14 ways to know you're in love

fourth sign

You feel safe and protected by them.

warning/s: mentions of cheating & divorce

-

Your parents don't always fight - probably because they're apart for most of the year - but when they do, it's practically a warzone. It was a Saturday and you had your earphones on, jotting down your weekly journal entry before vaguely hearing screaming above the music; angry voices that echoed through the walls and matching stomps that shook the floorboards.

You pop out one of your earphones and try to listen to their argument, worried at what they're possibly fighting about. From the acoustics, it seems like they're still in their room so you sneak out of your own to eavesdrop, abandoning your journal and music.

The first coherent sentence you made out made you halt.

"Are you cheating on me?" You've never heard your father sound so hurt before. Your mother's response was initially muffled until you clearly heard the following words.

"I know you want a divorce, but-"

It feels like you were hit straight on by a speeding truck. Cheating? Divorce? You never even thought these words would come out from your parent's mouths. Their marriage isn't perfect or ideal, but they've always overcome trivial matters peacefully. Their arguments were always about other people and never about each other.

More shouting rings from their closed room, bringing tears to your eyes and forcing you to walk away. Your legs will bring you to the front door, but you stop as you open it. Where would you go? You're in house clothes and you don't want to go back in to grab your phone. In a split second, you decided to run towards the fire exit but jumped as you pass by Jaehyun's front door when it suddenly flies open.

Jaehyun stares at you, wide-eyed and confused; noting your teary eyes and the loud voices from your home. He grabs your arm and ushers you inside, whisking you to his room and sitting you down on his bed. Before you can get the word out, he puts his headphones over your ears and plays some jazz music, drowning out any other external noises.

You watch him as he sits beside you, his hand over yours on your lap. He gives you a sympathetic smile, mouthing, "It's okay."

You release a huff of breath, almost in relief. If it were any other person, you would have been embarrassed that they caught you in that kind of situation. But this was Jaehyun and up until today, you've only realized how big of a part he was in your life as he lets you lean into his chest, securing your sobbing figure in his arms and holding you tight.