"No, it really wasn't fair. Of course, I had to tell him. I didn't want him to think I'd just left with no explanation. But imagine how he felt to find out that I was only there because of a wish I made."

~♡~

TAEHYUNGS POV

"Holy shit Tae, that was really her!" Jimin smiled at me, but his smile paled a bit when he saw that I wasn't smiling.

"I hate that she was crying."

"She was probably overwhelmed, Tae. I'm sure she was happy to see you."

I closed my eyes, hoping that she had been. "Maybe. But now she's gone. Again."

I sat in a chair, and he sat next to me, his hand landing on my knee. "It's probably better that way Taehyung."

"I know," I barely whispered, "But I wish I could have talked to her one more time."

Jimin turned his head to look at me. "What would you have said to her?"

I hadn't really thought about that.

"I don't know. I mean, I would have asked her how she was, if she was okay. I would have told her I missed her. But other than that, I'm not really sure."

"Guys, are you ready, the cars are waiting outside" Jin called, causing the two of us to get up.

"She's here, somewhere in Chicago. She came to see our concert. She was at barricade. She had to know I would see her. Yet, she looked surprised when our eyes met."

We walked thru the corridors, heading to the cars that would take us to our rooms.

"Did you recognize her right away?"

"The second I saw her. She looks exactly the same to me, just more mature. She's still just as beautiful."

Jimin smiled, glancing at me before climbing into our shared car. I climbed in behind him, settling into the seat, my mind filled with thoughts that would probably keep  me up tonight.

"Do you think she lives in this area?"

"She might. If not, it's possible she lives close to it.  But that's not always the case. You know people travel great distances to get to our concerts."

I nodded. That fact always overwhelmed me. The things our fans did to see us was nothing short of staggering. I was always blown away by the crowds at our shows. I wished with all my heart that I could look into the eyes of each and every person who came to see us, and tell them how grateful I was for their support.

We rode the rest of the way in silence, arriving and making our way to our rooms without any issues. I thought about telling Jimin that I'd given the security guard a letter to give to her. But I wasn't even sure if he had managed to get it to her, and I'd probably never know for sure, so I decided to keep it to myself.

"Night Taehyung. I hope you get some sleep. We leave early in the morning."

I gave him a nod, letting myself into my room, and throwing myself across my bed. I wondered where she was.

¤¤¤

DELANEY'S POV

"I imagine his reaction wasn't good when you told him." Sadie stated, brows furrowed in consternation.

"It wasn't great. He walked out. I can't say that I blame him. I think I would have done the same thing had I been on the receiving end of such news."

"Oh no," she said sadly. "But obviously, you cleared things up with him?"

"I did. My time there wasn't all sunshine and happiness. There were moments that all I wanted to do was come home. But in the end, I didn't want to leave him. Not ever. I think I would have done anything to be able to stay."

Sadie's face fell, sadness filling her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I can't even imagine how you must be feeling right now."

I bit the inside of my bottom lip, wondering where Tae was right now.

"Laney, what was Jimin like?"

I looked at her, and smiled.

"Jimin was very sweet. Kind of a brat, but in an endearing way. He seemed to have something to say about everything, but he was refreshing, and he made me smile every time I was around him. He just always knew what to say to make you feel better, and he was always hugging the others. His smile lights up the room, and his laugh really is the most adorable thing I've ever heard."

Sadie's smile took up her whole face, and I was glad I was able to share that with her.

"I can honestly say that all of them are just like how you see them in Bangtan Bombs, Run episodes, Summer packages, anything of that sort. They all have beautiful personalities. They have a bond that's unbreakable. It was so uplifting to see how close they all are, and how much they care for each other. None of it is fake."

"I'm so glad to know that what we see is real. I always chose to believe it was, and they made it very easy to do so, but hearing that it really truly is, that makes my heart happy."

I sat quietly for a moment, my mind getting carried back to that 30 days. I hated that it ended, but I also realized how lucky I was to have been able to experience all that I did. There were tears, but there were more smiles. I absentmindedly played with the bracelet on my wrist, touching each of the charms, holding the tiny V between my fingers.

"Is that a charm bracelet? Can I see?"

I looked up, holding my arm out so she could look closer at it.

"Oh my gosh, it's beautiful. I love the cherry blossom. And the V. Did you get this while you were there?"

I nodded. "Actually, Taehyung got it for me on a day we spent walking around to different shops. I promised him I would never take it off."

My eyes had filled with tears, the memory of that day still so vivid in my mind. I looked at Sadie, and she had tears in her eyes as well.

"How did you handle it...when the day came that you knew were your last moments there?" She asked quietly. "I don't think I could have done it."

"Honestly, it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. My feelings for Taehyung were...are, real. I love him. Even if it's wrong, I love him. I didn't want to leave, and he didn't want me to leave."

"You said you were his girlfriend. Does that mean you two... were...together?"

I laughed lightly, wondering if I should lie to her. But I couldn't. She deserved honesty.

"If you're asking me if we were intimate, yes, we were. I never expected it to happen, but it did. I don't regret it. God told me to spend that 30 days without guilt. That's what I did."

"Oh my God Laney...so you and Taehyung, you've...kissed, and...slept together?" Suddenly she gasped, "You've seen him naked?"

I nodded, and felt my cheeks heat up, but when I glanced at her, hers were red as a tomato. She covered her face with her hands for a few seconds, then bravely looked at me again.

"I think I understand why you were so emotional at the concert. Laney, I'm really sorry. I know leaving had to be so painful for you, both of you. I hope it gets better, and I hope Taehyung is okay."

"Thank you. I hope it gets better too. It's still really hard. I miss him so much. He wanted to find me, but the truth is, he wasn't supposed to be able to remember my name. That was part of my 30 days that God kind of just threw in after I'd made my wish, and I couldn't do anything about it. He would remember his time with me, but so that he couldn't look for me, he wasn't going to be able to recall my name. I have no idea how he remembered it, but he clearly did."

I glanced at the envelope with my name written across it setting next to me on the bed.

"I think you should see what it says. I'm going to go take a shower, so you have some privacy. But let me know if you need me."

I nodded, picking up the envelope, and looking at it, wishing I had some clue what it said. I was afraid to open it. I was afraid to see what he had written. 

But at the same time, I was dying to see what it said.

With shaky hands, I tore it open, taking out the folded piece of paper. I carefully unfolded it, my heart beating loudly in my ears as I looked at his beautiful unique handwriting on the paper.

mч ѕwєєt dєlαnєч

í cαn ímαgínє чσur ѕurpríѕє αt ѕєєíng чσur nαmє, вut í cαn't єvєn вєgín tσ tєll чσu hσw hαppч í αm thαt í wαѕ αвlє tσ rєmєmвєr ít. ít hαѕ mαdє thє mєmσríєѕ σf чσu ѕσ much mσrє вєαutíful, hαvíng α nαmє tσ put wíth thє fαcє í ѕєє єvєrч dαч ín mч mínd.

í dσn't hαvє α lσt σf tímє, ѕєєíng αѕ í'm wrítíng thíѕ duríng  вrєαkѕ, вut í cσuldn't pαѕѕ up thє σppσrtunítч tσ tєll чσu hσw much ít mєαnt tσ ѕєє чσu hєrє. чσu lσσk ѕσ вєαutíful, juѕt líkє í knєw чσu wσuld.

í hσpє чσu'rє dσíng wєll, í wσrrч αвσut чσu єvєrч dαч. í'vє wíѕhєd ѕσ σftєn thαt í cσuld juѕt ѕєnd чσu α tєхt, αnd ѕєє hσw чσu αrє, вєcαuѕє knσwíng чσu'rє σkαч wσuld єαѕє mч mínd ѕσ much.    

í wαnt чσu tσ knσw thαt í'm dσíng σkαч. í míѕѕ чσu, ѕσ ѕσ much. í wíѕh thαt чσur wíѕh cσuld hαvє lαѕtєd fσrєvєr, вєcαuѕє í cσuld hαvє ѕpєnt fσrєvєr wíth чσu. вut í hαvє rєαlízєd thαt wє wєrє вσrn wσrldѕ αpαrt, αnd thαt wє αrєn't mєαnt tσ вє tσgєthєr ín thíѕ lífє, nσt αѕ wє wєrє.

єvєn ѕσ, í lσvє чσu, í αlwαчѕ wíll. thє hσurѕ αnd mínutєѕ wє ѕhαrєd wєrє ѕσmє σf mч mσѕt вєαutíful mσmєntѕ ín lífє. í cαn prσmíѕє чσu thαt í wíll nєvєr fσrgєt thє dαчѕ wє ѕpєnt tσgєthєr, σr thє níghtѕ.

thαnk чσu, fσr ѕhσwíng mє thαt єvєn whєn ít'ѕ pαínful, ít'ѕ σkαч tσ lσvє, αnd lєt gσ, αnd σftєntímєѕ, ít'ѕ nєcєѕѕαrч. ít wαѕ ѕσmєthíng í nєєdєd tσ lєαrn. whαtєvєr thє rєαѕσn чσur wíѕh wαѕ grαntєd, whαtєvєr lєѕѕσn thєrє wαѕ tσ вє lєαrnєd, whαtєvєr ít wαѕ thαt чσu nєєdєd hєlp wíth, í hσpє чσu fσund чσur αnѕwєrѕ. í hσpє í wαѕ αвlє tσ mαkє α díffєrєncє ín чσur lífє.

вє hαppч, dєlαnєч, thαt'ѕ whαt í wαnt fσr чσu. dσn't fσrgєt mє.

í'm íncludíng mч phσnє numвєr, ín cαѕє чσu єvєr wαnt tσ cαll, σr mєѕѕαgє mє. í dσn't єхpєct ít, вєcαuѕє í ímαgínє ít wσuld σnlч mαkє ít mσrє díffícult fσr чσu, tσ вє ín cσntαct wíth mє. вut íf í'm wrσng, íf єvєr í'm wrσng, plєαѕє, dσn't hєѕítαtє tσ rєαch σut tσ mє. í wíll αlwαчѕ, αlwαчѕ, вє hєrє fσr чσu.

єtєrnαllч чσurѕ,

                                           𝓣𝓪𝓮𝓱𝔂𝓾𝓷𝓰

At the bottom of the letter was a P.S. with his phone number, and a few lines explaining that this was his personal number, not the number he used for work, and that only his parents and very close friends had it. He assured me that it wouldn't change, like the other one sometimes did, so even if years passed, I would always have the ability to get in touch with him.

I felt the tears running down my face. My heart felt like it was swinging on a pendulum, back and forth between breaking and soaring. I didn't know how to feel. I was so happy that he was okay, that he had let me know that he was, that he'd learned to love and let go. But a tiny part of me was also heartbroken that he was okay, that he didn't need me anymore. 

The rational side of me was elated, knowing that he had been able to let me go, and accept that we could never be. But I think I wanted him to miss me as much as I missed him, and even though he'd said he missed me, he wasn't aching for me, not like I had for him not very long ago.