The most handsome guy you’d ever seen was walking right towards you, the crowd parting for him and girls gazing at him with hearts in their eyes. His Western features made him stand out in the sea of people and reminded you of one of your favorite actors, Leonardo Dicaprio. His disheveled silver-purple hair fell into his honey eyes on one side, and his jawline was so sharp it looked like it could cut you.

“Hey beautiful,” he greeted you with a dazzling smile that showed off his perfectly straight, gleaming white teeth. “What’s your name?”

You answered and asked him for his. You tried to conceal your shock that this beautiful stranger was striking up a conversation with you.

“Vernon,” he replied smoothly, his eyes never leaving yours. “Shall we dance, Y/n?”

Your heart skipped a beat; your palms were turning clammy. What were you supposed to say? “Yes,” you managed, and he took your hand and led you over to the middle of the club.

“MIC Drop” began playing and hyped the crowd up. Vernon put his hands on your hips and you placed your arms around his neck. You were nervous, and you felt chills run down your spine when your eyes met again. His beauty was unreal.

The two of you danced for hours under the flashing lights, your figures illuminated in deep hues of crimson, navy, and purple.

“Your smile is pretty, but why doesn’t it touch your eyes?”

“It doesn’t?”

“Your eyes look sad,” he remarked. “A girl as beautiful and sweet as you shouldn’t be feeling sad, especially not on a beautiful night like this.”

You chuckled. “And how do you know what sad eyes look like?”

“The eyes carry the wounds. The eyes know damage. Damaged people recognize other damaged people, wouldn’t you agree?”

Vernon was so close to you that you could feel his breath on your neck, making you hyper aware of everything inside that very moment. “I-I suppose you’re right.”

“So come with me, then. Let me fix you.”

“Let’s fix each other,” you replied, finally meeting his intense gaze.

You didn’t even remember the taxi ride to his place. One minute you were both standing outside the club, the next Vernon was unlocking the door to his apartment and wasting no time in gently pushing you up against the wall. And finally he was kissing you, softly at first, then with a passionate, urgent need that consumed you both and left you trembling. It was the kind of kiss that could break open the sky. It completely stole your breath away and showed you that every other kiss you’d had in your entire life was wrong.

He lifted you up and you wrapped your legs around his waist and let him carry you to his king-sized bed. He lied you down on sleek satin sheets and lowered himself down on his knees by the foot of the bed. “Are you sure about this? We can wait if you want. I just want you to be comfortable and ready before we go further.”

“I’m ready,” you answered without hesitation. You had only slept with Mingyu before, but you were ready to move on now. It felt like now or never, and you didn’t want to waste a single moment with Vernon. Everything about this felt right.

The entire night passed by in a heavy, sweet bliss that made you forget you were ever hurting in the first place. You had planned on sneaking out in the early morning, but Vernon said he wanted you to stay, and deep down, you’d been hoping he would offer for you to stay. As it turned out, Vernon was as sweet and caring as he was handsome. He wasn’t funny or cheesy like Mingyu, but he was all about making you feel like royalty and he enjoyed cuddling with you. After he made you hangover soup and gave you painkillers to soothe the pounding in your head, and joined you in the shower to repeat last night’s events, the two of you watched classics and cuddled on the couch for the rest of the day.

You couldn’t believe just how lucky you were to find a guy as amazing as Vernon after everything that had happened recently. Vernon gave you exactly what you needed. The sparks were flying between you two and you couldn’t keep your hands off each other. You two rested all day and were getting to know each other. He was a model and was clearly well-off judging by his clothes and the decorations in his apartment. You and him barely got any sleep the second night as you were too busy exploring each other’s bodies. After a night colored in passion and desire passed by yet again, you left his place the following morning after breakfast, disappointed that it was already Sunday and you had your first midterm exam in less than twenty-four hours.

You hadn’t even begun studying because the events of last week had shaken you up so much that all you had done for five days was stay at home and shut yourself off from most of the world. Your best friend Jun had come over every day to make you food- his traditional Chinese meals were always your favorite- and he sat there listening to your rants and lent you his shoulder to cry on. You’d been best friends with him since middle school and now you two were navigating your junior year of university, both majoring in accounting which meant you coordinated all your classes together, and he lived in your apartment complex so you two saw each other all the time. Some of your classmates mistook you and Jun as a couple, but you had never seen him that way and you were pretty positive he didn’t see you like that either.

You were getting out of the bath when you heard the doorbell ring. You already knew it was probably Jun since nobody else would come over unannounced. “Coming,” you called out as you slipped into your red velvet bathrobe and bunny slippers.

It was indeed Jun at your door, standing there in a sleek purple jacket over a brown top with black skinny jeans and holding a bag filled with containers of Chinese food. “Hey, Y/N. I was wondering what you were up to.”

You grinned cheekily. “Come inside, Jun, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Awhile later, the two of you were sitting on your sofa holding mugs of steaming green tea. Jun was trying to digest your story of your wild weekend. “Ah, so that’s why you didn’t answer my call. I was worried about you, but I figured you probably went to your parents’ home for the weekend. I wasn’t expecting to hear this at all, but it’s certainly a welcoming change. Y/N, I’m happy for you.” He smiled at you and looked down at the puffs of steam rising up from his mug.

“Thanks,” you replied, leaning back into the cushions, “I’m proud of myself for forcing myself to leave the apartment. I knew that nobody else would be able to get me out of here and that I would have to take that step myself. You know, I was only holed up in here for five days, but it felt like an eternity.”

Jun nodded. “I’m glad you took that step yourself, Y/N. And I really hope things work out with Vernon. He sounds like a great guy.”

“He is,” you agreed, “He’s much better than…him…”

“Your happiness is the most precious thing in the world,” he said as he reached over and put his arm around you. “Be happy, Y/N. Take care of yourself and eat the food I left in the fridge. Should we meet up earlier tomorrow morning to fit in a cram session before the exam?”

You agreed to meet up and study in the university library together, and then Jun was out the door. For the rest of the day you and Vernon texted back and forth while you studied. It was hard to focus on your textbook when he was giving you butterflies with how romantic yet chic he was. He was so different from anyone you’d ever been with…wait, you weren’t sure of what this was, exactly. Spending the weekend at his place felt so natural to you, as if you two were already in a relationship. The chemistry had been that good, and it was the best you ever had.

The next morning you awoke well before your alarm was scheduled to ring so you were able to study while eating breakfast and get dolled up. You wanted to look good today on your first day back after a week of avoiding everyone except Jun, so you decided on a lavender ruffled top with a pink tartan print miniskirt. Your lips were painted in a flattering pink color, and your cheeks were tinted rosy. You wanted the world to see that you didn’t need Mingyu and that you had moved on from the breakup and were mentally strong. Most girls at your university hadn’t liked you very much ever since Mingyu first started showing interest in you during freshman year, because they were jealous that you had managed to catch the eye of someone as good-looking and popular as Mingyu. They had tried to create drama in your relationship during the first few months, but he soon put an end to their bullying and they left you alone after that, save for the occasional nasty looks they gave while passing you by. Your friends in university were mostly guys, which was fine with you since you had always seemed to prefer guy friends over girl friends anyway. Your and Jun’s inner circle consisted of Minghao, a b-boy who had moved here from China and was very close to Jun, who he lived with; Hoshi, an immensely talented choreographer; and Dino, the youngest in the group and a phenomenal dancer like Jun. They had all met Jun through their shared passion of dance, and thus they were introduced to you and the rest was history.

Jun’s jaw dropped upon seeing you. “Wow, Y/N, you look beautiful.”

You blushed, shyly tucking your hair behind your ear. “You’re too sweet, Jun.”

“I’m honest,” he corrected, pulling out a chair for you.

You had just taken a seat and were organizing your notes when someone tapped your shoulder. By the look on Jun’s face you could tell it wasn’t someone either of you wanted to see.

“Y/N,” you heard the person say, but your ears were ringing and your heartbeat was speeding up. “Can we talk?”

You turned around in your seat to face Mingyu, standing there looking even hotter than the last time you saw him. Your eyes trailed over his dark brown bangs that fell into his eyes; eyes so dark they looked like an endless black hole that you found yourself falling down. His black leather jacket was a v-neck that showed off his honey skin, and the gloominess that clouded his expression somehow only made him ier.

“Sure,” you replied smoothly, “let’s talk.”

“In private,” he clarified, scowling at Jun.

You glanced back at Jun and flashed him a small smile. “Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of Jun.”

Mingyu’s eyes hardened and he clenched his jaw. “You know, I always hated that about the two of you. You and him are so close that I felt like an intruder in my own relationship. But that’s a story for another day. I’m here because I have something important to discuss with you.”

You couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that escaped your mouth. “How typical. Mingyu has something important to share. Do you really love the sound of your own voice this much?”

“Woozi saw you going in and out of Vernon’s apartment this past weekend. Y/N, you deserve to know that Vernon’s a dangerous guy. He’s not suitable for you. It pains me to see it, but if you want to move on already, I can’t stop you. But I would rather you be with any other guy in our university than scum like him.”

Jun stood up and put himself in between you and Mingyu. “Back off, dude. She’s not yours anymore. You have no business coming here telling her what men she can date.”

A warning flashed in Mingyu’s eyes. “This is between Y/N and me. Shall I teach you a lesson about having some manners and not interrupting two people who are having a rather important conversation?”

Anger bubbled deep inside of you. “How dare you.” You leapt to your feet in an instant and fixed him with the fiercest glare you could muster. “You have some nerve showing up here like this and demanding to talk to me, and making it seem like you were the victim in our relationship when you were just a bystander all along, Mingyu. You showed me off to all your friends like I was some trophy. You let them…” Your voice cracked and you couldn’t find the strength to continue your sentence. Jun placed his hand on your shoulder, and his touch immediately gave you comfort.

Mingyu scoffed. “Don’t start, Y/N. You don’t even care about what state I’m in because of you. You’re out there getting swept off your feet by some stupid guy who doesn’t even deserve you.”

“Oh yeah? And you think you deserved me?” You didn’t flinch away from his intense gaze that looked like it could burn a hole right through you. “You’re just a coward, Mingyu. You’re a coward who couldn’t even stand up for me when I needed you the most. You didn’t want to hear the sharp truth about your friends, about what kind of people they really are underneath their masks. You doubted me. How can you expect me to believe you now?

Jun smirked. “You heard her. Now leave.”

“You’ll regret this, Y/N,” Mingyu promised, “you will. I’ve warned you once; there won’t be a second time. Don’t come crying back to me when everything blows up in your face.”

You wanted to have the last word, but he was gone just like that, storming out of the library in an instant. With him gone, you could finally breathe again. You exhaled deeply as your fingers held on tightly to the wooden table in front of you.

“You’re shaking, Y/N,” remarked Jun.

“I’m fine,” you lied. Your mind was already a thousand miles away, replaying all of the humiliating events of the previous week.

Monday had only just begun.

***

 

“So, Y/N, tell us more about this handsome model who’s gotten you all hot and heavy,” Dino said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Your cheeks heated up. “W-what do you wanna know?”

You, Jun, Dino, Hoshi, and Minghao were exiting the university’s business building, done with midterms and ready to chill at Hoshi and Dino’s shared apartment and play video games. You were pretty sure you were going to beat Minghao for the third time in a row, but he was confident this time around and promised to give you an entertaining challenge.

Dino grinned cheekily. “How good is he i-”

Hoshi smacked Dino’s shoulder, making the younger boy wince in pain. “Hey, you just focus on your studying, understand?”

“Understood,” mumbled Dino.

“Are you happy?” Minghao questioned, glancing over at you with concern in his eyes.

You smiled. “I am, but I wonder if this past weekend had the same impact on him as it did on me,” you admitted sheepishly.

“Spending a weekend with a lady as beautiful as our Y/N?” Hoshi chuckled. “That guy’s very lucky.”

“That’s right,” Minghao agreed, nodding his head, “Vernon better treat you right. Not…”

Jun gave him a sharp look. You all knew what Minghao had stopped himself from saying. Not like Mingyu.

You were about to change the topic when suddenly you froze in your tracks, staring ahead of you at the parking lot like an idiot. “Guys…”

“What?” asked Hoshi, trying to follow your line of sight. “Wait a minute, is that…?”

“It’s him,” you confirmed. Leaning against his sleek, midnight black La Voiture Noire, and dressed in a black suit with a sparkly black tie, was Vernon, sporting freshly dyed hair that was the shade of robin’s egg blue, parted to the side and the tips falling into his eyes.

You could hardly believe what your eyes were showing you. Why was Vernon here, at your university on a late Monday afternoon? And…how on earth could someone possibly look this good?

“That’s Bugatti’s most expensive car,” Dino remarked in awe.

“Whoa, he really is a model!” Minghao’s jaw literally dropped.

“Hey, love,” Vernon greeted you with a kiss. He was close enough that you caught a whiff of his cologne, a slightly musky scent with a hint of an ocean smell. “You look beautiful. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” you managed, particularly aware of how everyone had their eyes fixed on the two of you. Students were snapping pictures on their phones of Vernon’s flashy car and groups of girls were huddled together whispering, their clearly jealous gazes making you uncomfortable. “This is the best surprise ever.”

He placed his arm around your waist, tugging you closer to his side. “These must be your friends?” his eyes scanned over Jun and the others.

You introduced Vernon to your best friends, who seemed just as star struck by him as you were, that is, all of them except for Jun, whose expression was unreadable. Hoshi was complimenting Vernon on his good looks while Dino asked if he could take a picture of his La Voiture Noire.

You turned to Jun. “Sorry, I won’t be able to hang out with you guys today. You have fun without me, okay?”

Vernon flashed one of his dazzling smiles. “It’s nice to meet Y/N’s friends. I apologize for stealing her away like this. I hope you guys don’t mind.”

Jun eyed him. “Not at all. Take care, Y/N. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you, Jun. Bye, guys!” you waved at them before following Vernon to his car.

He held your door open for you and even buckled you in. He must have known how much it affected you, him being so close to you, only a few inches away from your face. Your blush only grew deeper as he started the car, Dean’s Pour Up drifting through the radio and the volume making the windows slightly shake with all the bass. He drove out of the parking lot and took one hand off the wheel to rest it upon your leg, just above your knee.

“How about we have dinner at a fancy restaurant? I know someplace that will blow your mind,” he said with a devilish grin.

“Sounds perfect,” you giggled. “Vernon, you certainly know how to make a girl feel special.”

After a delicious meal at an exquisite restaurant that resembled more of a palace, Vernon took you back to his apartment where the two of you listened to your favorite songs and sipped on red wine. When it was getting late for a weeknight, you announced that you should probably leave, but Vernon insisted on you staying the night.

He pressed his lips against your throat. “I promise I’ll drop you off to uni in the morning so you don’t miss class,” he murmured.

You recalled the night you two met at the club, his words ringing in your ears. The eyes carry the wounds. The eyes know damage. Damaged people recognize other damaged people, wouldn’t you agree?

If he hadn’t been in a previous relationship- he had never even been kissed before- then what had left him damaged? You were still getting to know each other, but he was a bit vague when it came to more personal questions and he hadn’t talked about his family yet. You decided it was now or never.

You sat up a little on your sofa which you two were cuddling on and lowered the television volume. “Hey Vernon, can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” he answered in a heartbeat, kissing your hand.

“How did you become so wealthy? I mean, I know you’re a model, but…”

“My father was a business mogul in the tech industry. I’m an only child, and my parents passed away in a car accident when I was fourteen. I inherited all of my parents’ wealth and have been taking care of myself ever since.”

You were stunned to hear that he had endured such hardships so early on in his life. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Vernon. I can’t imagine…”

He placed his hand atop yours. “It’s alright, love. It’s been eight long years. The extent of my suffering became almost unbearable and I fell into a deep, dark depression. I had my whole life ahead of me but I wished it would end already; I couldn’t see the colors in this world anymore. Everything was stained black and white. But then, you found me. You make me happy, Y/N. And my parents…I believe they’re in a better world, somewhere peaceful where they’re watching over me and admiring my beautiful girlfriend.”

With a smile, you said softly, “I know they’re so proud of you. You’re inspiring, Vernon. Every time we talk you never fail to amaze me with how responsible and mature you are. Even after everything you suffered, your heart is still so warm and kind. I mean, you’re totally different from other men. You’re one of a kind.”

He kissed you then, his lips soft and melting against yours.

You were his fifth season.