Maybe you shouldn’t say I’m fine

Cause I know that you’re lying girl

“I’ll be late,” he says over the phone as the group rushes through the airport. He hears her sigh softly and he stops in his tracks briefly, a part of him annoyed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she responds before he even has finished the question.

Don’t say it if you’re not. I know when you’re lying. He wants to scream this to her, but she’s mumbled a quiet goodbye and all he hears is the dialtone now. Daehyun stares at his phone incredulously before stomping towards the van. This is ridiculous. They’ll talk when he gets home, but then the van pulls up to the company building and Daehyun stares out the window in surprise.

“Why--” he begins, but is cut off by the manager apologizing. They need to rerecord a part of the album because the sound wasn’t quite right. He pulls out his phone to text her, but it’s snatched out of his hands.

“Talk to her later, Daehyun. She’ll understand. We need your mind one hundred percent on the task at hand,” mutters the leader quietly.

No, she won’t, he thinks. Because she’s had to understand one too many times, but he trudges in behind s anyway. It’s past five in the morning when he finally reaches their apartment. There’s a lingering smell of freshly brewed coffee in the air, but she’s already gone. He meanders into the kitchen, grabbing a cup and fitting it under their coffee machine. He turns around to the refirgerator, but stops before opening it. There’s a small note held by magnet with his name neatly scrawled on top.

Daehyunnie,

There’s some pancakes I made for you in the fridge. There’s also some extra batter if your fat self

wants more. I guess you had a long trip and some work to catch up on, huh? It’s okay. I know

you’re busy. I’ll see soon hopefully!

Love,

Aria

The soft whirring of the coffee machine filling his cup regains his attention and Daehyun crumbles up the piece of paper in his hand, tossing it in the trash. She needs to stop lying and pretending. He eats the pancakes she made, but throws out the batter. The coffee is bitter when it touches his tongue, but the smell is sweet. It’s a confusing mix.

He leaves again around nine and when she comes back at 7, she finds the dishes done and no note. No Daehyun. She kicks off her heels and s her dress in the living room, stepping out of the garment and leaving it on the ground as she softly pads to the bathroom. She starts the hot water in the tub and removes her bra and underwear before sinking into the tub. She leaves the door open because there’s no one home anyway. And if he is, he likes to join. She doesn’t know how long she’s been in the tub, but her fingers are already pruned. She hears the apartment door open and close. He drops his bag on the sofa. His shoes are left neatly by the door. She hears the rustle of paper and plastic and hums. He brought home flowers today. She knows his routine by heart when he steps in the house. He’ll get a drink of water and then slowly make his way to the bathroom.

Sure enough, Daehyun appears, leaning on the bathroom door frame, holding her dress in his hands with a smirk playing across his face. They don’t say anything and Daehyun prefers to drink in the image of her relaxed. He puts the dress in hamper and sits on the floor next to the tub. He holds out his hand for and she laces her wet fingers with his. He frowns.

“How long have you been in there?” He asks with a laugh, “You’re already pruned.”

“Mmmm. Awhile,” she responds. “I lost track of time,” she admits as an afterthought and he snorts.

“Is everything okay?” He asks after a few moments of silence. She retracts her hand and makes a sound of affirmation. “We’re gearing for another comeback,” he says and she snorts.

“It’s not a comeback if you never leave.”

He chooses to ignore the comment and asks her again, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she snaps, standing up. Daehyun doesn’t look up as her form leans over him, dripping water on his shirt and hair, to get a towel.

“We haven’t talked in over a week,” he croaks, standing up to help her out. She glares up at him, wet hair stuck to her neck and face. He absentmindedly brushes the hair strands back.

“You’re never here,” she says matter of factly.

“Yeah,” he replies, helping dry her hair. This is routine.

“So how can we talk?” she asks, staring up at him through mussed up hair, as she walks towards their room.

He watches as she drops the towel to the floor and pulls on a pair of cute pink underwear. The ones he likes, with bows and lace. She pulls on his shirt that he had thrown on her bed earlier that morning. It still smelled of him. He steps up behind her, turning her around and forcing her to sit on the bed before kneeling on the ground.

“By telling the truth,” he states. “You’re not fine. So ing tell me you’re not fine.”

She leans down and places her forehead against his, “Daehyun, you have a comeback to worry about. I’m fine.”

He growls, annoyed and pissed and all sorts of just angry. “You’re angry when I don’t care and when I’m ing taking the time--”

“Please stop,” she whispers, slipping out of the bed and walking out of the room, but Daehyun’s done. He tired and he pulls her back by her wrist and slams her against their chest of drawers.

“No, I’m not going to ‘please stop,’” he says, mocking her tone. “Stop ing lying to me and then using it against me later. If you’re not fine--”

“That’s enough, Jung Daehyun,” she says, pushing him off. “I’m not fine. Are you satisfied? Is that what you wanted to hear? Did you want to hear that I missed you? That I’m tired of seeing couples being able to be couples? That I’m tired of hiding? That I’m tired of being second fiddle to you job every time?”

“You knew,” he starts the tired old argument, but she whirls on him.

“Shut up! This is why I didn’t want to bring it up because that’s what you always say! ‘You knew what you were getting into,’” she snaps. “I know! But aren’t I allowed to be ing human in this relationship?”

Daehyun stares at her through narrowed eyes before abruptly turning around and leaving the room. “At least you’re being ing honest now,” he snarls before slamming the apartment door shut.

Aria bites her lower lip as tears threaten to pour out. His scent is still surrounding her and she yanks off his shirt, pulling on her own t shirt to douse the scent of one Jung Daehyun before crumbling to the ground.