▲▼ CHAPTER 43 // TRUST

     You eyed the young man who was wearing a tight sweater - gripping onto his skin and highlighting his biceps. Daehyun made his way towards your counter as he furrowed his eyebrows towards Youngjae's sudden greeting. His knitted eyebrows then relaxed by itself as it was replaced with a small, encouraging smile. Youngjae immediately threw his hands over Daehyun's shoulder, pulling him close towards his body. With slight puzzle, Daehyun reluctantly patted Youngjae's back and a huge feeling of pity could be felt right inside of you. Not a while after that, the both of them settled down onto the respective bar stools and dug into the warm cups of coffee. Your eyes wandered towards Daehyun and wondered, how the hell did he knew you were working here? Clearing your throat, you questioned Daehyun. Right then, a small smile was pulled onto the end of his mouth. "I don't know, seems like my feet just brought me here."

         You gave him a sceptical look as you raised a brow, it was hard for you to believe that his feet brought him here. A small nudge on your elbow jolted you awake as Youngjae gave you an encouraging smile. "Oh, this is Youngjae. He's my friend." Both Daehyun and Youngjae finally exchanged a formal handshake, bowing their head slightly in respect. ".... And he's also your friend." You muttered under your breath. Unfortunately, Daehyun heard those last sentences as his eyes slowly widened by itself. He swivelled his head to Youngjae and back at you non-stop. He then took a huge breath and gnawed onto his lower lip, closing his eyes in concentration. You knew what he was going to do. He was trying to recollect any of the memories about Youngjae. It was almost impossible at this point of time but Daehyun was the kind of person who would jump onto the gun and give it a shot. Soon, the sides of his forehead was almost bulging outwards and he his lower lip.

         You felt the sudden tension that he had exited onto his forehead as strands of green-coloured veins started popping outwards. You had to stop him - grabbed him by the arm and shook him until he was awake. His eyes fluttered open and they were redder than before. There was a slight tick of annoyance right inside of you which angered you. "Stop." You growled and held onto his arm. You appreciated how Daehyun tried his best to recollect his memories but sometimes, he just overdoes it which angered you. The way his eyes would squint harder and the veins that were almost popping out made you uneasy. He was over-exerting himself and you did not want him to put pressure on himself anymore. Youngjae sipped onto his coffee, "It'll take a while to remember. You don't have to force yourself." He gave a light pat on Daehyun's back.

         Daehyun gave an encouraging smile as he let out a huge breath. "Guess I gotta go back to work. Trying to get a rank higher so I have to step up by game." Youngjae stepped away from the bar stool as he stretched and held his cup of coffee on the other hand. "See you soon, pal. It was great bumping onto you." Youngjae patted his back and ruffled his bouncy hair. A small smile was tugged from the end of Youngjae's lips and a huge pang of guilt could be felt right onto your chest. It was not any ordinary smile. It was much more of a bitter one and you saw the glint of sadness that Youngjae hid in his eyes. It saddened you to know that someone as physically strong as Youngjae was trying his best to hold back his salty tears.

         Right then, Youngjae turned to leave the café as you stared onto his broad yet weakened shoulders that slumped sadly. Your shift continued to drag through the late afternoon in which you had informed Daehyun to busy himself in the city. Being as stubborn as he was before, he intended to stay in the café until you were done with your work. Every now and then as you rushed from table to table and across the huge room, you would instantly caught Daehyun staring straight at you. You had to admit that you were slightly cautious about him at first but small butterflies gradually formed right inside your stomach.

         The way Daehyun laid his eyes on you did not made you feel uncomfortable in any way. Instead, it made you feel that he was somewhat looking out for you. You cleared the last table in the café before pulling Daehyun together with you back into the crowded city. As usual, without a doubt, the city was always packed and there was no way you were able to arrive back home at a specific time.

         Through the crowded streets, Daehyun instantly found your hand with his as he pulled you closer to his solid body. Your cheekbones were tinted red as they rose up significantly high. Suddenly, holding hands were a habit now and it was the kind of habit which you do not want it to be changed. You liked the feeling of holding hands - especially Daehyun's. His warm hands that would interlace together with your fingers made you feel at peace. The way his hands were so soft and velvet smooth was so hard for you to let go of it.

         Before you knew it, the both of you had arrived right at the park which was filled with cherry blossoms. Your eyes twinkled, witnessing the different aura the park had. Daehyun tugged onto your palm and pulled you along - making you realised that he had not let go of it ever since the both of you left the bustling crowd in the city. Right ahead was a beautiful gazebo that was surrounded with a huge pile of vivid coloured flowers. You gasped, you had never found this part of the park and it was definitely alluring. Finally, you set your bottom onto the wooden bench as your eyes continued to wander around the park. You had never really realised how stunning and prepossessing the cherry blossom park was. It was merely breathtaking.

         "Beautiful, isn't it?" Daehyun spoke, he craned his neck towards the side as you saw a number of white tulips that was freshly grown - sprouting upwards with such glee. You nodded in agreement, this was far more than beautiful. Gorgeous, you thought. "Can I ask you something?" Daehyun's voice interrupted your thoughts as you jerked slightly and turned to face him. You shrugged and showed a vivid smile. "Was I having a bad nightmare yesterday?" His eyebrows were knitted amongst each other as he stared right into your eyes. You nodded solemnly, biting onto your inner cheek. "It’s been a long time since you had one. What did you dream of?”

         His gaze towards you never gave off. Instead, he nervously gnawed onto his lower inner lip, sighing over and over again. Daehyun seemed confused as he ruffled his head in frustration. He then met your brown eyes yet again. “You.” You tilted your head to the side and tried to comprehend what he had just said. “I dreamt about you.” He spoke again, this time with much confidence and bravery. You stood there, taking in all of his words one by one. You blinked numerous times, does this meant he remembered you? That slight glint of hope – which Daehyun would soon remember you – you had inside of your body tingled in a weird way. You stared at his tanned face which was highlighted magnificently by the afternoon sunlight.

         Daehyun opened his mouth again, he knew you were not buying his sentences. “I saw you in my dream. I don’t know.. It was as if you were in trouble and I was there but.. But I didn’t have the power to do anything. I kept screaming your name over and over again but you didn’t respond. And when you finally turned to look at me,” Daehyun paused as he tilted his head upwards to meet with your eyes. His gaze was so calm and collected that you had the urge to caress his chubby cheeks. You stared into his brown orbs and hitched a breath, you missed this feeling. You missed the feeling of just staring onto Daehyun’s flawless face to know that he was yours. You missed the feeling of how the time would pass so easily just by staring onto his face.

         “… Your eyes were just full of sincerity and, love.” He stated, his lower lip and moving an inch closer towards you. “It may not make sense but at that moment, I had the feeling that you belonged with me.”

         You blinked. Did you heard what you actually thought you heard? Slowly, you felt Daehyun’s warm and velvety fingers sliding into your fingers. Soon, you locked your fingers together with his and Daehyun’s face moved closer towards you. Was he going to kiss you? No, it cannot be. Unknowingly, your face leaned closer too till you felt Daehyun’s breath. Both of your noses almost touched each others and a huge ball of butterflies formed right inside your stomach. Your throat started to dry up and your heart was beating like crazy. This feeling that you had inside of you was uncanny but you liked it. It was a good feeling. Soon, Daehyun placed his warm palm right behind your neck and there was this uncertain magnetic attraction towards Daehyun.

         Before you could blink, your lips met Daehyun’s. His moist and succulent lips – which you kept staring at – was finally connected with yours. Numerous sparks of fireworks blasted right inside of your body and you sensed the small smile which Daehyun was hiding throughout the whole kiss. It was magnificent. At that moment, you did not want to let go of him. You did not want the time to pass – if possible, you wanted that moment to continue to last. You were afraid that if the time would pass, you would eventually forget how the kiss felt. His lips that were slightly tinted and tasted like raspberry encouraged you to be even bolder as you lead the kiss. Your arms that were once hung loosely were now clung tightly behind his neck. You tilted your head to the side as Daehyun hit your weak spot and you giggled slightly.

         This was Daehyun. When he tilted his head to the side, you could smell his cologne that you had always loved. The way he lead the kiss was ever so calm yet passionate – the kind of kiss that you loved. The kiss then slowed down slightly as he placed his thumb onto your chin, gently biting onto your lower lip with much tease.

         When the two of you broke the kiss, your eyes instantly found Daehyun’s within seconds. He smiled his megawatt smile that sent an excited shiver down your spine. Slowly, he hit your forehead against his as he tucked a strand of your hair right behind your ear. “I never thought you were a good kisser.” He whispered – in his husky voice – the tip of his lip brushing against yours as you were still holding onto his hand.

         “Daehyun…” You muttered, choking onto your saliva slightly. He stared right at you and pulled your head onto his solid chest. You sniffed, this sudden feeling started to overwhelm your entire body. You could not describe this feeling specifically. You were ecstatic. The tears that were welled up in your eyes slowly fell onto your dry cheeks one by one. He heard your small sobs as he held onto your shoulders even tightly. Finally, after so long, his embrace gave you strength.

         You braced yourself and sat upright, holding onto his cheeks. “I love you.” Those three words gracefully came out from your mouth. You were not going to take those words back. This time, you were more than sure that you loved this man. You had loved and will always love him. Before he was able to say something, you smacked your lips onto his yet again as a small laugh escaped from Daehyun’s mouth. “I told you I wasn’t going to leave you.”

         During that moment, you knew that everything was settled. It was perfect. For you it was a fairytale that you had always wished for – a happy ending. Everything around you did not matter when Daehyun held your hand in his, holding you closer into his embrace. You smiled, sometimes all it takes is trust. Having someone to trust on is the greatest gift a God can give. When you have even the slightest bit of support in life, it’s a form of success for you to continue on living.

         Life may be ugly in any way but it does not mean one should merely give up. Keep on striving till you found your grand meaning of ‘hope’ because there’s surely a reason why there are mishaps in your life. There is a reason for you to live in this world because there are people loving and rooting for you in this unfair life.

OMG GUYS I'M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS FANFIC, BELIEVE IT OR NOT!! THANKYOU SO MUCH TO THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THIS FANFIC & SUBSCRIBED, VOTED FOR IT! i could not express how glad & thankful i am for all of you, especially to those who commented how you loved the flow of this fanfic. i really appreciate how patient you guys have been waiting for me to update every single chapter with dedication, so thank you so much! there will be no sequel to this fanfic because i just wanted it to end in a very clean way. but i will be starting on a new fanfic soon so i hope you guys will continue supporting me. once again, a huge thank you to everyone for making this happen & giving all the support that you have. 

till next time x 

p.s, live your life to the fullest & be happy as always. do things that puts you way of your limits because what is life if you don't take risks? you live only once so make the full use out of it!!