Forget-me-not

Cynthia

Desperate times called for desperate measures. An hour and a half before, Cynthia walked to her room with her head dipped in defeat. There was only one person she could rely on now. With shaking fingers and sniffles, she texted Hyunjin and explained the situation. 

Hyunjin was locked in his bedroom humming and working on a new sketch when his phone pinged. He was assuming it was Changbin wanting to know if he wanted to go get a late night snack. It wasn't like Changbin hadn't done it before. 

He was about to tell him no when he unlocked the phone. His eyes narrowed when he found a single text message from Cynthia. She explained the situation and the moment she did, Hyunjin was fuming. He was quick to tell her he'd be right there. Dropping his pencil, he shoved on a hoodie, a face mask, and his sneakers. 

He rushed from the dorm and nearly took out Han in the process. When Han asked where he was going so late, Hyunjin insisted there was no time to waste. He announced he'd be back later, grabbed his car key, and disappeared into the dead of night. 

When he pulled into Flora and Cynthia's apartment complex nearly twenty minutes later, the rain started. He grabbed the bag of drinks and snacks he picked out for Cynthia and the bowl of ramen he made before he left the convenience store. 

Cynthia was hanging beneath the overhead tarp near the front of the building. It hung over the front section to keep tenants safe from rain while they stood outside. The moment she saw Hyunjin getting out of his car, she sprinted towards him. 

The sound of footsteps caused Hyunjin to turn around. Cynthia's green eyes were glassy. The tops of her cheeks had turned a muted red from crying. The sight of her looking so miserable and defeated felt like a knife in the chest. 

"Cynthia," he started. 

He never had time to finish as Cynthia leaned forward and carefully wrapped her arms around Hyunjin's waist. She buried her head into the warmth of his chest. The cold rain continued to sprinkle around them. Hyunjin shifted the bag of goods into the hand with the ramen and wrapped an arm around her back. 

"Besides starving, are you alright?" 

"My heart hurts." 

"I'm so sorry." 

"I don't know what I did wrong," Cynthia's voice wobbled. "I mean I know, but why was it such a big deal? She figured out my phone had a password and she just-" A sob busted out of Cynthia's chest. She had never felt so confused and so lost before.

Was this really like what life was like before the accident? Had she blindly obeyed Flora's every word? What kind of life was this? She wasn't happy and she was miserable. 

Hyunjin swallowed the lump in his throat and shut his eyes. He told Seungmin he wouldn't, but things were escalating. Flora was getting dangerous and who knew what would happen. Cynthia needed to know the truth. She had to know she wasn't alone. She had to know this wasn't her only option. She didn't have to live like this. 

"Cynthia, do you trust me?" He finally asked. 

She paused and glanced up at him. "Yeah, I think so. I trust you more than I trust Flora. You've never hurt me like she has." 

"This sounds crazy, but Cynthia, I need you to believe me for a second. There's so much to your life that you can't remember and Flora is keeping things from you." 

She pulled away from Hyunjin. The rain was beginning to pick up, but neither of them cared. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" 

"The puppym plushie you have, you have it for a reason."