You adjusted your dress and tried to control your heart rate. Tonight was your senior prom and you never expected to go, much less with your current date. You wiped your clammy palms against the midnight blue dress and tried to not hear the loud thudding of your pulse rate in your ears.

            “Are you ready? I think we can go in now.” Your friend broke your reverie and you looked at her.

            “I’m nervous,” you sounded near tears and she sighed.

            “Hey, it’s okay. Minhyuk won’t hate you. He would want you to be happy. Come on, don’t mess up your makeup! I spent a long time working to make you perfect okay? He’s waiting inside.”

            You bit your lip at the mention of your deceased boyfriend and shrunk away. The two of you had dated since middle school and although he wasn’t perfect, you genuinely loved him. But he was in a horrible car accident five months before that had taken his life. You still weren’t used to not having him and the thought of going to prom with another person had freaked you out.

            Yongguk had been Minhyuk’s best friend. After his death, the two of you grieved together and helped one another heal. It had been helpful to know someone who knew him as intimately as you did. The two of you slowly formed a bond and he had asked you to prom, as friends, he made sure to point out. In a spur of the moment, you had agreed.

            But now, you wished you hadn’t. Your had somehow been in a bubble, convincing yourself that it was okay, that Minhyuk would be fine with it. Your friends had talked to you and helped pick out your dress, all the while assuring you that you were doing nothing wrong. Moving on was healthy. A sob caught in your throat. You didn’t want to move on.

            “Snap out of it.” Your best friend was mad now. She had gone through the worst and now, at the last minute, she was not going to have you chicken out on her. She gripped your wrist tightly and shook you. “Snap out of it. Minhyuk is not here anymore. You don’t even have to be in love with Yongguk for goodness’ sakes. He just asked you to prom. You’re going to walk in like the princess you are and meet him with a smile on your face.”

            She softened and linked her arm through yours. “Let’s go knock them dead okay?”

            The ballroom was packed with couples already swaying to the music and you saw the sympathetic looks of the other girls as they saw you walk in. You clenched your teeth together, hating it. For the past five months, you’ve had to endure their pity and now you also had to endure their gossip as they questioned your decision to come.

            You held your head high. Your pride forced you to be confident and your friend let you go. You walked to the middle of the dance floor when the lights went out. There was a gasp and from the stage, you saw a lone spotlight. Yongguk was sitting on a stool, with a microphone in his hand. He wore a white suit and his face was downturned so you couldn’t read the expression on it.

            Music came on and he looked up. His eyes locked on yours and you read the pain. A chord struck and he started rapping. It was a song Minhyuk had helped him compose and you remembered it. Tears filled as he talked about having a secret love and having to watch her taken away by another. The entire audience lapsed into a stunned silence, unsure how to take this.

            When the song was over, the DJ took over and the mood was broken. Everyone glanced at you and went about to discuss what just happened and Yongguk walked down. You were paralyzed. The blood was rushing to your head and tears overwhelmed you. He stood before you. His hands came up to tilt your chin up and you saw the hurt in his eyes when he observed the tears slipping down your cheeks. His thumb went to wipe them away.

            “I’m sorry.”

            The fact that he apologized made you break down. You hugged yourself and tried to not make a spectacle of yourself. Yongguk stepped closer and covered you with his body. From a distance, your best friend saw and rushed to you.

            “Is she okay?”

            “I’ll take care of her.” The authoritative tone in his voice made you shiver. He held onto you and slowly led you off the dance floor and into a chair. “I’m here.”

            “Why did you do it?” You choked. “If you’re only going to apologize afterwards?”

            “Your reaction. I didn’t know what I expected but I hurt you. I made you cry. I shouldn’t have told you the truth.”

            The absurdity of your situation hit you and you started to shake. You hated yourself. “Don’t you realize, I don’t mind you did it?” You confessed. “Minhyuk’s going to hate me.”

            Yongguk held your hand and you trembled. “He told me that had the circumstances been different, he would have liked to see me with you. The two of us made a pact. I had the first girlfriend, so I gave you up. He knew that and he appreciated it.”

            You shook your head, unable to comprehend the generosity of the two boys. “He promised me that I would be able to have the first dance with you at prom. Dance with me?”

            He took your hand and the two of you stood up. He wiped at your tears with a napkin and the unhappiness on his face made you well up again. “Why did you decide to do this?”

            Yongguk stared into your eyes. The music was only a noise in the background. “He didn’t die in an accident. He knew he was dying soon. You never wondered why he was always gone for so long? He was getting treatment. He knew and I knew. I wanted to give him the chance to be with you, but he knew he would never be able to make it until prom.”

            The truth dawned and you hung onto the man in front of you. “Did I make him happy?”

            He nodded and you managed a small smile. “He gives us his blessing, you know. Today’s performance? He planned it.”

            You rested your head against Yongguk’s arm and smiled through tears, tears of gratitude this time. You swore you could almost see Minhyuk come in and wink at you. “Thank you,” you whispered.              

picture requested

I'm sorry if the prom scene was different from what you expected. I can write another one if you're unsatisfied I suppose.

I guess, I've just been a bit stressed and this helps. ♥ Some parts, especially the ending, may be a bit weird but I don't feel like changing anything. It is what it is, realistic or not.