Eight Shots of Espresso | Na Jaemin

Chapter 12

It was 1:00 in the morning and Jaemin was tossing and turning in his bed. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead as grunts of frustration escaped his lips. His eyes were closed but his brows were furrowed as if he was struggling. He was, because in his dream, he was back again in South Korea, standing beside a hospital bed.

"Time of death, 1:09 A.M." the doctor announced.

Jaemin was standing beside his father yet he had never felt so alone in his whole life. His presence didn't comfort him, not one bit. When the doctor announced his mother's time of death, his father let go of his hand and ran towards his wife. A frown was etched on her face, a permanent sign that she was in pain and yet she still looked beautiful.

"Mom!" Jaemin cried and held his mother's cold hands. His father was sobbing uncontrollably, his shoulders shaking violently.

That moment, Jaemin knew that everything was over. The caring woman he first loved was gone forever and the strong man he looked up to broke down in front of him.

"Mom! Don't leave us please!"

"Mom!"

"Mom!"

"Jaemin! Jaemin, wake up!" Jeno shook Jaemin's shoulders and he finally shot his eyes open. He met Jeno's worried face, hands holding both of his shoulders. That's when he felt the warm liquid cascading down his cheeks. He had been crying while calling his mother.

"What just happened?" he asked Jeno as he ran a hand on his disheveled hair.

"I heard you yelling from the other room. I thought a robber broke in, but you were just having a nightmare," Jeno answered. Jaemin closed his eyes, frustrated for embarrassing himself like that.

"I'm sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay. You can talk to me if you want. I know there's a lot of stuff bothering you right now."

Jaemin heaved a sigh, contemplating whether he should tell his best friend or not until he finally came into a decision. "I will tell you once I sorted things out."

Jeno nodded understandingly, respecting Jaemin's boundaries. That's the thing that Jaemin liked about him. He never persisted on knowing what's going on inside his head and lets him open up on his own.

When Jeno left, he lied on his bed again and stared at the ceiling. His heart was still beating fast, feeling as if he just relived that nightmare. He hated it. He hated everything that has something to do with his painful past.

He hated everything except you.

Your face suddenly appeared in his mind and his heart calmed down, mind at ease.

He whispered your name in the dark. Your name had a calming effect on him, the kind that he would never get tired of saying, the name that made him remember all the good things that had happened to him.

His mind and heart were troubled, yes. Yet there was something in that mess that also made sense, and only he could understand it.

You woke up with a start, earlier than the time you set your alarm clock. On the other side, Giselle was still asleep. You moved silently, trying to make as little noise as possible to not wake your roommate up. You grabbed your towel and a fresh set of clothes before going to the bathroom.

"Why do I feel like something had changed about you," Giselle said while you were walking together.

Indeed, something about you had changed. What encouraged you to do all those things, that you couldn't answer. You were smiling brighter than usual, always in a good mood, extra helpful both at school and in your dorm. Giselle liked it at first but she couldn't pinpoint what triggered those changes.