Regrets

Chapter 3

"Move out of the way!" someone shouted.

Taemin turned to see the source of the sound and he saw a girl riding a bicycle coming through his way. She seemed to be in a panic and Taemin realized there could only be two explanations for it. One, she was too stupid to ride a bicycle without any idea how to drive it or two, she had her brakes broken. He realized it could be the latter.

The road was steep and riding a bike without brakes could be really dangerous. He looked around and saw a tree not far behind where he stood. If she continued the path she was taking she would probably crash to the tree and end up with a couple of broken bones.

After realizing her fate he decided to stay where he was. Just as he anticipated, the bicycle crashed into him and he used his body to cushion her fall. She landed on top of him, her hands on his broad chest and his arms wrapped around his small waist.

The moment she realized their position her cheeks turned a crimson red. She immediately stood up and muttered apologies. "I'm so sorry. Oh god, are you hurt?"

"No... No,it's fine." He tried to stand up but realized the action wasn't easy. His ankle was sprained and he couldn't move his feet.

"Oh god, you are hurt!" She exclaimed when she noticed him grimace from the pain.

Kneeling in front of him, helplessly trying to assess the extent of the damage she made, her forehead creased in concentration, Taemin wondered if she could be any cuter than that.

"It's fine. It's just a sprain." He tried to assure her.

"Nonsense. This is serious."Taemin chuckled when she attempted to examine his sprained ankle. Unless she's a doctor which Taemin believed not to be the case (doctors are scary and not a bit cute unlike this girl in front of him), he knew there is just no way for her to tell if his injury was serious or not.

"I'm so sorry..." Without any knowledge on broken bones she helplessly couldn't do anything. She looked as if she was about to cry and her flustered face made him smile. He realized she has the prettiest brown eyes he had ever seen.

"Are you hurt?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

She shook her head. "No, I'm ok."

"Good." He tried to stand up again and somehow he managed the feat with a little help from her. He stood up with most of his weight in one leg so he didn't have to put a lot of stress on his injured feet.

"Weren't you supposed to be going somewhere?" He asked only to regret it as soon as the words left his mouth. He realized he shouldn't have asked because now she's in a hurry to leave when he didn't really want her to go.

"Oh, yeah right." She checked the time and bit her lip as if weighing her options.

"You should go," he said although he doesn't really want her to leave. Spending some time in a café was what he really had in mind.

She looked at him then back at her watch, contemplating her decision and all the while Taemin was staring at her with interest. "I'll be fine," he said knowing that was all she needed to hear.

"Really?" She was still a little hesitant to leave. She couldn't just leave an injured man on his own especially when she was the reason he was hurt in the first place. "Will you be alright? Can you go to the hospital on your own?"

"It's just a sprain. I don't have to go to the hospital." But if you would be willing to have a coffee with me I would be glad, he wanted to add but decided against it. That would sound as if he was hitting up on her. And that wasn't really his style.

An idea came to her and she took a pen and paper from her bag, wrote her number and gave the piece of paper to Taemin before saying, "You should have it checked. It could be serious. Contact me if you need anything. I'll pay for your hospital bills."

"I don't really..." His voice faded as his complaints were left unheard. She was already leaving, dragging her bike as she half walk, half run, and with one last wave and a shout of "Go see the doctor!" she disappeared on the next corner.

-*--*-

A feeling of déjà vu overwhelmed him as he stared at the image before him. He couldn't believe his eyes. Jiyeon is right there, about to crash into him, shouting obscenities and telling him to move out of the way.

Just like the first time they met.

If it was a dream he doesn't want to wake up anymore. Although flustered and confused, Taemin knew what he had to do. He caught her just in time and cushioned her fall. He felt the pain not long after. But he ignored the feeling and focused on the girl who was lying on top of him, too shocked to move.

His grip on her tightened and the longer they stayed locked in embrace the more convinced he was that he wasn't dreaming. He pulled her closer to him in a tight hug. Her familiar scent filled his nose and the feeling of her body on top of him, their faces only an inch apart was too familiar that it's almost painful.

But of course his action confused her. A stranger holding her tightly in his arms, it felt good but perplexing, so right but then again it felt wrong too. Bewildered and confused, she used all her strength to push him and slap him across the face before standing up and dusting off the dirt from her clothes. She turned her head away from him to hide her embarrassment.

He sat up because that was all he could manage to do. His injured leg prevented him from doing anything else. He stayed where he was without taking his eyes off of her for even a second.

He could feel his eyes tearing up again. He was overwhelmed with happiness, longing, and fear all at the same time. He was scared he would suddenly wake up and realized none of it is real. That he was just imagining things in his desperation to see her.

She looked more composed when she turned to face him again. The moment she spoke, he had to convince himself that she was actually taking to him.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be rude. I-I was just surprised. Are you alright?" She noticed the tears falling from his eyes and her voice were filled with concern when she said, "Oh, god... Are you in pain?" she asked, mistaking the reason of his tears to be an injury resulting from the crash.

She kneeled in front of him and searched for the places where he could be injured. It made him more uncomfortable. "I-I'm fine..." he managed to say.

"Are you sure?" she asked and he just nodded because he couldn't trust his voice.

The rest happened just like the first time they met. She took out a piece of paper and a pen from her bag, wrote her number and gave it to him. "Make sure you go to the hospital. Contact me so I can pay you back the expenses. I'm so sorry. I'm in a hurry right now and I really have to go... Will you be alright?"

He didn't want her to leave. No, he didn't want to lose her again. But he couldn't say anything. Even when she said goodbye, he still couldn't do or say anything. She took one last glance at him before she disappeared entirely on the next corner.

She was long gone but he remained frozen on the spot without any idea on what had just transpired.

"Ajusshi..." The voice of the little boy made him turn to his right where he found the boy sitting comfortably as if he was there all along. "You were much cooler the first time. Tsk tsk... "

A lot of questions went through his mind. Who is the boy? Where was he all those times he was with her? How did he manage to disappear and appear again without him noticing? And most of all what did really happen?

"What was that just now?" That was all he was able to ask.

"You just went back to three years ago. This is the day when the two of you first met."