing you so much. I LOVE YOU Taeminnie"

Minho wiped his tears and placed the bracelet on his lover's grave "rest in peace my love"