To say Donghae was surprised when he saw Jessica on his apartment’s door would be an understatement of the century. The guy was stupefied. His senses stopped working, brain stopped processing. He never felt so speechless and confused before, as he did just now.

“Je...Jess… My love? Is this you?”

‘My Love’, Jessica was pleased to hear that phrase from her boyfriend’s mouth. She couldn’t help smiling. Not only was she meeting her lover after 3 months, he remembered she was his Lover!! To be referred so dearly, despite the sudden, unannounced visit, brought her some peace of mind, after living in insecurities for so long. She hugged her lover, only to be hugged back with all the affection she deserved at the moment.

“Yes dear, Surprise! Its me.”

“What… how?”

“Just wanted to see you.” She could only smile in return, though she was the only one smiling, the other was way too shocked to show any proper reaction on his face. “Won’t you invite me in?”

“Huh…? Oh… Sorry… Come on in”

Jessica went in to see a nice, cozy apartment, unexpectedly clean considering his boyfriend’s habits.

“Is there someone else too, in here?”

“Oh… no one, just my cousin, Wookie. I live with him, I told you, remember?” No she didn’t. Because he never told. He never told he her a thing about his life in America, always keeping her at a distance. “I would introduce you to him, but he is sleeping right now, so… later I guess. Come on, sit here, you must be tired, let me get you something to drink, then we talk” Donghae said, leading his girlfriend to the couch in the living room. “Tea?”

“Sure. Thank you” Jessica replied with a smile.

Jessica looked around the room, when Donghae was gone. It was nice, and well kept, but there was no personal touch to anything. No pictures of the two men living there. Not theirs, not anyone else’s, except one. Just one picture of three boys hugging each other while facing the camera, at a beach, laughing as if that was the happiest moment in their lives. She recognized one as her lover, and one as a celebrity in Korea, Kim Heechul, why would Donghae be affiliated with the celeb? The third guy was quite short compared to the two and she didn’t know him. Probably long-time friends, picture seemed to be taken long time ago, considering how young all of them looked. Her attention was drawn away from the picture when Donghae returned back with a cup of tea in his hands.

“Here you go” He offered, with a smile. The guy’s brain had clearly started processing again, and his face was finally showing some colors and expressions.

“Who are the guys in the picture?” Jessica asked curiously, while pointing at the picture.

“That? My cousins. The shortest one is sleeping inside”

“The celeb too?”

“Heechul hyung? Wow he really is famous. He is the one I went to meet in Jeju. Leave that Jess, tell me about yourself. Is everything ok? What brought you here, so suddenly?” Donghae asked with clear concern in his eyes.

“I missed you, Hae” Jessica said directly, with a small, sad smile left on her face.

That one sentence was enough to tell Donghae, why he was seeing his girlfriend here in America, so suddenly, why she had such sad smile on her face, what she had been going through for past 2 years, in the relationship with him. This much being said by Jessica was enough to tell him how much of a jerk he has been to her for so long. While he was busy with his job, and lost in the thoughts of a certain red-haired guy recently, his girlfriend, whom he was supposed to be in love with was suffering, looking so weak and fragile right now, that it broke Donghae’s heart to see her like that. Donghae could not reply back, he had nothing to say, no excuses to make. He knew he was guilty. All he could do was sit close to Jessica, and engulf her into his arms, as if protecting her from the world, from himself, because at this moment he knew, Jessica deserved better, not this, not what he was giving her.

.

.

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Last thing that Ryeowook expected when he got up next morning, was his cousin’s girlfriend cooking breakfast for all of them. When did this happen. Rather, why did this happen, now of all time, they had barely 6 days left till the party mission, last thing they needed was relationship dramas in their life. But if Donghae had known, he would have warned Ryeowook, rather he would have asked Jessica to stay in a hotel rather than here, no matter what excuse he would have to come up with. Not that he had anything up against Jessica, more like they couldn’t plan anything ahead for the next mission if a third party was constantly lurking around to check their work. They could always go to the base to get the work done, but he preferred to work at home, he said he could think better in peace at home rather than at work where there is too much disturbance to his liking.  So it was safe to assume that Donghae didn’t know either; she came without notice, but why? Oh yeah, how could he forget,