𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓 || DOUMA X YN || 16+

chapter 5

┌─── ∘°❉°∘ ───┐

"Y/n, let's leave this place... just you and me," he whispered, his voice smooth as silk, calm like the still sea beneath a gathering storm. His words lingered in the air, a promise of escape from everything—every burden, every expectation—calling me toward a future only we could define.

He reached for my hand, his fingers gently wrapping around mine, grounding me in a moment that felt suspended between heartbeats. Slowly, he leaned in, his breath warm against my skin, and the world seemed to fade into the background, leaving only the two of us sitting on the edge of something unknown, something terrifying and beautiful.

"I- I can’t..." The words spilled out, unsteady, my heart tugging in two directions—toward him and toward the weight of the life I was trying so hard to carry. "I have to obey my parents... " I continued, the confession burning on my tongue. "After everything they’ve done for me—raising me, watching me grow—I owe them that much. I need to repay them somehow, to make them happy, even if just once, by following the path they chose for me. It's all I have left to give them..."

I felt my voice waver, cracking under the pressure of my own guilt. "All I’ve ever done is disappoint them. Every choice I made, every step I took—it was never enough. I was never enough." My eyes fell to the ground as the silence stretched between us, thick with the weight of words left unsaid, of dreams I couldn't reach.

His grip tightened ever so slightly, his thumb brushing against my knuckles as if to remind me that he was still there, waiting, patient and steady. But even in that touch, there was a quiet urgency—a plea for me to choose differently, to break free of the chains that bound me to a future I didn't want.

Suddenly, I pulled my hands away from him, the cold absence of his touch rushing in like a tide pulling away from the shore. My heart ached, a hollow echo that reverberated through my chest. I knew I couldn’t live without him—his touch, his smile, the warmth of his presence. And his voice... his voice as calm as the sea, as quiet as the wind that stirs only at dawn. Every part of me longed for him, for the life we could have together, free from the expectations that pressed in on all sides.

But deep down, I also knew I had to endure the distance. I had to survive being apart from him, even if it tore me apart piece by piece. My duty, my promise to my parents, was the one thing I had left to give them before the final tether between us snapped. As much as I wanted to escape, I couldn’t... not yet.

Then, as if pulling the words from the very depths of my heart, I spoke, my voice softer but filled with quiet resolve. "I promise... after I’ve done what my parents want me to do, we’ll run away. We’ll go far from here, to a place where it’s just us." I looked up at him, my eyes gleaming with a fragile hope that flickered like the last light before dusk.

“But!” I added quickly, leaning in, my heart racing with the weight of my plea. "Promise me you'll wait for me. Please... just wait for me." The words trembled between us, a desperate hope that he could hold on as long as I needed him to, that this distance wouldn’t break us before I was ready to choose him completely.

I reached out slowly, my fingers trembling as I searched for his hand once more, the space between us heavy with unspoken words, with the hope that he would say the exact thing I longed to hear. My breath caught in my throat, waiting, yearning.

His fingers brushed mine, and he took my hand gently, his smile warm and soft, radiating a quiet, unwavering assurance. "I promise," he whispered, his words filling the air like a tender embrace, drawing me in. He smiled down at me, a smile that made the world seem just a little brighter, as if this promise alone could hold us together through the storm.

"It’s sealed then!" I exclaimed, my voice light and full of joy, my smile stretching so wide it felt as if it could reach the sky. Not a single word could capture the happiness I felt whenever I spoke to r҉y҉u҉. In this moment, it felt as though nothing else mattered—just us, just this promise that was now carved into the fabric of our future.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head, his eyes filled with warmth and affection. "Yes, yes... now drink your tea, it'll go cold... "

...

Cold.

Cold..

Cold...

Cold...?

C̶o̶l̶d̶.

└─── °∘❉∘° ───┘

¡! I know the chapter is short, I'm sorry. ¡!

› I disappeared for days. I'm sorry, again.
(⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧