final.

"love is too powerful to be forgotten"

—— unknown

The girl sat at her desk, scribbling hastily in a notebook. Her pen made soft scratches against the thin paper as she wrote.

 

"It's Christmas today, Yixing.

 

Christmas had always been your favorite time of the year, right? I remember one Christmas where you dressed up as Santa Clause and made me sit on your lap to ask for a present… you silly boy. 

 

Today is my first Christmas without you. I also spent a lot of holidays alone since you had been--"

 

A slash of ink landed across the paper when the girl felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped in surprise and slammed the notebook shut.

 

When she looked up to see who the stranger was, a scowl appeared on her face. "What, Lu Han?"

 

"Are you going to stay here forever, Eodum?" Lu Han asked, blinking his large eyes. "Kris is getting mad because you're not ordering anything." 

 

Eodum turned to the tall, blonde male in the back of the cafe. He raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes. "I have water," she told Lu Han.

 

"But… Kris will get mad…" Lu Han pouted when she shook her head. "Come on! Just order something or else he'll yell at me."

 

Looking into the older male's eyes that were practically begging, she sighed. "Fine. I'll have ice tea, then." As soon as she said the words, she regretted it. "No, not that. Just get me a glass of hot chocolate."

 

"You're thinking about Yixing, aren't you?" Lu Han whispered. Eodum ignored him and looked down at her notebook, tracing the design on the cover. "Okay. I'll get you hot chocolate." he patted her back and left. Eodum rubbed her face and opened her notebook again.

 

"Aish,"

 

she wrote.

 

"It seems like everything I do reminds me of you. You always liked ice tea. I can't even look at Sehun now because he reminds me of you so much. Do you know how much that pains me? To not even look at my own brother just because he reminds me of my ex-boyfriend?"

 

Lu Han appeared again with her hot chocolate and set it down in front of her. Eodum smiled weakly at him and be returned it. "Anything else?"

 

"No," she replied. "I'll call you when I need anything."

 

"Alright," Lu Han hesitated before he finished his sentence. "I don't think  I should tell you this, but…" he ended his sentence with a pause and then continued it again. "I think I saw Yixing today."

 

Immediately, Eodum's hands tightened on the notebook and pen. "Oh, really?" she asked in a strained voice. "Was… was he with her?"

 

"Um," Lu Han said awkwardly. "Yes."

 

"That's fine," Eodum tried to laugh, but it came out choked. "It's fine." Lu Han sighed and sat down in front of her. 

 

"Look, Eodum," he said gently. "Just give him time, okay? He'll remember everything."

 

"Really? So half a year wasn't enough for someone to remember his own girlfriend?" Eodum chuckled sarcastically. "No, half a year wasn't enough to remember his own girlfriend, but it was enough time to remember his girlfriend's sister."

 

Lu Han bit his lip, not sure how to reply. "Eodum—" a bell rang, meaning another costumer had come in. He stood up immediately.

 

"How may I help you — oh," he cut off abruptly. Eodum looked at him in confusion but then saw someone's reflection in the window. Suddenly, all the oxygen was cut off from and she out on her hood, bending low.

 

"Lu Han!" a girl's voice rang through the cafe. "It's been so long!"

 

Lu Han looked at Eodum in worry before taking a step forward. He stood in front of Eodum's body and made sure the other girl couldn't see her. "Oh, hey, Chiyeon." the other girl rushed forward and wrapped her skinny arms around his body.

 

"How's everyone doing?" Chiyeon asked excitedly. "How's Kris and Tao? And Xiumin and Chen?"

 

"They're doing great," Lu Han chuckled awkwardly, pulling away from the girl and leading her to another table. "Why don't you sit here and I get you something?"

 

"Sure!" Chiyeon chirped. "Yixing is coming too!"

 

"Really?" Lu Han's eyes widened. He could hear Eodum choke in the background and hoped Chiyeon didn't notice. "Does he… remember anything?"

 

"Oh…" Chiyeon's mood suddenly went down. "Um… not really…" she looked away and fiddled with her bag. Her silence meant she didn't want to say anything else. Lu Han drummed his fingers against the table before speaking again.

 

"So should I get you a cupcake?" he asked. "Vanilla?"

 

"Sure," Chiyeon's cheerful attitude returned again and she began to play with her bracelet, a habit she had earned growing up. "I'm just going to go to the ladies room for a minute." After she had disappeared, Lu Han returned to Eodum's side.

 

"I'm so sorry," he said quickly. "I had no idea she was going to be here."

 

"It's alright," Eodum clutched at her mug of hot chocolate. "It's totally fine. It's totally fine that my own sister comes to visit and doesn't even ask about me. It's totally fine that she freely talks about Yixing. Everything's ing fine." A tear dripped into the mug and Eodum reached up to wipe the tears away. 

 

"Eodum…" Lu Han bent down in front of her and pulled her into a hug. Luckily, there weren't many costumers today.

 

The bell rang again. Lu Han stood up and turned to the door. He instinctively put a hand on Eodum's shoulder and hid her behind his back, gaping. "Yixing?"

 

The said boy looked up at Lu Han and smiled. "Gege." Lu Han glanced at Eodum, who was shaking behind him and then at the boy again.

 

"So… how have you been?" he asked. "Are you fully recovered from the… accident?" Lu Han could feel Eodum clutch onto the back of his sweater. 

 

"Yes," Yixing answered. "Everything is fine and I have all my memories back!"

 

"All?" Lu Han choked. Eodum suddenly was pulled away and was put behind another back. She recognized the cologne.

 

"Kris?" she whispered.

 

"Shut up," he hissed. "Do you want him to see you or not?" Eodum shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Lu Han walked over to Yixing and put an arm around the boy, leading him to Chiyeon's table.

 

"So, Yixing," Lu Han began. "Who's your girlfriend?"

 

Eodum closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for Yixing's answer. Her heart beat uncontrollably and she could feel her hands shake.

 

"You're funny, gege," Yixing laughed. "It's Chiyeon, of course."

 

Suddenly, time stopped and Eodum almost collapsed if Kris hadn't caught her. Covering , she tried to muffle her sob as Kris rubbed her back comfortably.

 

"Hey, is that girl okay?" Yixing whispered, staring at Eodum sympathetically. "She kind of looks familiar."

 

"She's fine," Lu Han swallowed. "She's just having a hard time."

 

"Oh," Yixing suddenly stood up. "I should go comfort her."

 

"No, don't!" Lu Han tried to stop Yixing, but the latter was already on his way over. "Aish! You !"

 

"Hey, are you okay?" Yixing bent down in front of Eodum. Her eyes widened and Kris slapped his hand to his face. Yixing put a hand on Eodum's shoulder and she almost melted at his touch. It was so familiar; it made her want to just fall in his arms so he could hold her like he always did. She longed to feel his touch so much that it made her heart pound painfully against her chest and she swallowed. Her hands shook so much by her side that she had to clutch onto her sweater.

 

Yixing's hand slid down to her arm. "You shouldn't be crying on Christmas." Why did she feel so familiar? He felt like he wanted to pull her into his arms, to comfort her. He had a girlfriend, right? He loved his girlfriend, so why was this girl making him so confused? His eyes traveled down to her shaking hand and landed on a silver ring with the initials Y.Z and E.S. 

 

The ring looked familiar and a blurred image of a man — wait, was that him? Bending down and slipping a ring onto a girl's finger. 

 

"What?" Yixing said out loud, his eyes narrowing in confusion. Eodum felt like she couldn't breath as Yixing took her hand, studying the ring. "This ring…"

 

Another image popped into his head. This time it was a girl with short, black hair and brown eyes, cuddling into his arms as they sat outside, watching the snow fall.

"Stupid, why'd you dress up as Santa Clause?" the girl asked in a faint voice. The man in his image chuckled.

 

"Because it's Christmas," the man responded. "And because I wanted to put you in a bag and take you home with me."

 

"Aish, you jerk," the girl scowled and hit the man's chest. "That sounded creepy instead of romantic."

 

"Eo!" the man laughed and she pushed him onto the snow.

 

"Eo?" Yixing repeated. Eodum's eyes widened and she gaped at him. Yixing had always called her Eo. Did he remember? Dd he finally remember his own girlfriend?

 

"Yixing?" Chiyeon's voice suddenly cut in and Yixing stood up immediately. Chiyeon's eyes flickered back and forth from Yixing and Eodum. Her hands started to shake and she took a step closer. "Eodum?"

 

"Eo…dum?" Yixing slowly turned to stare at Eodum, who leaned against the table behind her for support. Kris had disappeared long ago and was staring at the scene from the side with a nervous Lu Han. The other costumers, who had sensed something was wrong, had left. "Eodum… Eodum?"

 

"Yixing," Eodum finally spoke, her voice cracking. "Yixing, do you remember me?"

 

"Get away from him," Chiyeon's voice trembled and she stepped over to take Yixing's arms. "Get away from my boyfriend."

 

My boyfriend, my boyfriend. The words rang in Eodum's head and she shook her head desperately. "He's not your boyfriend," she protested and turned to Yixing. "Yixing, please," she said. "Remember me."

 

"Eodum…" Yixing mumbled, his eyebrows furrowing together. 

 

"She's no one," Chiyeon pulled at Yixing's arm. "Let's go." 

 

"No!" Eodum took Yixing's other arm, pulling him to her. "This is it!" 

 

"He's not yours!" Chiyeon exploded. "You took everything away from me! You took away my parents, you took away my scholarship, you took away my job, and you took away my boyfriend!" Chiyeon trembled as she spoke. "Yixing was my boyfriend first, but then you came and stole him away, like you stole my life!"

 

She pushed Eodum back, and the latter crashed against the table.

 

"Yah!" Lu Han growled loudly, stepping forward until Kris held him back. 

 

"You took away my boyfriend and then you ruined him!" Chiyeon shouted, her fingers gripping Eodum's shoulders. Her nails dug into Eodum's shoulder so much it hurt. "You took away my boyfriend and then made him risk his life for you! It's always about you!"

 

Eodum cried out in pain when Chiyeon gripped her harder. Yixing's head was hurting so much it hurt. His head pounded and he couldn't think clearly for a minute. "Stop!" he pulled Chiyeon away. "Don't hurt my girlfriend!" And then when Chiyeon fell to the ground, he stopped and asked himself what he was doing. What the hell did he just do? What the hell did he just say? His girlfriend? Chiyeon was his girlfriend, right?

 

"Yixing," Chiyeon and Eodum said at the same time. 

 

"My girlfriend," Yixing desperately glanced between the two girls. "My girlfriend…"

 

"Yixing, please," Eodum put her hands on his shoulders. "Please, remember me. Remember last Christmas, when you dressed up as Santa Clause? Remember on our first date, we went to the movie theater and you spilled soda on my dress, and then afterwards you took me to the park? Remember?" Eodum sobbed desperately and Yixing stepped back as the memories flooded into his head all at once.

 

"Eo," Yixing gasped out and pulled Eodum into a hug. "Eodum! Song Eodum!" he kissed her forehead a hundred, billion times and kissed her lips. "Eodum!"

 

"No!" Chiyeon screamed, pulled Eodum away.

 

"Stop!" Lu Han, Kris, and Yixing, pulled Chiyeon away, but the girl's grip was strong. Eodum pushed at the girl and stumbled backwards, her back pushing against the entrance door. They all fell onto the cement wall, Chiyeon wrestling Eodum.

 

"Chiyeon, stop!" Yixing shouted as Chiyeon stood up and pulled Eodum along with her into the streets. "Stop!" his cries became more desperate when Lu Han found that his leg was stuck and couldn't remove himself from the pile. It didn't help that he was on top and Yixing wanted to get out so bad. 

 

"What the hell are you doing?" Eodum screamed, pushing Chiyeon away. "Just give up!"

 

"No!" Chiyeon screamed back, pushing Eodum to the ground and pinning her down. "You can't take him away from me again!" a horn honked and lights blinded the two girls. "You can't take my life! You're giving up yours, too!" 

 

"No!" Yixing cried out, his heart pounding uncontrollably. "No! Eodum!" his screaming hurt his throat and his oxygen cut off when the car slammed into the two girls' bodies. "No! Please, god no!"

 

"See you in hell," Chiyeon whispered, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

 

"Yixing," Eodum whispered, barely audible. "Remember…"

 

"No!" Yixing screamed, clawing at the ground to get to his lover. Lu Han and Kris finally got off and Yixing scrambled to the girl, picking her up and putting her into his lap. "Eodum! Song Eodum! Please!" he kissed her cold, blue lips a million times and put a hand to her chest. Instantly, he knew it was over. There was no heartbeat, no pulse, no sign of living. Song Eodum was dead.

 

---

One Year Later

​A man was sitting in a cafe he did exactly one year ago. It was December 25, 2014. The day Eodum died.

 

"Hey, Yixing," Lu Han slid into the seat in front of him. "How're you doing?" Yixing swallowed uncomfortably and played with a notebook.

 

"The usual," he breathed out.

 

"Still haven't read that, yet?" Lu Han gestured to the notebook. "She's been writing in that thing since you had lost your memories."

 

"I'll read it," Yixing whispered, his voice cracking. "I'll read it." 

 

Lu Han patted Yixing's back sympathetically and left the man, seeing he needed some time by himself.

 

Yixing took a deep breath and opened the notebook up to the first page. He recognized the childish handwriting immediately and smiled. He began reading.

 

"Friday.

Today was the day Yixing got into the accident. It's all my fault. If I had never asked for him to take me to the water park he would have never got into that dumb accident. It's all my fault, all my fault…"

 

​Yixing swallowed hard and flipped to a different page.

 

"It's Yixing's birthday! October… it was his favorite month. 

Today I bought a cake. It's stupid, really. The baker asked if it was for my boyfriend and I lied and said yes. It hurt me so much. 

I wish Yixing was here. I miss him so much. Every night I come home to see an empty house. I'm still not use to it…

I love him so much.

 

​A tear drop landed on the page and Yixing wiped at his eyes, flipping to later pages.

 

"Christmas!

Its so lonely without Yixing here. I remember when he dressed up as Santa Clause…

I miss him so much. I probably say that every time I write in here, but it's true. I miss him so much. I love him so much.

I only have one wish this Christmas. I don't want anything else but for Yixing to remember me.

I just want him to remember. Yixing, I love you."

 

"I remember," Yixing smiled crookedly. "I love you, too."