When I wake up in the morning, the harsh rays of the sun cause a panic to rise in my chest. I'm late to work - really late considering I'm normally out the door when it's still dark outside.
I sit up in my bed and have to give myself a minute to sit still due to the dizziness. When my vision clears, I frown in confusion when my surroundings aren't what I expected. Reality crashes down onto my weak frame and I remember everything.
I sigh and put my head in my hands, wondering if my father slept well last night. I make a mental note to call my step mother later and ask about him, though I'd be surprised if she even answers the phone.
A knock at the door and Jin's voice announcing breakfast brings me out of my worries and I figure I'd better do my best to make these next few days as relaxing as I can before I have to go back to my life. I've been given a gift with this break and I've realized if I spend it doing what I usually do, I'll look back at this opportunity and despise myself for wasting it.
"One second," I say to Jin as I change my clothes and move to the kitchen, where the smell of bacon hits my nose and my stomach growls while I simultaneously feel nauseous.
I groan in annoyance as Jin sets the plates of breakfast food on his table.
"Everything okay?" he asks as he sits down.
I sit down across from him and take a small sip of water. "Hungry but nauseous at the same time."
Jin frowns. "You may have the flu instead of just a cold."
I shrug and take a small bite of toast, which helps the nausea subside a bit. "Either way, I'd like to not feel like death."
"I don't mind paying for you to go to the doctor, Violet," he says with a sincere look on his face. "Just to be safe."
I shake my head. "Even if I do have the flu, there's nothing they can do. Just have to ride it out."
"Drink all of that water and eat all of that food," Jin says, pointing his fork at me.
I laugh as I take another bite. "Thanks for cooking. It's been a long time since I didn't have to cook my own food. It's gonna take some getting used to."
"Well get used to it because you won't be lifting a finger while you're here."
~
After breakfast, I was ordered to curl up on the couch with a blanket, which I do without complaint since I don't feel so great.
Jin smiles at me as he hands me the remote. "I gotta run out to the store real quick so feel free to watch whatever you want while I'm gone. I'm gonna stop by your house too so I can check up on your dad."
"You don't need to-"
Jin holds his hand up with a stern expression on his face. "I don't want to hear it. I want to do this, okay? Please just let someone care for you for once."
"Okay," I whisper as I look down at my hands in my lap.
I hear Jin sigh and when I look up, he's moved so he's kneeling in front of me. "I would do anything to prove to you that you deserve a better life than you have. Even if I can only show you that better life for a few days, I'll do my damn best."
"Thank you," I say, managing a small smile. "Tell my dad I miss him."
"Sure," Jin says as he smiles back at me. "Take a nap if you want. You look tired."
I nod, already feeling my eyelids drooping as Jin leaves, locking the front door behind him.
"I know I deserve a better life," I whisper to myself as I lay down and curl into a ball on the couch. "I just don't want to imagine something that's just not in my reach. Imagining myself in a better life is just as torturous as living the life I have... because I know I can't have that."
My words hang in the air around me as I slip into unconsciousness, wondering if Taehyung will be in my dream.
~
"I missed you," Taehyung admits as the dark street comes into view.
"How can you miss someone you don't know?" I say, rolling my eyes as I begin to walk aimlessly down the road while Taehyung falls in step next to me.
"I don't get to talk to people much," he says, and I see him looking at me from the corner of my eye. "It's nice to have someone to talk to."
"Sorry it has to be me," I say, pursing my lips as I glance towards the dark sky.
"You're not giving yourself enough credit," he says. "You're kind of incredible. I admire you."
"I'm crazy," I correct him. "I'm talking to a figment of my imagination."
"I resent that," Taehyung says as he stops walking. I stop and turn to look at him. "I'm not a figment of your imagination. I'm as real as you are."
"As you've mentioned," I say, raising my eyebrow. "What does that mean anyway? I've told you my life story. Shouldn't you tell me something about you?"
"I've told you my name," he shrugs and I roll my eyes.
"Smartass."
"The only thing that matters is that I'm here for you," he says, stepping towards me. "I just want to help you."
A shiver runs through me as his hand rests on my shoulder, and I look up at him. "I'm no one special. Why me?"
He smiles. "You are special."
Before I can respond, I hear my name in the distance, and Taehyung sighs softly. "You have to go."
I sit upright on the couch and for a split second, I think I see Taehyung standing in the corner of the living room. I rub my eyes and glance in the same spot, but I don't see anything there. I frown slightly in confusion until Jin's voice snaps me out of it.
"Everything okay?" he asks as he looks at me in concern while holding a few bags in his hands. "You look like you saw a ghost."
I shake my head slightly to clear my mind before looking up at Jin. "I'm fine."
"I ordered some pizza," he says as he moves across the room towards the kitchen. "I hope that's fine."
"Yeah," I say quietly, staring at the space I could've sworn I saw Taehyung a moment ago. "Sounds good."
