Tiffany

I finally staggered out of bed, feeling as crappy as ever. I pushed back the blankets on the bed and got to my feet, stretching my sore body. Groaning, I fought to remember the series of events that had taken place. Subconsciously, my hand reached out to touch under my swollen eyes, recalling the nightmare, crying and whimpering pathetically and there was one last thing…one thing that happened that I couldn’t quite remember. That piece of memory was hazy and unclear, too blurry for me to make out. Undistinguishable shapes swirled before my eyes, but something had been clear though, the soft humming of a lullaby and the warm arms that wrapped protectively around me. I had bathed in that familiar warmth before and enjoyed the sense of security that came along with it. It finally dawned on me that the person that had been holding me all this while, that had been loving me all this while, that had been there for me all this while was—

“Jessica!” I yelled, scrambling out of the door, expecting to see the blonde curled up on the sofa, or seated on the loud wooden chair by the countertop reading.

She wasn’t there. Oh God, she wasn’t there. She wasn’t there when I burst through the door of her room, my heart beating wildly in anticipation. She wasn’t anywhere in the apartment. So I waited, thinking that maybe Jessica had gone out and would be coming back soon. I sat with my back against the door, waiting patiently for Jessica to return. I sat down on the cold floor, my eyes wandering over to the couch where we had cuddled in times of cold, to the kitchen that we nearly blew up at a failed attempt to cook breakfast, to the bedroom where she had held me countless times in her arms and I had been too selfish to realise that it really had been her. Finally, my eyes rested on the ring that hung from a chain, pooled on the coffee-table. Strange. It was the one Jessica usually wore around her neck. I had never seen Jessica without it. I hadn’t asked what it represented or who it was from, but I could guess that it had once belonged to Yuri. So why was it here?

“Tiffany?” I heard a voice call out from the other side of the door, rapping her knuckles on the dark wood.

I stood up immediately and opened it up without hesitation. I smiled brightly, ready to welcome her. I stared into apologetic, soft, midnight black eyes that were enough to melt anyone’s heart, but it wasn’t the pair of eyes that I wanted to see. I wanted to see the frozen yet melting sable eyes that were both cold and compassionate. I wanted to see the smirk that usually crossed her features or the overconfident stare that came once in a while. Lastly, I wanted to see the deep, loving gazes that she would give me every now and then. But lately, it had been scarce. I rarely saw them anymore. I felt my face fall, disappointed.

“Oh, Taeyeon?” I asked.

Truthfully, I wasn’t even angry that she had said those words before. The anger just seemed to fade away after time. Her head bowed, she peeked up at me.

“Fany-ah, I just wanted to apologise for before.”

I frowned. Why was she telling me this now? Where was Jessica?

“I know I was wrong to have said that. I honestly don’t know how to face you now,” she went on, shuffling nervously on her feet.

“Taeyeon…”

Her head snapped up, anxious eyes staring right at me.

“I forgive you…but, have you seen Jessica?”

Taeyeon seemed relieved that I forgave her but put on a perplexed expression. “What do you mean? Isn’t she here?”

“No, I was hoping that you’d know where she was.”

“Why don’t you try to call her?” Taeyeon suggested, and I cursed myself for being such an idiot.

I ran to the phone, leaving Taeyeon staring confusedly after me. She could have stood at the door all along for all I cared. I just needed to get to Jessica fast. I dialled her number which I had forced myself to memorise, and waited impatiently to hear her soothing voice. It rang for a while, and I had almost hung up before I heard her.

“Oh, Fany-ah?” her voice was soft, almost as if she was on the verge of crying.

“Jessi? Where are you?”

“I’ll back soon, Tiff, don’t worry,” something must have happened; I heard her voice break at the end.

“No, wait, tell me where you are,” I insisted, clutching at the phone with my two hands.

It was silent. I pressed my ear harder against the phone, hoping to, maybe, hear the soft reply. But all I heard was her shaky breathing. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this at all. The wrenching feeling in my gut intensified with each breath she took. I guess I had been waiting for this answer all this while. I guess I finally deserved it.

“Jessi, don’t play games with me! Tell me where you are now!” I yelled.

“Take care of yourself till I get back, okay? Goodbye, Tiffany,” I heard her say before the line disconnected.

“. Wait! No, damn it,” I growled, punching the same numbers into the phone.

When she didn’t answer, I tried again, repeatedly hoping that she would pick up the phone. With every attempt, my hopes began to diminish. I stood hunched over the phone, tears falling from frustration and anger. How can she do this to me? I let out a cry of frustration, swiping the phone off the table and watching it scatter across the floor. I felt pitiful eyes on my back, but I didn’t care. For once, I didn’t care about the sympathy Taeyeon gave me, because in all honesty, I needed it. I deserved it for being an idiot. I felt hands enclose over my wrists, restraining me from doing anything else. I fought against it, writhing and struggling in Taeyeon’s grip, but she didn’t falter. She dragged me towards her car, buckling me in and shooting me a glare to keep me still as she drove to an unknown destination. I decided to let her do what she wanted. I was too tired and wary to stop her now. I didn’t know what else to do but cry until I was standing right in front of Krystal.

Her eyes widened at my pathetic state and she took me in her arms, my hair.

“Krystal, do you know where Jessica is?” Taeyeon asked.

I pulled back to look at her. She frowned.

“What do you mean? She didn’t tell you guys anything?” Krystal looked disbelieving.

“What did she say to you?”

“She’s going back,” Krystal answered.

“Back? Back where?” I grabbed her shoulders, shaking the poor girl to force more answers out of her.

“Tiffany, stop,” Taeyeon pried my fingers off Krystal’s shoulders.

“She’s going back to America.”

“What? When?”

“She left this morning. Why?”

I took a few steps back, tears flowing endlessly down my face. With every step I took, Taeyeon took one more towards me, hand extended as if to touch me.

“Nothing, Krystal. Nothing,” I whispered, turning away from the both of them.

Everything else was a blur. I recalled running, running so hard that my lungs were about to burst. I didn’t know where I was going, but I ran anyway. I recalled Taeyeon’s voice calling out for me, but her voice died in the wind after a while. I recalled falling to ground the moment I stopped running, too tired to run anymore. I recalled the snow on my face and recalled hearing my heavy breathing and the irregular pounding of my heart. Then I felt pain, and then there was nothing.

 “I’m sorry, Tiffany. I’m too tired.”

Readers’ Note:

Hey readers, I’m doing updates as fast as I can during my free time. Tiffany finally realises that it had been Jessica all this while. But, as you can see, she’s far too late. Sorry for those who were expecting a JeTi ending.

Thank you for reading!

Yours Faithfully
Jazzign

P.S.
Haha! Did I scare you? I promised a JeTi fic didn’t I? Yes, this will have a JeTi ending, just haven’t decided to make it good or bad. ;)