2. white rose 》jeongmi

L

she prepared a little dinner for us, under that dried cherry blossom tree covered with white led lights. it was a simple, lovely dinner. a moment to remember.

"when did you plan this? huh?" i asked, teasingly.

"hm, a little over a week maybe? i'm not sure." mina giggles as she sips from her wine glass. "did you like it?" she asks.

"what do you think?" i replied, and she fell silent. i held her hand on the table and met her gaze. "of course i loved it."

she smiles, and maybe i was just imagining things, but her smile was a little not the usual. it was lovely, it was beautiful, but it was a little lost, and lonely. so i held her hand tighter, making her feel i'm with her, and that i will always be.

turns out, she was really going home-- to japan. not for good, but only for a family visit for the holidays. "my flight is in three hours, and i thought i wanted to spend this night with you before leaving." she explains. "i'm sorry i had to leave like this."

"no, no, don't be." i tried not breaking into tears as i remember the first time she told me she was leaving. i know it's just for a few weeks but i don't know why i'm so scared. "it's just," my voice broke, "you should tell me sooner next time."

she nods, like a little kid. "wait for me then."

i chuckled a little when i heard her voice when she's trying to be cute. "i will."//