They called us Romeo and Juliet, but we weren’t anything like such a  trageic couple. Our love could never be a tragedy. We were of those happy-endings.

I didn’t know where we went from here. The path was dark and fearful. I held his hand tight, knowing he and I were to be together forever- no matter what our end was.

We’ve been on the run for six days now. Running past forests and nibbling on leftovers while we left our lives behind. In the middle of the road, the gas tank went empty. Our car, our first car- though a getaway car. We were lovers and runaways and now a couple of thieves. And we didn’t mind.

“I can’t walk anymore,” I said, my legs aching and my head spinning.

“Just a little more,” Yongguk encouraged.

“I can’t,” I said and sat down on the ground.

“Please,” he said.

I looked at him, helpless and tired. He understood and lifted me. I was shocked the first second and then laughing the next.

“You aren’t heavy at all!” he said as he carried me on his back across unknown paths.

Soon, the daylight of the seventh day fell upon his face. I watched as he slept with his angel-like innocence revealing from beneath his callous exterior. I let him sleep and decided to take a walk around despite his numerous warnings that ‘I must not be seen’. The dry leaves rustled under my feet and suddenly, it was not the only sound there.

I turned quickly and found no one. I ran straight to where the path took me and broke into the road. We were now in some city we didn’t know. A car sped past me while I discovered the place. I entered a diner, with hopes that the owner was one with a heart made of butter.

“What do you want?” A girl from behind the counter asked.

“Just something. I do not have any money,” I replied, starvation acting in my eyes.

“No money, no food,” She brusquely replied and asked me to leave.

After a little more of begging, she finally handed me some leftovers and banished me from the place.

I was walking back to where he was when a car sped way too fast and hit another, while a third car swivelled and almost hit me. I ducked, shut my eyes and screamed in fear.

The driver rushed out of the car and came to my aid.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

I just looked at him and his face seemed familiar.

“Are you…?” he looked at me, surprised. And I soon uttered a few words of negation and ran as fast as I could.

I ran back to find him awake. And angry.

“Where were you?” he yelled and pinned me to his chest. “I was so afraid.”

“I was just looking around,” I managed to speak.

“I told you not to leave me alone. You remember that, don’t you?”

He looked at me with a very serious eye and I knew I couldn’t let him down.

“Yes, I remember that,” I replied and realized that everything I had from the diner was now spilled on the road. I searched my jacket pocket to find a crumpled pack of cake.

“Breakfast!” he said cheerfully and put a smile on my face.

We walked down the road and entered the town. I hid my face behind him, trying to be unseen. We passed through stores and imagined ourselves owning the things we never will. We laughed in those streets full of unhappy and mean people who would never know what real happiness would feel like- Happiness that I was feeling right at that moment.

I put my arm around his and walked the streets stranger to us. Walking with pride as if we owned the place. We slumbered that night behind an old school playground. As we lay under the leafless tree, staring at the starlit sky, I realized that running away was the best thing I ever did. No one would let us be together. Everyone had their doubts and their suspicions and their remarks about us. And we never gave a care. Our families would never accept us- we didn’t need the acceptance. We just needed ourselves.

“Hey,” He whispered while I shut my eyes. “You know, I’ve been meaning to tell you something.”

“What is it?” I asked in anticipation.

“I love you.”

“Haven’t you told me that already?”

“I love you. I love you. And I love you, no matter what. I don’t care about anything else. I think love is enough for us, because I don’t have any money or a house or anything to give to you. But all I have is a heart- probably second-hand but still, I’ve got a heart. And it’s yours. It will always be yours. I have all but my love to give. No matter what happens to us, I’ll always love you.”

My heart skipped a beat and the tears began to flow.

Yongguk brushed my hair away from my face and kissed my tears dry.

The next few days, we spent hopping one place to another, finding a way to go. Us, vagabond in love and broke. No money in our pockets but hearts full of dreams. Teenagers, some might call us. Naïve teenagers, everyone may call us.

They called us Romeo and Juliet- the sillier ones. But we weren’t any of the tragedies because our love could never be a tragedy. Ours was one of those that ended in a house full of happiness and noisy with the clatter of children. We were one of those happy-endings.

But we knew what we were doing and it was all we ever needed. I was waiting for him in a park when I saw him come running. He rushed to me, grabbed my hand and started to run- all without an explanation.

“What’s going on?” I screamed multiple times, but still no answer.

We ran a long way before we stopped to take a breath.

“What is wrong?” I demanded to know.

“Nothing! Nothing is wrong!” He yelled at me.

“Why are you so upset?”

“I’m not upset, okay!” He screamed and I started to cry.

He came back to console me, like the millions of time we’d fought before.

“I’m sorry for getting mad, okay?” He said. “It’s just that I was on my way here when I read the papers. It’s got your photo on it. They’re looking for us, dear. Oh dear, they’re looking for us!”

And that very moment, I knew it was all my fault. All my fault. If I hadn’t left him that morning, I would have never reached that place, never witnessed the accident, never would anything happen. All my fault and I had no courage to tell him.

Before I could gather my thoughts, we were running. Faster now. Longer. And lesser breaks.

The night was falling, the sun was begging to set and we were in hiding. I was laying next to him when I thought of bringing up the incident.

“Hey, babe, I wanted to tell you something.” I said.

“Yeah, what is it?” He replied in hushed tones.

“That day in the woods, while you were sleeping…”

“While I was sleeping?”

“I… I sneaked out for a while.”

He started to sense what was coming.

“What did you do? What did you do?” He asked, with the realization of grave consequences.

“I… someone saw me.”

“Oh, lord! I told you not to. I told you not to leave me!! Why didn’t you listen?” He yelled, his anger echoing in the woods.

“I’m sorry!”

“You can’t be sorry. It’s too late now.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. Why can’t you just! Why do you always have to defy me? You just can’t be controlled, can you? You’ve put both our lives in jeopardy! Everything we’d worked for is now nothing. It doesn’t mean anything anymore. Look what you’ve done!”

My heart broke all its walls and I ran. I ran, away from him. His anger was too much. It was a simple mistake. An honest mistake. I was running in tears when I heard a gunshot from the woods. My heart stopped still and my blood froze. I sensed what had happened.

I ran as fast as I could to the sound of the shot. I looked around and I saw him on the ground. My limbs collapsed and my lungs were ablaze. I cried and I cried and he awoke. He was alright. He was pretending to lay dead and asked me to do the same. But I was the one feeling the pain. I thought it was the pain of losing him, but in reality, it was a sharp physical pain.

“Oh, no.”

I heard him say and he held me tight.

“Oh, you’re going to be fine. Oh darling, everything is going to be alright,” He said with his tears falling on my neck.

I could sense the numbness in the side of my back, and the pain from a bullet lodged into it.

“I’m sorry, pretty darling. I’m sorry to get mad at you.”

“It’s… okay. If you love me, then you never have to apologize for anything. Because in love, you do no wrong.”

“You witty little angel.”

“Put me to sleep, will you?” I saw the light of the sun leaving a golden glow upon his face- his beautiful face.

He cried as he took me in his arms and started to sing a lullaby.

“Somewhere over your rainbows,

I will be standing

Looking at your shadows

I will be leaning

Loving… your soul

Somewhere over my clouds

You will be there

Holding onto words

We… will.. be.. there.”

He said choking in tears and then crying shamelessly. Crying that the love of his life had gone away. Crying that it was all over.

Soon, the police and the guard dogs came looking and shot fires. And then, his fate was mine and he took a bullet for me. Guarding my lifeless body with his.

So we did end up as one of the many tragedies. Those heartfelt lies that people said about living happily ever after. Happiness didn’t exist. Not in our indifferent world. So we left.

And here together. Forever.

We’re the stars now, in the skies of a world torn with loveless people. We’re the star-crossed. We’re the believers. We’re the runaways.

We are the lovers.

Hope you enjoy reading this one-shot, Reen89!