“Get up.”

A groan.

A sigh.

“You have to face the world sometime, Jonghyun.” Aron, his roommate and practically his older brother, stood over his bed.

“No he doesn’t.” Baekho leaned in the doorway and smirked. Jonghyun took the opportunity to bury his head under a pillow.

“Damn it, Baekho!” Aron pried the pillow off and threw it at the younger boy, who ducked out of the way and disappeared into the bowels of the dorm.

Aron returned his attention to his friend. He was joined by another boy.

“I know that you’re completely incapacitated and all,” Ren picked at the stitches on his jeans. “But you have to move on. I doubt that she hasn’t already.”

Jonghyun released a horrible, wounded moan and balled his blanket up in his fists.

“You’re not helping.” Aron said, shoving Ren out of the room.

“Do you think she really has moved on?” The boy didn’t even pick up his head. ‘She’s probably found someone new already.”

Aron sat on the side of the bed and sighed.

“I’ll bet she’s happier this way.”

“Don’t say it like that.” The older one winced.

“It’s true! If she saw me on the street, she probably wouldn’t even look twice.”

“You wouldn’t know that.” Aron said flatly. “You haven’t been out on a street in a week.”

“Details.” Jonghyun scoffed. “I don’t think I could get up if I wanted to. My legs are like jelly.”

The pair spent a moment staring at the floor. Finally, Aron stood.

“Well you won’t know until you try.” He suddenly yanked his friend out of bed.

“It’s cold out here!” Jonghyun shrieked before he collapsed to the floor. He started scrambling back toward his warm bed but Aron blocked his path.

“No you don’t. Go and get cleaned up.” He pointed to the bathroom across the hall.

Jonghyun slowly rose and made his way out of his bedroom. He locked the door behind him. He didn’t need any help.

He settled his elbows on the countertop and looked into the sink. He wasn’t ready to look in the mirror yet.

Wake up.

He splashed himself in the face and looked up.

He saw cold eyes. Broken eyes. Red and swollen from harboring tears.

Eyes that held love but didn’t receive it.

He shook his head and all of the sights blurred together. Running his fingers through his hair, he turned toward the door. He took a deep breath and emerged from the bathroom.

He followed the voices of his friends to the kitchen. There Aron faced the stove and Minhyun sat the table, scanning a laptop carelessly. Aron set a place down once Jonghyun found a seat.

“I’m not hungry.” He pushed it toward the center of the table.

“Bull.” Aron smacked his arm with a spatula. “You stopped eating two days ago.”

“What the hell was that?” Jonghyun asked, rubbing the offended area.

“I do believe you’ve just been spatulated.” Minhyun barely looked up. Aron shook his head.

“Eat before I force-feed you.”

Minhyun snorted and received a glare from the oldest member of the group.

Jonghyun slowly pushed food around his plate while Aron stood over him.

When he decided he was done, he stood and set to return to his bed.

“Hold it right there.” Aron grabbed his shirt collar.

Jonghyun groaned.

“There’s this glorious ball of light called the sun and you haven’t seen it in a while. So go get dressed.” Aron said, sending him off.

Jonghyun stripped his shirt off as he entered his room, turning to inspect himself in the mirror. He looked a little thin. Nothing to be worried about. Aron was overreacting.

He pulled a blue v-neck over his head. It was her favorite shirt on him.

Was.

He shook his head and changed.

How could he clear his mind if it kept going back to her?

He sighed and headed for the door.

“If I really have to go then I’m not coming back.” He aimed his threat at Aron.

He was informed that he’d be seen for dinner and then he left.

The walk downtown only took a few minutes and he was soon surrounded by bustling people, soaking in their energy. A couple passed by him, their gaze never breaking and their fingers locked. He quickly averted his eyes to the window of a restaurant.

Straight to a man and woman, laughing across a table.

His gaze dropped to the sidewalk beneath him.

‘If I don’t look then I can’t see that everyone is happy except me.’

He looked up, a second too late, and collided head-on with whoever was headed in his direction.

All of the air was forced out of his body.

“I’m so sorry!” He stammered. The girl he had crashed into looked up.

“Eunmi.”

“Hi, Jonghyun.” She smiled softly.

Eunmi.

His best friend, the love of his life.

Until they called it quits.

“How are you?” She asked.

Three simple words. Why couldn’t he find his own?

“I’ve been better.” He choked out a chuckle. “How about you?”

“I’m fine, I guess.” She shrugged.

They stood awkwardly for a few minutes. Eunmi opened to speak but then snapped it shut.

“I guess I’ll see you around.” Jonghyun started to step around her. She nodded. They parted.

One.

Two.

Three steps.

“Eunmi, wait.” He turned around to find her already facing him. “You may be over me but I’m not over you.”

“Jonghyun, I-” She started.

“No.” He closed the distance between the two. “How can I forget you that easily? It’s too hard. No matter how much time passes, the reality would still be the same. We used to be-”

“Jonghyun..” She said warily.

“I want you back.”

She stared back at him in disbelief as the words flowed from his mouth.

He had to prevent his jaw from dropping when he heard them come from hers.

“What?”

“We never should have decided to go our separate ways.” Her lip quivered. “Even the simplest things hold memories that send me straight back to you. I can’t deal with it anymore.”

“Eunmi, I don’t-”

She rushed him and wrapped her arms around his midsection.

“And don’t say you aren’t like this too because you just admitted it, you jerk.”

Same Eunmi.

Abrasive as ever.

Somehow one arm made its way around her as the other cradled her head that had been buried in his chest.

He could feel her tears that soaked through his t-shirt and the sobs that racked her body.

She could feel his heartbeat and its elevated pace that began when he saw her.

“I loved you.” Jonghyun said. His face turned downward so his lips pressed against the top of her head. “And I’m still loving you.”