Take It Slow

Brave and Honest

THAT 'GROW TOGETHER' TYPE LOVE

You blink twice before reading the phrase again. The first thing you read in Friday morning. It's the phrase on Sungjin's cap, which is on the bedside table, that he made you wear last night.

You were clouded and overwhelmed by everything that you were not able to process anything. The hug, the intertwined fingers, the things that you talked about. Now that you're awake and that your mind is clearer than yesternight, heat creeps up your cheeks and butterflies go wild in your tummy.

You clench the pillow and bury your face more on it before you slide in the duvet to hide yourself more. You shut your eyes tightly as you try to suppress the overpowering feeling that's inundating you. But the more you try to brush it all away, the more his words from last night become clearer in your head that they almost seem audible.

"So childish, right?" You chuckle bitterly. You're both seated on the bench after you had calmed down. Fingers still locked with each other's inside the pocket of his jacket. You cleared your throat and sniffed before exhaling softly. "Storming out of the house out of petty things and made myself look dumb and foolish and let myself freeze to death. Although, I didn't really need a knight in shining armor, but thanks."

Sungjin glanced on your forearm. His gaze traced the figure of it until it landed at the bulge on his pocket where both of your hands were in. He kept mum and let you continue.

"I lived in a castle of lies and deception. I was made to believe that I was a princess and suddenly I was treated as a trash." You swallowed the lump in your throat, which was hard for you to do so. You moistened your lip as another set of teasing tears tried to escape. "I never knew I'd cry about it again. I haven't shed a single tear about this for eight years. And for that eight d*mn years," Sungjin slowly flipped his head towards you when he heard you cursed, "he didn't come see me. Neither just to check on me. Text? Call? Huh! Do we live in the era with no cellphones and computers? And he'd appear one day as if nothing happened? He even brought his--" you let out an exasperated sigh as you looked up to prevent a tear from falling.

"You know..." Sungjin suddenly mumbled, which you didn't expect. You stayed still as you waited what he'd say. "You were once his princess," you felt him squeeze your hand gently, "but someday, someone will make you feel you're a queen, and you deserve nothing but the best."

You glanced at him and smirked before shaking your head slowly. "I don't need to be treated as a royalty. And I don't really need the best. I just need someone's bravery and honesty. Someone who might not act as a king and a hero; I'm done with dreams and fantasies. I need someone who may just be simple, but is brave enough to take all the obstacles just not to let me go. Someone who's transparent enough to not wrap me with fallacies and is courageous enough to tell me the truth even if it'd hurt me because he knows that letting me be surrounded by deceit wouldn't only hurt me but would also destroy me."

You felt his thumb brush the back of your palm. He couldn't help but chin up because at this very moment he felt so proud of how strong you are yet he wanted to wrap you in his arms once again and sap all of your burden or even just half of it.

"You've always been a matured child," you raised a brow when you heard him say 'child', "and you sure have grown and became more mature."

"Is that a bad thing?" You plastered a small smile. "I can't actually wait to be an adult and live alone. Mind my own life and don't give a sh*t about anyone and anything."