Sun-kissed

Chapter 43

Three days later.... Departure Day

Amina fumbled with the zipper of her stuffed-to-the rim luggage. She had sold all that she could these last three days and was only taking the bare minimum with her. She straightened and pulled the top handle up with both hands, dragging the luggage over to her small weight scale. Amina closed one eye and bit the corner of her bottom lip.

27 kgs.

Aigoo... How to get rid of another 4 kgs? She checked the clock on her microwave. It was a little past eleven and Yuri would be here around noon. That would give them enough time to make the ride to Incheon International Airport so she could check in for her flight before she had to leave later this afternoon.

She sighed. Good ol' Yuri... When Amina had dropped off the internship packet at Dr. Park's office on Wednesday, she stopped by one last time to say goodbye to everyone and had only accepted Yuri's kind offer to drive her to the airport because she felt... lonely? At least there was one person besides herself and Dr. Park that Amina knew she could still count on. Even if Yuri didn't know half of Amina's story, she faithfully supported her. And that spoke volumes to Amina right about now.

Amina unzipped her luggage and opened the top flap. She checked the clock on the microwave again, silently cursing herself. This is what she got for turning off her phone and selling it after her last night with Youngbae, in the heat of anger. Now she felt naked and paranoid without it. But she didn't need it... she didn't have anyone significant to call. Not anymore.

With a huff, she started rummaging through her belongings, deciding on what she could live without. Sweaters... jeans. One pair of boots. Her Air Jordans. Cardigans...summer dresses. She yanked the summer dresses out. God, she would miss them. They were her favorite selections. But she was going to New York. She doubt she'd get chance to wear them.

Amina set the dresses aside on the kitchen counter, lovingly trailing her fingers along the lush fabrics. Regrettably, she went back to her luggage and pulled out some other thick sweaters to add to the pile. Maybe Yuri could find a good home for them.

But soon it got to her. Some of those dresses were ones she hadn't even worn yet! She started unzipping her jeans and pulled off her thin cashmere sweater over her head. She picked the most coveted dress out of the bunch - a white spaghetti strap fit-and-flare light summer dress with a sweetheart neck and a hemline that fell high above her thighs. Impulsively, she unsnapped her bra off to fit the cut of the dress better. The silk lining felt like heaven against her skin. She twirled around in the dress in her kitchen, loving the feel of the light fabric and admiring the intricate gold thread floral pattern.

Smiling, she skipped to her empty bedroom, pulling open the bedroom closet door where her full length mirror hung.

There was a knock on her apartment door.

"Come in Yuri!" Amina called absent-mindedly. The closet door blocked her direct view of the entrance door but she just wasn't ready to stop admiring the dress just yet. She heard the visitor walk in and lock the door behind them. "Ah... Yuri-yah. It's such a shame I can't take everything with me..." Amina grabbed a handful of her hair and piled it on top of her head, loving the way the neckline of the dress showed off her décolletage. But it did cinch slightly above the waist and poof straight out. She worried her lip.

"Yuri-yah... honestly, tell me your opinion." She dropped her hands, her hair falling down in alluring waves around her face, as she closed the closet door and stepped into the kitchen area. "Does this dress make me look fa-" Amina broke off, the smile on her face quickly fading. The pain she had tempered to a dull flame three days ago exploded inside her. Her heart started aching all over again.