The Stolen Day

"Time to wake up mushroom head, we don’t have a lifetime to spend together!”

Taemin hardly registered her voice- tune so close, yet so distant for his ears. He didn’t even know he was sleeping until he had to open his eyes, actually. All he was sure of was the touch of warm fingertips on his cheek and the soft brush of delicate lips against his dry ones.

“Wh-who are you?” he asked as soon as he felt his lips free again. Taemin backed up in hurry, eyes searching for the one disturbing him and left hand reaching to his heart as always, a habit that showed up whenever he was nervous. “Why did you kiss me?”

“What does it matter?” she said and a playful smile curled up on her lips, leaving the boy speechless for no visual reason. “Come on mister, we have so much to do in only one day!”

Was this a joke? Did the other members play a prank on him? Was it because he bragged about being alone too often? Taemin had so many questions in his mind, ones like who was the girl dragging him to god-knows-where and how the heck did he end up at a place like this. Wait, where was he again?- Taemin quickly took a glimpse of his surroundings, which surprisingly were nothing more than a beautiful sea on his left and a peaceful beach on the right with no one else around. He felt odd about this, but couldn’t help himself and took a deep breath of the clean air offered to him.

If this was a joke, then it was definitely made by someone who knew him well enough to guess he loved this kind of sceneries the most.

“We are almost there!” her voice interrupted his thoughts when he just got used to the calmness of the place. “Look what’s waiting for us!” she said, pointing out a green blanket and a basket, obviously full of snacks for them.

She kept pulling him on, never once letting go of the hand she held tightly. As if she did, she’d lose him; as if she did, she’d lose herself, too.

It took time for Taemin to decide whether this girl was a trouble or something less disturbing than that. There was something about her; she kept asking every possible question about him- his name, family, job, his dogs even- and strangely, Taemin answered to all with no second thought. A thing he couldn’t put a name on made him trust her, as if she wasn’t a creepy stranger but someone much more important than that. Her voice, giving birth to shy words, sounded somewhere too far to reminiscence and too close to forget. Her small frame, the long hair falling down on her fragile torso and those warm, tender fingertips touching his skin felt so painfully familiar to him, as if he had seen them many times before; maybe months, years or lifetimes ago.

“It’s hard though, isn’t it?” she asked once, “Having so many people around you and still being lonely…”

“How do you know I’m lonely?”

“I know you better than you can imagine, mushroom head.” she replied and somehow, Taemin didn’t doubt her words. “I just… can see through you, I guess. You can laugh as loud as you can, smile until your mouth hurts, you can even fool yourself thinking you’re happy, but I see the loneliness behind those beautiful eyes of yours, Taemin. And I’m so sorry about it, since it’s all my fault… it’ll all be my fault.”

“How could my loneliness be your fault?” he asked gently, looking at her deep, brown eyes up close for the first time. He could have sworn he almost recognized someone in there, someone as close yet distant just like her before she closed them and kissed him fondly, long enough to make him understand everything she couldn’t explain with words.

The day had already ended when Taemin finally encouraged himself to wrap a hand around her waist. He wasn’t really sure why he did it, though- it was a movement forced by his frequently beating heart, not something thought over by his mind. So when her answer was to cuddle closer instead backing away, Taemin had hard time recognizing the unknown feeling formed within him- was it fear? Anxiety? Maybe excitement? Happiness? Or a feeling that perfectly combined all in one, the one he had been waiting for a while now.

Love?..

“It feels like time doesn’t exist here, with you.” he said as they were looking at the night sky, his fingers warmly intertwined with hers. That was why he felt the invisible motion when her hand stared shaking slightly. “Why are you so quiet all of sudden? No more questions about me?”

“Time does exist, and ours is already running up, dear.” she replied faintly, turning to him with a sad smile on her lips. “Can you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“Close your eyes.” she said, closing her own as well. “Listen carefully. What do you hear?”

“I hear…” he started playfully. “the sea?”

“Listen closer.” she said, taking his hands in hers. “What do you hear?”

It took a moment for Taemin to identify a silent melody in the wind blowing against him. It was hard to catch the notes first, but soon after he was already humming along with them. The temper even reminded him a steady heartbeat.

“Can you hear it now?”

“Yes. And I like it.” he replied, then hesitated a bit. “It sounds like something I would write, you know.”

“I know.” she whispered, caressing the space between his thumb and forefinger. “It is your writing. Or would have been, to be exact. If we could only meet… under different circumstances.”

“What do you mean?”

“What does it matter, my love?” she said, fondly tracing his eyelashes as he opened his eyes. “Our meeting in this lifetime was too short, and it’s almost over.” she continued, placing her palm on his tense cheek.

“Why are you talking like that? We just met! If it’s you, if it’s really you, I’m not letting go that easily!”

“It’s time to wake up for real now, Taemin.” she mumbled, looking down on their still intertwined fingers. He followed her gaze and the image of their hands together, the image of her small hand with a pretty mole on her wrist engraved upon his memory forever.

“But I don’t know a thing about you. I didn’t even ask your name! It’s too early…”

“Try to be happy as much as possible without me, okay? Surround yourself with people who cherish you. We have been separated before too, we’ll get through it again.” she said with an unsteady voice, shortening the space between their lips. “I love you, soulmate…”

I love you, soulmate…

Taemin heard these words for a long time, along with the melody she made him listen before he closed his eyes again. But soon her voice fated just like the notes he used to hear, leaving only a steady rhythm of a heartbeat behind. Yet there was something wrong with that heart- its beat sounded too loud, too mechanic to be a normal palpitation.

“Oh my God, he’s waking up!” he heard someone saying, “Guys! Tae is waking up!” he could never mistake this voice. Minho.

Heavy sighs of relief followed next and Taemin heard footsteps nearing him. The moment he tried to open his eyes a sharp pain hit his whole body ruthlessly, making him let out a painful moan.

“Thank you, God.” Jinki’s whisper sounded right beside him. “Thank you for not taking him.”

“Tae baby? Can you hear us baby? Are you okay?” Kibum’s worried voice overtook the room. “You were in a huge car crash Tae, do you remember anything? You’ve been unconscious for more than a day baby, we were so worried!”

“Don’t talk too loud, Kibum-ah, you’re confusing him.” Jonghyun said, trying to calm him a bit. “ Your parents are on their way Tae. Everything is going to be okay, don’t worry.”

Taemin tried to blink, tried to think and say something to them, but there was nothing coming out from his mouth. The only thoughts in his mind, the only two things he could think about were a small mole on someone’s right wrist and a sentence said with an incognizable voice.

I love you, soulmate…