Before I knew you

Leaving You Behind

Namjoon and Myla had the best day together.

They were like tourists going to all the main landmarks, Big Ben, the Tower of London, the London Eye. Myla thought she would be the guide giving snippets of history and facts she knew about the city, but Namjoon seemed to know more than she did.

Myla learned that he likes crabs, hip hop, and is technically a genius. Namjoon learned that she likes nature, action films, and always has marshmallows and whipped cream on her hot chocolate. They found out that they both like cycling.

For the whole day, Namjoon felt like a normal person. Somehow being with Myla made him forget about all the other stuff. Forget that everything he said was analysed. Forget that one wrong move could ruin his career. Forget that his life wasn't his own.

He couldn't let it end.

"Would you like to stay in contact? We could be like... penpals."

"That sounds like fun. Maybe one day I'll visit Korea and you can show me around."

Namjoon hesitated and debated with himself whether he should tell her the truth. That he was an Idol, a celebrity, a figurehead for his country. That he had performed on hundreds of stages in front of millions of people around the world. That his private life was hardly ever private.

As he looked into her eyes glistening with happiness that was there from spending time with him, Namjoon, not RM of BTS, he just couldn't ruin it. Instead, he kept his secret and smiled back.

"You definitely should. We have some great art galleries."

"I'll start saving up."

"And I can teach you some more Korean in the meantime."

"Only if you have the time. You seem like a very busy person."

"I always make time for the things that are important to me."

It wasn't really fair that Namjoon's face was covered by a mask. Myla was sure it was obvious on her face how his words had made her heart flutter.

"I guess I should be getting home."

"Yeah... It's getting late."

They looked at each other awkwardly, both knowing they needed to part but neither wanting to say goodbye.

Suddenly Myla started rummaging through her bag.

"Oh! I just remembered - I don't get to hand these out very often. Here you go."

Namjoon took the small piece of hard Myla held out to him and looked down at it. It was her business card, but unlike normal business cards that he'd been handed before, this one was no doubt for an artist.

"Why -?"

"It's got my number and email on it. Pen pal."

His lips twitched up into a smile.

"I'll make sure to use them."

Myla's shoulders sagged a little in relief.

"Cool... Um, do you - is it okay - can we hug goodbye?"

To answer, Namjoon held his arms open and she tentatively stepped towards him. When they wrapped their arms around each other it felt right like two puzzle pieces slotting together.

"Thank you for spending time with me the past two days. It's been fun and I'll never forget it."

Myla's arms tightened around him. His words implied that they were unlikely to see each other again, which was true, but she didn't want to think about it. Not yet. Right now she wanted to savour this moment, this connection between them. Deep down she felt as though this was just the start, as if a big change was coming. She only managed to choke out two words in reply. 

"Me too."