Time stood still as those words shot off of my mouth. Everything around us just stopped. The sound of cars, people, and music just disappeared from my ears. It was as if the world shrunk to the point where only Tiffany and I could stand on it. My ears were drowned with the sound of pumping heart. My breathing started to quicken and I could feel droplets of sweat trickle down my burning neck. Everything was still at that moment.

I watched Tiffany’s lips twitch ever-so-slightly as it soon formed into a thin line. It was agonizingly painful to wait for Tiffany to do something. To talk. To smile. But nothing. Her face stayed expressionless, still, dead. I nervously waited for Tiffany to say something. Please, I begged in my mind, wanting for Tiffany to utter a word. It was to the point that I almost believed I was in a dream. No one was doing anything. Tiffany didn’t even look like she was breathing. It was like I was stuck in limbo. Nothing happened there and nothing wouldever happen there.

Water welled up in my eyes slightly blurring my vision. I was getting too emotional for my own good. Blinking several times to rid away the tears, I tore my eyes from the cement ground and looked up at Tiffany.

She blinked and turned her head towards the left. “TaeTae, if we don’t hurry up, we’re going to miss the bus.”

I spit out unintelligible words in response. Was this all I deserved? I poured out all my feelings into those three words and I got nothing. It was as if I never said them in the first place. What the heck was she thinking? Was I really that pathetic? Pathetic enough that I couldn’t even warrant myself a proper answer from her?   

My pounding heart felt even more painful than before as Tiffany guided me by the hand towards the waiting bus. My childish nature got to me and I slipped my hand out of Tiffany’s. I briskly walked past her to get to the bus. I didn’t bother looking back at her; I could already guess what her expression was like.

After paying the small bus fee, I sat down in one of the bare seats in the back. I edged myself closer to the window where I finally rested my head on the cold windowpane. As I stared at the plain buildings outside, Tiffany sat down right next to me trying to make the loudest amount of sound possible.

“I can’t wait to get to the amusement park! It’s really been so long,” said Tiffany who was probably reminiscing about her past. Her large smile disappeared and was replaced by a sad frown.

I noticed the sudden change in her expression. “You okay?” I asked, forgetting that I was angry at her for a split second.

I lightly touched her shoulder causing Tiffany to slightly jump. “What? Oh…yeah. I’m alright,” she assured me. “You don’t seem to be doing that well either, TaeTae. Are you okay?”

At that moment, all that pent-up anger and confusion inside me started to boil. “What do you think?” I snapped back in a rather harsh tone.

Tiffany faked a flinch. “Ouch.” For a few seconds, she stared at the empty space in front of her before shifting her head in my direction. “…You really want to know my answer?”

I nodded, unable to utter out a sound. If I were to say anything, I was pretty sure my voice would be as shaky as a house of cards during an earthquake. I started to rapidly tap my finger against the rough leather of the seat due to my increasing nervousness.

Tiffany smiled softly. Her smile…was strange to say the least. It was beautiful, of course, but there was something else about it. Her smile seemed sad. It was almost as if it was holding in a million terrible secrets that the world would hate to know. A smile full of burden, full of guilt. A smile full of mystery that I would never be able to discover.

Tiffany placed a finger in front of her lips as if she was trying to silence someone which was silly since there was barely anyone on the bus. “…I’ll tell you later.”

“What?”

“I don’t want to ruin today. I want our trip to the amusement park to be fun.”

I was about to yell at her for leaving me hanging like that but I opted not to. I just dumbly nodded like I agreed to her insane statement.

Which I didn’t. Not at all. That was the stupidest thing I’ve heard today.

But I didn’t do anything about it. I just obediently listened to Tiffany.

You’re pathetic, Taeyeon. Just pathetic.

***

After that painfully awkward bus trip, Tiffany and I were finally able to get inside the amusement park where “the finest memories were made” according to the large sign that hung way above our heads. I silently laughed at the rather ironic statement. I was sure that Tiffany and I were going to be creating our worst moments right here. Tiffany was playing with me. I had no doubts about it but something inside me was stopping me from running away before she successfully screwed up my feelings. Maybe it was the fact that I was curious to what Tiffany was going to tell me “later”. Or maybe I just can’t seem to separate myself from her.

“Wow…” Tiffany pointed at the rollercoaster filled with loops, long drops, and screaming humans with an awed expression on her face. It was appropriately named “Survivor”. A sudden chill went down my spine as I stared up at the menacing ride. I couldn’t help but smile. I was a er for rollercoasters and my current terrible mood had no effect on the increasing excitement I was feeling. In fact, my irritation disappeared once the rollercoaster appeared in my front of my eyes.

“Let’s go on that,” I urged her. I grabbed the hem of her shirt and frantically pointed at the rollercoaster.

Tiffany giggled at my childishness. “Alright. You’re such a little kid sometimes, TaeTae.”

“Yes!” I ran toward the entrance of the “Survivor” with Tiffany right behind me.

After pushing ourselves into the long line, Tiffany broke the silence between us while we waited for our turn on the ride. “So you really like rollercoastesrs, huh?” she asked me, raising her voice over the random chatter around us.

I nodded excitedly with my eyes focused up on the very top of the slope.

Tiffany followed my eyes and looked up as well. “Wow…it’s really tall.”

I stared at her, bewildered. “Of course. That’s the best part. I mean, besides the drops and the loops. It’s like you’re on top of the world.”

“Well…what if the rollercoaster suddenly failed on us and we all fall to our doom?” Tiffany looked off to the distance.

“Yah. You’re not supposed to think about that kind of stuff. Rollercoasters are exciting! Fun!” I randomly waved my arms over my head to express my excitement.

“Ah. Sorry…I’ve never been on one before and I’ve been really paranoid lately.”

I had a feeling that I knew what she was talking about but I proceeded to ask her anyway, “Paranoid? About what?”

Tiffany’s head lowered, no longer allowing me a clear picture of her face. “I don’t know…Recently, I feel like someone’s watching me, ready to take my life away from me any second…Aish. Sorry. This must sound weird to you.”

“Tiffa-”

“Wahh. It’s finally our turn to get on.”

Before I could continue with my sentence, Tiffany abruptly grabbed me by the hand and led me toward the rollercoaster. As we climbed into one of the connected cars, I started to wonder if I should bring back the conversation. I decided not to. It was obvious Tiffany was hinting at her kidnapping incident. If I pried into it any more, I was afraid that Tiffany would suddenly break down.

I would wait. I would wait until Tiffany was ready to tell me everything.

***

Tiffany’s high-pitched yelp suddenly rang in my ears causing me to jump off of the metal bench that I was sitting on. Tiffany was standing a few meters in front of me staring at her phone. She had just recently messaged Jessica with a photo that I reluctantly took with Tiffany.

“Sicaaa,” Tiffany whined as I walked closer to her.

I peeked at the pink phone wondering what Tiffany was making such a fuss about. Upon seeing the picture of Yuri and Jessica kissing, I almost yelled in surprise. “Y-Yuri? W-What? When?”

Tiffany pursed her lips. “Only Sica would do this…” Tiffany hurriedly hid her phone inside her bag. Hiding her blushing face away from me, Tiffany grabbed my hand and tried to drag me to another ride.

“Where are we going?” I asked her.

“Somewhere,” Tiffany answered. “Aish. Sica’s making me feel embarrassed.”

“Why? I’m happy for them.”

“Yeah…but who sends pictures of themselves kissing?”

Apparently Jessica does. But hey, if Yuri could succeed in making Jessica hers, then maybe I could as well.

Out of the corner of my eye, I found the perfect attraction. With a smile, I pulled on Tiffany’s arm. “Let’s go there.” I pointed at the large building.

Tiffany looked at the direction of my finger, her eyes widening at the sight of the building. “A-Are you sure?” she asked.

My smile grew larger, sensing Tiffany’s hesitance. “Of course.”

“But-”

“No buts. You’ve made me go on the merry-go-round, bumper cars, and the water rides. Plus I wore this,” I pointed at the neon pink bunny ears on my head, “because you found them cute.”

“But they are cute. Especially on you.”

Slightly blushing at her compliment, I said, “Let’s go.” I started to drag the unwilling Tiffany towards the black building that contrasted with the light colors that filled the amusement park.

“Don’t be surprised if you go deaf,” Tiffany warned me as we stood in front of the House of Horrors.

***

Aish. Tiffany was not lying about her little warning. One step into the dark building and Tiffany was already clinging onto my waist like a scared puppy. Which was cute, by the way. Really cute. I could feel her skinny arms tremble as they tightly wrapped around my waist. Tiffany’s head was leaning on my shoulder from behind. She would whimper now and then at the slightest break in silence or scream along with the other people that happened to be participating in the “haunted” house. I felt bad admitting it but I enjoyed a frightened Tiffany. It gave me a sense of strength. That I really could protect her from anything. But best of all, it let me know that she trusted me enough to watch her back. That was all I needed from her. Just the fact that she trusted me was enough to satisfy me.

As we trudged along in the dark hallway, making the weak floorboards creak with every step, I decided to break the silence between us. “How scared are you right now?”

I could feel Tiffany slightly jump at the sound of my voice. “You…You don’t know how much I hate this kind of stuff,” Tiffany squeaked. It was a bit difficult to understand her since she was stuttering like no tomorrow.

Her cuteness was unbearable at this point. “It’s okay. I’m here for you.” I patted Tiffany’s head to assure her that she safe with me. It was a bit awkward to do since she was behind me but it was all worth it since she nuzzled her face closer to my warm neck in response.

Suddenly, loud screams echoed throughout the room. The doors began slamming automatically in a systematic manner, the dim lights were flickering, and several shadows were running on the walls. Well, it took them long enough for them to start the scares. I’m not exactly a person who gets scared easily. I won’t lie though, the loud noises startled me and my heart did start beating rapidly. But I blame Tiffany for my heart. She was squeezing my waist so tightly, it started to hurt. Her screaming in my ear really didn’t help either.

To save my ears and my stomach, I held onto Tiffany’s hand, taking it off of my waist with the greatest of difficulty. Tiffany had the tightest grip ever, seriously. Once I managed to get free myself from Tiffany’s arms, I bravely walked through the haunted hallway, dragging a near crying Tiffany with one hand.

I was starting to feel really bad for making Tiffany do this. “Fany, I’m sorry,” I apologized in a loud voice, making sure that I could be heard over the painful screams and the random skeletons or dead bodies that appeared out of nowhere.

She gave me no response, only letting out small whimpers. This was bad. I felt really guilty now like the time I accidentally threw away Seohyun’s self-improvement books. Seohyun’s gloomy expression matched Tiffany’s. Except Tiffany was ten times worse.

I could only hear her erratic breathing as she enveloped me in a tight hug from behind. A weird feeling entered my stomach as her arms wrapped around my waist again. Her chest was pressed against my back and her hot breath tickled my ear. Crap. This was the worst time for me to get . Tiffany’s hands were slowly riding up my shirt. Whether she was doing it on purpose or not, I had no idea. “W-what are you doing?” I yelled in embarrassment.

Tiffany’s hands thankfully stopped in place. “Can’t I hug you?”

I decided to put that little incident aside. “You can hug me as much as you want. I…I like it when you hug me.” I blushed at my words as I stared at the ground.

“I like it too,” she whispered in my ear with her husky voice.

She was killing me now. Her teasing, her scared reactions, her melodic, husky voice, her smile…Tiffany was irresistible.

I heard Tiffany move her head and soon after, a small squeal escaped from her lips. Tiffany separated herself from me, frantically yelling at me, “Run! Run!”

I looked back at her, slightly disappointed at our loss of contact. Tiffany was already running past me, dragging me along with her. Behind us was some ghost lady slowly closing in the distance between us. I could see why Tiffany was so scared; the makeup was really well done.   

Reaching a dead end, we resorted into heading into one of the rooms that lined the hallway. After tripping my way into the room, Tiffany slammed the door shut. The room was rather empty besides some things strewn about in the corners. Nevertheless, the dark room left a tense mood between Tiffany and me.

I watched Tiffany slowly drop herself to the floor, her back sliding against the wall. “I’m sorry for making you go through this,” I apologized.

“It’s fine. It’s the thrill of being scared, right?” Tiffany forced a weak smile on her face. I bent down to reach her eye level. “This reminds me of when we first met.”

“R-really?” The first time we met was when I saved her from the laboratory. But there was no way she remembered that.

She nodded. “Did you forget?”

“No! I…just can’t remember right now.”

“I guess I’m the only one who treasures our time together,” she pouted.

“That’s not true! I t-treasure every second I have with you!” I replied, a bit indignant at Tiffany’s statement. Our very first meeting was inside the school building where I found Tiffany crying, alone. It wasn’t that hard to remember. That was when my feelings for her really started to develop. That was when I discovered just how beautiful Tiffany was, inside and out. With my face getting hotter at every second, I continued on, “I’m the happiest when I’m with you…”

Tiffany cupped my face in her hands, her eyes shining pink in the dark. She must’ve lost her contacts sometime before. I did remember her avoiding eye contact whenever possible during the rides and her sudden use of sunglasses. I’d have to make sure we got her some new ones.

Tiffany pulled my face closer to hers. Even though we were in a haunted house, it seemed like the perfect place to be at that moment. For once in a long time, my heart felt at peace, content. All that time I used worrying about Tiffany’s feelings for me were proven to be a waste of time. Through her eyes, she showed me warmth, concern, and…love. No words needed to be communicated between us; our strong emotions spoke for themselves. I closed my eyes and leaned in, brushing my lips against Tiffany’s. Opening my eyes again, I could see Tiffany smiling at me with her eyes crinkled into the familiar crescent moon shape. My favorite smile.

All of a sudden, something hit the ground near us. The object continued to clatter on the ground, finally settling into silence. With my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could make out the object to probably be a piece of wood. Still, Tiffany was startled. Standing up, I said, “I think it’s time we get out of here, Fany.” As I reached my hand out to grab hers, I heard a high-pitched scream and then something whish past me. Something sharp…a katana?

I heard a low groan behind me. Probably a ghoul of some sort. I ignored him; they wouldn’t hurt customers. I looked down at Tiffany…who was in the fetal position. She was tightly hugging herself like the first time I met Tiffany. She was in pain. Then I remembered…she was tortured. She remembered. She saw the threatening katana trying to hit us and she remembered what they did to her. I glared at the thing behind me for making her remember.

In anger, I placed a powerful punch to the thing’s stomach.

He choked at the impact and fell to the floor dropping the fake katana as well.

“Suho hyung!” I heard someone yell. “W-Why’d you do that?” The person, who was adorned with scary accessories, ran over to the collapsed man.

I blinked. “Oh-Uh…Sorry? I-I don’t know…I was angry and next thing I kne-”  

“You didn’t have to hit him!”

“No. It’s alright, Kai. It’s my fault. I scared her friend pretty badly.” The man named Suho smiled apologetically as he rose to his feet. If it weren’t for the fact that his face was covered in creepy makeup, I probably would’ve thought he had a pretty cute smile.

I weakly smiled back. “I’m really sorry. It’s a bad habit of mine to punch something when I’m mad.”

“It’s okay. But I think you should take care of your friend.”

Kai was still glaring daggers at me as I grabbed Tiffany’s attention. Her grey eyes stared back at me as I wiped her tear-stained cheeks. “Look. They won’t hurt you.” I gestured at the two “monsters” who calmly waved back.

Tiffany glanced at them before staring back at me. “I-I want you to stay with me forever. I don’t want to live without you. Taeyeon, I love you. Taeyeon, you’re my reason…you’re my reason for living. You’re the reason why I continue to hope for tomorrow.”

Tears welled up in both of our eyes. “I love you,” I whispered into her ear as I lifted her up from the ground.

With our hands tightly connected together, we walked outside the attraction. The two witnesses just waved goodbye at us, completely baffled at what just happened. Suho, in particular, was tearing for some strange reason. I’d like to call my bets that it was because of Tiffany’s heartfelt speech. “Come back and teach me how to punch like that,” he yelled at me in a joking manner.

I smiled back. I turned my attention to Tiffany who was staring at me. “What? Is there something on my face?” I touched my face with my free hand.

“No. You just look more beautiful than before,” she said, smiling that very same eye-smile that I loved.

It was strange to say but life seemed more beautiful than I remembered.