LET ME - taehyun x oc

BONUS: Promises - 4

VIOLET

Pulling my purse over my shoulder, I stomp through the woods. The tightness in my chest makes it hard to breathe. But I remain steady, lifting one foot over the roots on the ground and then the other, dried leaves crunching beneath my sandals.

Why would he bring up Jaesung like that? Why does it matter? All I did was plan a nice surprise for him, and he had to ruin it with his insecurity.

The woods get thicker as I continue walking. But off to the side, between the trees, I see flickering lights from the village and the occasional pair of headlights zooming down the road. I'm not far from the parking lot. If I wanted to turn around and return to our car, it would take less than five minutes. But I'm not ready to go back yet.

I made such an effort to make sure he felt comfortable with my family. Not spending the weekend together like we usually do isn't ideal. But I tried. I tried to make it fun and special.

But every time Jaesung comes up, he gets insecure. As if it were my fault that he's never had a girlfriend before.

But it's not my fault, and I will not be made to feel guilty for having an ex. This is ridiculous–

Just as I take the next step forward, a breeze blows straight through the trees and lifts my hair, cooling the sweat on my skin. The sudden coolness makes me dizzy, so I grab onto one of the trees around me. The darkness has deepened, though the sliver of moonlight coming through the clouds gives me just enough light to make out the shape of our car between the trees.

Its engine hums in the distance, its headlights pointing away from me.

I scoff. He's not even coming to find me...

I try to keep walking, pinching my lips tight to keep them from trembling. But tears prickle in my eyes, and I find myself hunching over like I just got punched in the gut.

Maybe all of this was a mistake. Perhaps I wasn't ready...

Swallowing back the lump in my throat, I keep walking. But the further I go, the weaker my knees feel.

The I-love-yous... The vacations we took together... Meeting each other's families...

My body feels like it's crumbling. I let out a whimper, and tears roll down my face. My hand reaches for the silver band around my finger, and I sob.

Did I ruin this? Was this my fault?

My hips fall to the ground, leaves crunching under me as I pull my knees up to my chest. This is all my fault... Tears pool on my forearms and the woods around me disappear.

Why isn't he coming to find me? Why is he leaving me out here by myself?

Lifting my eyes to look towards the car, I see it's still there. Its engine still running, its headlights still pointing away from me.

But I don't hear the car door closing. I don't hear Taehyun's voice calling my name.

This is all my fault...

My body aches with regret. It feels heavy with blame. He always comes looking for me. It doesn't matter how hard I push him away; he always finds a way to hold on to me.

I should go back to the car and talk to him. I shouldn't have lashed out at him like that. But the thought of him leaving me sinks my feet to the ground. I can't move. 

What if he doesn't want to talk to me? What if he decides we should break up?

My leg muscles tighten, my body aching to move. But the thought of being abandoned again paralyzes me.