You Captured By Me

Chapter 3

She couldn't decide whether it was
because of the weather or her mood. How strange, she thought as she wrapped the blankets tighter around her body frame. She could definitely remember the reason why her heart was broken yesterday-memories of standing in front of Room 2320 for almost three hours came rushing back to her-but for some reason, what she fell asleep with last night and woke up to this morning, was a dream about kissing that stranger in the hotel hallway and holding on to her in the darkness of her room.
She smelled of peppermint and vanilla. It felt so good to be inside her strong arms and she regretted leaving in a hurry and not having stayed longer than thirty seconds.

If I meet you again, I would ask for a
one-minute hug. Two minutes? Five?
Would I meet you again?

Somehow, even though the sky still
looked a little bit overcast when she
looked at the view from the window of her condo unit, she felt a little bit warmer.

A chime from her phone startled her from her reveries. A text message from Rosé, one of her closest friends from high school and current client.

7:07 AM

J. The last batch of the wedding
invitations were sent already. They all confirmed they've already received it, thanks! Sorry I ditched you yesterday, had to do some minor changes with the wedding gown and they needed me there for the fitting. You're not picking up my calls yesterday tho. Are you ok?
How was the meeting with the hotel coordinator about the revised seat plan?

Like a jolt, her mind instantly recalled the reason why she was at the hotel yesterday. She was able to secure the printed copy of the updated seat plan with the hotel coordinator after talking over certain revisions. She reached for her bag and when she found an envelope, she paused. She remembered standing in front of
room 1613 again and crouching on
the hotel hallway as she fished inside her file folder for a sheet of paper and pen. She remembered scribbling a letter and wanting so much to slip it under the hotel door. She remembered not being brave enough.
She remembered how fast she ran
towards the stranger when she heard the hotel door click. Jennie buried her head on her pillows when the memory of the kiss came back to her.

Why is she so hot and beautiful?

She remembered tucking the letter
inside the envelope containing
Rosé's wedding invitation. But when she opened the envelope, she found neither.

It was a letter addressed to no one.

I failed you.

I know, even though how many times I say sorry, it will never be enough.
But every day, when I wake up,
it's all I ever think about-I don't
deserve your forgiveness.

You've trusted me so much but
in the end, I still let you down. I
wasn't worthy of your faith in me. I couldn't do any thing to spare you the pain. And I know I couldn't undo this mistake. It's been done. It's too late. I don't think I can trust myself anymore, too.

So I have written my resignation
letter and in three weeks, I will
quit. Tomorrow morning, I will
fly to Thailand and I don't think I will ever have the courage to come back again. Everything here reminds me so much of you.

I know in my heart that I would
always think of you until the end. I would never stop looking for a sign that you want me to go on. Until then, Ill continue to wish that wherever you are, I hope you're always happy.

Don't worry, this will be my last letter to you. I promise.

An hour and forty minutes later,
Jennie would be sitting in the airport lounge of Incheon International Airport, breathless
and feeling a little bit stupid.

I don't even know her flight details.
Or her name. Jennie, what were you
thinking?

In her haste to find the stranger
she kissed yesterday, she had
haphazardly put on a pair of jeans
and a gray hoodie. She hailed a cab
and ran around the airport looking at every person's face, hoping she will magically find her in the thick crowd.

I've watched too many movies. Of
course I won't find her.

Her feet hurt so much from running around but the pain of the stranger's letter kept her walking with the tiniest flicker of hope.

She was looking for a sign.

She wants to have a reason to stay.

I know exactly how that feels.

Jennie looked through the glass walls of the airport and for the second time that morning, she was looking at the sky again.

I hope someday I can make it up to you.

It's still cloudy and perhaps any
moment now, it will rain. An airplane flew in the distance.

I wish, wherever life takes you, that
you would find the sign you're looking for.