"Joon! Babe! Wake up already," she said.

"Oh come on, it's not like I have to go to work..." he mumbled and tossed his blanket over her, pulling her down to his chest.

"We can just lay here all day, without any worries,"

It was another lovely day in this unknown place. Had the circumstances been different, the couple would have hurried away to their work, not having the time to exchange such a moment of love with each other.

But now, this was how the days usually started for her. Waking up in the same manner, whining for her boyfriend to wake up and then end up snuggling up in the bed together.

It wasn't boring to see the same smile, hear the same words and do the same things.

The couple would usually end up watching the old TV at the modest house they were forced to live in. But today, somehow it seemed different.

"Babe?" She heard the sweet voice of her boyfriend.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" he asked.

"But we aren't allowed to step out-"

"I know, but a walk to the backyard shouldn't hurt. The willow is drying-we should probably enjoy the shade before it withers all its leaves away,"

She smiled and stood up to pick one of her favourite classic novels.

Slowly walking to the willow hand-in-hand, she looked at her boyfriend who always wore that affectionate and caring smile on his face. How amazing it was to see the same smile every day, all the time. She adores him so much.

"Joon, should I do the storytelling today?"

"Of course babe, "

It was a routine for the couple before, to spend their days off in the pleasant sunlight, under the willow tree, back in Korea. Fortunately, she found one here too.

She would place her head on his lap or shoulder, while he read out the story for her. Too romantic and boring for the young generation's taste but this couple did not mind it.

Perhaps it was their unique and shared interest of admiring nature and reading books, that they enjoyed each other's company—so beautifully.

They both gazed at the sun which was clocking down its hours to set. Namjoon let himself be comfortable with his head on his girlfriend's lap, while she ran her fingers through his hair.

"He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking," she said. Her voice blended with the chirping of words, the harmony serving the perfect calm music to read.

She gazed down at her lap to see her boyfriend's closed eyes. If someone were to look at them—it wouldn't be less than a scene from a novel. She felt a feeling of restlessness creeping in her heart as the sunset and the silence settled in.

"We should head in," she said softly. Her hands reached his hair unconsciously but her fingertips met with some leaves of the trees instead.

Her lap was empty.

It always had been.

He wasn't there with her.

She stood up and walked barefoot on the grass. With every step, the blurred line between reality and her mind playing tricks with her was drawn more clearly and distinctly.

Why is she alone in the countryside of a small country, hidden in between large masses of water and bigger countries? She should be inside his arms instead, thinking of what to cook for dinner.

She was stupid to come alone for a trip. She was stupid to hear the news of lockdown and throw her phone at the wall in frustration.

She had knocked on different doors a day after she had received the news. Seeing the almond monolid eyes, skin so pale and the button nose, she wasn't welcomed by the neighbours. It was almost as if she was the one who was responsible for the spread of the pandemic in their area.

She couldn't contact him and she missed him so much.

She let herself drown in those emotions for days and her brain somehow found a way to subside the pain, temporarily.

It did not register when she woke up to see him in the same way, in the same clothes. She did not realise that even though she served a meal for two, she ended up having both the dishes saying her boyfriend was on a diet.

She hated everything that was happening at that moment. The reality seemed too bitter for her to even breathe properly.

Every morning she woke up to a smile and poked his dimples. She made two plates of breakfast and lunch. She read books to him and sometimes he read them to her. She kissed him when she felt lonely, cuddled him to sleep on a calm night and heard him say 'I love you' on her birthday.

But it wasn't him.

She knew she was just hurting herself this way. She was aware but she refused to accept the truth.

She missed him.

She slid herself underneath the covers, unable to bear the coldness around her.

Even on a summer day, she felt cold. No, deprived of warmth.

The circumstances were too odd-as if the world did not want them to be together.

She even wondered if this much time was enough for Namjoon to move on and when she (ever) manages to go back to Korea—will he be there for her?

And that night was her first peaceful night since she arrived here when a familiar warmth wrapped around her, alone in that unfamiliar bed.

He missed her too.

He is here for her. He always will be.

"Sleep tight, love," he whispered in her ear, placing a kiss on her forehead.