In Another Lifetime

The Truth

My hand came up to cover my mouth, my eyes closing so I could keep him from seeing the tears building. I didn't expect this at all. I never expected this to be so hard. The fact that he wanted me to stay so badly was breaking my heart.

~♡~

I should tell him. I needed to. I didn't plan to do it so soon, and I don't think it was expected that I would have to tell him already. But I felt like I had to. I felt like if I let him continue to think I could stay, and then told him when I had even less time left, it would be that much worse. I didn't want him to get his hopes up that I would be staying. There was no way I could, no way at all.

I hated to have to tell him. I felt like I was about to ruin his happiness, because once he knew, he would probably want nothing to do with me. That wasn't how this was supposed to go, it was only my third day here.

I sniffled, and he reached for my hand.

"What's wrong? You're crying. Why?" He gazed at me, his brows drawn together in concern.

"Tae, there's something I have to tell you."

His eyelids lowered, his expression faltering a bit.

"What is it Delaney? Is everything okay?"

"Not...no, no it's not. I'm so sorry Taehyung. I never meant for you to get hurt."

He shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Tae, I need you to just listen to me, okay? What I'm going to tell you...just...please, listen to  me."

I looked into his eyes, begging for understanding, but what I saw was confusion, and a bit of fear.

"Tae," I whispered, "I'm not who you think I am. This isn't...reality, at least, not for me."

I watched him, seeing his nostrils flare slightly as he stared at me. "What are you talking about? You're sitting right in front of me, I can touch you, I'm holding your hand, of course it's reality."

"I made a wish, Tae...to be here with you. It was granted, that's why I'm here."

A slow smile spread across his face. "You were scaring me for a minute."

I looked at him, knowing that he had misunderstood me. "Tae, I'm serious..."

"Did you really make a wish though, like, on a shooting star? I don't know if they really come true, but I guess it doesn't hurt to try."

"Tae...you're not listening to me."

"I am. You made a wish, now you're here."

I swallowed, and closed my eyes. "Taehyung, I want you to listen to me, and I know that you're probably going to want to get up and walk out that door, but please, let me finish what I'm about to say, and then, if that's what you want to do, I won't try to stop you, okay?"

His eyes became dark, shadowed, the smile disappearing, but he still held my hand.

I licked my lips, taking what was supposed to be a calming breath, and closed my eyes for five seconds. When I opened them, I looked right into his, begging him to know that I was telling the truth.

"My name really is Delaney Harris. I really am a stylist, of sorts. I do hair, and make up occasionally.  In America, we're called beauticians." I paused, not sure how to go on, because this was the hard part. "It's so hard to tell you this."

He was watching me, straight faced, blinking every so often, and I could tell he was clenching his teeth. I just knew he was going to get up and leave when I was finished talking. I was shaking, and I wondered if he could feel it in the hand that he was still holding.