I need some time to think.

Those were the last words I told Hoseok before we retired to our rooms that night. I kept what we talked about a secret from everyone else. No one needed to know. It's been nearly three days since I've last talked to him. Every time we pass by each other, I avoid him. Every time we have free time in class, I rush off to find the girls and hide behind them. I didn't understand why, but I couldn't face him. Was I just embarrassed? Is this what it feels like to have a crush? 

It was Sunday night, and it was just me in the dorm room. Saeron was with Jin at a secret meeting with the faculty members. As I laid in bed, Hoseok's question still lingered in my mind. I my side and peered into Artemis' closet. It was cracked open just slightly, enough for the moonlight to seep into it and illuminate what little it could of the dark closet. A familiar item caught my eye, causing me to furrow my brows curiously. Rolling out of bed, I crawled over and pushed the sliding door open, gasping as I pulled Taehyung's shoes out.

"Oh, no. I forgot to give these back to him," I whispered to myself. I remembered when Taehyung lent me his shoes one of the first few days I was at the academy. The heels I wore had caused blisters and sores on my ankles, but Taehyung was the one who lent me his shoes and patched me up. He'd told me to keep them but now that I have my own shoes, I think it's time I return them. I smiled slightly, taking a bag and placing the shoes inside, depositing a hastily made card in the bag as well, and slipping into a jacket and shoes, tiptoeing over to Taehyung's room. I knocked on the door, waiting for him to answer.

"Yeah?" Taehyung spoke up, answering the door. "Oh, Jiae. What's up?"

I glanced inside and saw Hongbin sleeping soundly, sprawled across his bed in a strange fashion. I chuckled slightly at the sight. "Not asleep yet?"

"Jiae, I'm a son of Artemis. I could stay awake all night if I wanted to," he replied, smiling as he leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms.

"Is that so? Would you accompany for a little stargazing on the balcony then? I wanted to talk to you about a few things," I asked, gesturing with my thumb down the hallway.

Taehyung rose a brow but nodded before grabbing a jacket and putting his shoes on. We quietly walked down the hallway, making sure not to wake anyone up. Climbing up to the second floor, he opened the door to the balcony, and we slipped outside. The cool, winter air enveloped us as we stood side by side, leaning on the railing, looking up at the rotund moon and sparkling stars. I gently placed Taehyung's bagged shoes on the ground beside the railing as I clasped my hands over the edge. 

"The stars are so pretty around here," I said softly, looking at all the bright constellations.

"Even better now that the academy started shutting off streetlights at curfew," Taehyung agreed, following my line of sight. He pointed up at the sky. "Do you know the name of that star?"

I followed the direction he pointed and nodded. "Andromeda. Then if you move up at little bit," I took his wrist and pulled it gently so his finger pointed up more. "There's Perseus, the boy who saved her."

"Boy?" Taehyung scoffed. "You mean man."

I shook my head. "No way. He was just a mere boy, probably no older than Jeongguk perhaps."

"People didn't live long back then. He may have been young, but he counted as a man," Taehyung said confidently, a cheeky smile on his face as if to say he had won.

I narrowed my eyes at him and laughed, pinching his cheek. "Shut up," I retorted. Sighing softly, I contemplated the words I wanted to say next. Silence began to set in and the only sounds that we could hear were the birds of the night and the chattering of my teeth as the cold creeped up on me. Taehyung noticed me shivering and slowly reached around my shoulders to pull me closer but paused at my interruption. "Say, do you know what it feels like to be in love?"

Taehyung blushed deeply and gulped. "Uh, well, I mean, not really? But from what I've heard from the Aphrodite kids," he began speaking, retracting his arm and pretending to fix his hair. The words he spoke were laced with lies to veil his true feelings.  "They say when you look at the person you love, you feel calmer. That person just has a way of lighting up your world, you know? I don't know how to explain it. Being able to just talk to them makes you happy and all warm ins-"

"Hoseok asked me to be his girlfriend," I interjected, biting my lip nervously as I fiddled with my fingers. I stared down at the streets below us, not daring to look Taehyung in the face to see his reaction. 

Silence once again passed over us. The sound of my racing heart was deafening, and I physically winced, waiting for him to speak up. Taehyung was taken aback. His vision began to distort as his heart rate slowed, almost to the point of stopping. His fallen expression slowly melted into a faux, taut smile. He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "That's... that's good. I think you two are a fit for each other."

My heart fell into the pits of my shoes as my eyes widened in shock at his reply. I didn't know what kind of answer I was expecting, but this sure wasn't what I wanted. I turned towards him, a distraught look in my eyes, but he averted his gaze. I couldn't see his face, but Taehyung's expression was that of a heartbroken man. 

"Is that it? Is that all you have to say about it?" I asked. The way those words fell out of my mouth, it felt as if someone else said them. I didn't want to say anything, but it seemed my mind was much too loud and restless to let me brush this off. "You don't have anything else to say to me?"

Taehyung looked back at me, his brows pinched together in defeat. He shook his head slowly. "Why do you care so much about what I have to say about this? I don't seem to understand why you're asking me this. It's your love life, isn't it? Why," he paused, treading carefully with his next few words. "Don't hinder me with your love problems." 

I scoffed, my jaw dropping in dismay. "Hinder?" I shouted. I picked the shoes off the ground and clenched them in my hands. "I asked because I cared about your-" I growled as I shoved the shoes into his chest. "Opinion! I trusted you wanted your guidance, but if that's how you feel, I won't be hindering you anymore." I my heels in a huff and stormed off. Taehyung carefully opened the bag and examined the contents to find his shoes as well Jiae's card. He slowly opened it, fingers slightly trembling as he read it.

Dear Taehyung,

Thank you for being one of my first friends here. I've never really fit in wherever I went, and it's been a long while since I've experienced such kindness. Thank you for taking care of me especially during that party and even more so during the exams. I appreciate you lending me your shoes, but I thought it might be time for them to return to their rightful owner. I don't know what I'd do without you.

Much love,

Jiae

Taehyung crumpled the note in his hand as he balled it into a fist, harshly bashing his forehead with it. He leaned over the edge of the railing, soft cries escaping his lips. Those soft cries soon grew into heartbroken sobs, ones he knew too well. This hadn't been the first time his heart was broken by Jiae. He screamed out in frustration and shouted into the night, "You told me you liked tough guys who could protect you. I changed for you. Were they all just lies?" His sobs grew quieter as he turned and leaned his back against the railing, sliding down along it and laying limply against it, head turnt towards the beaming moon. "Why don't you remember?" He whispered, warm tears rolling down his cheeks. 

Once he calmed down, Taehyung drearily made his way back to his dorm. He stopped before his door and glanced over at room one before changing his mind and heading elsewhere. Walking down the corridor to the Apollo children's dorm, he trudged up to Jin's dorm and knocked. After a while with no answer, he pulled a keycard from his wallet and unlocked the door. This was one of the few times he was thankful for the parties where Jin got absolutely wasted and had to be carried back to his room. He shed his jacket and tossed all of his belongings onto the spare bed before heading into the shower. Billows of steam cascaded out of shower as Taehyung turned the water on and got it, fully clothed. He slid down to the ground and staring blankly at the water as it ran down the drain. The bright moonlight peering through the bathroom window was the only light illuminating the dark shower. Soon the clear shower water turned golden as the tint in Taehyung's hair washed out, revealing the jet black locks beneath it. 

Meanwhile in room one, I tossed and turned in my sleep as strange visions and dreams filled my head. I saw me as a young girl in Ancient Greece, caring for the flowers in the temple garden when a pair of foreign hands covered my eyes. I hastily pulled them away and spun around to come face to face with a young boy. For the life of me, I couldn't make out his face no matter how hard I tried to concentrate. All I could see from my view was his dark, tossled hair. My dream felt so peaceful. It felt so warm and inviting. It made me happy in a way I could barely understand. Before I could become too comfortable, I was yanked away and tossed into a mess of fragmented memories. I felt as if I was falling into a dark abyss, voices whispering harshly to me as I free fell. 

I like you.

You make me so happy.

What would I do without you?

Remember your pact.

Mother knows best.

Am I not enough?

Cassandra, I don't understand.

I'm sorry... I can't tell you.

Mother knows best.

I couldn't tell you....

Cassandra...

Antony....

Mother knows best.

I can't.

I'm sorry.

I abuptly sat up in bed, waking with a start as my heart pounded against my chest. I breathed heavily and peered over to Saeron's bed to see if she was back, but it seems like she hadn't come back at all last night. Getting out of bed, I hurried over to the bathroom and splashed my face with water, trying to clear my head and make sense of my dreams. I gripped the edge of the sink tightly and took deep breaths, slowly looking up at the mirror and staring into my own eyes. "Who was that boy?" I asked myself softly before slapping my cheeks, trying to bring myself back to sanity. 

For the rest of the week, I avoided Taehyung like the plague. My anger from that night was quelled within a couple of days, but I soon became extremely nervous around him. I didn't know what it was but every time he came near, I became dizzy and those fragmented memories flashed through my mind again. I felt like I should apologize to him for creating such a scene, but not right now. I needed to clear my mind before I even thought about approaching him again. The sound of a lunch tray hitting the table startled me and brought me back to reality. I looked up to see Hyeri grinning down at me. 

"What's up, buttercup?" She asked cheerfully, taking a seat beside me. 

"Uh, nothing. Just thinking," I said, shaking my head lightly as I peered into my bowl of cold soup. I slowly scanned the lunchroom and came to the realization that there were no Artemis kids anywhere with the exception of Hongbin. I furrowed my brows and turned to Hyeri who raised a suspicious brow while sipping her spoonful of soup. "Where are all the hunters of Artemis?"

Hyeri blinked rapidly, placing her spoon on her tray and tilting her head at me in bewilderment. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"The winter solstice is coming up."

I pushed my lunch tray forward as I stood up abruptly. I forgot. I absolutely forgot. When the winter solstice arrives, the hunters of Artemis pack up and Artemis to a meeting on Olympus with the rest of the council. I hurriedly climbed over the bench, nearly tripping and falling on my face as I scurried over to Hongbin, slamming my palms on the table. The young hunter looked up at me mid bite and wide eyed.

"Jiae?" He asked, retracting the spoonful of food from his mouth. 

"Where are the hunters?" I asked quickly, slurring my words together.

"What?" He cinched his brows together and cocked his head.

"Hongbin, I don't have time!" I pleaded desperately. "Have the hunters left yet?"

"Oh!" Hongbin exclaimed, nodding as he went back to shoving food in his mouth. "They haven't left yet. They're probably packing and scouting the best route for travel right now." 

"Thank you!" I shouted, already making my way towards the Artemis dorm. Sprinting as fast as my legs could carry me, I ran to room two and pounded on the door. "Taehyung! Taehyung! Please still be here."

I was startled by a hand on my shoulder and quickly turned around, my face coming extremely close to Taehyung's, I gasped and took a step back, my body pressing against the door. Taehyung scooted back shyly and cleared his throat to the side before looking me up and down. "What's wrong? Why are you making a ruckus in front of my room?"

Looking into his eyes, I took a deep breath and spoke softly, becoming extremely nervous. "I heard you were leaving with the other hunters. I needed to talk to you. About that night."

Taehyung's flashed open as he quickly swiped his keycard, almost sending me tumbling into the room. He caught me by my waist and twirled me around as he shut the door behind us. He placed his hand on the door beside me as he loomed over me, his lips pulling to the side as questioning expression draped across his visage. "I'm sorry about what happened that night. I shouldn't have said what I said," he said, sighing deeply. "I got carried away, and I'm just bad with words, okay?"

"No," I said, my heartbeat beginning to hasten. I shyly turned away as he tried to look me in the eyes, my fingers pinching the hem of his shirt nervously. "I actually came to apologize to you. I shouldn't have stormed off. You were right. I shouldn't be relying on your for everything, especially these kinds of matters."

Silence passed over us, and I kept my gaze averted but I could tell he was still looking at me. He let out another deep sigh before walking over to his bed and taking a seat. Leaning back on his arms, his eyes fell to the floor. "I won't be back until the vernal equinox in mid March. While I'm gone, you need to start taking care of yourself," he turned his face away from me. "So I don't have to keep worrying about you." 

I smiled slightly and took a seat next to him, hands clasped in my lap and eyes locked on them. "I know. I will. I promise. I know I've been relying on you a lot," I said quietly. "But thank you for everything. I appreciate every step you've taken with me so far." 

"Don't worry about it. It's what you do for people you care about," Taehyung smiled, turning his head toward me. "Is that all you came to say?" I nodded. "Artemis and the hunters are waiting for me, so I should probably get going."

Taehyung stood up and walked towards the door. I too stood up from the bed and followed behind him, bumping into him as he stopped suddenly. "Before I go though, there's something I want to give you," he said, his back still turned.

"What is it?" I asked.

Taehyung quickly turned around and cupped my face in his hands before locking his lips tightly with mine. I let out an exclamation in protest, my hands wrapping around his, but soon found myself surrendering to him. His kiss grew deeper and my knees nearly gave out beneath me as my breath was literally taken away. As he finally released, the two of us gazed into each other's eyes, soft gasps escaping our lips. His thumbs gently grazed over my cheeks as he examined every aspect of my face. As much as I wanted to pull away, there was something about this moment that felt right. I felt like I was melting between his fingers into a pool of blissful comfort. I shouldn't have felt like that. I didn't want to feel like that, but for some reason my mind told me I did.

"Forget me," Taehyung sputtered softly.

I snapped back to reality and stared at him wide eyed. "What?"

"Forget about me. Forget about your feelings for me. I know they're there. You can deny them all you want, but the heart doesn't lie," he said as he grabbed my hand, pressing my palm against my chest. I could feel my racing heart pounding against my chest, begging to be set free. "But forget them. Accept Hoseok's proposal. He'll take care of you better than I ever can." Before I could even say a word, he released me and quickly rushed out the door, slamming it behind him, leaving me to stand there in shock. He pressed his back against the door, leaning his head back. His heart clasped his chest as he felt his own thunderous heartbeat. Sluggishly, he began to leave the dorm, heading towards the rendezvous point for the hunters. "Wish I'd take my own lousy advice."

Soon the hunters and Artemis were off, and the Artemis dorms were vacant again with the exception of room one and two. Saeron allowed me to continue using her room as she'd become accustomed to me for her roommate and thought I'd probably like it there better than the crowded Hermes dorm or the overbearing Big Three dorm. The room felt empty and lonely that night. I found it nice being able to fall asleep while talking to Saeron about our days and discussing various topics, but tonight, I tried to lull myself to sleep with the help of a novel. It definitely wasn't working, though, because I found myself turning about and fidgeting constantly in an attempt to get comfortable. A soft knock drew me to the door and upon opening it, I found a smiling Hongbin greeting me. Because of what happened with his heart during the exams, Artemis advised him to stay behind and recover at the academy for now. 

"Hey," he chuckled, waving rapidly. "Saw your light was still on and figured you might be lonely so I thought I'd stop by to say hi." 

I smiled warmly and opened the door, inviting him in. "You know me too well then," I replied, following behind him as he walked into the room, taking a seat on Saeron's bed. I took a seat on my bed across from him, crossing my legs. 

"So, uh, what's got you up so late?" Hongbin asked, bringing his knees up to his chest.

"Uh, just thinking about a really difficult decision I need to make," I sighed, biting my lip and eyes darting around the room. 

"Want to talk about it? I make a really good consultant."

I chuckled softly. "I don't know if I want to trouble you with this matter. It's kind of complicated."

"Hm? Is it a matter of the heart?" Hongbin grinned ear to ear, leaning forward.

I looked at him with surprise. "How on Earth did you guess?"

"It's kind of obvious. You're basically an open book, Ji," he replied, laying down on his side and propping his head up with his arm. "Is it Taehyung?"

I shook my head vigorously and waved my hands before me. "No, no, no, no," I rapidly rejected. "It's, uh, it's Hoseok." 

Hongbin's jaw dropped, grin still stretched across his face as he lapped up this information. "No way. What?"

I nodded. "Hoseok asked me to date him a week ago, and I still haven't responded. I can't seem to make up my mind."

"Well," Hongbin pursed his lips, looking to the side as he thought about it. "How do you feel about him?"

"How do I feel about Hoseok?" My eyes traveled up to the ceiling as Hoseok's face started to fill my mind. Warmth cascaded over me as I smiled softly, remembering all of our encounters. I remembered meeting him for the first time at the clinic, the kiss we shared in the charmspeak classroom, and the time he shared his lyrical notebook with me. I grew fond of our friendly encounters and his down to Earth personality. As I started thinking more and more about Hoseok, a sudden image of Taehyung flashed in my mind, startling me and bringing me back. 

Hongbin smirked slyly. "That is the look of a girl who's caught feelings for someone. If you ask me, I think you should go for it."

My eyelids fluttered as I looked over at Hongbin. "You think so?"

"Why not? You're young and beautiful. Live your life. At least you don't have a pact against falling in love," he scoffed, rolling his eyes jokingly. "ity pacts have a little more leeway when it comes to love." Hongbin smacked his lips and looked at me with an exasperated expression. "Must be nice." 

I laughed and laid down, hand fiddling with my pillow as I thought about what Hongbin said. Soon I was nodding as I looked over at Hongbin who nodded back. "You know what? You're right. I'm going to do it. I'm going to accept Hoseok's proposal."

"Yes, girl. Cuff that boy," Hongbin joked, scrunching his nose as he beamed. 

"I'll be back," I said, sliding out of bed. "You can feel free to stay here tonight if you'd like. I don't think Saeron would mind, and I was a bit lonely anyway." 

"I accept that offer. Saeron has a softer bed and comfier blankets than I do," Hongbin agreed, wrapping himself in a blanket before turning over. "If you're going to look for Hoseok, his room is room eight in the Apollo dorm."

I nodded and hurried down the corridor towards the Apollo dorm, eyes scanning the numbers on the doors and counting up to the one I was looking for. As I reached forward to knock on the door to room eight, the door swung open and an unsuspecting Hoseok met eyes with me. 

"Jiae?" He chimed. "Jiae!" He covered his shirtless torso and quickly slammed the door shut before reappearing with a tee on. "I didn't expect to see you there. I was just about to go get a snack." He stammered nervously as he hurriedly fixed his hair, red blush dusted across his cheeks. 

My heart felt so full at the sight. "So cute," I whispered to myself, unable to take my eyes off his blushing face.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I cleared my throat. "I came to give you an answer to your proposal from last week."

Hoseok's eyes lit up. "You did? What's your answer?"

"Yes," I said confidently, hand tightly grasping my shirt. "I'll go out with you."

Hoseok's eyes curved into thin crescents as he smiled brightly. He wrapped his arms around me and gingerly laid his hand against the back of my head, holding me tightly. "Good. I promise I'll treat you like a goddess and never let you down. Count on me. I'll take care of you from now on."

With my heart swelling due to his loving words, I rested my head on his chest and returned his embrace. While I feel like I made the right choice and in this moment, everything felt amazing, there was definitely something scratching at the back of my mind