Forget-me-not

Seungmin

He wanted to shout with joy. He wanted to wrap his arms around her waist and spin her in a circle. He wanted to keep her close and never let go, but none of that happened. Instead, the most unexpected thing happened. 

Tears began to build up in his eyes as he stared at her. The last time he saw Cynthia, she was unconscious in a hospital bed. An IV dripped medicine into her arm and she was covered in scrapes, cuts, and bruises. At that moment, she was so vulnerable. 

She looked so small and so defeated. Back when Seungmin wasn't sure if she'd ever come around. When he went home that day, when he left Cynthia with Flora, he went home and got sick. He spent the evening in the dorm bathroom fighting through an upset stomach, nausea, and tears. 

That moment was the end of the world for him. He was forced to put her life in the hands of fate. Whatever the gods decided, he couldn't sway their opinions, it was out of his grasp. He never wanted to go through anything like that ever again. 

Cynthia's fingers tightened around the hoodie that he gave her. Her eyes studied his own face curiously. She looked like a deer in headlights. Her body was tense and one foot was pointed off to the side, like she was going to sprint away if she needed to. 

The warmth of a tear dripped down his left cheek. He sucked in a shaky breath and lifted the back of his hand to brush it away. Before he could, Cynthia's arm reached out. Freezing in his spot, he let her gently wipe it away with her thumb.  

"Why are you crying?" She spoke softer than usual. Seungmin couldn't help, but wonder what Flora fully put her through. How much had she gone through behind closed doors? 

"Sorry, I just..." He trailed off trying to find the right words. "It's been a really long four months." He tried to smile, but he couldn't. Four months of wondering if she was okay. Four months of wishing he could go back and change the past. Four months of grief; denial, anger, depression, and misery. Four months of nothing, but pure hell. 

She nodded her head and pulled her hand away. "Sorry for touching you. I should have asked before I went ahead and did it." 

"No, it's alright. I-I'm not...it's really...um-" 

There was a lingering awkwardness between the pair. There were so many things both wanted to say, but neither one knew where to start. There was a lot of time to catch up on both of their ends. 

Cynthia shut her eyes and let out a soft sigh. When she reopened them, her eyes went back to Seungmin's. "Maybe we should introduce ourselves?" He nodded in agreement. 

She stuck her hand out towards him. "My name is Cynthia Jones and I was in a really bad car accident. I have amnesia and I can't remember a lot of my life. Sometimes bits and pieces come back randomly, but I'm clueless about a lot of things. I've basically been held hostage, by my best friend, for the past four months." 

A glimpse of a smile appeared before it disappeared. He stuck out his own hand for her to shake. "I'm Kim Seungmin and I'm in a band called Stray Kids. I wasn't in a car accident, but I was a victim of said best friend who stole my girlfriend and held her hostage." 

"Why didn't you come and save me?" 

"Please believe that I tried. I think we both got played by Flora, but we can discuss that later. Can you please put the sweater on? You're still shivering." 

"But if I put it on, I'll get it wet and I-" 

Seungmin wasn't having any of it. He pulled the hoodie from her hand. Without a word, he opened it and jerked it over the top of her head. Cynthia blinked in shock, but didn't fight it as she put her arms through the sleeves. 

"I'm glad you still look cute in my hoodies." 

Cynthia's cheeks tinged red and he blinked in shock. His own face went red and he immediately apologized. "I-I'm so sorry, I forget that yo-" 

"No, it's alright. I'm not really surprised by your behavior. I watched a bunch of compilation videos about you and I had a few dreams about you. If I have you pegged right, you're a bit sarcastic. Plus, you tend to say whatever is on your mind." 

"You forgot the part where I'm hilarious." 

"I have to wait and see that for myself before I grant you that privilege." 

Seungmin playfully rolled his eyes. "Who are you? The funny police?" 

"I bet the funny police would be having a hell of a better time. I doubt their mouth would taste like river water. They probably wouldn't be cold either." 

"Oh, right." Seungmin's eyes looked her up and down. Cynthia's cheeks went bright red again and she glanced down at the grass. "Well, I should probably text my friends and tell them I found you. We were all going to attempt to rescue you today, but it seems as if you rescued yourself." Seungmin pulled out his phone.

"I got tired of waiting for my prince. Maybe you should have arrived faster. You could have had your hero moment and maybe you could have gotten a kiss." 

It all felt so natural now. The momentum of the conversation and the quick jabs. Despite barely being able to remember, Cynthia remembered his quick wit. Was life always like this between the pair? 

"I'm sorry, so let me make it up to you. How about we go get you a change of clothes from a store? I'll buy you a warm cup of coffee. We can go into a coffee shop and stay there until I can get us a ride." 

"Really?" Hope appeared in Cynthia's eyes. 

"Of course." 

"You won't make me go back to Flora?" 

"Fuck no! Fuck her! I hope Hyunjin beats the shit- I mean snot out of her." 

"Did you just..." Another smile began to appear on Cynthia's face. "Did you just correct your cursing?" 

"I'm sorry, you weren't a huge fan of cursing." 

"I am now." 

Seungmin's jaw dropped open. "She corrupted you? Okay, now this really is an issue. You weren't a big fan of foul language unless you did something dumb like stubbed your toe or injured yourself. You can't curse freely, that's not like you at all." 

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way Flora ruined Cynthia that much, right? She wouldn't curse around her and teach her curse words. Not when Cynthia was clueless about her past personality. 

"Are you going to correct every curse word in front of me now?" 

"Yes! You're practically a saint! You don't need to be corrupted by the filth of inappropriate language anymore." 

Cynthia paused for a moment until a grin lit up her face. She tightened her arms around her body. Water was beginning to press through to the outer layer of the hoodie. Despite its thick fleece, she was still freezing, but she managed to get out a single word that caused Seungmin's jaw to drop. 

"Pussy." 

He was right about one thing; some things would never be the same ever again.