The candle wax dripped off the edge of the holder it’d been leaning in. The flame flickered dangerously, on the verge of extinguishing itself as the wick lessened more and more with each passing second. The tiny dining area of the apartment sat in silence, the ticking of the Roman numeral wall clock the only song to fill the silent void that threatened to retreat into darkness at any moment. The hands pointed to the large XII, indicating that the moment the second hand joined them, it would be midnight.

There should have been laughter filling the home. There should have been silverware clanking against the old ceramic plates and the scent of sweet rice cakes should be been wafting in the still air. Instead, the plates of food sat untouched, the steam--indicating the freshness of the pasta--had long since disappeared. Only one wine glass sat half full, a pair of slender fingers wrapped around the stem, carelessly swirling the liquid around in the fragile cup.

Mine.

It would have been a romantic evening. After spending most of the afternoon and early evening in the kitchen, carefully preparing and cooking everything, I was ecstatic to present the delicious food to JB upon his arrival at my place. A week and a half ago. That was the last time we saw each other. With his busy schedules, concerts overseas, and fitting in time to rest, we didn’t get to see much of each other the last couple of months. It was honestly a miracle we had made it the year and a half we’d been together.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t love him. On the contrary, I’m crazy about him. You know, the good kind of crazy, not the possessive, aggressive, pardon the usage of the word, saesang crazy. I’m crazy for him in the way that, when he’s sick, I’m worried. When he’s in another country, I wonder if he’s eating right, if he’s getting enough sleep. Crazy in the way that when I see him, I can’t stop my heart from threatening to leap out of my chest. It happens every time without fail. Many people say that feeling fades after a few months, but for me, it’s still just as strong as it was on day one.

Maybe it’s because he’s an idol and I’m just a simple nobody, at least in his world. An aspiring writer, working a simple day time desk job doesn’t amount to much in a world of luxury. Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would end up here. It was a pure coincidence really. A twist of fate, if you can believe such a thing. Who would have thought a small waitress in a local cafe would be bumped and spill her tray of coffee everywhere, only to realize she’d been bumped by a member of GOT7. Not me. Truly not me. At the time, I thought it was just luck. Any girl would kill to be bumped by an idol, even if it did lead to an embarrassing situation, but when he stopped to help me and make sure I was okay, that’s when I knew it was something more than luck.

Yet, here I am, glancing occasionally at the clock, and staring at the cell phone on the table that remained black and blank. Was that blissful feeling wearing off for him? Was he getting bored with me? Maybe I was too normal for him. Don’t mistake me when I say all this. I trust JB. I really do. That doesn’t stop me from remembering how he could have nearly any woman he wants. It doesn’t stop me from worrying that maybe he’s found someone better and that’s why he hasn’t called or texted. Maybe he’s too afraid of hurting me with the news.

Anger follows the worry. I’d spent hours preparing this dinner. I’d spent time dolling up, slipping into the black satin dress he likes so much, fixing my long locks down my back, and painting my face in make-up. Four hours I’d waited for him with no response to any messages or calls. I’d long ago ruled out the idea that something had happened. He was supposed to be with the other members. If he was hurt or in an accident, surely one of them would have called me by now. Surely his manager would have found a few seconds to send me a message. I’m not a secret to any of them, though I am to the rest of the world. To them, I am JB’s girlfriend, the one he is always away with or staying the night with. I’m existent in their world. They would have told me.

My fingers wrapped around the phone, trembling with the anger that started to take over me in the soft glow of the dying candles. The screen lit up, still blank with no indication that I’d received any messages or calls. I opened my messages and clicked the all too familiar name. My fingers have never flown faster than they did in that moment. The message was simple:

You know, if there’s someone else you can just tell me. You don’t have to leave me wondering like this.

I hit the send button before I have a change of heart or a chance to calm myself. In that moment, I would much rather be irrational and make sure he knows I’m not happy.

The phone was flung on the table and the candles blown out. I dragged my feet through the dark apartment, familiar enough with the furnishings and layout to find my way to the bedroom easily. The door slammed behind me as I clicked on the bedside lamp and sighed at the wall. It took a good two minutes to wiggle out of the dress and kick it into the corner, followed by my undergarments. Too tired and upset for a full shower, I simply slipped into my pajamas, pulled my hair up into a messy bun, and washed my face free of the make-up--all the while swiping away a few stray tears that had fallen without my permission.

On nights like this, when everything just feels so wrong, my bed is the only thing to comfort me. I crawled into it and pulled the covers up to my chin. More tears swam in my eyes as I stared out of the double balcony doors at the city lights below. I only broke my gaze away to turn off the light and cover myself in sweet darkness. It’s only when all the lights have faded that I allow the tears to come and slide down onto my pillow. The last thing I remembered was crying myself to sleep.

“Stop!” I sleepily called out, my slightly raised voice muffled by the fluffy pillow it was buried in. The buzzing had been going on for what I would guess to have been five minutes, but I didn’t want to part my from slumber to silence it. The more it buzzed, the more frustrated and grumpy I became until I finally rolled around and slapped a hand against it.

Only when it was finally in my hand did I prop myself up on my elbows, confusion finally setting in. When did I get my phone from the dining room? Had I been sleep walking? No, surely not. I’d never had that problem before. I couldn’t recall ever going to grab my phone from the table in the middle of the night. I certainly didn’t remember opening the double doors of the balcony. I watched the curtains billow in the light morning breeze, watched the shadows they were casting dance along the plush carpet on the floor.

Fully erect now, my fingers scratched the top of my head, still in confusion. As my gaze drifted around the room, my sight caught something crimson colored on the pillow beside mine. I picked it up, taking the small paper note attached to it and opening it.

Good morning, beautiful. Get dressed and ready for the day. Meet me at the address below by 9. Dress comfortably and warmly. I’ll be waiting. -JB

I looked to the rose, then back to the note again letting out a scoff as the stem fell out of my hand and back to the bed. Like hell I was going to go meet him. Not after last night. Not after the hours I’d spent trying to prepare a nice evening for him. Yes, I was still angry.

I flung the covers off my legs and stood up, stretching my arms high into the air. Only then did I catch the soft scent of JB’s lingering cologne--the lightness of it indicating it had been hours since he’d sprayed it. The rose was enough of a sign that he’d been there, but just the familiar scent had one of the walls I’d built within me beginning to crumble.

As my arms fell back to my sides, I noticed the discarded dress from the night before hung up on the closet door, another red rose peeing out from inside of it.

“Chh” the soft laugh escaped my lips as I imagined how long JB must have worked to keep it in place. I imagined it slipping out of place time and time again, the frustration building up in him each time, the curses leaving his lips in soft whispers so he wouldn’t wake me from whatever dream had been painting itself in my mind at the time.

“No! Don’t give in! You have to be strong! He will regret leaving you high and dry! Fighting!” I whispered encouragingly to myself.

With a determined nod, I left the room behind and headed to the kitchen for a mug of cool water. Knees popped and legs lazily moved as fingers worked to fix the knot of hair on my head. The kitchen surrounded me in seconds and my mug of water was ready to be consumed just as quickly. While taking a sip, I remembered how I’d left the kitchen a mess the night before. Just the thought of the hours old food still sitting on the plates and the idea that flies or some other bugs could have found them made me groan in disgust.

I had to assess the situation pronto. What I wasn’t expecting was a clean table. No bugs. No plates of food. Even the candles that had burned down to nothing were now standing tall and fresh as if they’d never been lit. I looked over my shoulder back into the kitchen. Sparkling clean sink. No dishes. No mess.

Had last night even happened?

Gaze back on the table, I saw another single red rose sitting in a vase of water. A heavy sigh eased from my lips as I set down the mug a little too heavily on the table.

“Fine. You win. I’ll go and hear you out, but it won’t be easy!”

Chester, my Bengal cat, mewed from my feet, staring at me curiously.

“What?” I questioned him.

“Mew?” he cooed back.

“Yeah, yeah. I know JB’s not here to hear me. Don’t judge me! You’re supposed to be on my side, remember?”

But of course Chester would take his side in this issue. After all, JB always brought him treats, a new toy, or spent hours playing with him whenever he came over. I just fed him and gave him good chin scratches. There was really no winning him over at this point.

I set the mug on the floor for Chester to finish off the remaining water and retreated back to my bedroom. In the shower, my palms pressed into the cool tile wall as I thought about all the things I would say or do when I saw JB. I wouldn’t speak. The cold shoulder was always a winner, right? No, maybe guilt tripping would be better. Telling him about all the time I’d spent in the kitchen, all the sweat I’d had to wipe off to put layers of makeup on my face, and all that damn wiggling into that dress I’d had to do would guilt him enough, right? Yes. Yes, that would work.

My plan was set.

I finished showering and hurried to get ready. After throwing around several different outfits--hey, I had to make him sorry by looking good, right?--I settled on a pair of jeans, a simple black v-neck, and my favorite red plaid shirt that I’d stolen from JB not long after we started dating. I looked in the mirror and assessed the situation. Casual. Comfortable. Warm enough. Perfect.

If this didn’t catch his attention, I didn’t know what would. After all, he’d always said I looked my best when I was comfortable, with the exception of that little black dress of course. Before leaving the apartment for the day, I stopped back in the dining room and slipped the other two roses into the vase with the other. Despite the silly anger I was clinging to, I couldn’t let such pretty flowers wither away. They did nothing to me.

“This is it?” I asked the driver.

I gazed out the cab window at the subway station. Sure enough, when I double checked the address, this was it.

“What the hell, JB?” I mumbled in confusion.

I paid the driver and scrambled out of the car, irritated that it seemed I would be dragged around on some silly outing. Where were we going? What were we doing? Why couldn't he have at least filled me in before I’d decided to leave home? Better yet, how did he know I would even show?

Clearly he knew me way too well.

Suddenly feeling a little nervous, I looked around for any sign of the man I was supposed to be meeting here. People passed by, paying me little attention and I felt myself grow a little panicky. Had he wrote the wrong address? He’s just running late, I told myself. I caught site of an empty bench nearby and carefully began to weave my way to it. Sit and wait. That was the best option at this point. 

I’d nearly made it when a hand wrapped around my wrist and stopped me.

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t be here before you, did you?”

Though his voice was low in my ear, I could recognize it easily after the hours spent listening to it. I glanced over my shoulder to see JB, clad in a pair of large sunglasses, a cap and a face mask in an attempt to hide his identity. No wonder I hadn’t spotted him.

“Don’t you think all three is just a little too obvious?” I questioned, looking at his hidden face again.

He wore a pair of torn jeans, black sneakers, and the black v-neck that always looked way too good on him. As amazing as he looked--and even angry with him, I could still admit he looked damn good--I realized we were basically wearing a couples outfit, something neither of us was overly fond of. At least I’d worn the plaid shirt.

He pulled the sunglasses from his face and gently slipped them onto mine. He tugged the cap a little lower on his face, and despite the face mask, I could still tell he was smiling as he gave me a quick once over.

“I knew you’d look good in a comfortable outfit.”

He reached out a hand toward my hair, but I slapped it away and crossed my arms over my chest. I wouldn’t give in so easily. I just had to keep telling myself I would be strong and wouldn’t let him get by without proper punishment.

“What are we doing here? Where exactly are we going?”
 

He held a single fingers up and pointed to the subway entrance. Two cards were pulled from his pocket and before any protest could leave me, he was tugging me along behind him. We loaded onto the car behind others. JB managed to wiggle his way into one of the seats before it was filled. I looped my arm around the nearby bar and squared my feet, waiting for the familiar lurch of the train to hit and my gaze looking away from him.

The dinging of the doors sounded and I was just about to tighten my grip when fingers wrapped around my wrist and I felt myself being tugged away from the cool metal. As if on cue, the train lurched forward and I toppled over into JB’s lap.

“Took you long enough,” he mumbled beneath his mask.

If looks could kill, he would certainly be dead after the one I was giving him over my shoulder now.

“We’re in public!” I hissed to him. “What if someone recognizes you? It’ll be a huge mess!” After all, the public still didn’t know about us. It was one of the best kept secrets GOT7 had ever had, or so I told myself for entertainment value.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want people to know. It wasn’t that JB didn’t want people to know. All the sneaking around, the not being able to go on proper dates, not being able to post selcas on Instagram or talk to friends about each other, it was all difficult. It was the most difficult relationship I’d ever been in. Several times I’d considered ending it because what was the point? If we were so restrained and confined to being locked up in a cage, what future could we possibly have? We wanted to let the world know, but it never felt like the right time. There were his fans to worry about. There was his career, my safety from both the crazy fans and reporters. There were so many factors to consider and yet, here we were. A little too close in a public place full of people who could notice at any minute.

“Just trust me,” he whispered coolly in my ear. “It’ll be fine.”

I had to admit to myself, I did like the risk. The small thrill of being caught was exhilarating. It was like we were playing a high risk game, at any moment we could lose and that was it, but if we won, there’d be a round two or three and the stakes would surely be higher. And… well… as much as angry me didn’t want to admit it, his lap was pretty comfortable.

Several times, I had to remind myself how angry I still was to keep myself from leaning against his chest and propping my head on his shoulder. It would have been easy to fall asleep this way, but I would resist until the bitter end.

As people trickled out, I slipped into my own seat beside JB and crossed my arms again. A gentle sigh escaped me as the train moved on.

“Where are we going? You still haven’t told me anything.”

“It’s better this way. It means you trust me, right?” There was a hint of mischief in his voice as he spoke and I had to wonder if I really did at this point.

“I don’t know,” I hummed softly, watching the lights in the tunnel flashing by. “DI really have a reason to?”

I knew I’d said the wrong thing as soon as the words left me. Even if I was mad, that was taking things a bit too far. The words were harsh and colder than I’d meant. After all, I really did trust him, or wanted to. I began to realized I was making everything too complicated.

“You can’t still be mad at me about last night? Not after I brought you roses and cleaned up. I’m sorry, okay? I really am. It wasn’t intentional.”

“Then where were you?” I questioned as hot tears began to pool in my eyes. No, I couldn’t cry. Not now. Not here. “I waited hours for you. I tried calling and messaging you and nothing. Where were you that you couldn’t at least tell me you wouldn’t make it?”

I tried to blink back the tears but one managed to slip away and down my cheek. When it emerged from beneath the sunglasses he’d given me, JB sat up straighter and reached out a thumb to it away.

“I’m sorry, jagiya. Really, I am. I know you worked hard and I’m sorry. I was practicing late and my phone died. Everyone had already left by the time I realized and I couldn’t reach you. I wasn’t prepared and lost track of time. I”m really sorry. Please forgive me?”

The use of endearing terms usually made me cringe, but I was far too concerned with listening to his reasoning and apology to worry about it. Did I believe him? Most of my mind and heart said yes. Why would he lie? Yet, a small self-loathing part of me said no. He would lie because he didn’t want to get caught.

Not wanting to argue or ruin whatever day he seemed to have planned, I in a breath as he wiped my cheek dry with his thumb again.

“But where are we going?”

It took an hour of traveling for us to reach our destination. The moment the large building filled my sight, I felt my heart sink.

“No. No way. You’re joking right?”

It was a pointless question. I knew he wasn’t. I refused to believe that my boyfriend, who I thought was trying to apologize and make up for the night before, had actually dragged me to an aquarium despite knowing about my ridiculous phobia.

“We’re really going in there?”

I looked up at him with pleading eyes, forgetting he couldn’t see them beneath the dark glasses. He nodded his head and reached into his pocket to retrieve the tickets he’d already bought. There was no backing out now.

“Yep! You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” Easier said than done. I didn’t even have a chance to tear my hand away from his and make a run for it. In the blink of an eye, we were entering the building.

“We’ll start with the jungle side with the animals that aren’t in water. After we’ll go to the other side. It’ll be fun, I promise!”

He seemed so cheerful as he made his promise and pulled me along to the exhibits. Birds of many colors, sizes, and odd shapes greeted us from their tree limbs. We were given a handful of seeds to feed one of the smaller species from our palms. As a red ed one pecked from the edge of my hand, I realized for the first time that day I was smiling and having fun.

We passed by large cats, causing JB to widen his eyes in amazement and declare one of the jaguars a giant Chester. We passed by raccoons and more birds before stopping at the sounds of hooting from a nearby cage.

Capuchin monkeys swung around and crawled up and down their exhibit, watching us excitedly. I tilted my head up to watch one swing from one branch to another when a thought crossed my mind.

“Look!” I exclaimed with a sly smirk on my face. “It’s you!” The words left as a giggle that only grew when I looked up at him and our eyes met. His face had turned a light shade of pink and he shook his head.

The comment earned me a soft arm bump. JB left me at the exhibit, walking away as if angry and forcing me to run after him. We enjoyed the rest of the land exhibits mostly in silence and for a moment, I had forgotten entirely where we were and what I had been angry about that morning.

“JB, I can’t. I really can’t. Please don’t make me.”

I tried to plant my feet firmly into the tile flooring, tried to stop him from taking me further, but I’d never really been a match for his strength.

“Trust me, okay? I promise nothing will happen to you. If the glass breaks, I’ll make sure you get out before I do, okay? I mean, not that the glass will break. They inspect this stuff. It’s strong. It’ll be okay.” He wrapped an arm protectively and comfortingly around my shoulder. “Just take a deep breath and let’s go. We’ll start with the easy stuff.”

At least he hadn’t forgotten. It wasn’t that I didn’t like aquariums or sea creatures. I thought the fish of the sea were beautiful and I’d always been fascinated by the larger ones that inhabited the deep blue sea. What scared me were the large tanks--the ones where you couldn’t see the other side, that were so big it almost seemed like you actually were in the deepest parts of the ocean. I didn’t like not knowing what was there watching us. I didn’t like the idea of being surrounded by water with only glass separating me from the liquid. I wasn’t scared of what swam in the water, as much as I was afraid of drowning in it if something went wrong. I could swim, but I’d never been the best at it.

Only the promise of starting with the easy, above water stuff had me moving my feet again. I could handle petting sting rays or watching fish swim in a small pond. I could take a peek in some small aquariums to watch a few secluded fish swim around.

We entered still hip to hip with his arm securely around me. My hand latched onto the side of his shirt, gripping it probably a little too tightly, but JB didn't seem to mind that his shirt was suddenly form fitting.

I struggled to allow enjoyment fill me as we picked up and held starfish and let a few rays glide around our fingertips. I couldn’t bring myself to smile knowing what waited for us just around the corner.

“You can do this. I’ll be right beside you the whole time. Just don’t think about the things that scare you. Put them aside and look only at the creatures you can see.”

“Easier said than done,” I murmured under my breath as I stared at the long, dark hallway head.

JB took the lead and began walking confidently down the hall. I didn’t want to cause a scene, but the idea of just sitting in the middle of the entry way had crossed my mind. Unwanted attention seemed like a worse idea, though, so I just reluctantly followed behind, feeling as if I could pass out at any moment.

The walls turned to glass when we reached the bottom of a long staircase. I could hear voices of people ahead as the lights dimmed more and the hall opened to a large room clouded in blue. I swallowed a lump in my throat and picked up my feet--they felt like they’d turned to lead.

“Wah!” JB exclaimed excitedly, no doubt trying to ease my mind. “Look at the puffer fish!”

I felt his fingers slip away from mine as he headed toward the glass for a closer look. I was torn. I didn’t want to be left behind, but I also feared getting too close. I stood there debating what to do when I noticed him turn his cap around backwards and pull the mask from his face. He stuffed the black fabric in a pocket as he leaned in toward the glass to watch the puffer fish.

“Yah!” I whispered out to him, trying not to draw attention but wanting to get the point across that he was being stupid. “Are you crazy?” I scolded, catching up to him and standing by his side. “Someone's going to recognize you for sure now!”

“Look at it, jagiya!” He ignored my words and stuck a finger out, following the fish along the glass.

I looked to the tip of his finger at the fish that was swimming casually around with little care in the world. I couldn't help but lean over and get a closer look myself before getting distracted by a bright orange clown fish. Without realizing what was happening, I’d been totally into the underwater world we were surrounded by, watching the fish gracefully glide by.

A pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind and a chin found my shoulder. Caught off guard, my body froze as I tried to turn my head to look at JB, ready to scold him again for his carelessness.

“See? I told you everything would be okay. It’s nice, isn’t it?”

It was a vague and loaded question. What was nice? The aquarium or the fact that we were actually out on a real date, in the real world, in public? I wanted to ask, wanted to answer, but didn’t know what to say. I was at a sudden loss of words. Instead, I found myself relaxing in his arms and felt my heart find some peace after the events of the night before.

I had missed him. Wasn’t that why I had been so angry? I’d worked hard to make a good night for us after so long apart. I’d just wanted everything to go well because I had missed him.

“Excuse me,” came a whispered voice from beside us. The moment of peace and warmth was lost as we pulled apart like a fire had sparked between us.

“Sorry, but you’re JB, right?”

I knew it. I knew he’d been too careless. He should have left the mask on. Even in this dark room, people were bound to see his face lit up by the aquarium lights at some point.

“I am,” I heard him reply.

“Wow! You’re more handsome in person,” the girl, who couldn’t have been older than sixteen, mumbled back.

There was a soft chuckle following the words, but all I could hear was my blood boiling. Wasn’t he going to stop her? Didn’t he remember who he was here with? Couldn’t she see that we probably didn’t want to be bothered?

“Sorry, but can I have a selca? Or an autograph?”

“Sure, but just one and you can’t tell anyone that you saw me here. Deal?”

She must have agreed because when I turned my head to the side, I caught a glimpse of them taking the photo with their backs to the water. I tried not to let it bother me. She was a fan. This was part of his job. I would have to get used to it eventually, but I was more worried about word getting out.

“Is that your girlfriend?” she whispered, looking in my direction.

Our eyes met for a moment and I had to swallow a lump again. Surely he wouldn’t acknowledge me, not when she could go blabbing it to the world. It was dangerous. Way too risky.

“She is,” he nodded with a smile on his face. “But you have to promise me you won't tell a soul or oppa will be very upset, okay?”

Again she silently nodded in agreement and smiled at me. I felt my lips offer a half-hearted grin.

“You’re very pretty. You give me hope that maybe one day someone like JB-oppa will notice me too.”

With that, she offered us both a bow and a wave before she scurried back across the room to whoever she was with. I felt myself let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding in as JB rejoined me and smiled.

I couldn't help but throw a punch to his arm. Maybe everything was okay now, but what about when she got home? What about when that photo was posted? Would she mention meeting him and his girlfriend here?

“Yah! It’s fine!” he whined while rubbing his arm. “Let’s get out of here. We have more to do before the day ends.”

I’m not sure if I would have preferred the aquarium or getting back on a crowded train car. I’ve never liked crowds, and this time, the car was packed tighter than a can of tuna. By this point, I was beginning to forget about my anger. It was utterly exhausting being angry at JB when he was clearly trying to do something nice for me… or at least I thought that was his plan. I’m not entirely sure taking your girlfriend to somewhere she fears is the most thoughtful action, but I’ll let it slide this time.

More people packed into the car and I found my body pressed up tight against JB’s. A protective arm wrapped around me and pulled me close. The scent of his cologne pulled me in as my cheek pressed into his warm chest and I leaned against him. He was strong and sturdy, and when my eyes closed, I wasn’t afraid of anything happening to me while I stood there wobbling around.

Something soft and squishy pressed against the top of my head, and a quick peek between slightly parted lids showed the brim of his hat shadowing over my face. I couldn’t imagine that leaning his head against mine was comfortable like this, but he didn’t move, and I realized I didn’t want him to.

I had missed him. What I had suspected earlier had been correct. I’d missed his arms around me. I’d missed his scent. I’d missed the affection and the warmth. I couldn’t stay mad at him anymore.

Or so I thought. When we got off the train, it was midday and both of our stomachs were growling. We stopped for a quick bite to eat from a street place and wandered around window shopping. I thought the day couldn’t get any better than this. Just simply walking with him hand in hand and enjoying the coolness of fall made up for the aquarium.

And then he ruined it.

“Let’s go to the beach,” he cheerfully suggested from behind his mask.

Of course I couldn’t argue against that idea. It was no secret I loved the ocean. I loved sand between my toes and the sound of the crashing waves. I was ready to go and be there.

But we didn’t go straight to the beach. Instead, he took me to this creepy looking building set up near the shore.

“What. Is. This?” I hissed. My gaze looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

“Just trust me!” He drew out the U in trust as if that would make things better.

“You know, you keep saying that today, but then you keep taking me to all these terrifying places. Why are we at a haunted house, JB? You know my heart can’t handle these things!”

He didn’t even entertain the idea of responding as I was pulled into line. When I say pulled, I mean literally. I’d been a little easier at the aquarium, but there was no way I was budging here. I wouldn’t survive this. I’d have a heart attack the moment we walked in.

When our turn came, I was so resistant, he had to pick me up bridal style and carry me over the threshold. It wasn’t exactly the setting I’d always imagined this happening in.

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you,” he whispered to me in the dark as he set me down and pulled me behind him, one arm wrapped around my small, trembling body.

We’d only been in the haunted house a few seconds but I had already moved to press against his back and buried my face in his dark shirt. I was not ready for any of this.

Our feet began to shuffle along, mostly because I was terrified to move, and we rounded a corner into another room. It was stupid of me to peek away from my hiding spot, but I did.

“JB! I can’t! Please, let’s go back! Please!”

Medical equipment was strewn throughout the room as if someone had flung it everywhere in a daze. The bed sat empty with sheets stained with red hanging off the edge and it was extremely cold.

It was if my words were a cue. As soon as my face was buried again, a howl came from nearby and I felt JB jolt.

“Yah! Yah! Yah!” he called out to the ghostly figure as he pulled me along and out of the room.

“What if they follow?” I questioned softly with a trembling voice.

“I won’t let them get you. It’s okay.”

We continued to move with a few more encounters through equally terrifying themed rooms. I was beginning to hope the end was near as we turned into a quiet, short hallway, no doubt to enter another room, when it happened.

Cold fingers reached out and wrapped around my ankle, sending a shrill scream from my lips as I jumped away from JB and fell to the floor. My knees pulled up to my chest as the hand reached out from an opening in the wall, trying to grab at me again.

“YAH! Don’t touch her!” JB yelled at the hand, swatting it away from me and kneeling before me. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as his thumb connected with my face to smear away the tears. “I won’t let that happen again, okay? I think we’re almost to the end. I need you to get up, okay?”

It took more coaxing to get me to my feet but I did. I inhaled deeply to try calming myself before I nodded my head.

“Let’s get out of here.”

He agreed but instead of leading me out of the hall, he knelt down against, his back stretched out before me.

“Climb on.”
 

“But your back. You’ll hurt it again,” I worried aloud.

“It’ll be okay. Get on so I can get you out without them touching you again. I can’t believe someone laid their ghostly fingers on you,” he half joked, no doubt trying to cheer me up.

A scream echoed from somewhere else in the building that had me scrambling to obey. My arms were around his neck in seconds and with my body draped over his back, JB latched onto my legs and stood up.

“Okay, close your eyes and trust me. I’ll get you out of here.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. My vision disappeared and I buried my face in the crook of his neck. He moved quickly through the rooms. I could feel him occasionally swing his body and an arm disappear from my leg, stretched out to someone I didn’t dare look at.

“Don’t touch her, man,” he called out several times, and I assumed some of the ghosts were following us like I had worried about earlier.

I held on and let him get us out of there. By the time we were out, the sun was starting to set and the night was getting cooler.

JB set me down and let out a sigh.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have taken you in there. I just…” he sighed again as his thoughts trailed off.

I wanted to yell at him and swat him, but it was clear he was tired. I figured he’d learned his lesson on his own.

“Can we go to the beach now?” I said instead.

He looked up at me in surprise and nodded his head. A hand appeared in front of me and I carefully placed my own in it. No words were exchanged as we walked away from the haunted out toward the darkening ocean.

I wasn’t sure how long we would keep walking but I wasn’t going to break the comfortable silence to ask. It turned out I didn’t have to.

“Let’s sit here.”

I looked at him curiously but obliged. It seemed as if he had a lot on his mind and as it turned out, I did too.

“I want to apologize again for last night. Really, I didn’t mean to. When I realized what time it was, I wanted to call but it was so late. When I got home and saw everything, I felt terrible.” He hesitated for a second after the words before going on. “But what hurt worse than my own failure, was the text you sent me. Do you really think I would do that to you? That I would find someone else and leave you behind so carelessly?”

He turned his body to face me and reached out his hands to take mine in them.

“You mean more to me than that. I haven’t been the best at showing it lately--”

“You can say that again,” I mumbled.

“Yah! What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked with a hint of hurt in his voice.

“You took me to an aquarium and a haunted house today. You didn’t tell me where we were going so I could prepare myself. You were careless in public when others don’t know about us. And last night. Even if it was an accident, I was looking forward to spending time with you. I was looking forward to a quiet evening with just the two of us. And… I…”

My words fell away, my mind a jumbled mess of emotions now that I was finally letting everything out.

“What? What is it? Tell me.”

At his encouragement, I sighed and went on. “I’m not exactly confident in my ability to keep you around. I’m afraid you’ll get bored with me. That you’ll find someone else who’s prettier and more fun. It’s not as if you couldn’t get any girl in the world, but me? I’m not anyone special. I have to work hard for a good relationship.” I hesitated, shaking my head as my gaze stared at the sand. “I’m terrified of losing you. It has nothing to do with your career and the fame you have. I’m not that shallow. I love you, JB. I would love you even if you were another desk worker like me. I love everything about you, but I’m terrified. I don’t want to get hurt.”

A sigh came from him but before I could look at him, I was swept up in his arms. He held me tight, his hand the back of my head.

“I don’t want you to feel that way. Okay? Don’t feel that way anymore. I don’t want anyone else, just you. Even when there’s a million girls before me, all I can ever think about is you. When I’m on that stage singing a love song, it’s always about you. I’m not going to get bored with you and I could never find anyone prettier than you either. Even when you wake up first thing in the morning and your hair is a scary mess--seriously sometimes you look like the bride of Frankenstein.”

Miraculously, this comment sparked a soft laugh from my lips as I pulled away to look at him.

“It’s always you.” His hand reached up and my cheek gently, his eyes kind and gentle. “Everything I did today was for a reason. I know it seemed like I was just being an and inconsiderate of your feelings, but I want you to trust me whole heartedly. I want you to rely on me when things are tough. I want you to trust that there’s no one else in this whole world for me but you. I love you too, and I want you to trust that love, okay?”

I nodded my head and placed a hand over his. He’d long ago pulled the mask from his face again and I could see a gentle smile tugging up the corners of his lips.

“I love you,” he repeated before closing the distance between us and capturing my lips with his own. The kiss started sweet before growing into something much more needy. We stayed like that for some time before he finally pulled away and my cheek once again.

“Let’s go home, yeah?” I nodded my head and again he grinned. “Good, and you better not even think about trying to escape my arms tonight. I won’t let that happen.”

AUTHOR'S NOTES

A year and a half in the making--that's how long this fic has been sitting around waiting to be finished. It's exhausting just thinking about it. I hope it's at least somewhat enjoyable! Comments are always welcome. Thanks for reading!