[VIXX] Ken - Goodbye

Retrouvailles

Retrouvailles - (French) the happiness of meeting someone again after a long time.

***

        The alluring scent of freshly ground coffee in the air; spoons lightly clinking against fine china; the soft whispers of people around you.

        You breathed in the aroma of the quaint coffee shop you’d been frequenting for the last few months, with its delicious pastries and friendly atmosphere. The employees had gotten to know you as the quiet young lady who never failed to stop in at least three times a week, sitting in the same seat as always. A few of the regulars recognized you as well, but besides them, barely a glance was thrown in your direction.

        And you liked it that way.

        You had been working on getting your life back together, and it finally seemed like everything was somehow in place. Your heart was guarded and that was all that mattered. You spent the days on a never ending cycle, working, sleeping, eating, sometimes relaxing, always on the move.

        The days slipped by and life stayed the same, until that one morning when the little bell at the door chimed twice and a noisy group of six young men entered the coffee shop. Your repose disturbed, you irritably glanced up at the owners of the loud, trampling noise. Their bright haired leader seemed oblivious to your annoyance, too busy hitting the others to notice. You cleared your throat and he turned around, giving you the biggest shock of your life.

        “Oh! _________-ssi!” Hakyeon exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here?!” He blinked in shock a few times, looking around for something, and tugging on someone else’s shirt. “Ah, no- Jaehwan-“

        Ken. Of course he would be with them. You swallowed hard, wanting to run away, when you saw a light shadow fall on your table. You cautiously looked up to meet the face of the man you had spent almost a year avoiding. Time seemed to stop as you both stared at each other, neither sure of what to say or where to begin.

        “Jae-”

        “___-” You both started to talk at the same time. Behind him, N was busy ushering the other members away, most of whom were whining because they hadn’t had a chance to order.

        “Ah, N hyung!” Hyuk complained, “My snack still-”

        “Shhh! Go over with the others and I’ll get it,” The older boy lightly pushed the maknae in the opposite direction, and the other members turned around, taking notice of you, and quickly understanding the situation. Hakyeon tapped Ken’s shoulder, “20 minutes.”

        Ken nodded, only half paying attention and you quickly pulled your bag from across the table so he could take a seat. “Umm… do you want to sit down?”

        Ken blinked a few times, as if he wasn’t really sure of where he was, before slowly answering. “…Yeah…” He sat down and continued staring at you. To say that it unnerved you was an understatement; you avoided his penetrating gaze and continued sipping your drink.

        “________…..”

        “Yes?” You looked at his confused face. “We only have 20 minutes, you know.” You had so much you wanted to ask him, so many excuses you had thought up to tell him, but they had all withered away the moment you set eyes on him.

        “…How.. How have you been?”

        “Pretty good. I have a new job I really like… and I moved to a new apartment a long while back… but… I guess you already knew that.” Why was it so easy to talk to him? Even after so long?