Aphrodite's Spell

Blooming Roses

Nayeon buries her face in the pillow that smells of summer fruit and freshly tilled earth- a scent that belongs to Mina. A big part of her hopes that all this is a terrible nightmare, something she can wake up from. A small part of her wishes she could just go to sleep and not wake up again so she doesn't have to live with the reality, a reality in which the younger girl doesn't want her in her life anymore.

She curls herself into a tight ball in her bed, as if the fetal position can shield her from the pain that's pressing upon her chest suffocatingly.

"Get up. We're getting drunk." Momo's voice is soft, careful, and Nayeon thinks maybe, just maybe everything has been a nightmare, because Momo is always loud, boisterous, no different from her. Tonight, even the tug on the sleeves of her shirt is so gentle, like she's fragile. Like she'd break. Maybe she would.

She blinks open her eyes and finds Sana and Momo at the foot of her bed, offering her a sad smile.

She takes the hand Sana offers, pulling herself up. When she takes the first shot, the liquor burns down her throat, stinging her chest in a way that seems to numb the already existing pain.

Five shots later, Momo sets up their home karaoke, seemingly determined on a mission to distract her from her heartache.

Of all the ways she expects the night to end, it's definitely not crying to a song that's supposed to be happy and carefree.

Momo looks stunned, eyes shifting guiltily to Sana and Nayeon feels a little bad for her. It's not her fault that Nayeon's voice decides to crack in the last verse she sings, I wanna know know know know what is love.

Sana wraps her arm around her back, and Nayeon lets herself be pulled into a crushing hug.

"I lost her. I lost her." She mutters into Sana's hair, chest heaving with every sob that leaves her. "What have I done?!!"

Sana repeats "It's okay. We've got you. You're going to be okay," again and again until she closes her eyes, the alcohol lulling the stubborn ache in her heart enough to put her to sleep.

She sleeps, for hours. Sometimes she wakes up, smiling to herself. Because she's dreamt of brown eyes, dazzling gummy smiles and scintillating moles.

The pattern repeats.

She sleeps, for what feels like forever. Until the dreams blend with reality. Sleeps until the glittering stars in the clear night sky bid farewell. Sleeps through the morning sun filtering through the blinds basking her in a warmth like the fond hug of a mother, sleeps through the hungry growl her stomach makes as the harsh rays of the midday sun beats unforgivingly on her face, sleeps until dusk falls on the city and the horizon is full of pink and grey clouds.

It's why she doesn't know that Momo has found her flight ticket in her handbag, has marched right to Mina's dorm, shoved the ticket in the startled girl's hand and walked off after saying, "You need to talk to your parents."

It's why she doesn't know Mina's parents has explained the two days Nayeon spent with them fondly, not missing a single detail, and the younger girl has listened to every word with a teary smile on her face.

It's also why when she wakes up, cheek pressed to a warm chest, dainty fingers in her hair scratching her head every now and then softly, affectionately, she is convinced her lovesick mind is playing an elaborate trick on her.

She feels too many things at once as she pulls back and her gaze meets Mina's striking brown eyes. Something tightens in her chest, her head feels dizzy like she's just stepped out of a rollercoaster, her breath stutters and refuses to leave her lungs, her heart flutters and squeezes at the vision that is Mina, even if she's pretty confident she's a figment of her imagination.