New Pain
Risk and Retaliations
Aria didn't know how see did it, she did not know how she made it through the week after Woohyun's prior beating. Every step, every breath Aria took, sent a white hot blazing pain throbbing through her body, her head growing dizzy and light, but that smile on her face never wavered. Aria did not understand how she could go for an entire week and not just give way to tears in the middle of class, she was just in so much pain. Aria had not been eating like she should have, the task of keeping food down was a struggle, the contents rushing back up the moment she swallowed them. She didn't tell Taeil about her constant waves of nausea, no, Aria kept that one little detail to herself, knowing that if she gave him another reason to further hate Woohyun, that everything would be over, that Taeil would not hesitate to go beat the life out of her said boyfriend, hesitate to that Taeil would not to go tell Jay her secret. So, when it finally came around for the next beating Aria had waiting for her, when time came for Woohyun to punish her for staying out that night with Jay and Taeil, she vowed to keep what ever it was he did to her, to herself. Thinking back to that night all Aria could think about was Taeil, and the way he held her after she broke down in his arms, all she could think about was how he stayed the night with her, cradling her to his chest, murmuring soft, sweet nothings in her ear. Or how he had to sneak out of the dorm the next morning just so Jay would not be suspicious, just so Jay would not know that Taeil stayed to take care of a beaten Aria. As the week passed by, Aria found herself thinking about Taeil, spending time with him when she was supposed to be folllowing after Woohyun and keeping her distance. But Aria found it impossible to stay away from Taeil, and the fact that he did not want to leave her side was not helping either. Which only made everything involving her and Woohyun all the more worse, because each day that Aria was caught with Taeil, was strike to the face, a shove to the ground, a kick to the stomach, or the smashing of her head into the nearest hard surfaced object. Every second Aria spent near Taeil just made her dealings with Woohyun that much more worse, that much more dangerous. But she couldn't help it, she couldn't help that her heart steered her toward Taeil every chance it got. Aria could not help it that her entire mind was consumed with thoughts of Lee Taeil, the man she feel in love with without even trying to.
Is it worth it? Aria found herself thinking as she headed toward the foreign language building, her arms wrapped around her sore sides, her head spinning with nausea, her body aching all over with pain.
Yes. Aria looked up at the end of the hallway to see that the door to the Korean room was shut and that the lights were off. Immediately, Aria pulled out her phone and looked at the email Yesung had sent her, only to find that he had canceled their meeting for the day. Sighing heavily, Aria ran her hands through her curly hair, that frustration that she began to feel, dissipating the moment her fingers got tangled in her hair. Aria couldn't remember the last time she wore her hair natural and free, and it felt so good to finally be doing so. Aria was so consumed in the essence of her hair and her momentary freedom, that she did not even notice the approaching figure behind her. Aria jumped at the feeling of his arms slipping gently, airily around her waist, his chin resting lightly on her sore shoulder, but just as soon as he wrapped her in his arms, did she melt into Taeil.
"How's my baby girl doing today?" The sound of Taeil's voice, so soft and soothing tickling her ear made aria shiver, her tiny hands subconsciously moving to rest over his larger ones, pressing them against stomach.
"Mmm....hi Taeil...i'm doing....okay...how about you? Ho are you doing?" Aria whispered under her breath, leaning back a bit as Taeil tightened his arms around her, pulling her into him even more.
"...I'm doing much better now that I see that i'm with you..."A bright grin tugged at Aria's lips as Taeil's sweet voice trickled into her ears, his body emitting a heat that made her throbbing body numb. Taeil and Aria had been pretty close for the pass week, closer than friends should be anyway, the both of them sharing intimate and lengthy hugs, small kisses on the cheek or forehead, the infinite games of footsies they played and the million notes they exchanged during Yesung's lectures, all of it hinted to more than just friendship. No one seeing the two would have been able to guess they were not a couple, that Aria and Taeil were just friends.
Because we're not just friends. Aria thought as she stood there in Taeil's arms,
"...hmm...well that's...great to hear..." Aria said with a giggle.
"...i guess it pays to know I am good for something..." Taeil twisted Aria around in his arms so that she was looking into his face, watching her face scrunch up as she winced,
"....are you still in pain...from last week? Or is it...new pain...?" Aria looked away from Taeil, thinking about the best possible answer to his question.
...It's...new pain.... Aria smiled up at Taeil,
"...I'm still a little sore from last time...I haven't really since much of Woohyun this week..." Aria mused, reaching up and taking Taeil's glasses off of his face and placing them on hers.
Liar...you just saw him a few days ago...you know...when he kicked you in the stomach and slapped you... Aria tried to ignore the voice in the back of her head, reminding her of what Woohyun did to her for letting Taeil play with her hair, for letting Taeil hold her hand, for being near Taeil.
"Why do you always where glasses? You have...gorgeous eyes..." Aria asked Taeil, looking up at him with innocent bright eyes, the dazzling smile on her lips taking Taeil's breath away.
"...well because...I don't really think my eyes are all that gorgeous..." Taeil said, leaning down slowly so that his face was hovering directly in front of Aria's,
"...well...your wrong because...I love your eyes..." Aria whispered softly, her eyes flickering to Taeil's lips and back up to his eyes.
I love you. Aria thought as she watched Taeil's eyes scan her face, settling on her lips before slowly making their way back up to meet her eyes again.
"...really? You love my eyes?" Taeil asked, a small amount of amusement in his tone,
"Is that all you love about me?" Aria's heart surged at Taeil's question, her blood rushing so fast through her veins that she could hear absolutely nothing.
"...no...it's not..." Aria breathed, her heart skipping beats as Taeil brushed his thumb over her cheek,
"Then what else...is it that you love about me?" Taeil asked, his thumb now grazing Aria's full supple lips. Aria held Taeil's piercing gaze as she thought about what to saying response to Taeil's question,
"Everyt-" Before Aria could even bring herself to pronounce the rest of the word, she was snatched away with such force that the breath was knocked out of her.
"Aria!" Taeil exclaimed as Woohyun dragged Aria away from him, the grip he had on her wrist obviously painful.
Aria shook her head at Taeil, moving slowly,
"I'll be okay..." Her lips read, Taeil's heart dropping into his stomach.
That's what she said last time...but she wasn't....she wasn't okay... Taeil hated the fact that he could do nothing for Aria, that all he could do was standby and watch as she got pulled away by that monster Woohyun, who did lord knows what her once they were alone. As Aria disappeared around the corner Taeil could feel the tears that he did not even know were in his eyes, roll down his cheeks. There was nothing he could do, not with out putting Jay's life at risk, not with out causing Aria, even more danger.
The moment Aria was sure Taeil was out of earshot she turned her eyes upon Woohyun and growled, trying to yank her wrist free of his grasp.
"Woohyun let me go! Now! I'm not playing with you!" Aria hissed, her voice laced with so much acid that it even stung her. Woohyun snapped his gaze on Aria at that moment, his eyes so cold, so paralyzing, that anyone else would have froze at one glance, but not Aria, she was through being afraid of him.
"What the hell do you think you are doing Aria!? Huh!? You think you're cute. don't you!? You're lucky I don't you up right now!" Woohyun growled, pulling Aria so that she was standing on her tip toes, the grip he had on her arm dangerously tight. Aria didn't say a word, she just stood there, her lips curling up into a snarl,
"...i think I was I trying to talk with my friend..." Woohyun drew his hand back as if he was going to hit Aria but dropped it right back to his side when he heard a hushed voices approaching.
Woohyun took no time dragging Aria back to her dorm building, he took no time snatching her key out of her pocket and throwing open the door. Woohyun took no time grabbing Taeil's glasses off of her face and hurling them across, neither did he take any time dragging Aria into her room flinging her into a wall. No one could hear Aria's cries as Woohyun unleashed his wrath on her because the bastard was smothering her with a pillow while he did so. From the depths of Aria's room no one could hear Woohyun's hands as he repeatedly struck Aria, burying his fist in his side, her stomach, her chest, and into her face. Just like no one could hear Aria's screams, no one could hear Woohyun struggle as the small girl fought back with all her strength, but as the pillow cut of her air supply, that strength and adrenaline she felt rushing through her, began to diminish, her body going numb the longer the pillow was pressed to her face, the more harder Woohyun lashed out at her. As soon as Aria stopped fighting back, as soon as Woohyun observed her body cease movement, did he remove the pillow from over her face. if it weren't for the fact that Woohyun had a pillow pressed to Aria's face a few seconds ago, her face wold have been strewn with tears.
"Woo-Woohyun..." Aria croaked, her breathing ragged and shallow, her body shaking as pain poured over her,
"...Hm...I saw Jay today..." Woohyun said, ignoring Aria's cry and pulling her up by the color of her shirt, cradling her in his arms and rubbing a hand over her face, his thumbs gliding roughly over her lips and eyelids.
"She looked lovely,I must say...so cute...but...not as cute as you princess...however...I realized that..sometimes...you are too cute..." Woohyun lifted Aria up to his face, his nose inches from hers.
"You stay the hell away from her!" Aria growled with the last bit of fire she had left, if any. Woohyun laughed at Aria before striking her hard across her face, a whimper falling from her lips.
"...now tell me again what you were doing with Taeil..." Aria exhaled a shaky breath, her head falling to the side, a groan of pain dripping from her lips like heavy drops of blood,
",,,we were..j-just talking..." Aria whispered, her voice broken. Woohyun through his head back and cackled.
"That's not all you two were doing..." Woohyun growled, squeezing Aria's arms and giving her a violent shake,
"S-stop it..." Aria cried, her eyes prickling with the threat of tears that should have fell from her eyes the moment Woohyun pulled her away from Taeil. But the moment Woohyun parted his lips to speak Jay's shrill voice filled the entire dorm,
"Aria!!!!" Her voice echoed off of the walls, causing Woohyun to groan,
"Ary!! Ary!! Where are you? I need your help with something!" The sound of Jay's voice getting closer to her room, made Aria panic.
"You better not say a damn thing do you understand me!? You better keep your mouth shut and act like nothing happened...." Woohyun grumbled, pulling Aria to her feet and bringing her to sit at her desk. A small whimper fell from Aria's lips as Woohyun forced her into her chair and smacked her arm,
"Be quiet!" He hissed before taking a seat on the bed and leaning forward as if he and Aria had been engaged in conversation, as if he was not just trying to beat the life of her. Aria let her head fall, her eyes trained on the ground as she tried not to cry.
"Ary didn't you hear me?" Aria jumped at the sound of Jay's voice sounding in her room ,her eyes still trained on her feet, knowing the moment that she glanced up at her friend that she would lose herself to tears.
"Ah sorry Jay we did hear you we were just talking."Woohyun spoke up suddenly, his tone sugary and seemingly angelic.
"Why is he in here?" Jay asked, causing Aria to jump again.
"Didn't we agree no boys in our rooms?" Aria bit the inside of her cheek as she listened to the hurt in Jay's tone. They had made an agreement between each other not to have any boys in their dorms when they were freshman. And besides Taeil being in here, no other boy has ever seen the inside of Aria or Jay's room, that was until Woohyun let himself in.
"Its not very nice of you to ignore me Jay." Woohyun said standing up from Aria's bed, walking over to Jay and slipping an arma round her shoulders, only to have her shake him away. Aria looked up watching the interaction biting her lip as anger flourished within her. Angrily, Woohyun roughly grabbed Jay's shoulder and crushed her petite frame against his side.
"Let go!! I hate when you touch me!" Jay exclaimed trying to fight the male of but he only held her harder against him, causing a whimper to rise in . Despite the pain that throbbed through Aria's small body, she stood up and rushed over to her friend,
"Woohyun that's enough!" Aria whispered furiously trying to pull her friend away from him, but failed as the strength she thought she had regained fled her body immediately, a silent gasp escaping her lips as her body smarted at the pain Woohyun had inflicted on her.
"But I just wanted a hug." He innocently said while shaking his head.
"We're going to have to get closer since I am your boyfriend Aria." Woohyun's tone was dangerous and warning, as he let go of Jay. He was just about to pat Jay's head as a gesture of apology but Aria slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch her head." Aria said her voice holding just as much warning and venom as Woohyun's had a few seconds ago.
"You made your point so just go." Aria hissed these words, her voice shaking a bit as pain throbbed through her, Woohyun chuckling darkly as he listened to the defeat in his girlfriend's voice.
"I hope I did." Was all Woohyun said before he began toward Aria's door,
"I'll see you guys later then." Woohyun flashed Aria and Jay a sweet smile before finally disappearing. A sigh of relief fled from Aria's mouth as she listened for the door to click shut.
He's gone... Aria thought as she wrapped an arm around her stomach and leaned forward, holding herself up by one arm.
"Ary, I have a date with Jong Woon tonight." Came Jay's small voice.
She must be scared out of her mind...I swear i'm goin to kill him if he ever touches her again. Aris found herself thinking as she glanced up at her friend through tired eyes.
"Really?!" Aria exclaimed, a gasp of pain coming from shortly after.
"Ne." Jay confiirmed happily.
"I want you to help me chose something to wear. We're meeting at six but I want to start getting ready now." Aria smiled at Jay,
"Oh gosh Jay no problem!!" Aria said breathlessly while staring at her friend with stars in her eyes. Even though Aria had just been beat, she tried her best to forget about it and pay one hundred percent of her attention to Jay.
"Did he ask you out first?" Aria asked suddenly as a wave of pain crashed into her,
"N-No...I asked him first. I was just joking but he said he wanted to. So ummm..." Aria smiled at her cute eonni and painfully reached up and pinched her cheeks.
"Ah~ eonni do you know how cute you get when you talk about Yesung?! Its not like you aren't cute already you just get even cuter." Aria said brightly while taking Jay's hand and dragging her to her own room to pick out her outfit.
"You're not helping...." Came Jay's embarrassed voice from behind her hands. Aria giggled as she turned to see Jay covring her deep blush,.
"Ok Ok. Do you have any idea what you want to wear? Like where are you going?" Aria asked going into her friend's closet. The moment she opened it she was thrown back into their past. She had completely forgotten just how MUCH Jay liked pink. Her closet was color coordinated with the largest section in the center being all pink. One of the only things that Aria was sure would never change about Jay, was her favorite color.
"Its only the movies nothing special." Jaty snorted as if she was not really freaking out inside..
"Its totally special Jay! Its your first date!" Aria retorted.
"Well let's go with something flirty. Its really nice outside so how about this!" Aria pulled out a pair of shorts that cut off at the thighs. In her other hand she led a white sleeveless blouse with gold sparkles on it. "Its simple and since your going to the movies its not like your trying to hard to be y. You got a pretty banging body Jay so anything looks good on you." Aria watched as her eonni blushed and grabbed the garments out of her hand. Aria jumped at the sound of her phone raining,
"Hang on..." Aria tried her beat to hurry to her phone, afraid that it was Woohyun or even worse, Taeil. But to Aria's luck it was just Yesung,
"What is it? This better be important..." Aria nodded her head Yesung told her a few swift instructions. Hastening back to Jay's room, Aria lifted her head, her lips in a straight line,
"Um...sorry Jay but I have to go take care of something. I'm really sorry." Jay turned around and smiled at Aria,
"Its fine. Go handle your business. I'll talk to your later." With that, Aria went into her room and grabbed her backpack, wincing as the bag rubbed against her tender skin. Aria left the dorm as quietly as she could without crying out in pain her entire body screaming. Aria didn't know how much more she coukd take of this, she didn't know how much more of Woohyun she could handle before she was done for.
Aria could see Jongwoon standing outside the front doors of the language building.
"Annyeonghaseyo Jongwoon gyosunim!" Around exclaimed as she waved vigorously,
"Annyeong Aria.." Aria walked up to the door and opened it for her teacher,
"You do know that you are going on a date with Jay in less than an hour right?" Yesung blushed madly at Aria's comment.
"Ne." Aria nodded her head,
"Good. Now what is it that you need me to do?" Yesung and Aria headed toward the room, where a sky high stack of papers were sitting on a desk, waiting for Aria to arrive.
"I've been a little....occupied lately have not been able to concentrate on grading...and I really want to go out with Jay tonight so could you pl-" Yesung didn't even have to finish his request,
"Of course! You don't have to worry about a thing... I umm....I've got this all handled." Aria carefully lowered herself into the chair and immediately began grading, her hand shaking as she battled the pain tugging at her body. Yesung glanced at Aria as she graded, noting the way her hand was shaking as she scribbled comments and grades at the top of the paper. Shaking his head, Yesung reached over and stopped Aria's shaky hand, causing the girl to blanch violently,
"Aria are you sure...you seem a little, jumpy..." Aria nodded her head and glanced up at her professor, giggling nervously.
"...It's fine Kim gyosunim, I've got it under control..." Yesung glanced at his watch to see how much spare time he had before he was to meet with Jay. Last time he left Aria alone with a mountain high stack of papers to grade, he got scolded by Taeil, and goodness knows how upset he'd be if he found out that he did it again. Taking up a pen in his hand, Yesung grabbed a few of the papers off of the stack and began grading. He had few minutes before he was to meet up with Jay and the least he could do in that small time frame was help Aria grade his mess.
Why does she always looks so...tired? Yesung wondered as he glanced at Aria as she furiously scribbled comments across the papers she was grading.
No body knew what time it was, all Yesung knew was as he glanced down at his watch, his heart almost fell to the ground.
Damn it! I'm late! Yesung swore to himself as he threw the last couple of papers he had in his hand down onto the desk.
"I'm late! Jay is going to kill me. Aria I'm sorry but I have to go..." Aria looked up at Yesung, her eyes just as wide as his, but hers were wide with confusion. Aria returned to grading the papers as Yesung jetted out of the door. However, not too long after Yesung leave did Aria hear the sound of someone's phone vibrating. Aria patted her pockets and felt that her phone was motionless,
So that must mean that it's... Aria turned her head to see Yesung's pain lying face down on hia desk. Sliding put of her chair, Aria tipped across the room and retrieved her teacher's phone. Aria peered down at the screen to see a load of unread text messages and missed calls, and all of them were from his cheonsa.
"Jay!" Aria exclaimed, flinching as her body was set ablaze with pain. Fumbling for her phone, Aria dialed Taeil's number, praying that he had heard from Jay.
"Yeoboseyo!?" Aria exclaimed breathlessly, not even caring if she was in pain, all she cared about was making sure Jay was safe.
"What?" The sound of Taeil's voice harsh in Aria's ear made her cower,
"Oh thank God! Taeil!" Aria sputtered out in a rush, her words clipped as the air fled her lungs with each wave of pain that shocked her.
"Do you know where Yesung is?! He left his phone." Aria croaked, her lungs no longer able to hold large amounts of oxygen.
"He's right here. You knew that he was going on a date with Jay? Do you know how late he was?" Taeil spat, his voice no gentler than it was when he first answered the phone, taking Aria aback, tears stinging in the back of her skull at Taeil's tone.
"I knew. Oh my gosh I'm really sorry! Is Jay there?!" Aria said, her voice trembling, her hands, her body shaking as she realized what she caused to happened.
"Please tell me she's there! She hates being out alone at night! She gets really scared! Was she shaking when you guys saw her? If she was then she had just taken her medicine and she was probably scared out of her mind. Oh God please tell me she's there." Aria didn't even know she was crying or shaking until she collapsed to the ground,
"You should have told him that! Aria what the hell?!" Taeil's voice had taken on a whole new edge that had Aria shaking like crazy, her mind hazy as she fought the urge to begin sobbing,
"She's here with me. Don't worry she's fine and she's fast asleep. I'll call you when she wakes up." Before Aria could even move her lips to speak Taeil had ended the call. Aria never knew that Taeil was so capable of getting that upset with her, she never knew she was capable of making him that angry.
Aria didn't know how she managed to make it to her dorm without passing out in the middle of the campus, she was lacking so much strength that the moment she entered her and Jay's dorm she passed out in the living room, sobs taking over her body as the thought of what she caused to happen tonight wrecked her brain. Aria lay on the floor in front of the couch aching mentally, physically, emotionally, the pain becoming almost too much for her to handle.
What have I done? Oh Jay please be okay...I am so...so sorry.... Aria attempted to pull her knees into her chest but wound up crying out in pain as Woohyun's beating settled on her bones, every single movement setting hell on fire inside of her. Aria choked on her sobs as the sound of Taeil's stern and dangerous voice echoed in her head. She had really messed up.
Now I'm wondering if I deserve what's happening to me...Aria thought as the pain overwhelmed her, her eyes fluttering shut and her breathing slowing down, her body shutting down after a fulls day of unbearable pain and agony.
Taeil didn't know what he was thinking yelling at Aria like that, it wasn't her fault that Yesung decided to stay and help her grade papers, and he knew that now that his hyung told him the story.
But she could have been looking out for Jay... Taeil thought as he drove Jay back to the campus, glancing over at his dongsaeng to see that she was blankly staring out of the window. There was no telling what Jay could have been thinking about as she peered out into the sunny segments of land. Taeil pursed his lips as he pulled up into the parking lot, half expecting to see Aria standing by the tree waiting on them to arrive. Parking his car, Taeil took out his phone and called Aria, but after the second time that she did not pick up, he gave up,
"She's not answering." Jay looked over at Taeil and frowned a bit, her bottom lip disappearing behind her teeth,
"...do...do you think she is okay?" Taeil looked over at Jay and nodded his head,
"...well she seemed alright when i spoke to her on the phone last night..." Taeil said slowly, racking his brain for the short conversation he had with Aria, trying to recall her tone, trying to recall whether or not she really as alright like claimed her to be. He was so upset with her last night that he did not even think to really listen to Aria.
Yeah...she's fine...right? Taeil shook his head a little as he got out of the car and walked over to help Jay.
Taeil and Jay chatted a little as they headed up to the fourth floor where Aria and Jay's dorm was located, their discussion bland and lifeless as what all happened last night shadowed over them. Once inside the dorm, Jay disappeared into her room with the slam of her door, leaving Taeil standing out in the front all alone. Taeil slipped off his shoes and subconsciously went over to Aria's room, knocking on the door before pressing inside, only to find that the girl he had shouted at last night was gone. Turning around, his face set in a confused expression, Taeil saw his glances lying on the floor across the room, broken.
"Aria?" Taeil whispered out loud, turning around to see the very girl who's name he had just said lying on the floor, face down.
"Ary!? Ary!?" Taeil cried out Aria's nickname as he hurried over to where she lay and dropped to his knees, scooping the girl up in his arms and holding her close. Taeil gently shook Aria, hoping that she woke up,
"Aah~!" Aria shrieked at the feeling of hands on her, shaking her, jolting awake, attempting to scramble away from Taeil but failed when she felt his arms secure around her. Aria looked around the room frantically, afraid that she was actually in Woohyun's arms, her face taking on a whole new expression of fear. Taeil watched as Aria's face fell into that of a painful and miserable mask, her eyes falling shut as she lost to the hurt,
"N-no..no...please....stop..." Taeil's eyes raked the lengths of Aria's body as he searched for any signs of pain that could be the cause of her murmured cries, that's when he noticed the dark bruises on top of her chest and around her neck.
"...Woohyun pl-please do-don't hurt her! please...leave her alone..." Aria began to flail a bit, a loud painful cry coming out of not too long after her plea.
Taeil's eyes widened at the sound of Aria crying Woohyun's name, his blood reaching it's boiling point immediately.
into the leg of the coffee table. Swearing to himself, Taeil shook his hand at the little shook of pain he acquired from hitting the wooden table before brushing the back of his hand along Aria's cheek, his eyebrows furrowing as he listened at the petite girl's hushed frantic murmuring.
"...Aria it's me....it's...it's Taeil..." Aria opened her eyes at the sound of Taeil's lovely voice, an exasperated sigh of relief coming forth from as she gazed up into his eyes.
"Taeil, where's Jay!? Is she okay!? Woohyun's gonna...please tell me she's okay... I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to..." Aria's rushed apology began to die off as a wall of pain collided with her body,
"Aria, Jay's fine...she's here...wh-what happened? What did that bastard do you?" Taeil thought as he watched of Aria repeatedly wince, as she flinched and whimpered at every small movement.
"Mmm... I'm...I didn't mean to make him late..." Taeil couldn't believe his eyes as he beheld the newly bruised Aria, her cheeks, and neck, her collar bone and upper chest home to new wounds.
"Aria Jay's alright...she's fine...everything is fine...now please....tell me what happened to you?" Aria moved her lips to speak but only fell to whimpering,
".. Aria what did he do to you?" Taeil asked as he remembered how Woohyun swiped Aria out of his arms, how he cried because there was nothing he could do except watch as everyday she came back to him, new scars, new bruises, new pain. Suddenly, Taeil hated himself for ever yelling at Aria, for ever raising his voice at her, for ever forgetting just what situate she was in.
How did I...how did I forget that? Taeil thought as the image of the forced smile Aria flashed in his direction before Woohyun dragged her to her demise.
I shouldn't have yelled at her...I should have...I should have listened to her...
"...Aria I'm so sorry for...for yelling at you.. for...for getting upset with you.. it's just. Jay was crying and..." Aria shook her head and smiled painfully,
"...it's okay Taeil...after what i did...causing Jay to miss her date with Yesung...after making her...cry and suffer the night alone...I deserve it..." Taeil wanted to shake the crap out of Aria the moment the words left ,
How could she think something like that!?
"Goddammit Aria no you don't! There is no way in hell you deserve any of this!" Taeil whispered furiously, the anger inside of him rising rapidly. Taeil wasn't upset with Aria, but with himself, for having reacted the way he had with her, for forgetting that she was in just as much as danger as Jay was.
"Taeil... I'm... I'm fine..." Taeil shook his head and lifted Aria into his arms, she was nothing near fine, her breathing was hollow, each breath she drew short and uneven, her eyes heavily lidded, her cheeks hot with pain, red from irritation, discolored from abuse.
How can she...say that's she is fine...how can she say that when she is...struggling to hang onto consciousness...she's not okay...nowhere close...
"Don't lie to me Aria...please...don't lie to me...you're not okay...you're....you're not...what did he do to you? When did this happen..." Aria could see the tears that Taeil struggled to hold back b his bottom lashes,
His eyes are so...breathtaking... Aria thought as the very air with in her lungs escaped, a nauseating shock of pain slammed into as Taeil carried her to her room. Laying her in her bed, Taeil knelt down and grabbed Aria's hand,
"...yesterday...after he grabbed me from you...Taeil he just..he hit me..." Taeil looked down at Aria, trying hard not to let Aria see him cry,
"Why didn't you yell for help? Someone would have heard you...someone could have helped you..." Taeil could not keep the anger from rising in his tone, the fact that Woohyun got away with harming Aria the key cause.
I...could have helped you...
"...i did...i did scream Taeil...b-but he...he covered my face....with a pillow...no one could hear me..." Aria's voice was quieter than a whisper as she admitted to Taeil what Woohyun did to her.
"...he....he was suffocating you!?" Taeil exclaimed as he entered Aria's room, his voice echoing off of the walls.
"Taeil please..." Aria's voice was a combination of a cry and a lament as she tried to calm Taeil down,
"How do you expect me not to be pissed Aria!? That tried to suffocate you! He could have killed you!" Taeil's voice was milder now, but the fury was still very evident in his tone.
"...baby girl...you need to rest...please..." Aria sighed heavily,
"...I can't...what if Jay...no...i can't do that..." Taeil shook his head,
"Aria, you need to rest...please...can you do that....for me...for yourself?" Aria looked at her and Taeil's joined hands and smiled ever so faintly, his pleading voice echoing in her ears.
"Will you stay with me if i do...?" Taeil listened at Aria's soft and weakened voice grow even quieter, his heart shattering,
"Of course...of course I'll stay with you Aria...you...you don't have to ask." Aria achingly her side so that her entire body was facing Taeil, the boy bringing a hand up to caress her tender cheek, the dark bruise that haunted her blemish less skin hidden beneath his hand.
"Oh Taeil! I didn't know you were still here." Aria recoiled at the sound of Jay's voice, her body jolting from unforeseen surprise.
"Jay I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make Jongwoon late! I am so sorry! I swear I di-" Aria's voice cut off abruptly as her chest began to ache, as her body went up in new flames, a loud cry of pain toppling from . Jay glanced up at Aria at the sound of her erratic voice, sprining into action as she witnessed a precipitous wince crash over to Aria's bed side and dropping to her knees beside Taeil,
"Aria wh-what...what happened to you?" Aria squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to block out the pain and talk to her best friend, but as she laid there in her bed, all she could think about was how just yesterday, Woohyun was in here beating her, smothering her with a pillow, hurting her, threatening to hurt Jay. Aria found herself giving way to sobs, trying her absolute hardest to stop them before Jay freaked out.
"Aria! Taeil, what's wrong with her!? Where did she get all of those bruises from!?" Aria could hear the panic in Jay's voice and hated herself for starting to cry, for ever displaying her pain in the first place. Prying her eyes open, Aria pushed herself up into a sitting position, grabbing her blanket and pulling it up and around herself, trying to hide her bruises, trying to hide her trembling body, trying to keep her best friend from noticing just how much she was hurting. Wiping her eyes, Aria looked over to see Taeil's eyes glistening with tears, his lips trembling as he struggled to form words,
"I um....I fell down...a flight of stairs....last night....I went to go...look for you and took the stairs...instead of the elevator. I was...I was so...worried about you that i...i just...lost my footing and...went for a little tumble..." Jay's eyes widened at Aria's response, a small gasp leaving her lips,
"A little tumble!? Aria you...you have to be more careful...I'm okay I promise..."Jay shook her head as she observed the bruises all over Aria's neck and face,
"...oh my gosh you look...Aria there is no way you are going anywhere today do you hear me?" Jay's voice was gentle yet stern as she ordered her dongsaeng to stay in from classes today.
"But I have to-" Taeil shot Aria a warning glance,
"You heard her Aria." Aria's lips shut at the tone of Taeil's voice, her eyes trained on Jay's fidgety hands, her eyes closing not too soon after when a wave of pain spread through her.
"Gosh...Aria your face...did you....are you okay? What all hurts?" Taeil watched as Aria moved her lips to answer, his heart becoming tarnished with the very sight of his baby girl suppressing her pain.
"Jay I'm alright...I just....my... mmm..." Aria hummed in pain, the sight of her body trembling obvious from underneath the covers,
"...I just...everywhere..." Aria finally whispered as Taeil squeezed her hand. Jay looked at Taeil and noted how he was looking at Aria, his gaze so soft, so gentle, that anyone would have thought Aria to be on the verge of breaking if he looked at her any other way.
"Okay then, you just stay here in bed and I'll-" Aria shook her head,
"No Jay, you've already missed so much...you go ahead and go to class...I'll be alright..." Taeil peered over at Jay and nodded his head,
"..yeah Jay, you go ahead...I'll take care of Aria...I can handle her remember?" Taeil forced a smile to cross his lips, knowing that it would ease Jay's mind.
"Taeil are you sure?" The latter nodded his head, standing up to his full height and sliding into the bed next to Aria,
"I'm positive, Jay...I've got everything under control...I promise...I'll take care of Aria." Taeil wrapped an arm around Aria's shoulders, his touch light and airy as he pulled her into his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Jay chewed her lip as she contemplated whether or not she should leave.
"Jay, I've got it...and besides...you need to talk to Yesung..." Jay nodded her head slightly before glancing over at Aria and flashing her a soft smile,
"You'll be alright with Taeil looking after you?" Jay asked, watching as her dongsaeng smile warmly, that lovely smile of hers falling away from her face soon afterward.
"...mmm....I'll be fine Jay... d-don't worry about me..." Jay shook her head and smiled,
"That's not going to happen kid...Ever. Now, Taeil call me if she gives you a hard time...I'll try to check by in between classes. I'm about to go okay? Is there anything you need before I leave?" Taeil peered down at Aria and shook his head, using one of his hands to push her hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear, eliciting from the small girl a faint smile.
"Nah...thank you though, Jay." Jay flashed Aria a sad worried smile before flashing the same smile in Taeil's direction.
"I'll be right back okay, I'm gonna walk Jay to the door." Aria nodded her head as Taeil scooted out of the bed, resting her head back against her pillow and pulling the covers over her body. Leaning down, Taeil planted a sweet lingering kiss on the corner of Aria's lips, eyes capturing her heart and soul,
"... I love you, Aria..." Taeil whispered, watching as a weak smile tugged at Aria's lips, her heavy eyelids falling shut before fluttering open, tears pouring from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. Taeil squeezed Aria's hand and her knuckles lightly,
"Taeil don't go..." Aria wheezed, the tears relentlessly pouring out of her eyes as a whole new fear enveloped her.
"Please don't go..." Taeil placed a honeyed kiss on Aria's small hand and another on her forearm,
"I promise I'm coming back...I'm just going to walk Jay up front...I'll be back I promise..." Aria blinked away tears as they clouded her vision, the absence of Taeil's hand in hers leaving her feeling empty and lost. More than anything Aria needed Taeil.
Outside Taeil and Jay walked silently to the front door, the male's hands buried deep in his pockets,
"Will she be okay Taeil? I feel terrible... she wouldn't be...in this position if she weren't...looking for me...if only I had called her..." Taeil shook his head as Jay stepped outside of the dorm and into the corridor.
"Jay, don't feel bad...please...don't you dare feel guilty about what happened to Aria. It's not you fault."
It's not your fault at all... Taeil thought as he looked up into Jay's face, her expression a mix between worry and doubt.
"I know but...Taeil look at he-" Glancing away from Jay, Taeil parted his lips,
"...she didn't fall down the stairs Jay..." Taeil looked back up to see Jay's face twist into that of confusion,
"What? Taeil, what are you talking about?" Taeil looked over his shoulder and then down at his feet before returning his gaze to Jay's face.
"....she didn't fall..." Jay's brows furrowed as she listened to Taeil partially repeat his statement.
What does he mean she didn't fall? How else could she have gotten those bruises. Shaking her head Jay stepped away from the door, waving timidly at Taeil, a gasp leaving as she watched his suddenly somber face disappear behind the door.
Taeil wiped the tears away from his eyes before entering Aria's room again, taking his post next to his love in her bed, pulling the covers back and sliding in beside her. Even with the bruises scarring her face, Aria was the most beautiful thing Taeil had ever seen. He only wished that she was not suffering so much, that she was not being manipulated and abused, taken advantage of and broken, Taeil wished that he had confessed his love for her the moment he felt it bud in his heart. At least that way he could have stopped all of this from happening to her, at least then she wouldn't be stuck in a relationship with the devil. Pressing his lips to her head, Taeil whispered against Aria's skin, the confession he wished she was awake to hear.
"I love you Aria...so much..." Aria's eyes fluttered opened at the sound of Taeil's voice utter the sweet heartfelt confession he had left her thinking about,
"...I love you too Taeil..." Aria murmured, moving her arms around Taeil's waist and squeezing him tightly. At the feeling of Aria moving against him, at the sound of her voice tickling his ear, Taeil peered down.
"...I thought you had fallen aslee-" Aria squeezed Taeil again, causing him to fall silent,
"I love you too Taeil...with all my heart I love you..." Taeil was dumbstruck at Aria's confession, any words that he thought he was going to say disappearing as his mind drew a blank, as his throat contracted and his mouth went dry,
"A-Aria....Aria...?" Taeil brought his hands up to cup Aria's face, his thumb over her cheeks, rubbing away the tears that were still fell from her eyes.
"Aria!" Taeil could not find the words to express how he felt, he could not find the words to portray how big his heart swelled, how hot his cheeks grew as Aria peered up into his eyes,
"What?" Aria whispered, a bright, contradicting smile spreading across her lips, further taking Taeil's breath away.
"...you...you love me?" Taeil utterly incredulously, his voice cracking a bit, the tears that he managed to stop, collecting on his bottom lashes, his lips trembling,
"Yes....Taeil...I do...I love you...so much..." Taeil pulled Aria in between his legs, wrapping his arms around her, his touch as light as a feather, as arms engulfing her in a cloak of warmth and protection. Aria felt right where she was supposed to be sitting there wrapped in Taeil's arms, all of the pain that she was feeling just moments ago melting away, and for a second, everything that Woohyun had ever done to her was irrelevant. Leaning down, Taeil pressed a kiss to Aria's neck, sending chills down her spine,
"I love you too, Aria...you...you don't even know...how long I have waited to hear those words...come from your mouth..." Taeil breathed against Aria's delicate skin, arousing with in her an inextinguishable fire that she did not need.
"...you don't know how long I've waited to say those words..." Aria's voice was a vapor of air, the feeling of Taeil's lips trailing kiss after kiss along her sensitive skin knocking the air out of her lungs, rendering her speechless,
"Aria...I can't do this any more...I can't...I can't handle seeing you like this...i swear...iff Woohyun does anything else to hurt you...I will kill him..." Aria peered into Taeil's eyes, the tears that he struggled to hold back sparkling on his cheeks.
"...Taeil..please...can we just not...you know what's at steak here..." Taeil kissed Aria's neck once more,
"... Aria, I'm not kidding...if that does anything else to hurt you I will do everything I can to make him regret ever laying a finger on you...and that's not a threat...it is a promise." Aria hummed at the pain that suddenly throbbed through her, she didn't know how much more she could take Woohyun's bull, and the thought of taking another beating from made her ache. Running a hand up Taeil's chest, resting it on his cheek, Aria sighed, her eyes shutting as exhaustion yanked at her every limb. Taeil watched as Aria slipped in and out of slumber, her body shutting down on her, her mind keeping her awake, there was a tug of war occurring within Aria and she could barely deal with it
"But Taeil..." Aria's whisper was lost as she slipped into oblivion, Taeil watching as her face shagged and reanimated, her eyes widening only to close once again, she was fighting sleep.
"B-but Taeil..." Aria mumbled these words sleepily, her lips hardly parting,
"Aria go to sleep..." Aria snuggled even closer into Taeil's body, the hand that was on his cheek landing daintily on his chest.
"..d-don't leave me...please..." Aria's words were a bit slurred as she whispered them under her breath, trying her best to stay awake so she could be with Taeil.
"...You know I won't leave you Aria...I'll never leave you..." Taeil breathed against Aria's ear, tightening his arms around her, trying to bring more comfort to her as she fell asleep. Taeil was through standing by and watching Aria hurt, he was through allowing Woohyun break her. Taeil was through letting his love suffer, and the moment he sees that jerk raise his hand to hurt his girl again, will be the moment he loses himself. Because Aria deserves more, she deserves better, she deserved a man who would cuddle her, take care of her, cater to her when she was sick or ill, she needed a man that would love her, not hurt her. Aria needed Taeil, and Taeil needed Aria.
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