Sehun kept walking in spite of Emma’s pitiful sobs.  She buried her head into his chest and cried.  Tears stained his uniform shirt.

“Shhh, Emma,” he sat down at a nearby bench and ran his hand through her hair.  “It’s okay.”

She looked up at him with puffy, red eyes.  “When is it ever?”

“Shhh,” he held her close.  “I’m here.”

She trembled.  “S-Sehun…they hate me now, don’t they?”

“Don’t say things like that,” he said softly.

She sniffed.  “I can’t…”

He slowly rocked her back and forth.  “You can, Emma.  Just try.”

“Sehun, I can’t…”

“Emma,” a new voice came from the shadows.  Baekhyun emerged timidly.

She glanced for a mere second, then turned away and buried her head back into Sehun’s comforting chest.  “Go away,” she muttered.

“Emma, I’m sorry,” Baekhyun breathed.  “I’m sorry.”

“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” she asked and looked at him with teary eyes.  “Everyone in my life is a liar.”

“I know, I know,” he said.  “Including me…but this time, I’m telling the truth.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“The truth can be unbelievable sometimes.”

“What is truth?” she retorted.

Sehun gave Emma’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze and nudged her forward.  She timidly stood there, like a puppy with its tail between its legs.

Baekhyun walked up and tilted her chin up towards him.  Her soft brown eyes looked into his, and their gazes locked.  His fingers floated gently over her cheek, his thumb over her trembling lower lip.

“Trust is truth’s greatest friend…and enemy,” he whispered.  “Truth is invisible and weightless, but telling it can cause a burden.”  He paused.  “When I tell the truth to you, my burden of lies vanishes, and I feel relieved.”  He pecked her lips.  “That’s how I feel now.”

Emma shivered.  Not from the chilly air, but from his words.  They penetrated through her ears, begging her to listen.  His voice was like that of an angel to her.  She couldn’t resist.

He pecked her lips again.  “Then love comes into the picture.”  He her cheek.  “And makes trust stronger.”

She smiled and looked at her feet shyly.  “I think I believe you now.”

“Does that mean you trust me?”

“Yes…”

“Does that mean you forgive me?”

“Maybe…”

“Maybe,” he echoed.  He chuckled.  “Gosh darn it, Emma, why do you have to be so complicated?”

“It’s my personality,” she smirked.  “Deal with it.”

“Can I kiss you?”

“No,” she started, but was cut off by his soft lips.  She could feel herself melt helplessly in his arms.  Slowly, her arms wrapped around his strong back.

Baekhyun pulled back.  “Admit it, you enjoyed that.”

“Nope,” she smiled.

--

Chanyeol’s hands were trembling with anger and fear.  This lethal combination of emotions stirred within him.  He hated Baekhyun now.  He loved Emma.  He felt so torn between the two.  Would he remain loyal to his friend, or would he run after Emma in spite of his friend’s admiration for her. 

What have I turned into?

“Chanyeol,” Suho said as he came over.  He put his hand on the taller boy’s shoulder.

Chanyeol flinched.  “Don’t touch me.”

Suho frowned a bit and looked into his eyes. 

“It’s not fair, hyung,” he said quietly. 

“Nothing’s ever fair in life, Chanyeol,” Suho shook his head.  “Nothing ever works out perfectly.”

Chanyeol let out a soft sob.  “You don’t understand.”

“Trust me, Chanyeol, I do.”

“Because of Sumi…?”

“Don’t ever mention her name again.”

“Sorry, hyung.”

Suho sighed heavily.  Chanyeol knew of the hardship Suho went through.  That girl broke his heart, and he knew that Suho would never forgive her.

“Like I said,” Suho said, “I understand you completely.”

Chanyeol silently nodded.  “That doesn’t stop me from liking her.”

“Chanyeol…”

He glared into Suho’s eyes.  “You can’t change that, hyung.  I think I’m gonna go crazy.”

“Chanyeol,” Suho warned.  “The last time you went crazy, you nearly killed yourself.  Learn to control your anger.”

“I’m not angry at all!” Chanyeol shouted.  “I’m just confused.  I’m in a confusion of love.”

“Don’t be so delusional, Chanyeol,” Kai sighed as he walked up.  “What if she doesn’t like you?”

The tall boy slouched.  “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

Kai looked at his shoes.  “What if your whole ‘I love her’ thing is one-sided?”

“I don’t care,” Chanyeol scoffed.

“You don’t hate Baekhyun now, do you?” D.O. asked, his eyes wide.

“No…” Chanyeol said hesitantly.

D.O. smiled a small smile.  “I hope not.”

--

“Come on, Baekhyun,” Emma whined.  “We have to go back to class.”

He smirked.  “The ‘straight-A’ student can miss a couple classes.”

She pouted.  “But we’re getting a project today.  Don’t you remember?”

“What project?” he cocked his head.  “In my world, there are no projects.”

“Sadly, you don’t live in your world, Baek.  You live on Earth,” she pointed out.

“True, true,” he nodded, but kept walking.

“Aish, I hate you,” she laughed.

Together they boarded a somewhat empty bus.  An old lady sat next to an old man by the door and smiled at them.

“What a cute couple,” she commented, her aged voice cracking.  She nudged the man next to her.  “Aren’t they cute?”

“Perhaps,” the old man replied.

Emma could feel her cheeks turning bright red as Baekhyun led her to an empty seat next to him. 

“Aw, look Minjoon.  She’s blushing,” the old lady cooed.

Emma smiled and bowed her head. 

“Stop, Songyi, you’re embarrassing her,” the old man scolded her lightly.

“It’s okay.”  Emma looked at them.  “I don’t mind.”

“See?”  The old lady elbowed the man.  “That’s true love right there!”

“Oh, Songyi,” the old man smiled and chuckled to himself.

Baekhyun smiled and held Emma’s hand.  She looked up into his soft brown gaze.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

He only smiled.  “You’ll see.”

--

“Oh my goodness,” Emma gaped.

Around her and Baekhyun, the large cherry blossom trees bloomed.  Little, delicate petals swirled in the chilly breeze, making Emma shiver with excitement.  She snuggled closer to Baekhyun on the long bench.

“This is my favorite place in the whole world,” he said happily. 

“I can see why,” she smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder.  “It reminds me of…happiness…of the good days.”

He looked at her.  “Most people would say it’s beautiful or that it reminded them of their overall ugliness.”

“Sure, it’s beautiful…and it definitely reminds me of how I’m not beautiful,” she shrugged.  “It reminds me of my family…before I left.”  She sniffed.  “You don’t understand…I miss them so much, even though they were jerks.”

“Trust me, I know a lot more than you think I know,” he said as he wrapped his arm over her shoulders.  “Not even having a family you know about hurts just as much.”

Her eyes widened.  “Oh, I forgot…”

He smiled.  “It’s okay.  It’s in the past now.”

They sat there, not awkwardly, in silence.  The distant sounds of water gently splashing on the rocks of the shore were the only sounds that could be heard, besides the heavy beating of their hearts.  Emma leaned her head on his chest and felt it rise up and down with each breath.

“Emma, I know I’ve been a jerk to you,” Baekhyun started.  “And-“

She sat up and hushed him by pressing her delicate index finger to his soft lips. 

He shook his head.  “I’m untrustworthy and definitely the world’s worst friend.  I’m sorry for treating you roughly today, and I’m sorry for ignoring you while Chanyeol and I were fighting, even though I knew you were right.  I’m sorry…”

A subtle smile crept to her lips.  “Baekhyun, no matter what, even if you’re considered the world’s biggest jerk, I’ll always be by your side.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

He smiled.  “I love you.”

Emma blinked.  What was he saying?  Did he really mean it?

“I mean it with all my heart, Emma,” he said, as if he was reading her mind.  “You’re my one and only love.  There isn’t a person I’d rather be with than you.”

She smiled shyly.  “I love you too.”

“That’s good,” he commented quietly as he leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers.

This kiss was different.  It was filled with numerous feelings of understanding and forgiveness.

Baekhyun’s skillful tongue begged for an entrance to , and she reluctantly gave it to him.  He nibbled on her lip.  Shivers crawled down her spine as their tongues met and intertwined with each other.  They took turns exploring each other’s mouths.  It was a definitely sickening but amazing piece of art.

At last, they pulled back to catch their breath.  In spite of her pink, swollen lips, Emma managed to smile warmly at Baekhyun as he leaned in and pecked her cheek.

“I love you, Park Emma.”

--

Emma couldn’t help but fall asleep on the bus ride back.  The sky grew dark, and the night air that seeped through the windows was chilly.  She snuggled into Baekhyun’s warm embrace.

Baekhyun had his head in the clouds.  He felt so lost, even though he knew that, with Emma, he was definitely found.  He still couldn’t believe he kissed her. 

He knew that, even with all the love, she was still hurting inside.  He thought about the fact that her family meant a lot to her, and it made him tremble with fury that they didn’t care about her.  Emma was a bit of a shy and secluded person, but there wasn’t anything to hate about her. 

The bus finally stopped, and Baekhyun scooped her up into his arms.  He slowly and carefully made his way off the bus without banging her head against anything.

“No…” Emma murmured into his uniform jacket.  “Please, don’t go…”

Baekhyun looked down at her as he walked down the dark street.  “She must be having a nightmare,” he thought.

“Well well well,” a voice from the shadows said.  “What do we have here?”

Baekhyun felt his body freeze on the spot.  A small growl escaped his lips.  “Don’t you dare come closer.”

“Why not?” his offender challenged.  “I can’t help claiming what’s mine.”

“She’s not yours, if that’s what you’re trying to say,” Baekhyun shot.

“Oh really?”  The offender stepped out from the alley.  Baekhyun’s nose wrinkled from the strong stench of alcohol and drunkenness.   

The man backed Baekhyun, who was still holding a sleeping Emma, into a wall.  Baekhyun could feel his back grind against the cement bricks. 

“What the heck to you think you’re doing?” Baekhyun hissed.

The man glanced down at Emma, who was sleeping peacefully, and smiled devilishly.  “Oh, I’m gonna have fun tonight…”

“Get away,” Baekhyun shoved the man’s somewhat-muscular body away, only to be slammed violently into the wall again.  He resisted letting out a painful moan.

Emma’s eyes half-opened, groggy, and widened.  “Baek…”

He smiled weakly.  “It’ll be okay.”

“Will it really be okay?” the man snickered.

“B-Baek, put me down,” Emma said quietly.

Of course, as expected, he ignored her.  He glared deeply into the man’s eyes.

“Please,” she pleaded softly.

Still glaring at the man, Baekhyun finally set her down on the ground gently. 

Without a warning, the man spat in Baekhyun’s face and pinned him against the wall.  Baekhyun struggled and thrashed, but the man’s grip was strong.

“Stop!” Emma cried and tried to push the man away.  He only smirked and shoved her to the ground. 

“You idiot!” Baekhyun shouted angrily.

The man’s grip on Baekhyun’s shoulders nearly crushed them.  Baekhyun groaned with pain.  The man kneed his stomach and slammed Baekhyun’s delicate head into the wall.  Just as he thought he was going to pass out, the weight suddenly disappeared, and he fell on his side.  He caught a glimpse of Chanyeol’s tall figure towering over the man, who shrunk with fear.

“Stop messing around, you drunk bastard,” Chanyeol growled and threw him on the ground.  The man’s eyes were filled with fear, and he quicky scuttled down the street.

Emma crawled to Baekhyun’s side.  Tears were b her eyes, making her vision blurry.  “Baekhyun…”

“Oh my God,” Chanyeol breathed as he knelt down next to Emma.  He shook Baekhyun’s shoulders gently.  “Baek, wake up!”

Baekhyun rolled onto his back limply.  Emma felt her stomach flipping over.

Thinking fast, Chanyeol grunted as he lifted the petite boy into his arms.  He helped Emma up.  “We have to hurry…”

They ran down the street to the nearest hospital.

--

“Do you know what injured him?” the doctor asked.

“A drunk guy,” Chanyeol explained simply and calmly, holding Emma’s trembling hand.  “Why?”

The doctor sighed.  “The skin around his shoulder area is massively bruised, not to mention the numerous scratches on his back.  And his head injuries need further examination.”

A tear slipped down Emma’s cheek.  “Can we see him?” she timidly asked.

The doctor opened his mouth to refuse, but seeing the pained expression on her face made him cave in.  He nodded.

Without thinking, Emma hurriedly dropped Chanyeol’s hand and ran into the hospital room.  Ignoring Chanyeol’s shouting, she pushed the door open with her sore shoulder.

There he was.  From afar, Emma actually could consider him dead.  His usual rosy skin was white and pale like snow.  His perfectly shaped head was wrapped generously with a thick, gauze bandage.  Splotches of red blood seeped through.  She cautiously touched his hand.  It was incredibly cold.  Was he dead?

Suddenly, his slender fingers wrapped around her delicate hand.

“Emma…” he said through gritted teeth.  “It hurts…”

“It’s okay, Baek,” she squeezed his hand reassuringly.  “I’m here.”

“Will…you…stay…here…with me?” he asked weakly.

She nodded her head with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol said quietly as he came into the room and sat down next to Emma.

Baekhyun smiled warmly.  “Thanks, Chan…”

Chanyeol returned the smile softly.

--

Hello everyone!

Thank you again for all the support  :)

Since this is finally my last week of school, I'm going to be updating more often.  Please anticipate!

♥ Emmy