‘They are coming…’ he spoke, almost a whisper.

‘They have long until they arrive. Don’t you dare try and change the topic, Park Jimin!’

His lips broke into one of his beautiful smiles and a part of her melted. She never had any defenses against him. She never had and she never will.

‘I’m not…’ he giggled softly. ‘I am here, aren’t I? Just as I promised…’

That last sentence earned him a scowl from her.

They simply sat here, unwilling to break eye contact, holding onto each other. She held onto him by his shoulders while he held her firmly by her waist. Nothing whatsoever bothered them at that moment. Nothing was allowed to, absolutely none.

‘You are always bad at keeping promises, Jimin. You either forget them or mess it up so bad. I always have to clean up the mess you leave behind.’

The breathing was uneven as they searched for words to speak. Occasional deep breaths allowed the heart to beat on.

‘I messed up quite a bit this time, didn’t I?’ he bit his lower lip as a sign of regret as he stared at her troubled face. His smile, however didn’t fade away as he repeatedly realized one important fact. ‘I am so glad that I have you.’

She moved one of her arms and ruffled his soft locks that fell gracefully on his forehead. She could barely hold any anger against him as she stared deep into his apologetic eyes. Her frown was replaced by a weak smile that grew stronger with every passing second he stared deeply into her soul, drinking in all that she was.

‘You almost lost me though…’

Her regretful tone reminded him the cause of their conversation. He felt a pang of sadness hit him unknowingly. He didn’t imagine them to be in this situation, he had never done so. Reality beckoned at him though.

He slowly took one of his hands from her waist and held one of hers instead. Refusing to break eye contact, he took her hand to his lips and placed one of the softest kisses he’s ever given her. A teardrop escaped her eyes as she felt her body shiver at his touch, her lips curving into a broader smile than before.

 ‘I couldn’t take you along to where I was going. It was simply not right of me to do so…’

Hands still held tight, she pulled his towards her lips. Her kiss was desperate, overwhelming with all the emotions she was feeling at the moment. Her doubts, fears, inhibitions and worries echoed through the pressure her lips were radiating on his palm as her eyes threatened to overflow any moment. He, however, simply smiled at her.

‘I know Jimin… I don’t blame you’ She breathed ‘However, I couldn’t resist myself from following you.’

He chuckled softly at her innocence as she cowered. ‘You know that you didn’t have to right?’

‘You broke the promise…’ she stated firmly. ‘… I cleaned up the mess.’

He beamed as his eyes formed into a pair of crescents that shined brightly in the night sky. He was completely unable to define the way he was feeling at that moment. All he could do was smile.

‘What did I do to deserve you?’

She smiled at him for a reply, as they intertwined their fingers firmly.

‘You… You are not angry, are you?’ she stuttered.

‘No… You can never anger me…’ he calmly reassured.

‘Was it…painful?’ she dragged in worry.

‘I… I really don’t remember.’ He grinned. ‘Is it for you?’

‘Nothing I couldn’t handle…’ she sighed in relief.

He pulled her close by her waist allowing their foreheads to meet, the uneven breathing almost rhythmic now. It was getting cold and they could hear them approaching. Time was ticking away, unfavorable to their situation.

‘Will you take me along?’ She whispered, full of tension.

‘Forever!’ He declared as he closed his eyes, breathing hard.

‘But you almost didn’t…’

‘Hey…’ he sang calmly. ‘You are there to clean up my mess right? What will I do without you? I may forget but I will always fulfill.’

He moved so that he could place a reassuring kiss on her forehead before he spoke again.

‘I promised you that I’ll be with you forever. A promise is a promise.’

She smiled as she let her tears finally escape by closing her eyes with relief. She took a deep breath before she whispered at last. ‘I love you…’

Sirens drained the sound of their breathing soon.

~*~*~

‘What do we have here today?’ The captain made his way through a busy crime scene.

‘Drunken driving accident, Captain. The truck driver was totally wasted. He rammed into the car like it was nothing. The car driver had tried to swerve away from danger but still…’

The voice of the patrol officer faded away as they both surveyed the damaged car.

‘The paramedics are setting up to unload them slowly out of the car. They had been driving properly, following the rules, seat belts on.’ The officer lets out a heavy sigh. ‘That driver pleads guilty though. He didn’t run. He’s being held by the other officers over there.’

As he was listening to the officer’s words, the captain surveyed the damage from the back of the car. The driver had tried to swerve and ended up horizontal on the freeway, taking the truck head on against the driver’s side. It was now rammed against the fence that bordered the road, broken and squished on both sides with both the passengers inside. His scanning came to a halt as his eyes widened at the sight he saw when he came across the bodies. He blankly stood up straight from his crouch and stared at the officer who now had an apologetic expression on his face.

‘They were a couple, married and quite recently by the looks of it. They seemed to have been going on a trip.’ He took a deep breath before continuing. ‘Seeing as to how the truck hit the driver’s side first, we assume that he passed first, almost instantly. However during the impact, he seemed to have only thought about protecting her. She had been alive, barely. We believe that she tried to do this with whatever remaining breath she had left. They… they were so young.’

‘Officer…’ the captain sighed. ‘Make sure they stay together till the end.’

He took a deep breath as he shot one last glance at the couple that lay there, among the spatter of their own blood, still in their seat belts but hugging each other tightly. His arms were around her waist while she held him by his shoulders, their foreheads together, one of their hands intertwined together firmly.

A promise is a promise.