"Whoa, oppa, look! The bracelet is so pretty!" HimChan remembered her glistening eyes as she ogled the silver bracelet on display.

HimChan had looked at the price of the bracelet and cringed internally at the three digits. He was, afterall, a schoolboy and his allowance was not enough to buy that bracelet. He could tell that she had really wanted it. So the next day, instead of the silver bracelet, HimChan had given her his favourite bracelet his mom had given him.

“Thank you HimChan!” She had chirped, wearing the bracelet immediately on her left wrist, where it had always been ever since that day.

~~~~~~~~

The melodious sound of classical violin echoed off the four walls of the extravagant restaurant, accompanied by the occasional clinks of utensils against glassware. HimChan kept fidgeting in his seat and craning his head to spot his date enter the restaurant. He had tried to keep himself busy the whole afternoon but he could not help but be really excited for the date in the evening.

"Sir, may I get you another cup?" The attendant asked, startling him a bit.

"Sure," HimChan replied.

He gazed at the back of the attendant walking away to get his Iced Americano. Sure, HimChan had came way earlier than planned, and had to wait longer as a result- not that he minded anyway as he was going crazy waiting for evening to come. However, the wall clock showed 8pm and yet she hasn’t arrived yet. Their date was supposed to start an hour ago.

HimChan sighed as he placed his elbows on the table and his chin on his palms. He looked around the luxurious restaurant, admiring the red and black decorations and observing the people in it. There was not a lot of people in the restaurant, just him, a family of five diagonally behind him by the right and few couples scattered around. The family consisted of a pair of parents in their golden years, a son, a daughter and a woman, most probably the son’s wife. HimChan felt warmth enveloping his being as his attention was taken by the family which was laughing merrily, celebration what seems to be the parents’ anniversary.

“Uhm, HimChan-ssi?” HimChan’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the familiar female voice he had longed for by his other side.

He whipped his head to the source of the voice and gaped. Dressed in a simple bare-backed black dress that clad her feminine figure with her hair tied to a neat bun, she was beautiful. “Hana-ssi,” He managed to croak.

Hana smiled, acknowledging her name. Not forgetting his manners HimChan got up to pull the chair for his date, letting her have a seat. Hana had hesitated for a while before taking a seat. After she sat, HimChan stumbled back to his seat, smiling wide like a love-struck school-girl throughout.

HimChan sat smiling from ear to ear as he looked at her as she settled down and placed her bag on the side of the table, absorbing her visuals as much as he can. She was more mature now, and even more beautiful, if it was even possible. Finally settled, she made eye-contact with HimChan and smiled once, then she looked away.

“It’s been a while, yeah?” HimChan tried starting up a conversation.

“Y-yeah” Hana stuttered a bit, still avoiding eye contact.

She must be nervous, HimChan thought to himself as he slightly giggled and drank his Americano to cover up.

Then, Hana raised her head, “Listen, HimCh-“

“Ma’am, may I have your order please?” A waitress interrupted Hana.

“Uhm, plain water should be fine. Thank you,” Hana replied.

“What about your meal? Ma’am, the soup of the day is Crème of Mushroom, today’s specials we have Grilled Chicken, Fish and Chips and-“

“No, no it’s okay. I’m fine with plain water,” Hana interjected, shaking her head, causing her bangs to sway along with the movement.

As the waitress walked away, Hana huffed in annoyance. HimChan chuckled at his date’s actions. His date. He still cannot get over that she was his date again today. He did a little squeal in his head at the realisation.

Hana busied herself as she surveyed the restaurant. As Hana’s attention was away, HimChan fumbled a bit in his blazer’s pockets. When his fingers wrapped itself around small plastic bag the size of his palm, he took it out and held it in both palms under the table.

Not saying much, HimChan just admired the way her lips were pressed in a hard line, the way her hazel irises moved as she scanned the hall, the way her attention got attracted by something slightly on HimChan’s right. Then, HimChan realised that her eyes were getting moist and tears started pooling in them.

All of sudden, Hana pushed her chair back. HimChan was rattled at her actions.

“I’m sorry, HimChan. I cannot do this. I’m sorry,” Hana said between sobs.

HimChan was astounded as Hana stood up and almost turned her back to leave. Snapping out of his state of shock, HimChan immediately stood and grabbed her wrist before she could take one more step away and pull her back to her seat. Surprisingly, she did not resist but just sat with  tears rolling down her cheeks. Panic was clearly written on HimChan’s face as he slowly stepped back to his seat, taking her hands in his.

“Hana, what is it? Why are you like this? Tell me,” HimChan persuaded, his heart racing.

Hana merely shook her lowered head as she took the tissue offered by HimChan to wipe away her tears, pulling her hands away from HimChan as a result. HimChan’s hands slipped past her wrists and that’s when he realised she was not wearing his mother’s bracelet he had given her.

HimChan’s thoughts were too muddled up as he wrecked his brains trying to remember any signs of sadness in the letters they had exchanged. Anything at all, because they had been far too long being apart and he did not want this to cause any more distance between the two of them. He thought hard: the weak smiles, avoiding eye-contact, the empty wrists… HimChan swallowed the lump in his throat.

“For six years, six years we had been hundreds of miles apart. That, I don’t mind because even though the distance, we were close at heart. I could feel it,” HimChan confided with shaky breaths. “But why is it that now, when you are just mere centimetres away from me, I feel like as if you are further away than the hundreds of miles we were days ago?”

Hearing his words, Hana sobbed harder. HimChan sighed and sat back on his seat. He was beaten. Somehow, the perfect, dreamy date he had in mind was currently weight down by an unknown matter that threatened to crack it and send it crumbling away.

“Brother… He…” Hana uttered when she managed to control her sobbing. HimChan leaned forward to hear her better. “I’m not supposed to be here. HimChan, I’m sorry but it was because I had wanted to come here, Brother had sent me off at the airport. When I touched down here, I call home and… Brother… after he sent me home he… he got in an accident and… died…”

HimChan’s hands flew to his mouth as he heard her. He was even more shocked at her explanation.

“He was supposed to be engaged next month…” Hana continued .

“Hana, I did not know,” HimChan tried to hold her hands in his but she pulled away. When she looked at him, her eyes were full of sadness and anger that HimChan almost cowered.

“YOU. It’s because of you I had come here. It’s because of you my brother died! If you hadn’t make me come here, if you hadn’t poured sugar in your sly writings, maybe my brother would still be alive. Maybe my family could once more be happy in my brother’s engagement!” Hana disputed, anger dripping with every word. Sitting up, she spit out, “I don’t ever want to see you again, you murderer!”

With that, Hana stood up once again, hurling a small item to HimChan’s direction before turning to leave the stupefied man on the table.

HimChan was stunned,  perplexed and dazed. In his head, he could literally hear the little date of his crumble under the weight of the now known issue, becoming tiny pieces of rubble as he watched the back of his now ex-lover going further away from him. He could not believe this. Slowly, he reached down on the floor to pick up the item that Hana had thrown to him to see what it was.

It was his mum’s bracelet.

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Whoop! Last Chapter coming sooooooooon! Anticipate some BangHim yeah . :D