Constant and Changing (kryber)

Chapter 25: Sorry (Dear. Daddy)

Krystal lay awake in her bed feeling the chill of December in the air. She was nestled beneath her comforter, but the warmth that she was longing for eluded her. The sky outside was still dark. Krystal could hear her parents bustling around in the kitchen, preparing for the day. Krystal knew she should be down their with them, helping her mom get ready for their flight in a few hours, but Krystal did not feel motivated enough to move. She was normally not a morning person, but yesterday's break with Amber made her even less willing to get up now. The sadness of yesterday was now the loneliness of today, and Krystal found that she lacked the confidence to face the world this morning.

The doorbell rang downstairs, bringing a groggy Krystal to a more alert state. She sat up slowly, wondering who in the world would be ringing their doorbell at this hour. Nervously, Krystal wondered if it could be Amber at the door. Even though Krystal was sad about the break, she knew in her heart that it was the right decision. But if Amber were to appear before her this instant, Krystal was unsure if she had the willpower to resist asking Amber to spoil her with hugs and kisses. She tried to compose herself as she listened to her mother let their guest in and light footsteps made their way up the stairs.

Someone knocked on her door and called out to her softly. "Soojungie?" The door opened slowly without waiting for a response, but Krystal sighed in relief as she recognized the voice.

"Unnie?" Krystal answered back. The hallway light blinded her as Luna stepped into view. Krystal covered her eyes and waited for Luna to close the door before lowering her comforter shield. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to say goodbye to my favorite Soojungie who's abandoning me for a few weeks," Luna replied brightly, climbing into bed uninvited. She sat against the headboard and pulled Krystal close to her, snuggling warmly against the younger girl. "By the way, your mom said to tell you 'get your butt out of bed and come down to breakfast before we're late.'"

Krystal laughed but did not move except to hug Luna tightly. "Seriously though, why are you here? You came over this early just to send me off?"

Luna nodded vigorously, giving Krystal the impression of a cute dog begging to be petted. She brushed the hair out of Krystal's eyes with sisterly affection.

"Then what was our farewell dinner a few nights ago?" Krystal asked.

"Um... pre vacation sendoff?"

The younger girl raised her eyebrow in disbelief and laughed. It was a very Luna-like response, but Krystal could not help but sense that it was not the truth. "Unnie, you're such a terrible liar."

The older girl smiled at Krystal's remark, but the good-natured grin slowly melted into a look of concern. "I talked to Amber-unnie last night and she said that she was worried about you."

"Amber was worried about me?" Krystal repeated, taken aback by Luna's response. Krystal nerves were on edge in an instant. Unlike Victoria, Luna did not know that she was dating--or rather, had dated--Amber. But if Luna talked to Amber last night, then perhaps the secret now extended to Luna as well. "W...why was she worried about me?"

"She said you seemed really down lately. She told me to message you a lot while you were on vacation and to cheer you up if you ever seemed sad."

The warmth Krystal had been looking for suddenly penetrated her heart. Even when they were apart, Amber truly was looking out for her. "She really said that?" Krystal asked softly, touched by Amber's concern.

Luna nodded with a proud smile. "Amber-unnie has a really kind heart."

"You do too, unnie," Krystal said, nestling her head against Luna's. "Thanks for visiting me so early in the morning to check on me. Amber wouldn't have asked you to do this, so thank you for coming."