I woke up to the sound of soft rustling and the gentle feeling of movements that was slowly getting further and further away from me. My consciousness drew my attention to the sprinkle of light that seeped through my eyelids. My mind told me that it must be morning, but it’s not early enough for that light to represent the sunny day that we had coming up. In my state of rest, I could hear the door close to a lock.

It must’ve been no more than several hours since I had closed my eyes to call it a night. We had been travelling for days and after having arrived in Paris in the later hours of evening, we were more than ready to simply refresh ourselves before turning in for the day.

The two weeks in which we had been travelling together, had caused my heart to rekindle that very same feeling I had when we parted with a kiss at the airport that same day, 7 years, 2 months and 7 days ago. I remember everything that had happened as if no time had passed in that time and I had simply turned my back and walked right back to her sweet teary face that had no clue on what she would do next.

We had promised each other that we’d try, we did and then we didn’t anymore. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but it was a matter left unsolved, an open-ending that gave person a way out, without providing a solution. I wanted to hear her say it, but her not having told me those three words made it all just that much easier to digest whatever it is we concluded on.

The click on the lock announced her return from the short break she had been having every night since she flew over. I turned my back to face her side of the bed. For some reason sleeping on the side had made me feel detached throughout the trip and I didn’t want to make it feel anymore estranged than it already did at times as if we were two individuals trying to explore the secrets of Europe.

The familiar warmth returned under the sheets and I could feel her scoot over to my side. Her hands softly caressed my face as she positioned herself closely next to me. I could feel my heart pick up the pace as my mind tried to figure out what she was trying to do, or why. Her breathe felt warm as it hit the surface of my skin.

There it was, the soft touch of her lips that I longed for all this time. The sweet, thick lips that I remember embracing with mine left a taste that I could only describe as pleasant.

I could hear her eyes blink, as if she awaited further response from me. Was I going to reciprocate? Did I feel the same as she did? Did I want more from this trip? My heart panicked at these questions; questions that even I wanted to know the answer to. It felt right, but it didn’t feel logical. It was what I wanted, but I wasn’t ready. I wanted to be sure. I had to be.

As if those questions didn’t lead to a reasonable outcome, my mind had slammed on the reset button and let my heart take control. I threw my arms around her and pulled her in for what felt like years in seconds. My God, it felt like the world had finally made sense and all mindless troubles no longer existed. Nothing else remained significant and that moment of passion was all that mattered. She was all that mattered to me.

To my disappointment, the reset didn’t last. I could hear her blink once again and I knew that time was no longer paused. My body refused to ask for seconds and all I could muster confidence to do was keep each other in a knot of arms and legs, sharing the bed like it was half the size it was, turning double into a measly single that we both were more than comfortable with.

As we slept in each other’s embrace, my worries slowly melted away and all that remained was that slight hint of romance that mattered more to me than the physical entanglement that we left behind in that room.

And as I look you into the eyes, I’ll always remember that moment we had spent together. The second moment that we’ll never talk about. The moment that you’ll verbally never remember. Once again, I am left behind with emotions that I can no longer see the image of, but a taste on my lips that will never fully float away. The touch of your lips pushing onto mine as if you had been kept locked away from my presence. I feeling that you too had been longing for and one that you’ll never forget and you’ll tell no one about. A little bit of me, that is kept inside your heart until the day that lips of you and I will meet again.

You look up from your phone to catch me staring at you with soft intent, a sweet smile gently parting your lips to inaudible words.

“Taeyeon.”

I shake off the little daydream and return to the present. “Yes, Tiffany?”

“I asked you if there was something wrong with my face.”

I shook my head and beamed my own version of a smile back at you. “No, I was just admiring?”

“Admiring? There’s nothing to admire. I’m just me, silly.” You scoffed as you brought the cup of warm chocolate milk to her lips.

“Hey.”

She puts down her cup and looks at me with those irresistible puppy eyes. “Yes?”

“Let’s get out of here.”

“Where do you want to go?”

I leave the money on the table and grab her hands. In all honesty, it didn’t matter to me, but now, more than anything, I just wanted to be with her. In the few days that I have left before you return back to Korea.

That’s what I want to do the most.