Not Him, Miss Him, Need Him

It's been maybe three days already? And they still haven't let me out. I feel like I'm suffocating.

I turned my head towards the door after hearing a knock on it and the soft click of it becoming unlocked.

The door opened and a tray was placed on the floor.

["Lunch."]

Quickly, the door was closed and the soft click, that showed the being locked, followed right after.

I sighed and turned onto my stomach on my bed.

I opened up my laptop and played videos of Seventeen on different shows.

Whenever Jihoon would get any screentime and he would look at the camera, my heart would flutter and my cheeks would go red.

I ended up watching many videos and watching other idols too. There were a lot more groups I got to know. Just as I was about to click on a new video, my phone's screen lit up.

>["I sent you a present. I hope you like it."] -Eric

>["How did you get my number?"] -Me

>["Your mom gave it to me."] -Eric

I frowned and closed my eyes trying to calm myself down from the rage that was burning inside me.

>["Okay."] -Me

I heard the soft click of the door being unlocked.

["Miss Kingsley, you are allowed to walk around the house now."]

I looked at the man standing right at my door way.

["My name is Edward. I will be acompaning you wherever you want and need to go."]

I nodded and closed my laptop. I grabbed my phone and stood up from my bed.

["Ah yes. Miss Kingsley, there seems to be a delivery for you and the front door."]

I cringed at being called "Miss Kingsley".

["Thanks. Also, please call me Jessica, or Jay. Anything, but Miss Kingsley."]

The man nodded and cleared his throat.

["Well then, Miss Jessica, I will do as you ask."]

I pursed my lips since he still used "Miss", but I let it go because it was better than the title he gave me before.

I slowly walked down the stairs with Edward following behind me.

I got to the bottom of the stairs and started seeing rose petals on the floor making their way to the front door.

I looked in confusion at the petals and frowned.

I opened my mouth to ask why there were rose petals on the floor, but when I looked up to ask, I noticed a few people around me.

I could see the maids and servants whispering and giggling with each other. When they noticed me looking at them, they straightened their clothes and began doing what they were doing before.

Deciding not to ask anymore, I walked towards the start of the rose petals.

I stood there in thought for a while until a bad feeling suddenly came over me. I followed their path nonetheless. Each step closer I took made me feel sick . The bad feeling I had at the bottom of my stomach grew. I was going to throw up.

When I reached the front door, I hesitantly put my hand on the door knob. My head screamed to turn back, but my curiosity pressed me to go forward. And my curiosity won.

I opened the front door and saw the outside.

There was an arc decorated with roses. There was a table set under the arc, on it a huge bouquet of roses in a vase decorated the table.

I walked closer to it and saw there was a card right infront of it.

'I didn't know what your favorite flower was, so I got you red roses. Next time it'll be your favorite kind, I promise. Your present is inside the bouquet. Don't worry about the thorns. I made sure the maids got rid of every last one. I hope to see you soon. -Eric'

I could feel my head become dizzy and I could barely stand straight without having to hold on to the table in front of me.

With my left hand I reached over into the middle of the roses and dug through them. I moved my hand around until it came in contact with a box.

My eyes widened.

'No way...'

My hand closed around the small box and felt it a little.

'No, no, no, no, please...'

I grabbed the box and slowly pulled it out. It was covered with a velvet frabic in a navy blue color.

I opened it and right away I dropped the box on the table.

It was an engagement ring.

I stepped away from it and started walking back in the house.

Until I saw my stepmother right at the door.

["What are you doing?"]

I looked around me and noticed Edward standing right behind me.

I didn't have the strength to run away. Or outrun him at all.

I looked at my stepmother and saw her glaring at me.

["Turn around and get that ring."]

I only shook my head.

["Listen you brat. Get the ring and wear it."]

I let out a shaky breath and shook my head again.

["No."]

Her face became contorted in anger.

["What?"]

I felt my legs become weak.

["I won't wear that ring. I won't marry that guy. No, I won't!"]

["How dare-"]

Not a second later, I felt my legs give out from under me and I was falling.

I didn't feel any impact to the floor.

I had fainted right before I could feel my body feel the pain.

~:~ Woozi POV ~:~

I stepped out of the airport terminal and looked around.

"Okay so our hotel is close to here. Let's check in first and then plan everything else out."

I pulled out my phone and typed in the address of the hotel we were staying at.

"Hyung, how do we find out where she lives?"

I looked at the gps on my phone saw it calculating the route to get to the hotel. It took a while to process what Dino had said, and when it did I only looked at him with a blank face.

"You're right... how do we find her?"

Dino looked down and pouted.

"Don't you have her phone? Her friends called her right? The number is saved too, I think. We'll call her friends and ask where she lives."

Vernon walked up to us while putting on his mask.

I nodded slowly looking down at my phone again, but then I frowned.

"Her friends probably don't know Korean though..."

Vernon rolled his eyes and gave me a stoic face. He waved his hand right infront of my face taking my attention away from my phone and instead towards him.

"I can speak with them. I can speak fluent English? Remember?"

He pointed at himself and waved his finger around.

"You're right! Good thing Vernon hyung came with us then!"

I looked at Dino, who went and gave Vernon a hi-five and a thumbs up. I gave a quick and soft scoff.

"Yeah, I forgot. You'll talk to her friends then. Let's go to the hotel for now."

I began to walk in the direction my phone's gps was leading me with the two boys following right behind me.

I was in a hurry. I wanted to get to the hotel quickly so we could call her friends and find her. I wanted to see her. I wanted to hold her.

I'm so close to being with her again. I don't want to let any possible second of being with her again slip away from me.

~:~ Jay POV ~:~

I hissed at the pain coming from my hand.

I opened my eyes and saw I was in my bed with my bed sheets covering me.

I pulled out my hand from under the sheets to find where the pain was coming from. The bottom of my palm to half my lower arm was bandaged and I couldn't move it at all. There was also a brace around it preventing me from accidently moving it.

["Miss Jessica, the doctor was here earlier. He said you have sprained your wrist. It seems to have happened when you fell earlier today. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to tell me."]

A little bit startled by his sudden voice, I turned my head to the door and saw him standing there.

He kept looking at me as if he was waiting for something.

I softly nodded towards him, signalling that I understood and he smiled in return and walked out of my room.

I raised my other arm and placed it over my head as I sighed.

I was quick to notice a weird cool feeling on my on my forehead coming from my hand.

I looked at my hand realizing the engagement ring was on my finger.

Without hesitating, I quickly pulled it off and placed it inside my nightstand not daring to open it again.

Another sigh escaped my lips.

I looked around and decided to walk around the garden.

I grabbed my phone and my earphones and headed towards the door.

Standing in front was Edward, already prepared to follow me wherever I decided to go.

I gave him a quick nod and smile. Walking away, I plugged my earphones into my phone and hit shuffle on my music player. I walked quickly down the stairs, getting a bottled water from the kitchen, and continuing my way to the garden.

I opened the door and took in the sight. Memories of my mother and I flooded back. I remembered the time we planted white roses just so we could paint them red, like in Alice In Wonderland.

My gaze landed on the lonely gazebo near a secluded part of the garden. I walked over to it and stopped right before the steps leading up to it.

Even from the distance I was away, I could see the pure white piano sitting right in the middle.

My mom would take me out here and play for me. She taught me how to play piano out here.

I took in a deep breath and began to climb up the short steps up and went inside.

Edward didn't follow me inside. He stayed outside and waited. I perfer that he did so anyways.

I slowly pulled out the bench under the piano and sat on it.

I noticed it wasn't dusty. Not even a little bit dirty.

Curious, I opened up the piano. I pushed the cover back and saw the pure white and black keys glistening.

I played a simple chord and my eyes widened in shock.

After such a long time of not walking in here. After my father forbid any of the maids, waiters, and servants to even get near this place. The piano should have become untuned and the strings needing to be changed.

However, the piano sounded perfect. As if it was never abandoned. Taken care of with proper love and dedication. Like how my mother would care for it.

My chest tightened and I felt tears threatning to spill.

This place was special to my mother. She never told me why, but she often spent her time here. She would play piano for hours out here.

Whenever I looked for her, I would be sure to find her in here. If she wasn't playing, she was reading a book, or taking pictures of the birds that flew by. But she was always here.

["Mom... I miss you..."]

I gently caressed the piano.

["Mom, I miss him too. A lot..."]

I giggled to myself and cracked a smile.

["Mom... I think I'm in love with him."]

I wiped my tears and smiled again.

["I'll bring him to meet you someday. You'll like him. He's a bit mean sometimes, but he loves music. Just like you. You two would have gotten along great... I think..."]

I looked down at the keys and decided to play a song.

["He taught me how to play this. It took me a while to learn it but I have it perfect now."]

I began to play Jihoon's solo song, Simple.

["Mom... he likes it when I sing. So I'll sing too. Please listen to the lyrics mom."]

"I'm standing on the last road for todayIt's like this every dayIn this big worldI know I'm like a particle of dustNothing is easyIn this exit-less, maze-like world

Happiness is only a wordIt's just a dream that everyone wantsBut that doesn't make senseI don't even wanna believe thatYeah I just want it simple simple oh

Everything that makes me breatheI want it to be simpleUntil it goes far far awayUntil I can't seeI call you baby yeahBaby's called my happiness yeahYeah I just want it simpleI want it simple

Nothing is easyIn this exit-less, maze-like world

Happiness is only a wordIt's just a dream that everyone wantsBut that doesn't make senseI don't even wanna believe thatYeah I just want it simple oh

Everything that makes me breatheI want it to be simpleUntil it goes far far awayUntil I can't seeI call you baby yeahBaby's called my happiness yeahYeah I just want it simpleI want it simple

Em I want it simple yeahEven if everyone says I'm wrongI hope we can all smile when the night is over

Everything that makes me breatheI want it to be simpleUntil it goes far far awayUntil I can't seeI call you baby yeahBaby's called my happiness yeahYeah I just want it simple simpleI want it simple"

I played the last chord and ended the song.

Tears began spilling from my eyes as I realized how much my heart truly hurt from not being with him.

["Mom. Help me get back to him. Somehow. Please..."]

I sat and cried until I felt sleepy. Then I stood up and left the gazebo without looking back.

'I'll come back tomorrow...'

I met Edward at the bottom of the stairs. He only nodded and waited until I began to walk back to the house.

Stepping in, I heard my step-mother's laughter coming from the kitchen. As well as other laughter.

'She must have people over...'

I pursed my lips and exhaled deeply. I turned to the stairs and walked up to my room.

Laying down on my bed, I turned on my laptop and began playing a random playlists I found on the internet of Seventeen's songs.

I fell asleep rather quickly just listening to the music and feeling tired after crying.

~:~ Woozi POV ~:~

It rang once, twice, three times. The longer it rang the more nervous I became.

Then suddenly 'click'.

["Hello?..."]

My eyes widened and I looked at Vernon in surprise.

["Yes? Hello?"]

My brows furrowed when seeing how he was completely calm, unlike me.

["Hi... who is this? Ummm, this is my friend's... old phone number... why do you have her phone..."]

I let out a quick sigh trying to catch up with what she was saying.

["My name is Vernon. I'm a friend of Jay's- uhhh, Jessica's, I mean.... She stayed in Korea with me and a few friends for a while until she suddenly left without saying anything. Do you know where she is? You're her friend right?"]

The line became quiet for a moment until soft whispering could be heard.

["My name is Alice... Yeah, I'm Jessica's friend. She's here. At her home I mean. My brother doesn't quite trust you though. Is there a chance you can meet us anytime soon?"]

I nodded quickly while looking at Vernon.

["Yes, we can. Just tell us when and where."]

Again, silence at the other end of the line.

["Us? Who else is with you?"]

Vernon looked at us beforw answering.

["Two other friends that stayed with me and Jessica. One is named Chan, and the other is actually Jessica's boyfriend, Jihoon."]

My body froze.

'He called me her boyfriend...'

My heart sped up at the thought.

["Wait. You're with Jihoon? Woozi? Right now?! This is great! Jessica has been dying to see him again! This is the best thing ever! Okay, okay... We'll send you the time and place soon. Alex and I need to talk things out first. Talk to you soon."]

A smile appeared on Vernon's face.

["Thanks. Bye."]

I felt flustered. My cheeks warm. Everything fuzzy.

'She misses me.'

I couldn't help but smile widely.

Vernon chuckled and put away the phone.

"Hyung, let's sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow to get in some practice for Manager hyung."

I gave him a nod and walked over to my bed.

Chan was already sleeping on his bed and Vernon climbed into his.

I pulled the covers over myself and smiled.

Just the thought of being able to see her again so soon, calming my mind and helping fall asleep.