Distance shouldn’t matter, as long as our hearts remain the same

Distance was something that you had always dreaded, but when you couldn’t bear to be apart from either side, it was something that nearly killed you every day.

You open your eyes to a brisk autumn morning, the air humid but not quite musty, with streaks of sunlight streaming in from the window, peeking through the gaps in the curtains. You take a long breath and your eyes flicker around at the dust that floats aimlessly in the air. You look over to your side and see Hansol sleeping peacefully, his eyes closed gently and his warm, and muscular arms draped over your chest. His tank top had shifted a little bit to the side, revealing his strong muscled chest. You smile lovingly. Today would be absolutely perfect, only if you weren’t going back to the United States to live with your family to take care of your sick father.

Your phone starts vibrating violently, signalling that your alarm was sounding, urging you to get dressed. Sighing, you rub your eyes and reach for your phone to switch off the alarm. Setting it back on the table, you close your eyes, savouring the last sweet moments of warmth and comfort before bracing yourself for the cold air when you go to the bathroom. You start to pull the covers down and roll over to the side of the bed, before Hansol grabs your shoulders and pulls you back, in hopes of you staying longer.

“Princess, why can’t you stay any more? I’m going to be cold without you by my side.” He whispers with a sleepy tone, eyes still closed before pulling your cheek close to kiss. You giggle softly, before turning to face him. You kiss him back lightly before hugging him back.

“Aww, I want to stay too, but my family needs me. I wish you could come with me.” You were going to miss him dearly when you went abroad, but you knew that you had to go. It was a temporary move, but you would be staying there for quite a while, and your relationship would have to go long-distance. It was something that you had been dreading for weeks.

When Hansol finally lets go of you, you sit up, brushing your hand through your long hair, untangling the knots, breathing noisily as you struggle to the bathroom to take a shower. Turning the knob ever so slightly, you undress as you wait for the water to warm. You take a quick shower, brushing shampoo and conditioner through your roots quickly before rinsing off and drying yourself with an impossibly fluffy towel. You wrap up your wet hair in another towel, and with a quick twist, it was in place. You brush your teeth quickly before running out to your closet to find the one set of clothes which you have left aside from your impossibly stuffed suitcase. It was a red plaid top with a nice pair of jeans and a pretty pair of converse finished off with a baseball cap. You button up your shirt and wiggle into your jeans, leaving your shoes in the front of the apartment and hang up your cap on the coatrack which held all of the heavy jackets you would wear year round.

When you went to the kitchen, Hansol had already started to bringing out food from the fridge and was arranging it on the table. You start scooping two bowls of rice and different salted vegetables and set them on the small table in the middle of the kitchen which the two of you use for dining. Pulling out your chair and sitting down, you see Hansol start brewing two cups of coffee. You look at him, his face showing obvious signs of pain and loss when he realized that you were going to have a long distance relationship. You try to compose yourself to avoid tears spilling. You quickly revert to scooping food into your mouth, calming your growling stomach. You were preparing yourself mentally and physically for the gruelling 13 hour flight to the Los Angeles International Airport in California as Hansol sits down quietly across from you, eating his share without saying a word.

~  ~  ~

The cab arrives quite quickly, and you lug your suitcase out with much difficulty before Hansol comes over and takes it, easily lifting the heavy luggage and placing it into the trunk. You reach for your backpack which holds most of your essential travel items, laptop, phone, wallet and extra clothes. You re-shoulder it and bring it into the backseat with you. Stepping in, you greet the driver and make some small talk with him while Hansol secures the rest of your travel items in the trunk before sliding into the back with you, making sure that you have double and triple checked your belongings as well as that you have everything. When he pulls the door closed, you take one final look at your apartment, remembering it for when you would come back.

You lean on his shoulder, trying to remember him. His wonderful scent, the feeling of his shoulder and the way he would your hand, reminding you that you were the girl he cares for the most. The taxi driver looks up to you through the rearview mirror and smiles. He could see how much you care for each other. He chuckles before reverting back to the road. His eyes seem like they had just had a secret conversation with Hansol, giving him advice without uttering a sound. You look on, confused before Hansol notices your distress, causing him to pat and smooth your hair down.

When you reach the airport, you thank the taxi driver and pay him while Hansol goes to get one of the small luggage carts. He lifts your suitcase off and drops it on the cart, passing your backpack to you. The two of you make your way to the terminal and right before the gate, you stop to bid a final goodbye to him.

Tears balancing at the tip of your eyelashes, you look up at him, droplets threatening to spill any second. He looks at you, before pulling you in and crushes you with a desperate hug, as if he wanted to keep you with him by holding you forever. When you finally pull away, tears had spilled down your cheeks and you were nearly heartbroken to see him so sad.

“________, no matter how long you’re gone, I’ll always be here, waiting in Seoul for you to return. No matter how far apart we are, our hearts will stay together.”

Unable to find words, you grab his face and pull him in for a long kiss, one last memory before you left. One last moment with each other.

You walk to the lady who was checking in the passengers and made it past the gate quite quickly. As you stand on the other side, you wave goodbye to him. Even as you walk away, you could feel your heart slowly breaking. Before leaving, you look back, saying one final goodbye before you leave and are unable to bear turning around again.