Chapter 17!          Till We Meet Again

A/N: i wrote this chapter while listening to On Rainy Days, and i recommend you listen to it while reading this.

“Do you think she’ll come?”

“Why not? She came the last time. And this will be our last morning together…”

“But we did depart from each other really late yesterday … she might not want to wake up and come here.”

“She will. I’m sure. Besides, she’s not as lazy as us, I bet.”

“Yah, if even Doojoon hyung can get up, I’m sure she can. She’ll be here.”

“But it’s not even like we made an appointment to meet here…”

“Don’t be so negative. It’s still early. Let’s just watch and see.”

The six guys huddled together, the mercilessly cold wind blowing around them, as they waited, some patiently, others not so, in the darkness broken by scattered small lights.

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“Omo… you guys are already here. And I was wondering if you’ll come too…”

The feminine voice caught their attention, as they all spun around to face the owner.  Joy reflected in the boys faces as they gazed at Nicolette. Her messy short hair blew in the wind, her eyes showing her tiredness as did her face.

Not talking much, the group faced the sea, watching as the dawn approached. Black mixed with dark blue, as different shades of red filled the sky. The thick clouds covering the sky were painted dark red, tinted with a few lighter shades here and there. It was like watching an artist painting, the sky as his canvas. Eventually, the dark red were tainted to a bright orange, before fading to the dark grey of the clouds as morning came.

“Red sky in the morning, sailors’ warning…” Nicolette mumbled, as the guys started chatting and joking about, getting about their antics. Somehow, it felt as if the dawn, as beautiful as it was, was a forewarning of the storm ahead. The storm she was about to bring upon them.

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“Guys, I have a request.” Nicolette said, the gravity of her voice stopped the fooling about of the boys and they all looked at her, wondering why the seriousness all of a sudden. Knowing she had the guys’ attention, she continued, “I have a request… that I wish you would fulfill for me… Is that alright?”

The guys nodded in agreement, watching her carefully.

“I… I want…” Nicolette choked the words out. Taking a deep breath, she gave it all in one shot. “I want you to treat me as a normal fan after this. Everything returns to normal, I’m just a fan, you don’t know me. The memories we shared together the past two days would just be like a dream. A beautiful dream and nothing more.” Her last sentence came out as a mere whisper, almost lost in the wind.

The guys stared at her, stunned by her request, as Nicolette fought the threatening tears, keeping her head down the whole time.

“Wae? Why? After all these…” Yoseob struggled with his words, struggling with his emotions, as they all were.

“There… There’s no way we can continue the way we are here after this… we probably won’t even see each other again…” Nicolette replied, desperately trying to keep her voice steady. You probably won’t notice me again even if we happen to meet.

“But, but we can try! We can find a way! We can-” Dongwoon pleaded, grasping at straws. The slight shake of Nicolette’s head silenced him.

“Please.” She requested. It would be less painful this way…

Slowly, one by one, the guys gave their consent, turning to walk away as they did so. Left as the only one at the bow, Nicolette turned to face the sea, her vision blurred, unfocused. The wind blew back her short black hair, revealing the silver droplets trailing down her face. Her hands gripped the railings tightly as silent whimpers escaped from her lips.

Thunder rumbled in the distance when Nicolette finally turned to return to her room.

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Breakfast was taken in silence, all feeling the foreboding ending awaiting them as ever-growing signs indicated the docking of their cruise. Their bags all packed and waiting in their rooms, they sat in the posh English restaurant, the light melody flowing from the grand piano in contrast with their somber mood. The guys had spotted Nicolette coming into the restaurant, laughing as if nothing had happened, far away as they were at the far end of the restaurant. It was almost as if nothing else existed except them and her.

From their table next to the wall of glass, the churning of the waters caused by the engines seemed to indicate the sea of memories they were leaving behind. The growing numbers of ships passing theirs designated the fast approaching shore. The thick, grey clouds covering the expanse of the sky comforted them, as if the heavens empathized with their feelings.

This new day didn’t seem so bright after all.

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The lone figure stood by the railing, watching as the ship sailed into the cove, stirring up the sand as it entered shallower waters. The hustling in the room did not affect her one bit, as the churning of the waters beneath her churned along with her memories. The past two days were unlike any she had ever had, unlike any she will ever have. A dream come true, she had nothing more she could ask for except for the dream to not end. Like a princess in a fairytale she had met her prince charming, princes charming even. But unlike a fairytale, she cannot have a happy ever after with them.

Leaning over the railing, a flood of bittersweet memories washed over her. Teardrops fell from her eyes to the sea, forming a ripple not much unlike the drops falling from the sky.

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The figure stared in dismay at the gate in front of him, his fingers grasping the wire mesh, realizing the courts were locked, out of his reach. Heaving a sigh, he pushed his body away, turning to walk away, his steps heavy. Wandering, he found an open space cleared in front of him, no one around. Lying in the middle of the helicopter pad, he spread his big frame in the circle, thinking of the times they shared with her on this massive cruise, the times he shared with her, in those inaccessible courts just nearby.

In that one chance encounter, he had found a game partner, a junior to train, a girl to tease, a friend to share laughter and sweat with, a sister like one he never had. Just through a simple game, they had learnt so much about each other, growing closer, breaking the wall they once had. Now that wall has to come between them again… as promised.

Lifting his arm to cover his face, a precious silver drop caught on to his muscular arm, flowing over the ridges under his smooth skin, as he began to be pelted by heavenly tears.

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He just stood there. Hands gripping the railings, head lifted high, hair being blown back messily. His unfocused eyes could not see the hazed view in front of him, spectacular as it was. All it could see, all he could see, was the silhouette of the girl he had once held in his arms. His chest ached, longing for the familiar warmth of the body he had held, pressed against his.

Though he was the last, though the moment they had shared was short, he knew it was special. To him, and to her. It was almost as if they were meant to be with each other, meant to experience that dreamy movie scene together. It felt as if they had belonged together. But not anymore. Like the cursed fate of the characters in the movie, he was to leave her side, never to meet again, never to feel her warmth again.

Eyes closed, the tears escaping from the corners mixed with the tears from the sky, streaming down his face, leaving a salty aftertaste.

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Running his hand along the cold metal as he made his way down the winding steps, he entered the room. The red light thrown across the room reminded him of the sunrise they had watched together, the colour forewarning the storm, forewarning their separation. His palm pressed against the smooth glass, his breath fogging it, as he stood at the place she once stood. How he wished she was here with him one last time.

He was the first, yet the one she was the most unwilling to be with, the one she was most afraid of. She had taken the courage, led him to her secret place, softened his tough exterior unexpectedly. Without what she had done, he would probably have not enjoyed this cruise. Probably none of them would. She had changed this whole trip. Changed his life. And now, she was doing it again, unexpectedly.

His hand clenched into a fist on the glass panel, his forehead pressed against its coolness, his breath condensing on the glass, slowly forming the droplets he refused to let form in himself.

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The boy seated himself on the metal beam, leaning against the glass like how she had described herself doing when she was younger. The light shining through the wall of glass seemed less bright than the time when she was here with him. The light in his life now gone. The people rushing along the corridor did not bother him, lost as he was in the small protruding corner, lost in his own world of memories.

He had seen, helped orchestrated, the openness of the girl to them, to him. Running about the ship, along the corridors, down the gallery… Searching for photos, taking them… He had been her prince in their sailing castle for a moment, however short, temporary it was. And now they had to return to their different kingdoms, their different countries…

Pulling out his phone, he lightly ran his finger over the screen, over her smiling face he had managed to capture just before she wondered what he was doing. If only I could bring home more of you with me…

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The sound of metal clinking on each other reverberated in the small air-conditioned room, the man pulling them panting, sweat dripping from his hot body. “The workout will clear my mind.” He kept telling himself over and over again. But no matter how heavy the weight he set, his mind would stay on the girl who had sat in this very room with him, listening to him, helping him.

What were the odds, that in a foreign country, on a short secret vacation, he would meet someone who he was comfortable with? Yet, he did meet that someone. Someone willing to spend time with him, listening to him, be so genuinely concerned, not laughing even at his petty worries, helping him, cheering him up…

Releasing the weights, he leaned forwards, his arms on his legs, smiling despite the wanting to cry. I’ll always remember what you had said to me, no matter how much you want me to forget. Some things are not meant to be forgotten and can never be erased.

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He walked down the deck, stopping only when he reached the spot he was pretty sure was beneath her balcony, beneath the place they created a beautiful memory, beneath the place he would never have access to ever again. Leaning on the railing, he watched as the land, with all its beauty and structures passed by, recalling how they had just enjoyed watching the vast empty sea in each other’s company.

His special girl. She who had never treated him like the maknae, never teased or bullied him, but treated him like the man he was, same as she did the rest.

He smiled, thinking back on how she had pulled off the prank, avenging him of his hyungs’ teasing. His memories were interrupted by the tapping on his shoulder.

“Excuse me sir, you can’t stand here anymore. We need to clear the 7^th deck as the cruise is docking soon.” The crew told him.

Nodding in acknowledgement, he waited for the crew to walk off before he turned to face the sea, a final time.

“Noona, I’ll miss you…” he whispered, the thunder drowning out his words. Quickly turning, he could not stop the tears escaping from his eyes, could not stop the wave of emotions consuming him.

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Nicolette quickly trailed after Aunt Liz, walking fast, trying to leave her painful memories behind. Following her mother’s friend, she was soon out of the cruise, exiting with all the other platinum and gold card holders. Walking down the corridor they had walked to board the cruise, a small band of the crew sang a happy folksong in farewell. Her heart tugged at her as she brisk walked. Complying, she paused for a moment, looking through the glass window at the enormous ship.

I’ll miss all of you…

Wiping away the forming tears, she ran down the corridor. She had a meeting to get to.

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The guys piled into the car, all soaked despite the short distance from the exit to the van, showing how heavy the downpour was. Ignorant even of how drenched they were, they sat quietly, lost in their own thoughts, maybe even slightly refreshed from the natural shower.

“Hey, are you guys okay? Had fun on the cruise? Enjoyed your rest?” their manager asked them as they drove. They had to return to Korea for the rest of their schedule, their plane leaving in the evening.

“Guys?” their manager probed, slightly baffled at the silence greeting his questions. They must be tired… and I thought they would be so high…

The journey to the hotel was rode in silence. Getting out of their van, the manager tried to rush them in, wanting them to quickly change out of their wet clothes.

“Hyungs…” Dongwoon called, pausing as he stepped out of the van last. He waited till all the members were finally looking at him, waiting, their manager getting impatient on the side.

“Hyungs, we never knew her name in the end…”

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Settled in her seat on the train, Nicolette stared at the phone in her hands. As the train rattled along the tunnel, she stared at it, recalling all its new contents, though the phone battery had already died. This would be a treasure she would keep forever.

I don’t want to say goodbye either, but goodbye it is, till we meet again in my fantasies…

And the story come to an end... =(

ahh... if i would have to choose, this would be my favourite chapter out of everything, and i have to say, it turned out better than what i had thought it would...

i know many of you wouldn't like the ending and wants her to end up with someone... so to have a general feel, please comment if you would like a sequel and i might seriously consider, because i feel this story has to continue too. but if i do write a sequel, it won't be up for a long time...

and another bad news, i'll be going on hiatus until at least one month of uni starts (meaning earliest i'll be back is in september). this is due to various reasons, of which the most important would be to get used to my uni life and balance all my commitments. and i don't want to neglect the fics that i have subscribed to as well...

but the good news is BEAST'S FIRST OFFICIAL FULL ALBUM "FICTION AND FACT" IS OUT!!!!!!!!!! xDDDD

ahahahahha....

OH MY GOSH! I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION SOMETHING!! I'VE FINALLY HIT OVER 50 SUBSCRIBERS!!! xDD YOU GUYS JUST MADE MY DREAM COME TRUE!!!! THANKS PEOPLE!

this is a very happy king signing off! hope to see you all around again sometime! and thanks for supporting me thus far! =)

p.s. all comments would be replied on your wall. =)