The Album of Us

Paper Heart

Amber sat scrunched in her seat on the plain, her chin resting in the palm of her hand as she stared out at the endless sky.

She had a letter from Krystal buried in the bottom of her backpack that she was too afraid to open. Krystal didn't usually write. They'd been long distance for the past year and half but it didn't stop them from staying in touch and caring about one another.

A phone call. FaceTime. A text.

...a letter...

Why did the letter scare her more than anything?

Was it the end? Now? After all this time?

They'd trained together, performed together, celebrated together. Years. They'd spent so many of their years together. Had the time apart undone all of that?

"Miss? Miss?"

Amber pulled her attention back to the interior of the plane and focused on the flight attendant who'd been calling her.

"We're about to land."

She noticed everyone else around her preparing to end their hours long sitting and thanked the attendant as she started doing the same, her heart in her throat. This could be a mistake. A big mistake. She should just read the letter.

The crowded walk through the airport once they landed did nothing to soothe her, neither did the bumper to bumper traffic she had to suffer through her cab ride.

She remembered the first time she saw Krystal. The younger woman was all knees and elbows then. Amber's stomach had been all in knots and she'd tried to hide behind her hair in a room full of gorgeous girls who'd trained to be an idol a lot longer than she had. Krystal had walked over to her, a small frown on her forehead and touched her elbow gently.

"Are you okay?" She'd asked in a soft voice.

Amber didn't know much Korean but she'd recognized that. She'd nodded and Krystal had walked away. None of the other girls approached her. She'd been pretty much caught since then, but she and Krystal hadn't started dating until five years later.

The cab finally reached the destination and she got out, a bag on her shoulder and her suitcase in her hand, the wheels grumbling along the sidewalk leading the apartment Krystal shared with her older sister Jessica.

This is such a mistake, she worried. I should've just read the breakup letter and moved on. Instead, here I am, pretending everything is okay and I'm visiting my girlfriend as a surprise. What if she's busy?

Amber signed and sucked in a deep breath. It was cold in Seoul so she had to huff out a few breaths to feel warm again. She licked her dry lips and walked up to the building, the code Krystal had given her a year or so ago still working. The elevator ride up seemed too slow and too fast all at once.

She considered texting first, but she was already there, right outside of her door. She grit her teeth and rang the doorbell.

Jessica's voice fluttered over the income. "Amber?"

The door clicked open then Jessica was standing in front of her, looking worried and confused. "What are you doing here? Krystal is in the middle of a shoot? Was she expecting you?"

Amber shook her head and Jessica thumped back down on her heels. "Well, Hmm...Okay. You can wait out in the living room or in her room, I guess. I'm working on a new project for Blanc & Eclare so I don't really have time to talk. It's nice seeing you though." She held out her arms for a hug and Amber pulled her in, but released her when she shivered.

"Sorry."

"That's okay. Come in and warm up. Krystal will be home soon."

She wanted to ask Jessica if there's been any talk about a breakup, but she could just read the letter for that. She glanced down the hall where Krystal's bedroom was, then settled on the living room sofa instead. Better to have things end in a very nice living room, than the bedroom where they'd made some hot memories in.