*Inspired by Nothing Without You - 10cm 

                 Taemin opens his eyes blearily in the darkness. He yawns and rubs his eyes groggily, turning to look at the digital clock on the dresser that says 4:17AM. He looks to the other side of the bed, expecting you to be there. He sits up when he sees that you're gone. Thinking that you're probably in the bathroom, he lies back down. Suddenly, he feels that something is missing... he feels incomplete somehow.. then it hits him. He remembers saying goodbye as you depart to the terminal at the airport. You left to fly to London for your job. He sighs and covers himself with the blanket, feeling the cold spring air creep in through the window. He misses cuddling with you in the still of the night. He misses the warmth of your arms. Taemin tries to go back to sleep but he couldn't. He tries to get more comfortable, moving a bit closer to your side of the bed when he notices the vague smell of your perfume clinging onto your pillow. He takes the pillow and hugs it, breathing in the smell of your perfume. 

 

               The alarm rings and Taemin wakes up. He sighs and gets out of bed to get ready for the day. He notices your shirt, jeans and scarf hanging on top of the chair and he chuckles silently to himself. Sometimes you'd forget to put your clothes in the laundry basket. He blankly touches your scarf that has your worn-out scent for a while, thinking back on the past. His eyes wander to the desk. He doesn't remember seeing the colored pencils and the paper on the desk before. He blinks, seeing a message on the paper. Taking the paper into his hands, he starts to read it. 

"Dear Taemin, 
You probably didn't expect this but I just felt like leaving a letter for you, just a small surprise. This may sound cheesy but don't laugh! 

First, I just want to tell you that I will miss you so much. Every moment we spend together is precious and unforgettable. I'll miss talking about most random stuff with you, but the serious stuff too. I'll also miss your lame jokes, haha. I'll miss your hugs. They're the only things that cheer me up when I'm down. But since we are so far away, I'll just hug the bear you got me for my birthday last year so everything is fine for a little bit. 

I just want to tell you that you mean a lot to me. You make me very happy. You're not just my boyfriend but my best friend too. I'm sorry for all the silly, small arguments we've had in the past. I think we should just learn how to communicate when we are upset with each other. Since I'm not there, please try to remember the things you have to bring with you when you go outside. And your phone too. Please try to put your things in places where you can find them. You're always losing stuff with your magic hands! Remember to take care of yourself too! Don't practice too hard. I will come back in almost a month. It may seem very far away, but time passes by really quickly. I promise you call you every day! 
P.S I love you." 

Taemin feels tears welling up in his eyes and before he even has the chance to cry, his phone rings. He wipes the tears away and tries to keep his composure. 

"Hello?" he forces himself to say as steadily as he can. 

"Taemin! When are you going to get here? You're going to be late!" his manager says, basically almost shouting through the phone. "It's almost time to start rehearsals! Hurry!" 

Taemin takes a deep breath. "I know, I'm sorry. I'll be there soon." 

 

               The members crack up at a joke Minho said. Taemin gives them a small grin, focused on his phone. He is happy that his group has won their second consecutive win today but he wonders where you are. He wonders what you're doing... whether you're eating breakfast or if you are on your way to work now. "Here's for SHINee!" He hears Jinki shout out, all of the members holding up their glasses. Taemin rushes to put his phone down and lifts up his glass. 

"Cheers!" they say in unison before taking a sip of their drinks. 

Taemin continues to look at his phone, waiting for a call from you. He misses the sound of your voice. 

Jinki starts doing one of his gags and the other members laugh. Taemin's lips form into a small smile, feeling a pang in his chest before he goes back to his phone again. "Taemin, aren't you going to eat?" Kibum asks. 

"Oh.. yeah." he grins a little. 

"You seem kinda out of it today. Are you okay?" Jonghyun asks. "Did she call you today yet?" 

Taemin shakes his head. "Not yet." he mumbles, sounding disappointed. He rests his chin on the table, his eyes looking downcast. 

"Hey man, cheer up! She'll call you soon. She's probably just busy." Minho says, giving him a pat on the back. 

"London is 8 hours behind us. It's still morning there." Kibum tells him. 

"I know." Taemin gives them a soft grin. 

 

               Taemin gets home after a long day and plops down on the couch. He sighs and lies down, staring at the phone. Home just doesn't feel right anymore with you gone. It just feels empty. He continues to think about how much he misses you, the sound of your laugh, the way your hand fits perfectly into his, and the sparkle in your eyes whenever you meet eye contact. He misses the way you snuggle into him during those cold winter nights when you're wrapped in each other's arms while buried deep beneath a hundred layers of comforters and warm blankets.

Taemin looks through his photos and videos on his phone. He stops when he sees a video and plays it. It was a video of you singing while playing the piano. He smiles, admiring your voice and the way your fingers move delicately across the piano. 

I miss her, I miss her, I miss her...

He was about to bury his face into the pillow when the sound of his phone ringing breaks the silence. He reaches out for the phone in a split second, his heart swelling when he sees the caller ID. He sits up straight and answers the call. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi." 

Taemin smiles at the sound of your voice. 

"Hi." 

There's a light soft chuckle from the other line and Taemin could feel his heart jump a bit. It's been so long since he's gotten a chance to hear that. 

"You're awake. Could it be because you're thinking about me?" you joke, giggling a bit. "Have you eaten yet?"

Taemin lets out a silent chuckle. He bites on the bottom of his lip, feeling tears well up in his eyes. 

"..Taemin?" 

"I'm still here." he says, trying to keep his voice steady. 

You're not buying it. 

"...Are you crying?" 

"No, it's nothing." Taemin utters. He feels pathetic for crying over such a small thing. "How was your day?" 

"Don't change the subject, Taemin. What's wrong?" 

Taemin swallows and looks at the clock to buy some time, biting on his bottom lip as you sigh impatiently. 

"Don't bite the bottom of your lip, it's a bad habit." 

"Are you stalking me right now?" 

You chuckle. "I just know you too well. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's just..." Taemin mumbles. 

You wait for his answer. 

"I miss you. I can't sleep at night without you and I can't go a single second all day without thinking about you. I miss you terribly. I'm nothing without you." 

You sigh, feeling tears well up in your eyes at his sincere words. 

"..I miss you quite terribly too."