She was in her bed that night, crawled up with her head on her knees, biting her lip as she was listening to their song. She couldn’t help it. She tried not to listen to any of their songs but she would just be fooling herself. She has always been a fan of them anyway.

She has always been that supportive, number one fan (according to the maknae) even before any of them got a taste of the limelight, even before all the lies and the denials and the hates and more hates. She hates that part of their world. She hates it to the core but she could not even do anything about it. And she hates herself more because until now, she’s still affected by those hates.

She sniffed as she heaved a breath. She’s streaming their song right now and here she was, crying again with that particular song. She’s been playing that song over and over again for the past couple of hours already and the pain was still in her chest. ‘Why does he need to write about what happened and let his band sing it for the rest of the world to listen to anyway?’ It was like his song Butterfly once again, only this time, it’s about him confirming they’re not together anymore instead of him confirming that they’re together.

But that’s not why she was crying. Based on the lyrics, he was asking for another chance. He was pleading for them to get back together and her heart was aching because of that. As a matter of fact, when she first listened to the song, her hands and limbs felt numb that she almost fainted if it wasn’t for her manager holding her while she was walking after eating in the canteen of their company. Thank heaven the canteen played that song after she finished eating or else she would have really fainted.

She took another deep breath, trying to pacify her tears for once when the song in her phone stopped playing, only for it to ring. Someone’s calling.

She glanced at it and her heart started to pump faster than usual when she saw the number that was flashed on the screen of her phone. It was not saved but that number was so familiar to her that even though she unsaved it already, it was of no use. She still remembers it.

She picked her phone, rather slowly, as she was contemplating whether or not to answer it. She tried wiping her tears away but a whole new batch just once again rolled in her now bloodshot eyes. She was staring at her phone for far too long that it stopped ringing already.

‘Yeah… Maybe it’s not yet the time…’ she almost had a heart attack when her phone started ringing again with that same number. She unconsciously scratched her nose like a bunny. Maybe this is what she has been waiting all along. Besides, she kept on crying and crying anyway ever since she heard that song. Might as well stop it now. She took another deep breath as she wiped her tears, trying to gain confidence on her resolve, as she answered the call.

Dara: Hello

He’s not answering.

Dara: Hello…

She could only hear some faint breathing on the other line.

Dara: Why did you call Jiyong?

Jiyong: a… *clears throat* uhm…

Dara: What is it?

Jiyong: I…

Dara: If you don’t have anything to say, I’m hanging up…

Maybe she’s wrong after all. Maybe…

Jiyong:  No… Wait! I…

Or maybe not…

Jiyong: Are you busy?

Dara: *bites lip* I want to say yes but that would mean I’ll be lying.

She wanted to laugh at herself. How did she become so honest all of a sudden?

Jiyong: Oh…

Dara: …

Jiyong: I… I’m glad you answered my call.

Dara: …

Jiyong: Well, I just thought you already erased my number given that we… uhm… we… *heaves a deep breath and exhale* …you know… a couple of months ago

Dara: Yeah… I actually did that but I… *pause and contemplates* …I’m still familiar with your number.

Yeah… definitely and completely honest this time.

Jiyong: Oh… is that so?

Dara: yeah…

Jiyong: …

Dara: Anyway, why did you call?

Jiyong: Yeah… about that. Uhm… Do you have time?

Dara: Why?

Jiyong: I… I just want to talk to you… personally.

Dara: Oh…

Jiyong: If… if you just have time… that is. It’s okay if you don’t want to.

Dara: …

Jiyong: Dara?

The first time she heard her name from him after a couple of months and it’s making her eyes misty.

Dara: …

Jiyong: You don’t have to force yourself or something if you don’t want to. It’s really…

Dara: When?

Jiyong: What?

Dara: When do you want to talk? And where?

Jiyong: I… tomorrow? If that’s okay…

Dara: What time and where?

Jiyong: Same time… same place…

Dara: …

Jiyong: Dara?

Dara: …

Jiyong: Oh I’m sorry. I just thought you still remember…

Dara: Okay…

Jiyong: Oh… okay.

Dara: Is that all?

Jiyong: Yeah… I… uhm… see you tomorrow?

Dara: … okay…

Jiyong: Okay… bye…

Dara: bye…

What… Just... Happened?

She didn’t know actually who ended the call between the two of them because the moment she said goodbye, she was sure she’s already spacing out. The moment he told her he wanted to talk to her personally, she began to breathe hardly. It was even fortunate for her already that she managed to still talk to him well enough.

Her brows began to crease when she remembered what he told her.

Same time… same place…

Was he serious?

***

They were supposed to meet by 11 pm at the rooftop of the old building of their company. But as people would say, old habits die hard and as before, she was always half an hour early and he was already waiting for her, standing near the grille, overlooking the lights below them. Nothing has definitely changed for they were into that situation again right now.

She almost laughed so hard if it wasn’t for him turning his head at her, smiling at her sight, giving that nostalgic warm feeling in her heart. She genuinely smiled back.

“Hey!” she greeted, noting to herself that it was her who first broke the ice.

“Hey,” he greeted back, still smiling at her, as he looked her from head to toe. He almost laughed with the way she dressed herself, though he was not surprised by it anymore… just refreshing and nostalgic to see her wrapped up in multiple jackets, neck covered, hands covered, but not using a beanie to cover her head. “You came…”

“I told you I will, right?”

He nodded, mentally poking his forehead for that lousy comment of his. “Oh, by the way…” he said before handing her a fruit juice he purposely brought and kept in the pocket of his jacket. “Take this. It will keep you warm.”

She took it from him, popped the lid with the