Don't tell me bye bye (mystery/ thriller)

Chapter 8

I finish scrubbing the hospital germs from my hands and go down to the kitchen. I'm about to walk in when I stop behind the door, leaning in to listen to the lowered voices of two people trying to have a discreet argument.

"I think it did her good, Jules. She met her friend there, so she wasn't on her own."

"I don't care. I told you I didn't want her going, but you just can't be the bad guy can you? Can't you see that the only reason she wants to see this Tae is because of what happened with Jungkook?"

"Maybe that's part of it, Jules, but she had an experience with Tae and she needs closure. She just wants to make sure he's okay, but if it helps her process what happened with Jungkook as well, then surely that's a good thing?"

The saucepans clunk together as they get thrown in the sink, and I wait a few seconds before I walk in. Mum doesn't even turn to look at me as I sit down at the table.

I look at Jin, who winks at me and I my shoulders sag as I let out a long breath. Teddy is sitting in his booster seat, banging his knife and fork against the table. His chin is covered in mashed potato and he has a couple of peas caught in his mop of hair.

"Hey, buddy. What did you do today?" I ask him as I pick the vegetables out of his curls.

He beams at me, dropping his knife and fork on the floor and bangs the table with his fists instead. "Plaaaaaaayed!"

Of course he did; he's three.

Jin turns to me, lowering his voice. "So how was Tae? Any change?" I shake my head. "Poor lad, I'm sure he's going to be okay though, Y/n. Was his dad with him?"

"No, his brother was." Do not flush when you say his name, Y/n. I swallow. "Um, Namjoon."

More loud crashes in the sink.

"Sorry, would it be okay if I had dinner later? I was hoping to go for a run and it's starting to get dark."

Mum and Jin exchange looks and Jin scratches his chin. "I'm not sure, Y/n. After the other night I don't really like the idea of you going out alone."

"I won't be alone. Namjoon said he'd meet me and we can run together."

Lies, lies, lies.

"Ooh, Namjoon, eh? You've mentioned his name twice in less than a minute."

Teddy joins in with a long 'ooh'. Before I can tell them both to shut up, Mum barks over her shoulder at me as she thrusts a cloth around the kitchen surfaces, jerking her arm around in angry spirals.

"I don't want you out meeting boys you hardly know, Y/n."

Jin puts his arm over the chair and turns to mum, even though she's firmly got her back to him. "Namjoon is okay, Jules, he seems like a really good lad," says Jin.

Mum stops wiping and drops her head onto her chest. She turns round, glares at Jin for a good five seconds then looks at me and walks out of the kitchen shaking her head.

"What was that about?" I ask Jin. "I mean, I'm doing okay, Jin."

Jin puts his hand over mine and squeezes it gently. "I know. She's just worried. Mums worry. Go on, get ready for your run."

Teddy struggles against the straps on his chair and kicks his feet. "Me come running too." "No Ted, you stay here. Ellie's got a hot date."
"Jin," I groan, my toes curling inside my socks.
"Just kidding. It's fine, you go. Make friends. Just be careful."

***

The head torch I had when Tae and I fell into the water had apparently wrapped itself around my wrist and survived the fall, and was in a bag with the rest of my belongings when I left the hospital. I've now decided it's like a lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) talisman so I've strapped it to my head for my second run in Seoul. Big Betsy is weighing down my right side but Mike wouldn't let me leave the house without her so I just have to adapt.

The ink of the night has extinguished any trace of the sun, and I run into the darkness, each of my footsteps pounding me further and further away from my mind. I follow the soft glow of the streetlamps until they take me to a footpath sandwiched between a cute cottage and hedgerow next to a field that looks like a sea of mud.

I pause at the opening of the path for a moment, then turn on my headlamp which bathes my way in bright light, and there are more houses lining the footpath so it's quite well lit. I flick through the songs on Jin's iPod until I find something half decent and then tread up the path, the moon and the stars blinking at me on my way.

Damn me and my obsession with being alone. The cute little cottages ran out after about five minutes and gave way to the edge of the woods. Trees loom over me like giants, their claws reaching down to grab me as I run past and the hedgerow to my other side feels like it's closing in on me, trying to trip me up and pull me underneath its bushes. I can see a few meters in front of me, but it's like I'm in a tunnel, the darkness threatening to close in and choke me with each step. The feeling of unease I had in the woods the other night is tapping me on my shoulder, and I pull out one of my earbuds, my free ear listening for I don't-want-to-know what.

I'm sure I can hear someone behind me, and a burst of adrenaline powers through my legs, but I'm not faster than whatever it is as I feel warm breath tingling the skin on the back of my neck. A male voice shouts and fingers claw at my shoulder. I brake on my heels, hold my breath and wheel around with a clenched fist, smacking my attacker right in the nose. He presses both hands to his face and I watch him with wide eyes as he falls backwards onto the ground. A high pitched moan rises from him as he kicks his heels against the ground and rolls side to side. I hold my shaking fists up, panting as I glance at him then over my shoulder, wondering if I could leap over the writhing mound while he's distracted or if I have to keep running into darkness. I bite my lip and whirl back and forth, not even sure whether my legs could walk, let alone run, and a voice materialises from the attacker at my feet.

"What the hell is the matter with you?! Are you crazy?"
Oh whoops. Oh, big, fat, whoops. I'd recognise those bright blues anywhere; I've just punched my crush in the face.

And he looks really, really annoyed about it.