Trying to get back into writing. Being inconsistent does not help at all -_- In other news who's excited for the comeback? :D

*****

Happiness was but a temporary illusion.

Transient. Fleeting. A bag of euphoria that rendered one vulnerable until its contents gradually dissipated, and all that was left was the steep plunge back into the abyss that was reality.

That was what she believed.

When happiness was absent, it left behind pebbles of memories engraved in its place. And that, she found solace in. Because when Seungwan meandered down that road, an inner reflection of sorts, there would be a skip to her step, the quiet hum of a tune reminiscent of pleasant times and she would remember what happiness felt like. When the tension in her shoulders melted and the comforting reassurance that everything was going to be alright. That absolutely nothing could go wrong in that moment.

Seungwan would come back every so often, staring out at the familiar path with a fond nostalgia.

Though it wasn't always intentional; sometimes a chance encounter at the entangled crossroads in her life where that quaint, little path happened to catch her eye. Reminded her of something important she long believed to have forgotten. And with its rediscovery came the slightly widened eyes, the tingling sensation that travelled down the curve of her spin and the gasp that slipped between her lips, equal parts elation and disappointment for losing sight of something that was supposed to be unforgettable.

But the pebbled lane she had once strolled through changed.

The seasons lost its vibrancy; the wilted flower petals cascaded through the wind, scattering beneath her feet; the paved road cracked and brittle under tentative, measured steps. The sight was nothing but a fragment of its former beauty.

It dawned upon her that time did not stop in her memories, nor did it wait for anyone. And try as she might, the once vivid memories, reverently preserved in their pristine glass cases would lose its shine against the myriad others that replaced it. Myriad others that did not always embody the same joy she yearned for.

The thought saddened Seungwan as she pondered upon the existence of her happiness. When she could no longer recall those memories, no longer able to look back with the same fondness, would she lose her happiness little by little?

It wasn't all that terrible, she supposed. Wasn't all that ominous or depressing as she made it out to be.

"Seungwan, come here."

Seungwan quietly obliged as Joohyun tugged her closer, unbuckling her seatbelt to slid into the seat beside the older woman. They were in the car with the rest of their members on their way home after an event. She glanced forward, spotting Seulgi's head lulled to the side against the head rest fast asleep. Joy and Yeri were in a similar state, head's nodding off every so often.

"Where's your blanket?"

"I don't know," Seungwan mumbled, goosebumps rippling along her skin from the warmth of the blanket that was draped over her shoulders. She shivered at the touch of Joohyun's warm hand rubbing up and down along the cold skin of her arm.

"You're cold," Joohyun noted.

A non-committal hum was all Seungwan could give as she slowly succumbed to the exhaustion that seeped to her bones, letting the warmth lull her eyes to a close. In her semiconscious state, she felt a hand intertwine with hers and Seungwan could not refrain the soft smile that stretched across her lips.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing."

Happiness was the feeling of Joohyun's palms tucked safely into her own.

When she would listen to Seungwan speak, eyes attentively trained on her and her only. When she would nonchalantly hand Seungwan an item she had made in a passing comment that Seungwan herself could not recall. When she would quietly embrace Seungwan through turbulent and emotional times, peppering soft kisses of comfort and love, as though they could erase the pain the haunted her.

The passing of time would erase all those moments, those memories, and along with it the happiness she dearly cherished. There was no helping that.

And it would be fine because happiness was but a temporary illusion.

But Joohyun? Joohyun was her everlasting reality.

And that was all she needed.