Black Diamond

15. Chapter 15

Just like she promised, Kamella was patient and gentle as she truly became Taeyong’s first everything. In six hours, he had diligently studied every nook and crevice of her form, desperate to carve her entire existence in his soul.

But there simply wasn’t enough time. There would never be enough time.

Kamella was delighted to discover that Taeyong was her best “student”, by far. In the beginning, he shyly apologized for his inexperience, but Kamella made sure to reassure him that it didn’t matter.

“It’s all about the feeling, Ty. Don’t think so much,” She had whispered in his ear, drawing his focus to her soft sighs and caresses instead.

Kamella stretched, reaching for her cell phone, and her body instantly protested the movement. She had used muscles that hadn’t gotten used in a while -- at least since Taeyong became her Ace.

After checking the time on her phone, Kamella turned to Taeyong, who was still napping beside her. She knew he was exhausted, but just one look at his bare chest, and she wanted him all over again. The way she wanted him still scared her.

In a way, her relationship with Taeyong was similar to when she met Sung Joon for the first time. Both of them had been a little shy at first, but as he gained more experience, Sung Joon became arrogant and confident, whereas Taeyong openly admitted that he had a lot to learn. Taeyong was so humble through it all, and he was so expressive… his reactions to Kamella’s every touch was so intoxicating to her.

“Taeyong-ah,” She called softly, brushing her lips against his ear. Taeyong sighed in his sleep and tightened his hold around her waist. Kamella giggled, and gently called his name again, “Ty… We have to get up.”

“Hmmmmm.” He murmured, his eyes still closed.

Kamella kissed his cheek in response, making him open his eyes fully, “Are you awake yet?”

Taeyong awarded her with a lazy, slow smile, “I don’t want to wake up.”

She kissed his nose this time, “Why?”

In response, Taeyong lightly pressed his forehead against hers, “Because you’re still here with me.”

Kamella nodded, understanding exactly what he meant and how he felt. In just two hours, they’d be apart for much longer than either of them were prepared for. Possibly, forever.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Kamella admitted, on a hushed breath.

Taeyong nodded, unable to speak past the cluster of sadness building in his throat.

Kamella could feel her eyes getting watery, so she moved away from Taeyong to take a deep, calming breath, “We should shower and get dressed.”

“Separately...?”

“If we go in together, I absolutely won’t behave myself,” Kamella told him honestly, that familiar glow filling her gaze.

Taeyong grinned, “It’s a good thing I’m young with so much energy, isn’t it?”

Kamella laughed, climbing out of bed, motioning for Taeyong to follow her. Their shower went exactly as expected, and took a full hour because she simply couldn’t keep her hands to herself.

By the time they dressed, ate the rest of their now cold pizza, and finished off the final bottle of soju, their time together was basically up. Kamella made Taeyong recite the door code for her three times before they were finally ready to step back out into the world. The sun had gone down completely already since they had locked themselves away for the entire day.

“I have enough time to take you home,” Kamella told him somberly, as the two of them climbed into her SUV. Taeyong was trying his best to keep it together, but the closer they got to his dorm, the harder it was. When Kamella pulled onto the end of his street, his eyes began to sting as the first tear rolled silently down his cheek. Kamella stopped the car further away from his dorm so that s wouldn’t see them. She was thankful that she had installed tinted windows.

Taeyong took a deep breath, closing his eyes to hold his emotions at bay, but it didn’t work. He didn’t want her to leave him. He didn’t want to lose her. It was killing him to let Kamella go. Hadn’t she told him that they belonged to each other?

“Ty, I’m going to be okay. No matter what, I’ll still be alive.” Kamella reached over the armrest to take Taeyong’s hand, giving him a comforting squeeze. She wanted to do her best to reassure him, even though her words sounded hollow to her own ears. When Taeyong didn’t reply but instead dipped his head lower, Kamella leaned closer, her heart squeezing painfully, “When I leave... Taeyong-ah, when I’m gone, you can’t be like this. Don’t worry about me, alright? I really will be okay.”

Taeyong sniffed, mumbling something so lowly that Kamella couldn’t hear him. She reached for his chin, lifting his face up so she could finally see him clearly. There were tears in his eyes and a few slid down his cheeks onto her fingers.

“Noona, I’m... I’m sorry,” Taeyong whispered, and Kamella furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“You don’t have to apologize for being upset-”

Taeyong shook his head, pulling away from her grasp to grip both her hands instead, “I asked you to be my first everything, but instead, you’ll have to be the second.” Kamella was still confused, her eyes searching his despondent face for some clue. He swallowed heavily, wiping away a tear with his sleeve, “When I was in the 4th grade-”

Kamella's eyes were starting to feel damp again, but despite herself, she snickered at Taeyong’s nonsensical reply, and nodded for him to continue.

“I gave my first and only love confession in 4th grade. So, I’m sorry, Noona, you can’t be first this time.”

Now it was Kamella’s turn to cry, her brown eyes wide as the tears she was struggling with finally started to fall. She didn’t have to guess what was coming next. She bit her bottom lip to try and keep herself together, but it was pointless.

“I love you, Mella-yah.” Taeyong confessed resolutely, staring directly into her eyes. Kamella forgot how to breathe. It was clear these were words she needed to hear. “Because I love you, I have one last wish for the Queen of Diamonds,” He pressed a gentle kiss against her knuckles, and Kamella realized her hands were trembling when she nodded wordlessly.

“Mella-yah, all of this is happening because I couldn’t protect you… I don’t deserve to be your Ace anymore. My last wish as your Ace is to end our contract.”

Kamella yanked her hands away from him, the tears blurring her vision, “Taeyong, don’t-!”

“I’m the only one that can end our contract!” He cried in response, his own tears beginning again. “Not you, and not that Hyung. I’m the only one. I want you to be happy. I want you to be safe. You can’t do either of those with me.”

Kamella whimpered, not caring how pitiful she sounded, “You can’t do this. You said we would fight about it later-”

Taeyong released a shaky breath, reaching across the armrest to grasp her shoulders, “Noona, I love you. I love you so much. But our contract hurts you. If you worry about me while you’re gone, you might take risks that you can’t afford to take right now. Let me do the only thing I can to help you.”

Kamella shook her head vehemently, shutting her eyes against his words. Of course, what he was saying was the truth, but Kamella wasn’t trying to hear any of it. Finally, she had found someone that actually loved her -- the real her -- and now, Dealer was forcing her to let Taeyong go.

That abhorrent man truly ruined every piece of her life, and in this case, he never even had to lift a finger.

“Noona, grant my wish,” Taeyong hugged her as tightly as he could, knowing that both of their hearts were shattering as he spoke. He pressed a gentle kiss to her eyelid first, then moved lower to her cheek, tasting the salty flavor of her tears. He hovered just above her lips, whispering softly, “You have to grant it.”

“Taeyong,” She murmured brokenly, and he kissed her, tracing his fingers against her jaw. Her heart hurt so much.

“Mella-yah, there’s no time left…”

Kamella bowed her head, knowing he was right. She sniffed unhappily, giving him a single nod, “Okay.”

Taeyong smiled sadly, releasing his tight hold on her, “Be safe and happy, my beautiful Diamond.”

Kamella didn’t answer him, instead hiccuping from the tears clogging . He kissed her fingertips one last time and reached down to grab his bag from the floor. He couldn’t face her anymore.

Taeyong pulled the handle on the passenger door, and set one foot outside of the car.

“Taeyong-ah,” Kamella called, in a hushed voice. He turned around to take one last, full look at her. This was only his second time seeing her cry, but she was still beautiful even with tears staining her face and clothes. Her eyes held as much sadness as he felt, but she forced a smile on her face.

Taeyong was certain he could hear the sound of his heart ripping in half.

“I love you too, Lee Taeyong.”

Taeyong nodded enthusiastically, covering his mouth with his fist as fully climbed out of Kamella’s car. He closed the passenger door in a rush, and headed directly towards his dorm, not daring to take even one glance behind him. He made it into the house, all the way into his shared bedroom with Johnny, before he broke entirely. He dropped his bag to the floor, curled up in a ball at his bedroom door, and buried his head in his knees, crying in earnest.

“Taeyong?” Johnny asked cautiously, pulling his headphones off his head. When Taeyong didn’t say anything, Johnny patted his shoulder comfortingly for a moment, then moved back to his own bed, sliding his headphones back on to give his leader some privacy.

In the car, Kamella was just as much of a mess. She gripped the steering wheel and sobbed, crying harder than she ever had in a long, long time. She cried until she was gasping for breath. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there, allowing herself to grieve the loss of such a special person in her life, but she knew it was much longer than she had time for.

Kamella knew her time had officially run out the moment her phone rang. Dealer’s name flashed across the touchscreen on her dashboard. She inhaled deeply, releasing her breath as slowly as possible before answering the call at the very last second.

“You’re late.”

The threat hung clear in the air, and Kamella started her car, finally pulling away from the curb.

“I’m on my way now.” She replied emotionlessly, flipping on her signal light.

“You sure you’re not trying to run?”

She to the highway, thinking back to the days when the trip to Dealer’s house actually made her happy. It seemed an entire lifetime away now. “I’d be a fool to do something like that.”

“Good. I’m glad you understand. How far away are you?”

“Not far enough,” Kamella muttered under her breath.

“Diamond, I’m only doing this for your best interest.”

“I’ll be there in 20. Don’t call me again or I’ll pull over,” She demanded, her finger hovering over the button that would end their phone call.

“You’re so adorable when you throw little tantrums,” Dealer mused, and Kamella ended the call abruptly, growling in frustration.

On her way to Dealer’s house, Kamella called Olivia and Sung Joon to let them know where she was headed. Both of them agreed to meet at the club as soon as Dealer set her free, but they all knew it would take a while.

“He’s most likely going to send me out of the country for a few months before he’ll let me step foot in the club. Make sure all the diamond kids are safe. If you have any problems, call our King to take care of it,” Kamella explained to Olivia, trying to remember all of the things she'd need her best friend to do while she was away.

“Mel, I’m going to miss you a lot.”

“You just worry about yourself and the rest of the Suit. I’ll be fine,” Kamella replied, even though the tightness in her chest was growing by the minute.

“How is Ty taking things?” Olivia asked gently.

“Horribly. He told me he loved me.”

“He what?!”

“He loves me, Liv. I have to protect that love for him. Please check in on him from time to time.”

“But what about Sung Joon-oppa?”

“What about him?”

“Come on, Mel, you know Oppa loves you too. As much, if not more, than Ty. Have you told him what happened between you two?”

“I’m not going to tell him anything. Liv, I owe him too much to hurt him like that.”

“Girl, you’re already hurting him, but we can talk about it later. Just take care of yourself, alright? Be safe, ok?”

“I will. I’ll miss you, but we’ll get to see each other at the club eventually.”

“Hopefully.”

When Kamella ended her call with Olivia, she completely erased everything in her cell phone, just in case. Her phone completed the process just as she pulled up to the gate of Dealer’s expensive home. Dealer was standing right at the front door, waiting for her. Before, her heart used to flutter at the sight of him. Now, she just wanted to throw up on his shoes.

“Give me your car keys and your cell phone,” He demanded, as she calmly approached him with her purse and rolling suitcase.

Rolling her eyes, she handed him both of the things he had asked for, “Wow, I'm being grounded at my age, 'Dad'?”

Dealer narrowed his eyes, snatching the objects from Kamella hastily before opening the front door for her, “I’m putting your on a plane as soon as the bidding is finished tonight. You better hope the Russians aren’t looking for someone like you.”

“Bidding?”

“Yes, it’s a new service we offer to our Red Aces around the world. Once a month, they’ll get to bid on a weeklong trip with the highest-earning member of the Court. You earned the most, so now you’ll have an opportunity to earn even more.”

Kamella huffed, “Many times I've felt like you put me up for auction, but I never thought you’d literally do it. You’re horrible.” Kamella stormed out of the foyer, heading towards her old room.

“Only to the people that don’t pay~!” He jeered at her back, but Kamella only responded by slamming her bedroom door.

End Chapter 15