Monday. A new week is going to begin. So does the countdown.

Kyuhyun, whom you accustomed to call ‘angel’ in your head once in a while because of his fair skin and heart of gold, lay beside you in your bed back home. As opposed to the other days, his sleeping face today looked troubled. His arm was wrapped around you, as he always did, but it felt entirely different - like he was holding on so hard, afraid that if he lets go, he’ll never get a hold of it again - like a child who’s afraid to lose his toy… like someone who’s about to lose someone he loves and cares for a lot.

You were afraid, too. Afraid of the distance you’re going to face… afraid of the time you’ll spend away… afraid of being alone… afraid of leaving… and afraid of the possibility of losing him. But we’re all afraid of uncertainty, of the cloudy future that awaits us. Even though you vowed to stay in touch, to call whenever one of you can, the fear still lingers.

You know he wants to be with you. He’s sacrificed already too much just to be where he is right now. He chose to break a lifetime’s worth of friendship for you, and yet here you are, doing things to be far away for your own reasons. You were silently tearing him apart. Even though he smiles and tells you that he’s fine with this arrangement, that he can wait six months for you, that he can live through this, you know deep inside that he’s hurting. You could see the pain in his eyes - and even in his smile when he acts fine. He acts all tough and strong on the outside, but deep inside you know he’s as fragile as a flower...that anytime he could break. In all honesty, you wished he acted otherwise. that he’ll be selfish and beg you to stay. But Cho Kyuhyun isn’t that kind of person. He’s selfless and just wants whatever’s good for you.

You want to be with him too. So bad. All those conflicted feelings before turned into need. You want to stay beside him forever. To take care of him just like he did with you. But the guilt of breaking Donghae and Kyuhyun’s friendship was eating you up and haunting you… that you destroyed something special and built on for years. So you asked him to wait a bit… to wait for a while so that what you did would hurt less… Six months is all you’re asking. Just a semester away… It seems like a short time… but you know for a fact that it isn’t. Not even the slightest bit. No Kyuhyun to hold your hand… No Kyuhyun to hug you tight… No Kyuhyun to comfort… No Kyuhyun to sing you to sleep… No Kyuhyun to kiss… You will see him thru video chats and hear his voice in calls, sure, but it isn’t enough.

Tears stung your eyes and came rolling down your face without you even realizing it. Yes. Sacrifice first before enjoying the good life, right? It was the only way you both could reconcile for your mistakes.

Kyuhyun stirred and his eyes fluttered open. His eyes grew wide as he saw your tears.

“Hey… hey…” he crooned. “No, don’t cry. It’s only six months, right? It’s not that long,” he wiped the tears away with his thumb. You know he finds that time long too.

“Is it not?” you sobbed. “I’m so sorry, Kyuhyun. I’m asking too much from you again.”

“You know I’d do anything for you, right? I’d wait… no matter how long,” he said. Kyuhyun pressed his lips on yours. 

His soft gentle and warm lips calmed you down. There was that feeling of reassurance - that he will indeed wait for you, but there was also that feeling of great need...desperation. Once again, Kyuhyun felt vulnerable.

He slowly pulled away and kissed your nose. “I haven’t even greeted you a good morning yet.”

You chuckled, feeling much better. “You don’t need to anymore. That kiss was already a great greeting”

Kyuhyun smiled half-heartedly. He sat up and took your hand. “Come on. We still have a lot of packing to do.”

“Don’t you have work to go back to? Siwon told me you’re skipping work,” you said.

“Work can be done by someone else,” he said with a faint smile as he tucked your hair behind your ear. “It’s your last three days. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here.”

“Thank you,” you said, hugging him tight. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he said, brushing your hair. “You know what else I love? Food. Come on, I’m hungry. let’s get breakfast.”

“I think I’ll lose weight since no one is stuffing me with food there,” you said, chuckling.

“Park Kyesin. Don’t you dare skip a meal while you’re away,” he said. “I promise I’ll send you packets of ramen and pepero and other goodies so that your pantry is always full and you’ll always have something to eat so you have no excuse not to.”

You laced your fingers with his. “You’re really the best.”

“I know.” he grinned. “By the way, what re you gonna do with your things here? The apartment you got there is already fully furnished, right?”

“I’ll bring some, the ones I like and the sell the others,” you said. “The money I’d get would, after all, help a lot to get by while I still haven’t received my monthly stipend.”

“Don’t worry about money. I’ll wire you some every week,” he said as he put the bacon on the pan.

“Ei~ you don’t have to!” you said. “I’m gonna get a job.”

Kyuhyun sighed., “You’re moving away to study, not work. Please, let me do this.”

“You’ve already done enough.”

“I don’t want my love to suffer,” he said with a smile. 

You tipped your toes and kissed his lips. “I really really love you, remember that. Thank you, Kyuhyun.”

Kyuhyun pressed his lips back on yours. He cupped your face and wrapped an arm around your waist to deepen the kiss.

“Kyuhyun?” you muttered against his lips.

“Yeah?” 

“I think the bacon is burning.”

“Oh crap!” he cursed under his breath and took the pan off the flame.

You chuckled, hugging him from behind. You closed your eyes. You want to remember this moment.

These last three days were tough. You spent all day packing and buying stuff you’d need in California. Kyuhyun was unbelievably able to sell all your stuff and made a lot of money from it, much more than what you expected. He was very helpful. He never left your side except when he has to take a bath and change his clothes. But even during that short hour, you both felt hesitant. Probably because of the limited time you have in your hands. You felt like crying while he was away, getting a taste of what it would be like in a few days time. Kyuhyun felt like crying as well, that once he gets back, he rushes to you and takes you into his arms.

The last night was the hardest of them all. Your apartment by then was empty. It was quite metaphorical though. The apartment that was once filled with memories of you and Hae is now empty, like it was time for you to move on and start anew. Kyuhyun’s arms crawled around your waist from the back and kissed your neck. 

“Ready?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” you whispered.

Kyuhyun took your hand and kissed you again. He led you to his car and drove home in silence. You both just wanted to cherish the time left your have together. So by the time you got into his place, you had already expected what Kyuhyun would do. 

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