“Mister, a call is waiting for you,” he hears as a head pokes inside his room. He’s sitting on a high chair, a paintbrush on his right hand and a pallette in his left. In front of him is a big canvass with a woman smiling so bright that it looked like she was real.

“Okay, I’ll be right out. May I know who it is?”

“It’s Lord Leo, mister, he seems eager to talk to you.”

Nervousness fills his chest; just as an undeniable anticipation starts to blossom from his heart. Lord Leo means Lauren, anyway.

“This is Kim Minseok, speaking.”

“Ah! Good day, my boy, am I interrupting something?”

“Oh, certainly not, my lord. How may I be of help?”

He smiles widely as they talked, occassionally fiddling with the thin silver bracelet he had on his right hand. It reminds him of someone, someone whom he's really dying to see.

"Well then, I better be on my way. Lauren's been throwing me glances to give the phone to her. Good day, son, and please, don't tell her about anything, okay?"

"Yes, sir. Good day."

He waits roughly for five seconds before he hears that same bubbly voice he's been hearing from every day.

"Xiuminnniiiieeeee!!!!"

He chuckles, that one kind where all of his teeth show even though the owner of the voice was someone he was not seeing face-to-face.

"Lauren," he says, voice soft as if he lets the name roll off his tongue so easily.

"How are you, lovely?", he asks immediately, wanting to know and to hear all those stories he's sure she's been wanting to tell him. It makes him happy that she's always this cheerful around him, or even just by talking to him on the phone.

"My day's fine, Xiumin, how are you?"

"I'm good, especially now that I've talked to you." He smiles at his own words. Just what spell does she have me under?

"Oh? Well then I think I should end the call now, right?"

He could hear her mocking voice, teasing him as if she actually wanted to put down the phone. He'd usually play along with her, but today, he just really wanted to talk to her. Though they've been talking to each other every day, he still hasn't seen her for two weeks now -- the longest time he's never caught a glimpse of her face.

"I miss you, please don't go yet."

And that's enough to melt the peace-maker's heart into a pile of goo.

"I miss you too, Xiuminnie."

Xiumin leans into the phone, wishing that the one on the other line of it would somehow magically appear in front of him. Travelling from Truce to Faith only lasts for two hours on boat, and one on a chopper, but since he has responsibilities to fulfill in his own island, he couldn't have the luxury to travel back and forth from Truce to Faith every day.

"Done with my painting yet?", her voice brings him back to reality. He smiles, "not yet, I can't seem to make it look pretty as you are, love."

"Well of course that painting wouldn't look as pretty as me! Or else you wouldn't have the reason to visit me here, right?"

He chuckles, this girl surely has a lot to say.

"Even if it does look as pretty as you, it wouldn't talk to me like you do," he says, and he could hear her smiling from the other line.

"Wouldn't smile me that blinding smile of yours. Wouldn't ask me how my day was."

"And it wouldn't tell you how much I love you, right?"

He feels his heart beat, "yes."

"Hm," she hums.

"And if I don't visit you anymore, no one will tell you how much I love you, right?"

"Xiumin! Stop being a cheeseball."

"What? It's true!" He chuckles heartily. He always loved it when she's being shy.

They talked for another hour before he finally decides to cut the call, reminding himself that he doesn't have all day to spare just to talk to her. He groans inwardly -- if only he does have the luxury of wasting a day, he'd surely want to spend it talking to her. Or maybe travelling to Faith. Yeah, that would be better.

"Well then good bye, Xiumin. I don't want to hinder you from this beautiful day ahead."

"Nothing's as beautiful as you, Lauren."

"Aish! I'm hanging up!"

"Hehe, keep safe, Lauren."

"You too."

"I love you."

He waits for her to answer. He started to doubt but when he hears her laugh, everything melts into nothing.

"And I love you, Kim Minseok."

Chapter fours is up.

Stay tuned, yes? ♥