DARA’S POV

After Donghae's reassuring words during our dance, I couldn’t help but tear up. I was really glad Donghae was here. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what could have happened to me tonight.

When one of Taeyeon’s friends told me she wanted to dance with Donghae, I took the chance to be alone.

Thus, I was outside right now. Thinking that I was alone anyways, I took off the poised side of me as I sprawled over one of the benches. I was too tired that I could pass out anytime. So, I rested my head on the backrest and stretched my tired legs in attempts of soothing the pain I got from the high heels worn tonight.

I swear if it wasn’t for Taeyeon, I wouldn’t have worn this thing.

After I closed my eyes and breathed in and out, I felt someone’s presence. I knew that it was Donghae. He already knew that if I wanted to be alone, I wanted to be alone. However, I’m amazed at how persistent he could get. Although he knew that fact, he would stay by my side, keeping his silence but letting his presence known. Besides, it was the thing that I needed and I found it on him. It was such a paradox – me wanting to be alone, but still wanting to be not alone. Honestly, I couldn’t really understand myself.

Anyway, since I knew it was just Donghae, I let him be and just stayed with my eyes closed.

Later, I felt a warm and soft pair of hands taking my heels off. Okay, so these hands were super familiar, but I don’t think it belonged to Donghae. Alarmed, I opened my eyes and leaned forward.

“J…Jiyong,” I said, shocked. “What are you doing?”

He stared back at me and then down to my feet. “Who told you to wear heels tonight?”

I creased my brows. “Why do you even care? It’s not like I would wear my Converse sneakers at that kind of party.”

“But you wear them when you go to clubs?” he asked as he took off the other one.

I forcefully pulled back my leg, causing pain to run through it. “Ow,” I said.

“Careful,” Jiyong said, grabbing my feet back and placed them on his lap.

“I don’t need your help,” I said, pulling them again, causing the same pain to me.

“I told you to be careful,” he said, staring at me. And there was something at the way he stared that made me comply.

So, Jiyong started massaging my bare feet, careful on not pressing them too hard as I occasionally whimpered and winced in pain. And then he took out Band-Aid from his pocket and then carefully put them over the wounds I got from the heels.

When he was done, he took out a pair of shoes from behind him, which I hadn’t noticed until now and wore it on my feet. “Wear my shoes first,” he ordered. “I know they’re too large but you have to wear them first so that your feet won’t hurt more. But stay here first. You need to rest for a while,” he said and then looked up at me. “Don’t ever wear high heels again.”

I looked away, my hands clenching on my lap. “Why do you even care?” I mumbled under my breath, trying my best for him to not hear it.

“Why do I care?” he asked, taking the space beside. “You perfectly know how sensitive I could get when it came to you.”

My head snapped towards him, but he was staring at the sky.

“Do you remember that time when you went home from the dinner with your grandfather and your feet were wounded too, just like now? And then I had to run to your rescue to help you with them and then you were crying the whole time?”

What was he up to? Why was he walking down memory lane? It wasn’t what I needed right now. I needed to get away from this right away. “Look, I’m not talking to you about the past. They had happened long ago and there’s no use bringing it up.”

I said, and tried standing up when I almost stumbled because of the pain of my feet. I closed my eyes, anticipating the cold hard ground beneath me but a pair of hands caught me by the waist. As I opened my eyes and turned to my side, two gorgeous eyes met mine, eyes that I had missed staring at, eyes that once told me how he loved me, eyes that once made me feel that I was the most special girl in the world.

I blinked, almost forgetting the act that I had to put up with. He blinked too, probably shocked at what happened. I looked away, feeling my cheeks heating.

“I told you to be careful,” he said, too close on my ear that memories of him whispering sweet nothings from way before flashed inside my mind. And for a while, I wanted to run away from here, if only my feet weren’t hurting.

“You should sit and rest first,” he said again, leading me back to the bench. I completely forgot that his hands were still on my hips until he let me sit on the bench. “This wouldn’t take long.”

“My feet are too painful. I bet this would take long and I had to be with y—“

“I’m not talking about your feet,” he said. I stared at him but he wasn’t looking my way. “Well, of course, I know you’re feet are hurting and I’m not in the place to say this but I sure am thankful for that.”

I creased my brows. “What are you talking about?”

What was he talking about? After showing how he cared, he would say otherwise? What was up with him?

“If your feet aren’t hurting, you must have been inside by now,” he answered, not really making sense, until he continued. “If your feet aren’t hurting, I wouldn’t be able to be with you even just for a short while,” he said, turning to me, then. “Let me say what I have in mind, please? Just for tonight? Hear me out.”

Seconds of his gaze fixed on mine already made my heart went wild. It was so captivating, his gaze. And I wanted to stay that way forever. But I couldn’t, so I looked away and didn’t respond.

He must have taken it as a yes because he continued speaking, but not before sighing deeply.

“I miss being with you,” he said.

And by those words, tears were already threatening to fall.

“I miss those times we were together,” he continued. “I miss those times when you would cook for me after my long hours at the university. I miss those times when I could cuddle with you if we didn’t have anything else to do. I miss those times that I don’t feel bored even just by sitting beside you. I miss those times when I would feel warm lips being planted on my cheeks while I was sleeping. I miss those times when you would snuggle next to me while we were sleeping. I miss those times when you would make a fool of yourself and turn red because of embarrassment while I tease you,” he paused, chuckling a little.

My head was turned away. I hadn’t moved since I looked away a while ago, before he talked. My head bowed, my hands planted on the edge of the bench to support me, and my hair covering my face, the tears had escaped my lids and fell freely. I tried to swallow the lump that was threatening to come out as I wouldn’t want Jiyong to hear me sob.

“I miss those times when you wrap your arms around me while I was studying because you had nothing else to do. I miss those times when you would surprise me with a smack on my lips because you just feel like doing it. I miss those times you would smile at me to lighten up my mood. I miss your lame jokes, your voice, your eyes, your smile…” he paused again. “I miss you, Dara.”

I shut my eyes tight so that the tears will stop falling, but they just spilled harder.

“Seven years had been long enough…” he continued. “Seven years were too heartbreaking. You don’t have an idea how much I suffered.”

With his words, I opened my eyes. What was he saying? Suffering?

“And up until now, I needed answers and you never gave them to me. You never even tried to answer them, avoiding me and all,” he breathed in before he continued. “I just can’t understand why you hurt me like this.”

Hastily, I wiped my tears away and then faced him. “You know what, you’re right…” I said, my voice rising. I even stood up, forgetting about my hurting feet. “I hurt you. And it didn’t even affect me, as you can see.  I hurt you because I just felt like it. I hurt you because I couldn’t do anything else. There was no reason, Jiyong. Nothing at all. And you’re hurt. Yes, you’re hurt.”

I clenched my jaw, the lump slowly rising but I tried to keep it in.

“Now if you think how cruel I was for hurting you, then just forget about it. No more conversations like this. No more conversations to make me feel guilty because I didn’t feel anything. Nothing at all!” I finished, panting real hard.

Jiyong just stared at me. He was also standing in front of me, not moving an inch, probably shocked with my outbursts and revelations I told him, which were actually lies.

“You were here after all,” a voice interrupted us.

I turned around and it was Donghae. I felt relieved that it was him and not some other people as it would stir something between Jiyong and me.

“Donghae…” I whispered his name.

He stared at me from head to toe and nodded. “I figured your feet would be hurting by now,” he said, raising the cute bunny slippers he had on his hands. It was mine. Maybe he was able to go to my room. I texted him a while ago about the room number and passcode if ever he would drop in anytime. “It looks like I was too late,” he said, staring down at my feet.

I stared down too and saw that I was wearing Jiyong’s shoes. I almost forgot about it.

“Never mind about this,” I said, stepping off from the shoes. “It’s too big and uncomfortable anyways.”

Donghae crouched in front of me and made me wear the slippers. “Better,” he said, looking up at me as I faked a smile. He then stared behind me. “You’re here, Mister Groom,” he said, acknowledging Jiyong. He draped his arm on my shoulder as he pulled me closer. “I wonder why you’re talking to my girl when your girl is looking for you inside. You don’t want her to witness this, do you?”

I stared at Donghae and then to Jiyong, who had his eyes fixed on Donghae, staring deep as if boring a hole on his skull, while Donghae was the exact opposite. He had a playful smirk on his lips.

“Now, we’re going to our room and rest. I’m sure Dara is tired,” Donghae said, turning around.

As we walked away, I whispered. “Thank you.”

“Figured you might need my help,” Donghae said. “You’re welcome.”

As we neared the entrance of the hall, we saw three guys who just went out. As soon as they saw us, they immediately bowed in greeting. And it took me time to recognize them – Seungri, Daesung, and Seunghyun – Jiyong’s friends back in high school.

“Omo, it’s really her,” Seungri said, his eyes wide.

“I can’t believe it,” Daesung said, his small eyes unbelievably wider than Seungri’s.

I stared at Seunghyun as his eyes were wide too, but he was too speechless to even say anything.

I bowed my head to greet them. “Annyeong haseyo, how have you been?”

“Your friends?” Donghae whispered.

I nodded. “Guys, this is—“

“Noona!” Seungri grabbed me by my shoulder. “What happened?! Why aren’t you marrying Jiyong instead?!”

I covered his mouth as I looked around. No other people. Thank goodness.

“Yeah, and who’s this guy?” Seunghyun asked, speaking for the first time as he went closer to Donghae and towered over him as he appeared a little bit taller than him.

“Guys, I don’t have time to explain this to you. Maybe some other time? Or just ask Jiyong,” I said. “I’m too tired,” I said, bowing, as Donghae and I left them astounded on their spots.

Donghae and I entered my room. And as soon as he closed the door behind us, he grabbed me by waist, pulled me closer to him, and crashed his lips to mine. The kiss was hungry as his tongue explored my mouth. He put his hand on my nape to deepen the kiss but I pushed him away.

“Donghae…”

“What?!” he snapped back, his lust-filled eyes meeting my shocked ones.

I was about to tell him that I was really tired and I wanted to just rest. But seeing his state right now, he seemed to need me more than I needed him. And I figured out why – it was because of he found me with Jiyong a while ago. I knew he felt jealous just by the way he possessively acted back then.

“Nothing,” I said, grabbing him by his nape to pull him back to me. “I was about to tell you that we must do it on the bed instead,” I said before crashing my lips with his.