The two of them spent the rest of the day the way they had always spent them before. It had taken a lot to convince Sehun to let her go to work today – he had insisted that Ara should go home and rest – but in the end it was Ara's bullishness that had won. So, as usual, he accompanied her to her workplace. 

While Sehun was driving to her workplace, he could feel questions in his mind. And soon one question found its way to his lips, “What did you do during … my absence?” It was the one question that had whirled around in his mind for so long already. He had told Ara almost everything about his days during his stay abroad. However, as to how her life had been in the two and a half months, he had no clue of.

Ara cocked her head a little, leaning against the car seat, as she thought about it for a moment. What did she do? Honestly, she didn’t know. She couldn’t really name anything specific. Her days had always been the same, consisting of school and work. And emptiness. Emptiness that she'd come to feel after the realization of her feelings. After the realization of what Sehun's presence meant to her. Looking back, Ara felt that the past two and a half months felt like a heap of emptiness and stress. Reigned by rationality.

“Nothing much,” she mumbled in reply, unsure about what to say, “School and work … the days were short. It was stressful … Ah! Hyejin turned 17, but due to the school stress, we didn’t celebrate it or something.” Her sister's birthday had been the only thing that had brightened up life a little. Not exactly her birthday itself even, but rather, that it made Ara realize how much Hyejin had matured in the past few months; made her realize that she didn’t have to take care of Hyejin, as though she was a little child, anymore.

There were a few seconds of silence between them before Ara quietly mumbled, “The days without you were so … empty.” Despite the low volume, Sehun had heard it. He had heard it perfectly. Empty. A word he wouldn’t have expected to hear from Ara. For the rational and strong girl to feel empty. Empty because he hadn't been there. Ironically, it relieved him. It relieved him to hear that Ara hadn't been completely fine without him. That she had felt empty without him. Because that meant, he was an important part of her life. Missing someone is one thing. Feeling empty due to someone's absence, though, that is a whole different thing.

Then Ara grew silent. There was much more to say, evidently. There was much more she could have shared. All the dullness, emptiness, and, yes, sadness and loneliness even. All that, she could have told him of all that. But she didn’t do so. Because she felt that all she had gone through had a reason. It was to make her realize his importance. Something she had to go through by herself. She felt that it was enough to tell him the days had been empty. She knew he'd understand what she meant. She just knew it.

If Sehun hadn't been driving, he would have wanted to embrace the girl, telling her she had done well the past two and a half months. Great, even. For her to remain so strong the whole time despite the emptiness. But then he remembered the many embraces in the forest. And he thought that those embraces had already said so. The embraces she had responded so warmly and tightly. Now that he thought about it, those embraces had already told him everything he needed to know about her point of view of his absence. Ara was someone of few words – she would never tell everything – but her little actions said everything. The issues of his absence had been dealt with as they'd stepped out of the forest. However, Sehun had only realized that now.

Feeling a little stupid for having brought it up again, Sehun decided to change the topic. “Speaking of birthdays, when's yours?”

“12th April 1994,” Ara answered and her thoughts drifted off to how soon it'd be. She didn’t even realize the rather long silence of Sehun until she glanced to the side and was met with Sehun's surprised expression. She was about to say “What?” when the male spoke up, “Mine too!”

It was Ara's turn to stare at him in surprise. “Seriously?”

Sehun laughed. “Seriously.”

It was such a small coincidence and yet, as childish as it seemed, both were delighted at this little thing. It was almost as if fate had planned their love in the future on the day the two had been born, and thus given a little hint. A hint for this beautiful love that began eighteen years after the particular day.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter