“Daddy!” a little girl waiting by the patio came running to the man who just went down the car.

“Oww! How’s my little princess?” the man who recognized to be her father brought her up in his arms. The little girl gave her father a sweet kiss on the cheeks, he returned the favor and they chuckle being in each other’s company.

“Where’s mommy?” the man asked. The little girl pointed at one corner of the patio and there she saw a beautiful lady smiling and waving at them.

That smile never changed. It is still the smile that pierced his heart. The smile that takes his worries away. The only smile he wished that he could be the reason behind it again.

“Lauren thought you wouldn’t come anymore. She was sulking all afternoon waiting for you.” The lady smiled at him. He stared for a while, it still has the same effect on him. Playing on his heart and toying on his feelings again, why was it so hard to decide?

“Aww, really baby? Daddy won’t do that. He wouldn’t keep little Lauren waiting.” The man pinched his daughter’s plump cheeks learning about the sweet gesture she did.

“Hi Tiffany.” He smiles. Trying to pretend that everything was okay. That they were friends. That he moved on, and accepted that she has too.

“How are you Siwon? Seems like you’re getting busier by the minute.” She replies. Unaware of the feelings he was hiding behind those words. Siwon is good at hiding, even back then.

“Um, yeah. Something came up last minute and I had to fix it. Sorry if I was a few hours late. By the way, where’s…”

“Sweetie, dinner’s ready in an hour.” A man walked out of the house to the patio where everyone was gathered. “Oh, Siwon. How’s it been? Picking up Lauren today?”

“Seunghyun. I was just about to ask. I-I’m good. Yeah, picking her up for the weekend. Got a little stuck in the office so I came in late. I hope you guys don’t mind?” he coolly answers. The couple in front of him giggles. Saying that he acted like he was some sort of stranger. How he wished he was. Seeing those arms of another man, linked all over his woman. Well, not really his woman, but he would do everything to get her back. In his arms.

“Are you staying for dinner? I cooked extra.” Seunghyun was thoughtful to send out a last minute invitation.

“Oh, um, no thanks. My folks are waiting back home. Wanting to see this little lady.” He ruffles her properly combed hair. “Go get your things baby, Uncle Max misses you. He has something for you at home.” Siwon whispered as he brought down the kid.

“Really? Aunt Soo is with Uncle Max? Yay!” her little excited tone earned charm among the adults. Lauren came running inside the house to grab her things. All thrilled to spend the weekend with her daddy after hearing that her favorite pair of aunt and uncle is at home.

“You sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?” Tiffany asks.

I would stay if it was only me and you. He thinks.

“Um, I’m fine thanks. I’m anticipating a little traffic later so, I think the best time to drive home is now.” He bows. Siwon was not yet comfortable seeing Seunghyun and her act like real lovers in front of him. He has accepted that the girl he loved finally had someone in her life that would cherish her.

Tiffany nods, still in her lover’s embrace. Her smile showed she was feeling happy and contented with the family she just made with Seunghyun and her daughter Lauren.

“Daddy let’s go!” he was once lost again in her gaze when his daughter tugged on his pants.

“All set babycakes?” the little girl giggles on the name her father called her.

“Kiss mommy and Uncle Seung goodbye.” He reminds. With her little steps, seven year old Lauren steps up to her mom and Uncle Seunghyun to bade them goodbye.

“Be a good girl Lauren, okay? Don’t make daddy’s head ache arasso?” she gently flats the creases on the girl’s pink flowery dress. Before she could run to her Daddy’s hands, she gave Tiffany a big hug from her small arms.

“We’ll go ahead.” Tiffany nodded and watched them walk to his car. Lauren was skipping happily as he was held in hand by her father. Her daughter never had that smile unless she was with Siwon. Every time she comes home back from spending the weekend with her father, she would tell Tiffany stories of what they did during those days. It is evident that Siwon is a good father to Lauren, by the way he takes care of her and fulfills every promise he makes to their little one.

***

“Daddy?” Lauren in her pink PJs crept in Siwon’s office at home.

“What’s wrong sweetheart? Why are you up?” He was working on a financial report just that hour and was pre-occupied with things about business.

“Daddy I can’t sleep.” She brought along her teddy bear that Siwon gave her on her 5^th birthday. The man flustered seeing his daughter and sat her up to his lap.

“You can’t sleep? Why? Had a bad dream baby?” he took off his glasses and rested his tired eyes on Lauren. The little father duties he had to do make his heart skip a beat. In this way he thought, he gets a part of Tiffany. At least they had a common denominator and that is to be good parents to their child.

“Daddy can I sleep beside you? I’m scared.” The poor girl wails. Siwon closes her small body into his hug. In a snap he sets his things aside and closes his laptop bringing it and his kid to bed.

He just can’t leave his paperworks alone. Right after Lauren was tucked to bed, he opened his laptop and started typing again. The week had been extremely busy for his company, everything fell into a short deadline the following week. Siwon was urged not to spend the weekend with Lauren but he feels that this is the only time he has. What was once every two weeks to her quick childhood? Priceless. As a father, as much as he can, he tries to spend his time well with his daughter.

It was almost midnight when Siwon felt he can’t do anymore and was beyond exhausted. He set aside his laptop and checked on the little girl beside him. Her face was peaceful. He can’t help but remember Tiffany every time he sees Lauren. Everything about her tells about Tiffany. How she laughs at the small things, how her eyes cutely disappear when she smiles too much. How she always wanted attention and care. Lauren is the exact younger version of her, and he couldn’t get any happy knowing that.

Sometimes, he wonders what if Tiffany was with him. They would be the perfect family. Just like how he imagines her, tucking their little one to bed, and he helping out Lauren on her assignments. How they would spend holidays and the excitement he would feel every time a day of work is done, because finally he will be coming home to his lovely wife and loving daughter. It was perfect. But it only existed in dreams.

He got off bed, walked down stairs in the kitchen to get a glass of water. Siwon saw lights on from where he was. No doubt, her younger sister is having her routinely midnight snack in the kitchen.

“Not sleeping yet Sooyoung?” he digs for some small talk while pouring his water on a glass.

“How is she?” the younger replied out of thin air.

“She’s in my room. Like what she always does, not wanting to sleep alone-“

“No. Not Lauren. Tiffany. How is Tiffany? How is she doing?” before he was even done with his words, Sooyoung cut him off.

“She’s um, good. She and Seunghyun are happy. I can see that every time I fetch Lauren, and Seunghyun, I think he’s a great guy. He’s a good company to Lauren. They’re fine. I mean, uh, way beyond, um, fine.” His answer was pretty decent but not enough to convince Sooyoung.

“Does that, answer your question?” he asked, not hearing a talk from her.

“So you’re letting go like that?” All of a sudden he feels intimidated. He asked a question and Sooyoung answered him with another. What was she trying to imply?

“I know where this is going.” He hisses. “Sooyoung, you know how long it has been since then, I don’t even want to go back to it anymore. Tiffany already has her life, and I’m trying to get mine.” The hint of frustration in his voice was evident.

“But what about Lauren, how can you guys take the sight of the poor kid getting confused why her mom lives with Seunghyun when you are practically the dad.” She tried to stare at Siwon in the eye but the latter flinches.

“I don’t want to lose someone again, Sooyoung. I don’t want to risk. Not Lauren, just. Not her. Okay? So I’m staying in my place. If Tiffany wanted to be just friends, then fine. I’m fine with it. Certain things have their place in the past Soo.”

“And regrets do follow in the future.” She left a heavy impression on his brother. She knew what Siwon feels. Sooyoung knew the truth about him.

FLASHBACK

It was a week after college graduation. A lot were making plans for the summer, some eager to find a job for a steady future, but a couple just sat side by side in a nearby park, watching the world go by, as if they were still students.

“Hey, want to go somewhere this summer?” the boy asks.

“Um, I don’t have any ideas yet. You? Are you planning something this summer?” the girl continued to the boy’s locks as he rested on her lap.

“Well I have. Oh, and I forgot. There’s something I have to tell you.” He sat up, but his face painted seriousness.

“Me too.” the girl implied. The boy looked at her with all curiosity. It’s like they both have certain issues to address by the way their faces tell it.

“You first.” He offers being the gentleman he is.

“No, you first.” She declines.

“Okay how about, we say it together?” he smiles and holds her hand.

“One.”

“Two.”

 “I’m three weeks pregnant.”

“My dad will send me to Korea for a year.”

Then the world stopped spinning. The atmosphere turned into deafening silence. 

------------------------------------------

A/N: Err. SiFany. Awkward? Hehe.