“It came over me in a rush and I realised that I love her so much; so much that I’m not even bothered by the fact that she was someone else’s—probably still is—and is the mother of his daughter.”

 

“No.” Paris’ voice is low, but I could still hear it distinctly. My heart parties inside, but I know there’s something more she has to say. “Well, at first, I just want to go because Jaden’s been mean to me.” Her voice falters during her embarrassing confession and she pouts sheepishly. “But then I think I want to go. I just want to go wherever you go.”   I can’t help but smile at the mother-daughter interaction and bond. Amber hums in contentment and hugs her little girl close. “What if you miss Jaden and Sung Yeol?”   Paris is silent for a moment and then she exclaims her brilliant idea. “I can call!” Liveliness fills her voice as she adds, “We have Skype.”   Amber’s chuckle breaks out in the room. I believe it is for the look on Paris’ face. I smile even wider. Despite not wanting her to leave, I also realise that I have to respect her decision.   An idea then comes to my mind. A shining light bulb even appears at the top of my head. I think I’ll speak to the lady boss about moving to Paris. But I won’t tell Amber and Paris, just yet. It’ll be a surprise.

 

∞∞∞

  Time passes in a breeze. I help Amber pack on New Year’s Eve as she has to move in to her place in Paris by 2nd January. Yuri and Flic also join in with two other people, Pedo and Jack.   Pedo seems deflated when I see him again after that day, but he and Amber seem to get on fine. I’m not curious about how Amber rejects him because I still have my humanity, I’m not going to laugh at someone else’s disadvantage. Moreover, I’m in a similar situation.   While Jack… It has been awkward, so awkward that I just want to hide in a hole. I have hardly seen her ever since that night. We have been avoiding each other. I don’t like the way it turns out, but we just don’t want to be reminded of what happened. She is still the same; short brown hair with her fringe swept to the side, but somehow more feminine sometimes. We try to keep it cool for Amber and I ignore the jabbing feeling which always comes my way whenever Jack’s around; guilty conscience eating me up alive again.   By 10 o’clock, Paris is already in bed exhausted. Fortunately, everything has been packed, so Flic and Yuri retreat to their room, while Pedo takes Jack home. They’re coming back tomorrow morning to bid Amber and Paris goodbye. Amber does not want us at the train station, which we all had a big rampage for, but in the end, we respect her wish. I also made a decision to stay overnight in order to spend more time with her.   After I brush my teeth and get into my tracksuit, I make my way to Amber’s room. Her room light is off, but her desk lamp is on. She is putting on moisturisers in the bathroom when I rap on the door as quiet as I can, but loud enough for her to sense my presence. She beckons me in and I close the door behind me.   As she sets her alarm on her phone, I sit on her bed, the side where she will be lying on. The room is silent as I wait for her, but it’s a comfortable silence. When she is done with whatever she needs to do, she makes her way to the bed and we start to talk softly.   “So, leaving tomorrow huh?” I open the conversation. “Excited?”   She shrugs as she leans on the head of the bed frame and glances at the little angel lying on the other side of the bed.   “It’s not fair that L’s dominating all her genes!” I remark as I follow her gaze.   Amber lets out a low chuckle. “You can stop saying that, you know. It seems to be a renowned fact to everyone.”   “Yeah. Just pointing out the obvious, you know.”   “She looks like me when she is awake,” she states, pretending to be peeved with the fact that we all say Paris looks like L. Though, we all know that, deep inside, she wants Paris to look like L, so traces of L would still be around, despite the genes running through Paris’ body. She just doesn’t want to acknowledge it to us.   I shake my head in disagreement. “Nu-uh. Still L.”   She shrugs in surrender. “Whatever floats your boat then.”   Silence follows. It’s not uncomfortable. Amber and I always have silent moments where we just live our own thoughts, while enjoying each other’s company. It’s these golden moments that make me wonder why she is still not mine. I take a deep breath and position myself to face Amber. I cross my legs onto the bed and catch her watching eyes.   “Amber, do something for me?” She looks on expectantly, waiting for me to say what it is. “Will you please think about my offer again?”   Her eyes expand slightly, but she soon gathers herself together. “Sung Yeol, I thought we’ve dropped this subject.”   I shake my head, bracing myself and pushing back all the sadness that starts to return. “I know you’re still in love with L right now and I know that you’re still waiting for him, but if he doesn’t come back, can you please move on to me?”   She gasps and I see shock in her eyes following my request. “Sung Yeol! Do you really think I’m that kind of person?” she hisses at me in disappointment. “I can’t just take you as a last resort.”   “I didn’t mean it like that, Amber,” I explain quickly, loosening her tension. “I don’t want you to suffer anymore. If you need something, I want you to come to me and ask me without feeling like you’re doing something bad!” I moisten my lips before carrying on, “When you’ve given up on L and you’ve settled down, I want you to sit and reflect on the situation, and contemplate my offer.” I pause as I let it sink in. She has a pensive look in her eyes which indicates that she is thinking about