There is that part in the Holy Eucharist where everyone says ‘Peace Be With You’ and after they nod or bow to the priest they nod - with a smile or nod for the sake of nodding – to the people beside, in front and behind them or what was the custom.

Children kiss their parents and kiss the hands of their relatives but when I was a kid, I thought that I could kiss anyone – their cheek or hand – and anyone could kiss me and that’s when I met him…

He was ethereal, and magnificently beautiful. I looked up at him with awe and he looked down at me with an amiable smile. He bent down and planted a chaste kiss on my forehead, I turned around as I heard my mother call me but when I turned back to see the most handsome prince ever… he was gone.

And that was when Tiffany was ten but since that Sunday he never left her mind.

 

*~*~*~*~*

She had been drawing his face again, daydreaming in class and snapped out of the trance when a hand snatched the picture of her mysterious prince from her eyes.

“Detention.” Was all the teacher said and flicked the crumpled paper to the trash can. Tiffany slumped back to her seat.

 

After dismissal, she sauntered towards detention room and while mumbling to herself, sat on an empty seat. It had only been seconds since she entered but something already caught her eye and made her look at the person sitting at the last row. She blushed and averted her gaze away immediately when she realized she had been staring at him and had been caught in the act.

She heard the shifting of chairs, but she stayed stockstill in her seat. Suddenly, the guy straddled on the chair in front of her, looked at her with a smile. “Hi. My name’s Donghae," he said, offering a hand.

“We’re not supposed to talk in detention.” hissed Tiffany.

“No one minds. Hear the teacher snoring?” Donghae rolled his eyes.

Tiffany giggled lightly. She gave out her hand to shake and introduced herself.

 

When detention ended Tiffany felt disappointed, because she wouldn’t be able to see or talk to Donghae anymore. To her surprise, however, Donghae has been popping out of places more than usual.

 

*~*~*~*~*

“Are you… stalking me?” she asked, putting her things on her bag while Donghae stood beside her, backpack hung on one shoulder. She was taking up arts division, while Donghae was studying for sciences as preparatory for university.

“Just… would saying I just want to be where ever you are count as an answer?”

“Wh-wh-what?” she stammered. Tiffany blushed profusely, and shyly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“I’m asking you to be my girlfriend. Hope you won’t embarrass me.” Donghae ran a hand through his hair as he let his eyes wandered anywhere but to Tiffany, embarrassment and nervousness slowly engulfing him by the minute.

"Ummm..." Tiffany started as her hands slowly reached out for Donghae's. "You can breathe now." She wanted to finish it with a joke, it was already embarrassing with just the two of them but she realized Donghae chose the hallway to confess and built up the awkwardness and embarrassment between them with everyone watching.

Too happy for his own good, Donghae leaned forward and kissed Tiffany on the forehead which made Tiffany blush even more. Now, her face has become as red as a tomato and her hands as cold as a corpse.

I want to be hide in a hole, Tiffany thought but more than that, the chaste, sweet kiss brought back that little memory she had of the enigmatic man at the church

But how can Donghae be the same guy I saw, he’d be older now,Tiffany mused and shrugged the matter back to the depths of her mind and started worrying on how to regain her composure.

 

*~*~*~*~*

I looked up at him with awe and he looked down at me with an amiable smile. He bent down and planted a chaste kiss on my forehead, I turned around as I heard my mother call me…

Tiffany had been having the same dream for a week already but there’s always something different with each passing night even if the dream was the same.

I looked up at him with awe and he looked down at me with an amiable smile. He ruffled my hair, “Such a sweet girl,” he said in a soft voice. . He bent down and planted a chaste kiss on my forehead, I turned around as I heard my mother call me…and when I looked back, he was gone.

 

He bent down and planted a chaste kiss on my forehead, I turned around as I heard my mother call me but when I turned back to see the most handsome prince ever… he was gone. I saw him again, that smile, I saw that smile again two pews before us, he went up to receive the Body of Christ and then he smiled at me again…

 

. He bent down and planted a chaste kiss on my forehead, I turned around as I heard my mother call me…and when I looked back, he was gone. “Have you seen that man?” I asked my cousin who shook her head. She said she hasn’t seen anyone from my description come up to us to bless each other

A memory she thought had disappeared with only that man as the only fragment left and yet, each night gives her a new memory, whether her subconscious made it up or not, it has certainly made her think.

 

*~*~*~*~*

Donghae walked her home and noticed her spacing out, “What’s wrong, everything okay?”

“Huh? Yeah…” Tiffany answered absentmindedly and when she saw their hands clasped together she almost turned tomato red again. Donghae realized how cold her hand suddenly felt and suppressed laughter.

“Fany, is there something wrong?” he said instead.

“Sorry. I’m just… Hae you caught me off guard.”

“Well, then I’ll do it again… now,” Donghae said in a hush voice.

 

They stopped at the gates of Tiffany’s house and Donghae leaned in for a soft, lingering kiss on the lips. When she opened her eyes for a moment she saw Donghae smile at her and when her mind was back from cloud nine he was gone. Tiffany puffed her cheeks and thought it was rude for her boyfriend to suddenly disappear like that.

 

*~*~*~*~*

"What the heck did you do that for?" questioned an annoyed Donghae, brushing his sleeves free from Siwon.

"May I remind you..." Siwon started with a stoic expression.

"Aish! I'm well aware of the guidelines Siwon," Donghae spat. "I am part of the family, unfortunately." And Donghae left without a trace, ignoring the intense look in Siwon's eyes. He was more bothered on how to face his girlfriend since, he suddenly left after kissing her.

 

Donghae let out a sigh when he saw the intense glare Tiffany was throwing at him at the beginning of the morning. It’s a week already and we're having our first fight Donghae thought rather amusingly as he went towards Tiffany.

 

One year. That's all I'll selfishly ask from you.

 

*~*~*~*~*

Donghae and Tiffany had been inseparable since then. Though trouble and petty quarrels come and go, nevertheless, everyone envied them. However, good things don’t last forever…

 

Tiffany’s family belonged to the upper half of society and her parents have big dreams for her but Donghae’s excluded in any of them. They tolerated Donghae as it was, in their better judgment, Tiffany’s high school fling until she graduates, although they made it a point that the two only meet in school by putting Tiffany in high security.

 

On the other hand, Donghae had to answer to his own family problems he tried rebelling and had been a rebel since he came to Korea to continue his studies. They left him alone, with the agreement that he'll return home. This was not a negotiable matter however, in fact, it was an absolute order.

 

*~*~*~*~*

The years went by fast between the two of them. Tiffany didn’t want it she knew her parents would never allow them to be together no matter how much she reasons with them.

“You should smile, Fany,” Donghae said putting two fingers at each end of to make a smile. “After two weeks we’d be in college. We’ll be saying goodbye to that old fart’s grumpy face.”

Tiffany laughed. “He’s not my teacher so I wouldn’t know,” she said.

“Don’t worry,” Donghae said in a milder tone as he held Tiffany’s hand. “I’ll always be here for you.” Tiffany jumped to hug Donghae she couldn’t help but tear up. How could Donghae know what she has been thinking? She was happy, she decided to shrug it off even for a moment she wanted everything to be fine… even for a moment.

 

*~*~*~*~*

On the night after their graduation party Tiffany had a dream. She dreamt that Donghae was leaving her. She cried, she begged and even she clung on to him but it was as if an unknown force pushed her back. All she could do was watch Donghae being engulfed by the dark. She tried to reach out but couldn't even touch the tip of his fingers.

She woke up screaming his name and crying. She flinched from the sudden crack of thunder and lightning and at the sight of Donghae sitting at her bed side. Tiffany jumped to him whether or not he was real, she hugged him tight nevertheless.

“I have to go.” Donghae said tenderly with a forced smile on his face.

“What?” she asked, her voice quivering. This is another nightmare, she told herself as she tightened her grip onto Donghae’s shirt sleeve.

Another clash of thunder and lightning ensued, which convinced her that it was just a nightmare, the environment was building up for the effect of making it believable.

“Stop looking so scary, Hae,” Tiffany said, trying to force a smile her hands were shaking non-stop. “This is not funny, I want to wake up.”

Donghae moved to embrace her. “I’m sorry for being selfish,” he whispered. “I should’ve just be satisfied with watching you from afar, from meeting you once but the dream stops now… for the both of us. I’m sorry to break that promise, I have to go.”

Oh my god, he can’t really be… Tiffany thought but she had no time to recollect and sum up her thoughts, Donghae had began to move and ease away from her. This wasn’t a joke, this wasn’t a dream even though realizing the truth is unreal itself.

“No!" Tiffany yelled. She caught Donghae’s hands and brought her head to them, tears flowing down her face. "I love you, Donghae. I’ll wait till you come back even if it takes forever.” she said softly, sobbing softly.

Donghae forced her to looked at him, his eyes filled with a mixture of emotions - that of sadness and love. It hurt him seeing her all broken down like that. He eased out his hands from her grip and caressed her face lightly as if she'll break once he adds pressure. Tiffany leaned on to his touch.

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” he said with a wounded smile and kissed the tears trekking down her soft cheeks. “Don’t say forever. You have no idea how excruciating that could be.”

“Then take me with you then.”

Donghae shook his head and embraced Tiffany again. “No.”

 

*~*~*~*~*

 “Are you sure about this?” Donghae asked as he looked at Tiffany below him, his hands playing with her hair. Tiffany clipped her hands behind Donghae’s nape, her face flushed.

“If I won’t be able to see you for a long time then I want you to bed me, I want you to be the first. I want to do it with the one I love,” she said with conviction as she began to cry again. Donghae wiped the tears away with a flick of his fingers and bent down to kiss her.

“I love you too Tiffany,” he whispered hotly against her ear and trailed kissed down her neck. “C’mon, don’t cry, you make me feel like I’m forcing you,” he joked.

“I would laugh if…” she pout and bit her lower lip as Donghae softly at the crevice between her shoulder and her collarbone. “Besides… I’m the one that forced you,” she inhaled.

“Let’s forget about that and just enjoy the present.” Tiffany nodded.

 

The next day, Tiffany woke up and found Donghae gone as if he was never there at all. The bed was well kept, she was in her night gown, and the strangest thing there was no trace of their love making. If it had been a dream, she wished that only the ending were to come true and she was about to believe that it was just a dream until she found Donghae’s ring, his couple’s ring, sitting on top of her dresser.

Her mind was finding it hard to believe but it her heart knew that something about that dream was as tangible as reality and that’s Donghae was not coming back. She took the ring and found it odd that even though heartbroken she felt at peace.

 

Live Tiffany, and don’t lie because I’ll find out if you’ll ruin yourself.

 

Her knees melted and placed the cold ring to her lips, she chuckled, she thought she was beginning to lose her mind when she heard Donghae’s voice over the soft wind that came in through her opened windows.

“Fine then, watch over me, watch me be happy with another man, make a family with him and die as an old wrinkly woman,” she muttered with a strong resolution to no one in particular. A smile on her face, she wipes the last batch of tears flowing down her cheeks for the last time.

 

*~*~*~*~*

 

The private plane was nearing its destination, while two of the four passengers were quietly dreaming, one was nagging and the other looking outside the window with head phones on.

“Lee Donghae! Are you even listening to me?” Siwon said, as he yanked the headphones off Donghae’s head.

“Yes I have been listening to you. It’s amazing how your voice passes through the music,” Donghae replied with sarcasm. “Don’t worry I’ll have Kyuhyun do something about it.”

Siwon glared at Donghae which was ignored as he took his headphones back and put it over his ears.

Donghae gazed out the window, towards the full moon, and placed his hand before him, against the moonlight thinking about Tiffany.

“How could I ever forget that I could be making the biggest mistake ever? But it’s the only mistake I’m gonna miss,” he muttered with a wistful smile, still gazing at his hand illuminated by the moonlight, his dark brown eyes slowly changing hue as streak of light passed to his face.

“Yes, Tiffany be happy, don’t worry the pain and everything else will just become a dream.”

 

---

a/n: ugh! okay i went all over the place. probably skipping some parts but i think this revised version is better. i thought of making it multi-chap but i'm fresh out of ideas. anyway... if you're wondering what Donghae is... while still in the process, I thought he could be of the same family as Hankyung in Kiss of Death (another fic forced to become a oneshot due to lack of ideas). The aforementioned Kyuhyun is the one in The One Dream that Can't be Fulfilled. there's a clash of ideas if you read it but it's donghae's connection with kyuhyun is what i'm pointing out.

and it may seem like a self-promotion. maybe it is. maybe not.