:　phone calls

@rome lee. "no way," hani says, wanting to sound convincing, before she finishes. "the real punishment would be if we got ice cream, i take the last lactaid, and the parlor doesn't have a bathroom." it's as if she's elaborately thought this through, and if he asked, she'd deny. but to be honest, this was one of the scenarios that her and haera once thought of for rome. in her defense, haera thought it was best to mend hani's broken heart by coming up with goofy ideas to his misfortunate, and for that hour, it worked.

from his response, she's at a loss for words these oncoming moments. had she come across that way, fearing that he'd slip through her fingers again? feeling mildly embarrassed, she makes it a point to turn such observation into another joke, but in her deepest of thoughts, considering that he disappeared for two years, she silently asks him—can you blame me? "i'm just letting you know so you can plan accordingly, as in use the bathroom now, not when i get there."

with unfortunate timing, she barely misses his momentary laugh with a brief glance at her phone for the time. but perhaps, that was a good thing, for she probably would've asked him to laugh again, as if it was a forbidden chime that she oh-so missed. "i'll believe it when i see it." when he gives the cue for her to hang up, she almost doesn't want to—this would mean she'd finally lay eyes on him after what felt like a decade, and maybe... along with the emotional pain, he'd also gift her an overwhelming feeling of hope.

"goodbye, rome."

@na hani. "i hope you aren't thinking of taking me to an ice cream place as some sort of punishment." although hani can't see him right now, his brows still furrow at the thought of the suffering following the treat. it being lactose intolerant and if he was her, he would definitely exploit that weakness for all the pain he had caused.

"you sound like you think i'll disappear before you can get here." rome silently listens to the sounds of her rummaging in her car. the sound of the car starting sent memories flooding through him like a tsunami. their late-night drives in his mom's car. going to the grocery together. getting lost on the way to their three-day trip to seoul. after starting rehab, he had no idea where that white subaru had gone. hopefully, it wasn't taken away.

"actually, i did beat your score. believe it or not, i had a lot of time on my hands for two years." a small chuckle escapes rome's lips momentarily, and upon realization, he quickly shuts his mouth. did...she hear that?

"ten minutes. i won't go anywhere." rome pauses, staring at the off-white ceiling as his heart suddenly races with anxiety. "see you soon."

@rome lee. "exactly, i can't get my half of the deal if you're stuck there forever. and this is good, it'll teach you some patience." almost strategically, hani pauses for a moment in silent anticipation of hearing his half chuckle-half scoff of a laugh, but when it fails to come through the receiver, she can't help but to lower her gaze, capturing a glimpse of her dirty converse. maybe things are different now... maybe he's different now, and the only one who hasn't changed is her.

though he's unable to see the way her hand flattens against her stomach from the mention of food, she wonders if he remembers her small quirk of only asking because she was hungry. "oh, your treat? perfect, i know just the place." somewhere she gets employee discount, obviously. as she arrives at her vehicle, she promptly settles in first before speaking once more, "ten minutes," she repeats. "play sudoku or something, you still have yet to beat my high score. i'll see you soon?"

@na hani. hani's lighthearted tone surprised rome—the gloomy look that he had been wearing on his face for what seemed like forever somehow cracked with her joke. he didn't even think it was that funny, but alas, his lips spread into the slightest smile. the sight earned a surprised look from the person at the front desk as they hadn't seen him smile since his admission into the clinic.

"what if i told you i don't want to wait? kidding. i have to or i'm stuck here forever." as rome is about to let out a chuckle, the ghost of their past whispers into his ear, reminding him of what he had done. how could he possibly forget? he hurt her. uncomfortably shifting in his seat, rome's default gloomy visage returns.

"i'm hungry if you are. it's on me. i'm fine with going to wherever you want." he knew hani was hungry. she only asked that question to him when she wanted them to get food—or at least that how it was like in the past. rome began to wonder: how much has she changed?

@rome lee. between her aimless wandering and quick glances around campus, the moment rome's gruff voice is heard from the other line, she halts in her step. there's a mixture of anxiety and relief built up in her chest; anxiety for the impending awkwardness that's ready to envelope the former lovers, and relief that... he's alright. it's all she's ever wanted for him, really. so when a call from his aunt came and she asked for hani to pick him up, as they're unable to be by his side, the answer of no was never a choice. haera would call her silly, probably slap some sense into her about how this was the man that broke her heart whilst she don a hospital gown, but hani guesses that's the thing about first loves.

"yeah, well, they promised to send some canadian snacks over, so that's a win in my book," if he'd listen closely, perhaps he'd be able to discern the small smile that curls her lips upon her brief joke. and from this, she hopes that he's also, by chance, smiling because of her. "it's really no trouble, today's my day off anyway. i'm about ten minutes away, wait for me? ... oh, and are you hungry?"

@na hani. embarrassed was an understatement when describing the feeling that surged through rome's veins. he should be happy that he finally gets to have his freedom and come back to society after all this time, but that was all overshadowed by the fact that he had no one to help him with his discharge except his ex-girlfriend. and you know what makes it worse? the fact that /he/ broke up with /her/. rome had always imagined that she had a dartboard with his face on it up in her room.

his phone lit up with her face staring back at him as it buzzed violently, screaming for him to pick up. holding his breath, he answers the call and is met with her familiar voice. would it be weird to say he kind of missed it?

"oh hey hani...thanks for calling."
silence filled the line as he struggled to organize his thoughts for a moment.
"i'm sorry you have to be the one to pick up. it's nice of you to respond to my relatives."

[post deleted by owner]

@rome lee. it's been twenty minutes since hani's last class has finished, and instead of tending to her two part-time duties, she finds herself leaning against one of the light poles on campus, eyes permanently gawking onto a familiar name on her contact list—rome lee. she doesn't press message, nor call. rather, she stares at the contact photo that he had set for himself back during her freshman year of college; his eyebrows furrowed together, lips scrunched, and camera zoomed in enough to where you can receive a good glance into his nostril. at the time, she vividly remembers comparing him to an abnormally big-headed monkey, but in silence, she'd appreciate his many impromptu pictures and how he managed to appear handsome in all of them. and it'd be a lie to say that wasn't the first thought the came across her mind when she first pulled up his number. then, of course, followed by—would he even answer?

she supposes that would be another issue she'd have to worry about, since he's got to return home somehow. and unfortunately, for him, his only option for a ride is his ex-girlfriend.

so, after about five more minutes, she musters the courage to finally press the call icon, and holds her phone to her ear. and after some dreadfully long rings, when he'd answer, she decides to talk first, in case he deleted her number all this time—something she was never able to do.

"hey, it's me... hani."