New faceclaim

Yoona 

Age: 19 

~ A Year Later ~

Allen stared at the rings in his hand. He traced them with his thumb. 

Promise rings. He'd been planning to give them to her. Before she'd disappeared. 

He assumed she'd been a ghost. He genuinely couldn't think of any other explanation. She'd literally disappeared, faded away, right in front of his eyes. It should have made him scared. Scared that he'd been dating a ghost. Scared that he'd been in love with one. Scared that he still was. 

But he didn't feel fear, not at all. He just wanted her back. 

He read over the pages of his diary, where he'd documented every moment with her, determined to never forget them. He sighed, tears polling in his eyes as he leaned his head against the wall behind him.

"This is stupid," he whispered to himself angrily. "She's gone. Gone." He should forget about her. He'd tried, boy had he tried. But every time he closed his eyes, he could see her smile. He could hear her voice and her laughter, more beautiful than any music he could make. 

He left the dorms without a word. No one said anything. He hadn't told anyone about her, about what had happened, but he'd been so different that past year that everyone gave him his space. At first they'd asked what was wrong. But he couldn't give them an answer, and so they'd stopped even trying. 

Mindlessly, his feet took him to the library where they'd always met. He'd been sneaking out, going there at least once a week even after she was gone. He waited under her tree. But nothing ever happened. 

He decided to make a lap around the library, and bumped into someone.

"Sorry," he whispered, not really looking at the person. 

"It's okay," the girl said. 

He looked up. She sounded familiar. He squinted, tilting his head and staring at her. "Have we met before?" He wasn't sure if he'd seen her before... or if she just reminded her of someone he knew.

She gave him a funny look. "Probably not," she answered, but she didn't sound so sure herself. 

"What's your name?" he said urgently, grabbing her arm. 

She gently unwrapped his fingers. "Yoona." 

He almost fell to the floor. He swayed, stumbling. She caught his arms and steadied him. "Hey there. Are you okay?" 

"What's your last name?"

"I don't remember." 

"Can you..." he whispered, gasping for breath. "Can you come somewhere with me?" 

She didn't look like she trusted him, not that he could blame her. He probably looked crazy. And the notion did seem crazy, even to him. 

But a tiny corner of his heart was screaming, and he knew he had to try. He'd regret it for the rest of his life if he lost her twice. 

He remembered a conversation he'd had with her once. She'd told him that God worked in mysterious ways. Maybe... 

"Okay," the girl, Yoona, said, looking at him intently. He wondered if she could also recognize him. 

He took her hand, leading her to the front of the library. He brought her under the tree. "Does this place mean anything to you?" 

She stared at him for a long moment. "How do you know?" she finally whispered. 

At that, he actually did fall to the floor, crying. It couldn't be. Surely he was getting his hopes up for nothing. She couldn't even remember him. But still, he had to try. 

"How long have you been going here?" he asked. 

Yoona crouched down on the grass beside him, concern filling her eyes. 

"I don't know," she admitted. "I can't remember anything past a couple weeks ago. I woke up under this tree. And I come here everyday... hoping that I'd find something that can help me get my memory back. Do I know you?" 

Allen pressed his hands together, praying. Please, if this is really her, show me a sign. Please.

"How did you remember your name?" he asked. 

She shrugged, twirling the necklace she was wearing. "It's the only thing I remembered when I woke up. Just my name and the tree. I work at the library now. And like I said, I come here and wait everyday, just cause it seems important." 

"Do you wait at around 7ish...?" he trailed off, his eyes widening. "Where'd you get the necklace?" 

"I woke up with it." 

He looked at the stars. They were twinkling brighter than ever and he knew, deep in his heart he knew, that it was her. He didn't know how, but it was. 

"It's the necklace I gave you," he whispered, holding onto her shoulders. She was the only thing grounding him in that moment.

Even though she looked different, those eyes were the same. Those eyes recognized him, even if her mind didn't. Her eyes, bright and innocent and sparkling with that hint of mischief. But something deeper too. He let himself get lost in the depths of them. 

He pushed a strand of hair off from her face and stared at her in wonder. "Shin Yoona," he whispered. "It really is you."

***

The End!! 

I hope you enjoyed it! 

I am strongly considering expanding this story into a larger piece, into it's own book. Would anyone be interested in reading? It'll give more backstory on Yoona, more on their relationship before she'd faded away, and more for the finale of course.