Not the people she bumped into, nor the curious glances thrown in her direction. The only thing on her mind was getting to the airport, regardless of whether she would see him or not. She didn't care about her slipped disguise, her revealed bare face, her identity. All she wanted to do was to find him. To know if he's alright or not ; if he's smiling and goofing around, or lying on a stretcher with a barely beating heart.
Kim Taeyeon was losing it.
Pushing the huge glass doors open, she strode into the departure halls, eyes scanning the crowds. Due to the large groups of people overwhelming her comparably small figure, Taeyeon had to take deep breaths to calm herself down. Her burning thighs screamed for her to settle down into one of the cushioned seats, but she pushed that temptation away before moving forward.
The image of him bleeding just wouldn't leave her mind.
And what hurt more, was that she hadn't had the chance to say goodbye. It was a heart-wrenching thought — one that threatened to take the strength in her legs away. She didn't want their last memories to be of bitter ones.
As she scrolled through her contacts list with quivering lips, her gaze wavered. Clouded with frustrated tears that threatened to overflow any moment now. Still, she held them in.
"Pick the call up," Her throat was raspy, choked with sobs. "Please."
The call went through, but together with her quickening heartbeat, it continued to ring without any signs of him answering.
Behind her, mumbles had built up into squeals, and then, gradually, screams. She turned, tried to peek over the crowds. As the security split the throng of people, paving a path for a group of familiar boys, she couldn't help but look for him.
And he was there. Byun Baekhyun was there.
"It's such a fortunate coincidence for EXO to take the earlier flight back." Someone at her far left voiced out.
Pushing past Taeyeon, the crowd of fans went along with the worldwide famous boy group to the gates, where their passports and bags were to be checked. While waiting for his turn, Baekhyun had gone to the far corner to lean against the wall, head hung low. Wearing a pair of shades and clad warmly in a large navy blue coat, he seemed to be well out of harm's way.
She felt the rough ropes around her heart loosen, just a little.
With one hand buried in the pocket of his jeans, he held onto his phone with the other. A swipe of his thumb across the screen, and suddenly it wasn't ringing on Taeyeon's side of the line anymore. She didn't even realize that she hadn't hung up.
"... Taeyeon?"
Her mouth went dry, tears that had receded threatening to burst out any moment again. She had thought that she wouldn't be able to hear his voice ever again.
The distraught girl had so much on her mind, but no words made past her lips.
He raised his head, as if aware of her presence. But all he did was cast a glance around casually, and he had looked past her, but traced back again. This time, he looked straight in her direction. Then again, with that pair of shades, he could've been looking at anywhere.
She realized she must have looked like a mess. Tangled hair, crumpled clothes, face void of any make up. And, most importantly, her tear-stricken face. Taeyeon wasn't even aware of when she had started crying, but it seemed like the tears weren't stopping anytime soon.
He was still looking, still staring. Even from afar, she saw how his jaw tightened, how his fingers trembled slightly. How his gaze seemed to pierce right through her.
"Isn't that Taeyeon?"
"Oh god, is she crying?"
Strangers were starting to form a suffocating circle around her, and in an attempt to escape, she focused her gaze on the ground before walking away briskly. Her mask was long gone, and she really was rendered helpless. It didn't help that her small figure was easily surrounded by the crowds again and again.
"Baekhyun! Byun Baekhyun!" She heard their manager shout.
She couldn't care even if she wanted to. Cameras were flashing, questions thrown at her as if she was a caged animal. Her feet had stopped moving altogether, fists clenching at every skin contact. They were far too close and there was no one to protect her.
Yet, someone barged their way through. Pulled the hem of her sleeve and into their embrace, shielding her from the public entirely.
The scent hit her like home, and she found herself wrapping her arms around his waist. As the sobs came out with her shoulders heaving, she felt him tense. It wasn't normal for her to behave as such in the public — it wasn't right. But she didn't care ; at that moment, nothing else mattered. She didn't give a damn about the media.
The pair of arms that encircled her tightened as he leaned down, burying his nose in the crook of her neck. The apologies that he whispered were of soft promises, so tender that they stung her heart. He showed her the light at the end of the tunnel.
It felt as if time had stopped, and as if they were the only ones that mattered.
"It's okay, love. I'm here now. I'm here now."
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❝so stay by my side, if you would, and we'll brave through the rain together.❞
