As the foreword said, this is a one shot based on Hinder's "Lips of an Angel". I'm lucky enough to get to listen to my ipod all day at work & one day this came on and boom. Tabi. Unfortunately it turned out nothing like I wanted and strayed wildly from the song but it's whatever. I just wanted to do a Tabi-shot :]

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The dark haired male stirred slowly, squinting into the dimly lit living room. His fingertips pressed into his eyes, his head falling to rest on the back of the couch. All the lights were off, the television playing infomercials giving off a soft glow while a man prattled on about the next big thing. He was tired—he didn’t even remember falling asleep on the couch, and yet here he was. It was unlike him to let this happen, so why did it?

A comforting warmth reminded him what had convinced him to remain on the couch: his girlfriend. Her thick, brown hair was laying like a halo around her head, her eyes closed in peaceful sleep. She worked so hard and then came home and spent all her free time with him. Sometimes he felt bad—free time wasn’t easy for her to come by, but she made sure she did. Even if coming over meant inevitably falling asleep with her head in his lap, she would be there and so she was. His eyes moved over her sleeping figure, smiling fondly.

She was an angel.

Dark eyelashes rested gently against her cherub-like cheeks, her plump, pink lips formed into an unconscious pout. She looked so peaceful—he didn’t want to wake her up. But that brought him to another thought: What had woken him up?

A subtle buzz in his pocket grabbed his attention and he shifted, gently tucking a hand under her head to lift her from his lap. Once he’d replaced his leg with a much softer pillow, he shifted to the edge of the couch and slid his phone from his pocket. Pressing the appropriate buttons, his eyes scanned the words that presented on the screen.

One missed call.

It could be anyone. It could be any number of people. But he knew better.

As his thumb shifted to click the view button, his phone began vibrating in his hand again. Thankful for the fact it was on silent, he stood, casting a final glance towards the sleeping woman on the couch. Ducking down the hall and into the first available room, he eased the door shut softly before leaning against it.

That name. It didn’t appear on his phone often, but when it did he was never sure what to do. Well, he knew what he should do, but he never could. Hitting ignore was too hard and he was afraid he’d never have the heart to tell her to not call. With a steadying breath he pressed the answer key, holding the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

His inquiry went unanswered for a full thirty seconds. He was actually prepared to do what he should’ve done before and turn his phone off but that’s when he heard it. A quiet voice. No words, but sounds that he was all too familiar with.

“Elise?” A shaky breath echoed over the line and he relaxed against the door. “Ellie? Why are you calling so late?” But again he was greeted with silence. He couldn’t just hang up on her knowing she was upset, “Are you crying?”

A distinct sniffle met his ears and his head fell back against the door with a dull thump.

This was their routine.

He should be used to it.

But it never hurt any less.

“I’m sorry.”

He exhaled gently, running a hand through his hair, “You say that every time, you know.”

“I know,” she said sullenly, “And I mean it every time.”

“I know,” he nodded.”

“Seung Hyun-ah—“

There it was. It got him every damn time. They’d been apart longer than they’d ever been together but it still made his heart flutter to hear his name on those lips. Every time his phone would ring and her name would cross the screen, he knew he should ignore it. He knew he should just block her number and pretend that he didn’t remember who she was until it became fact.

But he couldn’t.

She could have been his one.

“Are you alright?” he interrupted, knowing she didn’t call unless something was really wrong.

“Yeah,” she said, emotion clear in her voice, “I just…I just wanted to hear your voice. Is that okay?”

Seung Hyun couldn’t help but worry his lip as he listened to her uneven breathing coming through the line.

There were plenty of right answers.

One would be No, it’s not okay.

I have a girlfriend.

I’m happy.

We shouldn’t be doing this.

But none of these came out.

Instead, “Yeah,” found its way from his lips and to her ears.

“You know,” she started slowly, “I’ve been thinking about you. A lot.”

If anyone were to ask him how this made him feel, he wasn’t sure if he’d have a straight answer. Elise had and always would be his blind spot. It made his throat tighten knowing that the tears that were very clear in her voice could be because of him. There was no logical reason that he was her reason to cry, but he still worried. It also made his chest hurt every single time, knowing she was just within reach. He could go to her. He could hold her, and he could keep her from crying again.

But they weren’t together anymore.

The reason was always up for debate—it depended on who you asked. Neither would ever point the finger at the other because where they went wrong was never completely clear. Their relationship had been passionate but short-lived and yet here they were, still being tormented by the other’s existence. Had things went differently, they would’ve been together for years to come.

But they hadn’t.

Now, the only time they had together were quick, stolen phone calls at odd hours. She’d call him upset, sometimes crying and he’d listen. Listen to everything that was going wrong or not going quite right. Talk her out of the emotional state she was in. Sometimes he’d call her, reminiscent of their past and how he missed her.

“Does he know you’re talking to me?” he asked quietly, wincing when she answered his question with silence, “Ellie…we can’t do this. If he finds out, you guys are gonna fight.”

“I know,” she agreed quietly, “But does she know you answer my calls?”

She had him there, “No…and she’s asleep in the next room. I have to be quiet.”

She laughed sardonically—leave it to Seung Hyun to be careful of both his girlfriend and her feelings. But that was Seung Hyun for you.

“I miss you.”

He swallowed dryly, finding himself nodding in agreement before he realized she couldn’t see that, “I know…you know I do, too.” They fell into an almost awkward silence. He could hear her gentle breathing over the line and she could hear the soft tumble of the dryer on his, “It’s really good to hear your voice,” he caved.

He knew it was wrong to talk to her, especially with his girlfriend sleeping just yards away but he wasn’t lying. He did miss her. But given their circumstances, it wasn’t right for him to promise something he couldn’t give her. He was happy with his girlfriend.

She wasn’t saying anything and he had nothing to say. The last thing he needed to do was implicate himself in an already bad situation. He missed her. A lot. He had no problem telling her that. He did, however, have a problem with getting her hopes up. He loved his girlfriend and he wouldn’t live her for the slim chance that he could still fix things with Ellie.

Unfortunately that didn’t make these calls any better or any easier to ignore. He’d always answer if she called. He was just happy that she had finally calmed down. Nothing broke his heart (before or now) more than hearing her cry. She wasn’t one to let things bring her down so it was painful to bear witness to that.

“Would it be too much to ask for you to come over?”

He exhaled slowly, eyes closing at the neediness in her voice. She’d asked him on countless occasions and every single time it took everything not to just go to her.

“I can’t.”

She was silent once more, “I know. I guess I was just hoping that you might have changed your mind.” He said nothing as she made quiet sounds on her end, pulling herself back together, “Seung Hyun?”

Like a hand squeezing his heart, he felt it every time she said his name. But things had changed, and he wouldn’t, no, couldn’t, do that to his girlfriend. She was his rock and he was hers, no matter what.

“Yeah?”

“You love her, right?”

“Yeah I do.”

She exhaled shakily, “Cherish her, then. And let her get close to you. Don’t make the mistakes we made ruin what you have now. Promise me.”

He wet his lips, “I promise.”

He could tell she was crying again but what could he do? He would never lie to her and he’d never led her on that things would ever be like they used to be.

“Thank you. For everything.”

And before he could respond he heard the distinct click as she ended the call. He stared at the lit screen of his phone as it blinked her name before going back to his main screen. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, running his hands through his hair before he turned and grabbed the door knob. He jumped when he came face to face with his girlfriend, her hair sleep tousled.

“What are you doing?” she asked, clearing the rasp from .

“Checking the laundry before bed,” he covered, pulling the door shut behind him, “Are you tired?”

She nodded sleepily, “Yeah. But you hate laundry?”

Seung Hyun smiled, more to himself than anyone, “Yeah, I do.”

And without another word he leaned down and kissed her sweetly.

He’d do exactly what Ellie had told him. He might still miss her and what they had together, but he wouldn’t jeopardize the time he had now. She was his one. 

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