Dara sat on the rooftop bench. She was on the mood to be nostalgic today. The shifting colors of the sinking sun painted an ever changing masterpiece across the evening sky. On her side was TamTam, quietly lying on top of a cardboard box that suspiciously looked like the box where Bom hid GD’s picture and other whatnots.

As the sunset scene quietly faded into night, the night lamps on the rooftop switched on. Dara sighed then reached to her side for TamTam only to encounter another hand. A lean but strong, warm hand. She turned her head to check with her eyes that her sense of touch was not just deceiving her.

A smiley tattooed hand was grasping hers and TamTam. She smiled and looked up. “You’re squishing TamTam,” she said quietly as she stared at their hands.

“No, I’m not. You are.” She looked down at their hands again and only then realized that she was now giving his hand and TamTam’s arm a death squeeze. She loosened her grip and he turned his hand to entwine her fingers with his.

“You’re here.” It was both a statement and a question.

“Yes. I’m here.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “And I’m here to stay. I’m not going away again.”

Dara finally looked him in the eyes. His brown orbs were swimming in a thin film of unshed tears. His free hand swiped at his eyes.

“I promised myself that no matter what happened I’m going to be with you for all your September firsts. I wasn’t with you eight years ago and the next seven that followed. But when I found out how I have let you down eight years ago I promised myself I won’t ever let you suffer through the memory of this day -- of losing our baby -- again on your own. But my demons...they kept telling me otherwise. That I couldn’t possibly give you the comfort you need when I can’t even control my own emotional demons. That’s why I had to go away first, so I can find the strength to stay and not run away from whatever emotional storm I face.”

Dara was about to say something but Jiyong stopped her with a finger on her lips. “Let me finish first, please. That’s what I do. I run away from my emotions with drink, with smoking, with parties, with girls, with the crowd, with fame, with work, with music. I use all these distractions so I won’t have the time and energy