Part 2

Hey Stranger

My eyelids were heavy. My body was surprisingly warm, as a I snuggled under something soft. Maybe I'm in heaven, covered in a comfortable, fluffy cloud? Finally, my eyes opened to the sun shining through a window. I yawned and peacefully stretched my arms to the sky.

It dawned on me: this is not my house.

I remembered Jonghyun kicked me out of our apartment, but where did I go afterward?

Frantically, I rushed out of the bed, completely terrified. Omo, what if a picked me up from Jonghyun's door? What if I got taken by some creepy old dude with sick intentions? What if the person is an abuser? Ah! My panic mode is definitely switched on!

I walked out of the room, about to run out of the door, when I noticed a familiar figure cooking breakfast. The mouth-watering aroma of bacon and eggs filled the room. Yum, American style! Before I realized it, I found my nose following the scent, causing my body to float towards the dining table, waiting to be fed.

The figure turned around to face me, placing my plate of delicious goodness in front of me. I hungrily dug into it, not bothering to even look at who the person was.

He chuckled, “Wow, for a skinny girl you seem to eat a lot,”

With food stuffed into my mouth, I glanced up at the possible .

“You!” I stood up and pointed at the suave handsome waiter from the previous night.

He pouted, unhappy by my tone, “I have a name,”

I realized how rude I was being, yelling and complete stranger and rudely pointing at him, “Ah! Sorry! Um, I didn't catch you name,” Sitting down, embarrassed by my sudden actions.

“Taemin,” He smiled happily, “Lee Taemin,” He casually leaned over the table, leaning in towards me.

I looked down avoiding his glance and the fact that he was about a centimeter away from my trembling lips, “What?”

He pouted, unhappy, “I'm surprised you don't recognize me,”

“The sweet polite, yet lovingly charming waiter that saved me from crashing to the ground the other night OR the complete stranger who somehow managed to drag me to his place for no apparent reason?”

Taemin chuckled softly, “Yes to both. Except ONE I'm not a stranger. I go to your high school. And TWO I wasn't about to leave a defenseless innocent girl outside to freeze to death from falling asleep outside of her now ex-boyfriend Jonghyun's apartment,”

I flinched slightly at the sound of his name.

Taemin was observant and quickly rushed over to you cutely apologizing, “Ah! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have brought it up! Forgive me~” He looked up at me with big brown eyes.

I laughed and playfully flicked his forehead, “Pabo. I'm fine really,”
 

He stared at my cautiously. Suddenly I watched as a light bulb switched on in that head of his, “I'll make it up to you,”

“You really don't have to,” I was trying to decline his offer however how could you when those gigantic chocolate pools gawked up at you in anticipation, “..... Fine....”

“YAY!!” Taemin jumped up and down in excitement. “I've got the perfect place,”

The Amusement Park

Taemin and I were walking through the busy, bustling crowds of the amusement park. It was already around 5 o'clock and there still was a ton of people. I hadn't even realized that Taemin and I had been there for hours. I had been so distracted with the rides and the fact that Taemin promised to buy me whatever I wanted AND pay for all the games I wanted to play.

Taemin was kind enough to by me a yummy waffle cone filled with various flavors of ice cream, all piled high into a colossal mountain. We sat down on a bench, merrily consuming the delicious dessert.

“Thanks Taemin~” I excitedly chirped as I started chowing down on my ice cream, “This is so delicious,”

“I'm glad you like it,” Taemin smirked, embracing the cute moment of me happily lapping the ice cream like an adorable puppy dog.

“I'm curious though,” Taemin's serious switch seemed to turn on as he placed his elbow on his leg, face resting on his palm, leaning in to carefully and charismatically gaze at me, “What is your full story with Jonghyun?”

I sighed, starting to slowly eat my ice cream, “Haven't you heard the rumors go around the school?”

“Yes I've heard them,” He scooted closer to me on the bench, his leg touching mine, “But I'd rather hear the truth from the source,”

I let out a heavy breath, “Pretty much all the rumors are true. Except the part about me being pregnant!” I huffed, “Why would people think that?”

“Well you were Jonghyun's girlfriend,” Taemin responded. I just gave him the death glare, “I'm sorry. Continue your story,”

“Well, this is were it all began. Jonghyun and I became official boyfriend/girlfriend during our Sophomore year of high school. However, I was afraid to confess this to my parents. I grew up with Jonghyun and he was the best childhood friend anyone could have. That was the image my parents had of him: Forever my guy FRIEND.

My parents were very traditional and strict, never allowing me to misbehave or step out of line for a second. I was send to an all girls' school so that I wouldn't be tempted to misbehave. They pushed me to work hard in everything I did, always getting straight A's, always winning in musical competitions, and always staying away from crazy dance parties. Of course, as the rebellious kid I was, I still managed to sneak away with things here and there.

The day I told my parents of the truth, thinking they'd be understanding, my world came crashing down. They scolded me, yelled at me, pushed me, shoved me, and knocked me down. Before I realized it, I was getting a serious beating, leaving bruises on me. With that, I was sent to my room to reflect of my 'sins' and wrong doings. However, that was the night I packed up my things and hopped out of my window, never turning back again.

Jonghyun was there for me. We moved into an apartment together. I moved into the same public school as him, using a fake last name. I pretended that my parents had been killed in a car accident and that they had been the last of my family, pleading to the principal to let me get education at their school. The tenderhearted woman agreed.

From then on, Jonghyun and I were inseparable, nothing could tear us apart. Jonghyun would comfort me as the event with my parents left me scarred and traumatized. Jonghyun would always compliment me, telling me the sweetest things, boosting my confidence. He was always understanding, kind, and compassionate. However, it seemed like living with him made us grow closer, giving us an unbreakable bond.

Jonghyun and I would playfully fight and tackle each other, wrestling on the bed, only to become tired. We'd then lie down in the bed together, Jonghyun lovingly hugging me, as we drifted off into a dreamland of sleep. The next morning we'd awake in each other's arms, tenderly and sweetly kissing each other good morning. This became our ritual every day and night. Slowly, but surely, it seemed that my whole life revolved around him.”

Before I realized it, the tears started pouring. The salty, unclean, tormented tears dropped into the sweet delicious ice cream, ruining the taste. Not even sweet ice cream could cheer me up. It just tasted bitter now.

“Here,” Taemin gently wiped my tears with tissues, “I want to take you somewhere,”

I nodded my head softly, willingly letting him lead me to where ever his heart desired. I stood there, gawking at the massive size of the object, lighting up with neon colors, illuminating the sky which slowly became darker as the sun began to set.

The Ferris Wheel.