“I love. I have loved. I will love.”

The night turns cold now and Jessica's sitting at the balcony. The chilly wind blows, and she stares up at the mysteriously dark sky. 

Jonghyun appears from behind and frowns at her disapprovingly. He places a thick coat on her shoulders and she looks him in his eyes. She expects him to scold her but he stays quiet and a part of her thinks that maybe he knows what she's feeling. He doesn't say anything else except for a 'it's too cold outside' and 'I'm going back in now'. 

She quietly nods in the darkness, keeping her eyes on the night sky, and feels the tears streaming down  the sides of her face, seeping into the runaway strands of her hair. 

(He doesn't hear Jessica's loud 'don't ing go', that gets lost somewhere in the stars, instead he catches the muted 'we're done now' in between her fragile and cracked smile.)

She cries even harder.

Minhyuk likes the way her hair float with the soft, gentle breeze. The winter sky above them is a palette of colours - a mixture of sky blue, pale lavender, bright yellow and orange, and everything’s just breath-taking.

He watches her lightly chuckle under her breath, a smile tugging on her lips and her eyes disappearing into two small crescents. His hand reaches out as he runs a finger through her hair, and tucks a few strands of loose tendrils behind her ears. It’s something about the curve of her lips, the crinkle of her eyes, the way her dimples appeared on her blushing, chubby cheeks - how his heart speeds up and drops to his feet. 

The touch isn't familiar but he's certain there're butterflies forming in the pit of his stomach, a tinkling feeling, and he doesn't exactly dislike it.

He leans in, quietly whispers her name in her ear. “I love you so much,” he murmurs and tenderly touches her cheeks. “I love you too,” she says in reply and he begins to quiver because he knows this isn't real. 

And then Minhyuk wakes up.

His smile fades, and the pain seeps in now. 

He realizes (a little too late) that he has lost his heart. It's no longer complete; a part of it has been stolen, some parts shattered into too many pieces and the rest simply ripped apart. His face is now flushed red, and his body is curved, trembling as if he’s about to break. He puts his head down and cries harder than he’s ever cried before. 

The warmth of spring may have arrived, but his worn-out heart has been cruelly left behind in the bitterly cold winter. 

Jessica recklessly dashes into the rain and gracefully swirls around in circles, letting thousands of raindrops pour down on her shoulders.  

She looks behind with a wide grin and he doesn't exactly like her half-fake, half-real smile. His face is now contorted into a mixture of displeasure and impatience. "You shouldn't do that," he warns, "your health-" 

"How much do you know about me? I like the rain," she cuts him curtly and continues to feel the rain, "it makes me feel more alive."

He winces as the cold, winter wind hits his face sharply, like her words do, and the gaze in his eyes softens. He thinks that she exudes a subtle kind of sadness that he pretends he understands (when he really doesn't know a thing). 

And then, there's a hand pulling on his well-toned arms. When he looks up, he finds her soft features staring back at him. Jonghyun's words of comfort are on the edge of his lips, but then he speaks nothing, and stares anyway. 

He wishes that her smile is bubbly, bright yellow and happy. But he realizes it's beaten, tired and broken now.

"I'm going back now," he mutters and pulls away from her.

He swears that he saw hints of sadness behind her beautiful, dark orbs and a well of tears threatening to spill over. 

Jonghyun doesn't want to leave her. 

(But he's scared, he doesn't want to be the one left behind.)

Minhyuk pulls her in, and she allows herself to lean back onto his chest. "Can I have a small fraction of your heart?" Her head is now on his shoulder, fitting the crook of his neck perfectly. He shakes her head 'no'. "I'll give you my whole heart," and makes her smile. 

Once he wakes, he stares perplexed at her absence for a second. He takes a few more seconds to convince himself that this wasn't a dream, and he allows himself to believe that for the most part.

"Min?" he mutters under his breath. "Min?" A little louder now.

But only silence answers him.

(Jonghyun is selfish. Jessica's a hypocrite. Minhyuk is broken. And Min's long gone.)