A Second Strike Of Lightning

Time and Tide Wait For No One

Author's Notes: Contains themes which may not be suitable for some readers (sexual). Please proceed with caution.

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Eight years’ worth of emotions washed over them over the course of a few hours. Sad truths, unwarranted yearning, subdued qualms, bitter regrets — all of these fought for resurgence as they unraveled the layers that they individually put up around them in that period of being apart.

Finally, with their well-kept secrets revealed and their previously unspoken sentiments breathed out, closure should have been in order. Ironically though, the talk that was almost behind schedule only opened a window they never thought was in their midst — or simply chose to neglect.

Jin Ah, who had been shedding tears in the past sixty minutes or so, knew about it; and it was impossible for Seo Jin, who had been holding her steady while she broke down, not to be aware of that realization too.

Noticing how hoarse her voice became over time, he gently withdrew his arm which was draped around her shoulders and said, “I will get you some water. Stay here.”

She shook her head at once and held his wrist, wordlessly asking him not to go.

“Jin Ah, your throat is already parched from crying,” he informed her in case the overwhelming surge of feelings made her oblivious to it. “I don’t want you to get sick or anything.”

She gulped before assuring him, “I’m okay.”

“No, you’re not, baby,” he argued. “Both of us are not.”

She dabbed at her damp cheeks with her knuckles, then firmly demanded, “Be back soon.”

That prompted a tiny, yet comforting smile to break through the worried expression he was wearing.

“I will,” he told her in a sweet whisper, then leaned down to steal a peck on her forehead. “Wait for me.”

Of course, he was right; she was as thirsty as a lost vagabond in the middle of a drought. It was good thinking from his end to bring a pitcher of water instead of just a glass.

When she was done with her third serving, he retrieved the crystal goblet from her and wiped the corners of her mouth with the back of his hand. The gesture caused her heart to wrench, but she beamed at him nonetheless.

He rejoined her on the bed shortly after and together, they reclined on the headboard and stared vaguely ahead, lost in their respective thoughts. While it would have been nice to feel her snuggle against him, he was contented to be sitting closely beside her in companionable silence. She was obviously more at ease with the proximity, although the way she curled up and hugged her knees was still manifesting her reservations.

“For what it’s worth, I truly am sorry,” he sighed.

“I am, too,” she murmured without lifting her head from her forearms. “I am sorry for what happened to us, for the hurtful words we threw at each other, for the promises we were not able to keep.”

“And I am sorry for the years we lost,” he added, his tone muted and grave. “I should not have dared you to go that night. I should have chased after you, Jin Ah. I… I should have begged until you came home…”

Pain etched on his features as he continued to grumble, “It’s my fault. I should not have given up on us that easily.”

“Then again, I should not have walked away in the first place,” she countered with a tinge of resentment towards herself. “I should have decided to work with you for us to sort things out.”