The house stood out from the rest of the neighborhood.

All the houses were cookie cutter, one by one, one after another, the same exact house. Perfectly cut lawns and curb appeal, shiny windows and shutters painted either a dark blue or a dark red. The only thing that set them apart was the different cars in the driveways.

But this house, it was different.

There was this dark aura to it, like a raincloud hovering overhead. It would be the house in a horror movie where teenagers would break in and something bad would happen. The grass was overgrown and the gutters were growing mini trees. The paint on the house was wearing off and the mailbox lay broken on the ground.

“Well, let’s get this over with,” Heechul said, his voice breaking a long silence. They were parked at the curb and had been sitting there for about five minutes, allowing Kibum to take a moment to collect himself.

Kibum got out of the car, unable to take his eyes off the house. It wasn’t what he remembered it as, which was a relief. Still, he knew that once he got inside it would be exactly the way he left it. He moved slowly, walking up the path to the house. His heart was racing in his chest, making it really hard to breathe. His hands started trembling; he wasn’t ready for this. He couldn’t go in there and he didn’t want Heechul or Hongki to go either.

He knew they would get inside and look around for a moment, taking in the hollowness and remember that he had been there alone for months. Then they would decide to work quickly so he wouldn’t have to be there any longer than he needed to be. They would just barge in and be careless and he didn’t want that.

He needed another moment to himself, but it was too late to turn back. As he reached the front porch, his eyes widened at what he saw. There was a piece of his past there, a piece of his present, his future…

“Tiffany,” He whispered, her name sliding like silk off his tongue. He stood there frozen, completely in shock and unable to comprehend what he was supposed to do. So as always, Tiffany took control.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. She breathed in his scent and he breathed in hers. Their bodies fit together like pieces of a puzzle that were just meant to be. It was perfection, and it had been too long since the last time they had seen each other.

“I missed you,” She whispered, her lip trembling. She took a deep breath to control herself. She couldn’t cry, not today. This was about Kibum and she had to be there for him, she needed to be there for him. After what happened the last time she’d been at this house, she felt like she owed him a lifetime of apologies.

She felt something drip onto her neck and felt a sadness rush over her.

He was crying.

“Don’t cry,” She crooned, pulling away from him. She felt her heart break when she saw tears streaming down his face. He had always been sensitive, so breakable. “Don’t cry, it’s okay.”

Kibum shook his head and moved away from her. “I don’t want to do this. I can’t.”

At this point, Heechul and Hongki had finally come up, arms full of boxes to be filled. Heechul sighed softly and put his armful of boxes down, pulling Kibum in for what was probably the tenth embrace of the day.

“You can do this, I promise,” Heechul said for the millionth time. “We’re just going to go in and get it done.”

“Uh, no. That’s not how this is going to work.”

Heechul and Hongki looked at Tiffany, surprised by the tone of authority.

She stood up tall, brushing her chocolate brown bangs out of her eyes, and put her hands on her hips. She looked the two adults up and down before delivering her speech.

“Kibum and I are going inside first. We’re going to walk around for awhile and get used to being in there. Then you may come in, but you can’t start doing anything yet. You’re going to walk through the house and look – but no touching. The once you’re done we will start working, room by room. We’ll start with the kitchen, since it’s the least triggering room in the house. Then the office and family room, then the basement, then his parents room, and finally his and Dayeun’s room will be last. Any questions? No. Good. We’ll be back in a bit.”

She smiled prettily at them, grabbed Kibum’s hand, snatched the key from Hongki, and in they went.

The moment the door closed behind him, Kibum stopped breathing. He slowly looked around at the scene before him, feeling as if he were having an out of body experience. The air was dry and dusty, there was a stale smell, and everything was covered in layers of dirtiness. None the less, it was all the same. He took in a breath, but failed.

In the one spot he was standing in, he could see so much. There was the staircase that led upstairs to his parent’s room, the room that had always seemed so royal growing up, because clearly dad and mom were a king and queen. He remembered being a little boy that always scurried into their room wanting to sleep with them, jumping into the bed like a deer and burrowing under the covers until he