Star-Crossed Lovers

Chapter III - His Story

"So, what's your deal?"

Jaemin dusted off a small stool he found in the room and sat close to Jeno, who was now sitting [floating] on air in the middle of the room.

"Deal? What deal?"

Jeno's head snapped towards Jaemin's direction, confused. Jaemin rolled his eyes.

"Stop answering my questions with questions. I mean, what's your story? How did you end up here? Haunting this old church?"

Jeno frowned.

"Fine! To put it in simple words, I killed myself with a dagger one day in this church and the next thing I knew, I was floating in the air and could not even leave this place. Days and nights passed by and it's already been two hundred years, if that calendar didn't lie to me. Quick advice, don't stab yourself with a dagger. The pain is excruciating and unbearable. It left an unremovable blood stain too."

Jeno pointed a finger to his chest, where a stabbed wound could be seen from the torn fabric of his shirt which was badly stained with dried blood. He was pouting and had quite a regretful expression on his face. Jaemin could not help himself from smiling at the adorable pouting creature in front of him even though he felt sorry for his new acquaintance.

"Why did you killed yourself?"

Jaemin's question brought Jeno back to the most painful day of his past. No matter how hard he tried to forget that day, the memories were just too vivid for him to erase them from his mind. Once again, he lost in thought, forgetting the person in front of him who was waiting for his answer.

"Jeno! Jeno!"

Jaemin waved his hand left and right in front of Jeno to get his attention. Jeno snapped out of his trance and looked at Jaemin. A tear almost escaped from his eyes when their eyes met but he managed to brush it away before Jaemin could see it.

"It's alright if you're not willing to tell me, though. I'm not going to force you."

Jaemin looked down and tried to focus his eyes on the dirty floor. Jeno reached out his hand towards Jaemin's, but it halted midair when he almost touched him. He pulled back his hand and placed it on his lap.

"No, it's okay. Actually, it was because I lost the love of my life. We promised to get married but our families were against it. They're so unreasonable, I don't know why they were even enemies in the first place! I suggested we elope together but she refused.

On that particular day, she was crying again in my arms. Suddenly, she took out a bottle of poison from God knows where and drank it in a second. The next thing I knew, she was lying on the floor, lifeless!

I couldn't think straight. It was an impulsive decision. I took out my dagger and stabbed my heart because the pain of losing the one you love is too much for me to handle. I thought I could get rid of it by tearing my heart apart.

I thought death would be so much better. I thought I could be with her again in the after life. But I never thought I could be so wrong. I ended here! The place where I was forced to see my beloved took her life away and left me, alone! I don't know what went wrong with my life.

I've been regretting my life ever since, begging for forgiveness and asking God to set me free from this despair, but nothing I did could turn back time to when everything was not this messed up, when I still had her in my life.."

Jeno started off his story calmly. But in the middle of it, he was drowned in his emotions and started bawling uncontrollably. Jaemin moved closer to the crying ghost and tried to calm him down. He patted Jeno on the shoulder and tried to pull him into a hug.

Apparently, he was patting the air but he could feel cold wind brushing against his touch when he seemed to be patting Jeno. Jeno, on the other hand, moved closer to Jaemin and cried on his shoulder, in Jaemin's arms. 

Jeno's crying sounds were filled with despair and agony. It sounded like he had been in so much pain for a long time. Jaemin felt really bad for the sad ghost. It was a good thing that only Jaemin could hear Jeno cried, because it would be quite eerie especially when the sound came from an empty and dark, old church.

After quite a while, the sobbing stopped. Jeno had calmed down and back to his sense. Jaemin tried to look into his eyes but Jeno was trying so hard to avoid the pink-haired male's gaze. He rubbed his face with both of his hands and tried to put on a smile. An awkward one was formed.

"So, tell me about yourself. Are you new here? I've never seen you before."

Jaemin chuckled at Jeno's sudden mood changes and thought he was so cute. He answered the brown-haired ghost's questions and they started to chat like long lost best friends, forgetting the fact that Jeno just bawled his eyes out only few minutes before.

They were having a conversation about everything, their interests, their childhood memories, current issues, anything that came across their mind. It was the type of conversation that Jeno thought he would never had the chance to experience again over the past two hundred years.

Jaemin thought they would have some kind of 'generation gap awkward moments'. Apparently, Jeno was very kept up to date, even though he was trapped inside the church. He told Jaemin that he loved to read newspapers brought by the person who was in charge to take care of the church.

It was almost his dinner time when Jaemin realized that he had not taken his lunch yet, which after Jeno heard his stomach growling and pointed out to him.

"It's getting late. You better get home now, or your granny will be worried sick."

Jeno reminded Jaemin as he glanced at the watch on Jaemin's wrist.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it was this late. I'll come back again tomorrow, with a newspaper. Wait for me here, okay?"

Jaemin got up from his seat and half running to the church entrance. Jeno followed him, still floating.

"As if I have anywhere else to go."

Jeno rolled his eyes and smirked. Jaemin chuckled and waved at him. Jeno smiled with his eyes and the smile stayed even after Jaemin had disappeared between the buildings across the street.

Jeno was really happy. It was a pure happiness which he thought he could never felt again over the past two hundred years.