I named this picture " One day they'll meet under the stars."

"Ash..."

Ashley's voice was painful. "You knew all along!"

Taehyung nodded in approval.

"Damn it, Tae," she mumbled, "you don't have the right."

"I wanted you to face yourself, Ash. How long would you run away from it?" Taehyung tried to sound composed.

"Or what?" Ashley snapped. "You think life runs like fairy tales you always dreamt about? It always obeys the stupid things you say like " Love yourself, face yourself " campaigns?"

"Ash..."
Taehyung started but was cut out by Ashley's voice,

"What did you think before bringing me here? That I will forget everything and see you with the same look you give me? Is that easy?"

"I am not asking you for anything, Ash," Taehyung sounded calm.

"No, you are dreaming the impossible, Tae," Ashley's voice was getting colder even, "let me tell you, these fairy tales are all bullshits. There are no happy endings, no knights in shining armor. The world is full of those poison ivys and hateful villains. Don't dare to try and make me dream again. These are just illusions and nightmares only."

"I am here, Ash."

"No, you are not here. You too will go away. There are lots of pretty girls waiting for you. Name, fame, everything is there for you. I am nobody."

" You are enough, Ash."

He said the same words!
Ashley shot a glare of pain at him,
"How dare you Tae! How could you do this to me? What do you want from it?"

"I want you, Ash. I want you to forgive yourself."

"I don't want you. Got that?" Ashley was more hurt than cold, she whispered again,b"I don't have feelings for you. You wanted an answer. Here it is. Now go back to your world. Just go away."

Ashley looked away through her window clenching her fists together. Trying to calm herself down before she cries.

"Is that so?" Taehyung's voice was low, full of pain.

Ashley didn't answer him. She couldn't.

An awkward silence filled the car. Two hurt persons were there, but no one took the initiative to soothe each other. The silence seemed like a visible curtain between them. And hurtful, a painful sheet of increasing distance between two persons seeming so close was lingering in the air.

The road was the same old with the dead leaves all over. The same silence, yet more distant.
It was another part of Ashley which he never saw before.

Taehyung stopped the car in front of Ashley's cottage an hour later when it was already dark.
Ashley grabbed her jacket and backpack with the scrapbook and went in without looking back, without saying a word even.

Taehyung lowered his head on the steering wheel for a few moments. He was hurt. Did she mean what she said? Did she really want him to go?

He wanted to run away from here. As far as he could. Did she hate him now?

The phone was ringing. It was Jin. He received it.

"Tae...how did it go?" Jin's excited voice came through.

Taehyung felt a lump forming up in his throat. He tried to swallow it again and again.

"Tae?" Jin's voice was now full of concern.

Taehyung again did not answer, just stared at the phone.

"You there, buddy?" Jimin's voice came through.

"Hyung..... " Taehyung only could utter this much before falling into silence again.

" Tae," Jin's composed voice came through. " Don't do it Tae. Don't run away."

Taehyung's heart felt so heavy now. How could they know him this well?

" You hear me, Tae? She is as much hurt as you. Don't you dare run away. You made a promise!" Jin wanted to embrace this precious boy in pain but still kept his voice calm.

Ashley tried to gulp down the burning liquid down her throat.
She was saving the wine bottle for Maya but it came down here this time.

She needed to dose off, she needed everything in her head to just go away.
She wanted to forget everything. She wanted to ease the pain, wanted to erase these graves of memories.

She downed almost half the bottle.
She looked at the scrapbook opened on the coffee table.

That picture.

How many years have been passed since he was gone? Why couldn't she make the phone call earlier? Why couldn't she just push him aside from her life? Why couldn't she just say that she loved him back?
Why she had to entangle his fate with her pathetic one? Why it was she who was still living when it was him who had to go?

She smiled and looked at the ceiling. She never was a believer, but she still muttered, "Aren't you satisfied? How many more I have to hurt before you calm down? We need to sign a ceasefire, you know? Why it's so hard to satisfy you?"

She lied down, curled up into a ball on the sofa, still looking at the picture through the corner of her eyes. What was written below it?

She reached for it and took the scrapbook in her hand.

" Here, eternally."

Two words. Just two.

She stared at these words blankly.

How long was she sitting there? An hour? Two hours? She didn't know anything at this point.

Taehyung's phone rang again.

He slowly picked up the phone.

"Have you gone too far?" her voice was cracking. Not just his leaving, did she meant the distance between them too?

"I am exactly there where you left me," Taehyung murmured.

He saw Ashley coming out of her house. He went out of the car.

She came in front of him, still holding the phone in her ear, looking into his eyes she asked, "Why didn't you go?"

He didn't let his gaze off her eyes. He murmured into his phone, " I am exactly there where I want to go. You are my destination."

She put the phone down, took a deep breath, and came straight to him and placed her head on his chest, and felt two arms taking her into a warm embrace.

"I am sorry," she whispered.

Taehyung tightened his arms around this girl. He is not letting her go away again.

"You are drunk," Taehyung eyed her seeing her lying on the sheet she just placed on the grass in her backyard.

"Never had been soberer in my life," Ashley quietly answered patting the place beside her for him to take.

Taehyung took the place beside her and laid down putting his head on his arms. His left shoulder was still kinda sore, but he didn't mind.

Ashley brought the small telescope from her porch, she now handed it to him, " you were supposed to take me to stargaze today. Sorry, I ruined that."

Taehyung took the telescope and looked through it.

Seemed like the night sky suddenly went under a glitter explosion across the skydome. The center of the Milkyway was just above them, forming a cloudy and misty yet sparkly veil in the night sky with a mystery of centuries. He loved this little moment they were having. The night sky, the Milkyway, the chilly wind, smells of the autumn leaves and the mysterious girl beside him- these were all he could hold onto for infinity.

Can't it last forever?

He handed the scope to her. She looked through it. Taehyung quietly slipped his one arm below Ashley's head, making it a cushion for her.

She lowered the scope and held that near her chest.
They didn't say anything.

Taehyung looked at her through the corner of her eyes.

She was crying.

No sob, no tremor, just tears rolled down from the corner of her eyes soaking a part of his arm below.

He turned to his side to face her removing the hand from behind his head.

"You know what's more painful, Tae?" Ashley didn't take her eyes from the sky. Her fingers irregularly clenching to the scope on her chest.
" Never being able to say goodbye."

"Ash...."

"He was there, and when I woke up, he wasn't there anymore. I couldn't see him for the last time even. He was just... Gone!" her tears were not stopping. How big was that ocean she was holding inside?

"It's ok to be vulnerable, Ash. I am here," Taehyung said with a soft voice.

Ashley's hand found his. She quietly intertwined her fingers with his and pulled that on her chest.

"What are you doing, Ash?" Taehyung muttered.

" Listening to my heart." She whispered, " for the first time."

Taehyung wrapped the hand below her head around her shoulder and pulled her closer making her facing him.

They stayed there, looking at each other's eyes under the veil of the crystal night sky.

Taehyung freed his hand from Ashley's grip and moved it to her eyes. Slightly wiping the tears, he hummed a little melody.

Chilly wind from lake Tekapo blew over them making Ashley shiver slightly. Taehyung sat up taking Ashley with him. He wrapped his jacket around her.

"Stay here, let me go, and bring a blanket."

Ashley grabbed Taehyung's sleeve slightly, her whisper was barely audible, "Don't go."

Taehyung looked into her eyes and slowly closed the distance not taking his eyes off.

"I am not going anywhere," he whispered, touching their foreheads together.
His right hand went up to her long hairs, thumb lightly caressing the skin under her ear, left hand slightly touched her jaw, so delicately as if she was a fragile porcelain doll, ready to break down with a mere touch.

Their noses touched,
"I am not," His whisper was low.

Ashley closed her eyes as Taehyung closed the distance between their lips.

He pulled off after a gentle kiss. He looked at her. Eyes still closed, she was trying to stop her sobs from her trembling lips. Her hands loosely grabbing the front of his collars on his chest. She opened her eyes to meet his. He kissed her again, passionately, looking deep into her eyes.

A single teardrop rolled down her eyes. His lips moved to her cheek and went on wiping the teardrop up to her eye, kissing her eyelids.

Her hands came up to meet his cheeks, wiping the moisture and wrapping the arms around his neck.

He connected their lips again, stopping Ashley's muffled cry.

The kiss was delicate, no rush, no lust, just exchanging the pain of loneliness and an unuttered promise.