Chapter Text
I’m here
Haseul watched as “Delivered” appeared under her message. She took a deep breath, and prayed that nothing went wrong.
“Please,”she whispered under her breath, watching the front door of the house anxiously.
After no more than two minutes, Haseul saw the door creeping open. Slowly. Carefully. And then, a glimpse of pink hair.
Kahei walked out of the house, carrying her suitcase off the ground to prevent any sound. Haseul watched as Kahei quickly walked towards her.
Getting out of her car, Haseul assisted Kahei in getting the suitcase into the trunk. They lifted it in, moving in wordless unison.
They closed the trunk and got in the car. Haseul began driving, Kahei beside her in the passenger seat.
After a few minutes of driving in silent darkness, Haseul looked over. “Your shoulders are tense,”she commented softly, breaking the silence.
Wordlessly, Kahei relaxed her shoulders a little bit, but not fully. Haseul couldn’t blame her, considering how nerve-wracking the situation was.
By the time they reached the sign that indicated the airport up ahead, the sun had begun to rise. The sky was a soft pink, matching Kahei’s hair. “What terminal is it?”Haseul asked.
Kahei searched through her phone. “C,”she replied quietly. Haseul turned onto the exit, and a few minutes later they were at the airport.
They made their way into the building, a suitcase and backpack with each of them. As they made their way through check-in and security, Haseul noticed that Kahei kept looking behind them, her expression scared.
Reaching over, Haseul intertwined her fingers with Kahei’s. “Relax, baby,”Haseul comforted.
Haseul felt Kahei squeeze her hand, as if making sure she was really there. Haseul squeezed back in response.
“We’re almost there,”Haseul said softly. “Just a little longer.”
Kahei looked at her, a million responses in her eyes. But then, the girl just nodded at her, no words spoken.
Once they were through security, Kahei said,”Haseul, I’m hungry.”
Haseul felt her stomach growl. “I am too,”she replied. Seeing a familiar green sign up ahead, Haseul pointed and said,”Let’s get something to eat.”
They made their way over to the cafe. After a brief wait in line, it was their turn to order.
“What would you like to order?”the barista asked.
“I’ll get the cinnamon latte and banana bread, and then…”Haseul trailed off, looking to Kahei. Kahei gave her a simple nod, and Haseul continued,”...a strawberry frappuccino and a chocolate croissant.”
“Alright, and will that be all?”the barista asked.
Haseul nodded. “Yes,”she said, taking out her wallet.
A few minutes later, Haseul sat next to Kahei at a table, both of them eating their respective baked goods. Kahei leaned over and took a bite out of Haseul’s banana bread, and Haseul took a sip of Kahei’s drink in response.
After a few minutes of silence, Kahei said,”This feels weird.”
“Hm?”Haseul questioned.
“Sitting here like this, eating our usual orders. We do it so often, and it’s almost like we’re not in an airport waiting to leave everything we’ve ever known behind,”Kahei explained.
Haseul nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it feels so weirdly normal. But, also, you’re really all I need for life to be normal. You’re the main part of my life, and you have been for a while.”
Kahei smiled back at her. “I’m glad that I get to be a part of your life,”she said.
“Me too,”Haseul said, her smile mirroring Kahei’s.
The two finished their breakfast a few minutes later. Standing up, Haseul looked at her ticket. “Gate…D1,”she read out.
Kahei stood up and took Haseul’s hand. “Let’s go,”she said with a smile, and they set out towards the gate.
“Hey,” Haseul said a few minutes into the walk, stopping. “I’m going to go to the bathroom real quick.”
"Alright,”Kahei replied, taking Haseul’s backpack and going to stand in front of a vending machine while Haseul went into the bathroom.
Haseul splashed water onto her face and looked in the mirror. It was hard to believe they were actually doing this. Hard to believe that they were actually leaving everything behind except each other.
Haseul walked out of the bathroom. She looked to where Kahei had been standing…and Kahei wasn’t there.
Her breathing quickened. Her mind immediately went to the worst. Did they find out? she thought. Did they take her back?
Then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, and her fears immediately vanished. Kahei was standing there, a small smile on her face. “I was in the way of the vending machine,”Kahei explained.
Haseul gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Good, I thought I lost you for a second,”she said.
“My bad,”Kahei said, returning Haseul’s backpack.
They made it to the gate and sat down. Haseul reached into her backpack and pulled out a bag of Kahei’s favorite potato chips. She opened the bag and held it out towards the girl.
Kahei’s mouth opened slightly in surprise. “You brought these?”she asked, taking a few chips.
“Of course I did,”Haseul replied with a smile.
“You’re the best,”Kahei said, taking a few more chips with glee in her eyes.
Haseul grinned. “No, you are,”she retorted.
Finally, about half an hour later, they got on the plane. Their seats were all the way in the back row, where the seats were in groups of two rather than three. Lucky,Haseul thought.
Haseul let Kahei in first, giving her the window seat, before sitting down herself. Kahei immediately lifted the armrest, making sure there was nothing between them.
Haseul let out a sigh of relief. “I’m gonna be honest, I was as nervous as you were the entire time,”she admitted.
Kahei turned towards her in surprise. “Really? You looked so calm!”
Haseul smiled. “I know, I was faking it.”
Kahei put her head on Haseul’s shoulder with a laugh. “You did a really good job faking it,”she said.
“Thanks,”Haseul replied, running her fingers through Kahei’s hair.
As the plane rolled across the runway and lifted into the air, Haseul felt a sense of relief.
“We made it,”Haseul said, leaning over towards Kahei. “They can’t get us now.”
Soon after, the plane reached cruising altitude and the attendants went down the aisles, giving out drinks. Kahei got apple juice, and Haseul got Coke.
“You know,”Kahei began, taking a sip of her apple juice,”Anywhere is better than back there, but I’m still scared. Everything’s going to be so unfamiliar.”
“I know,”Haseul said. “But I’m okay with that. I’ll be with you, and that’s all I need.”
Kahei smiled back at her in response. She took another sip of her apple juice before setting it down. She leaned over, her head settling on Haseul’s shoulder.
“I love you,”Kahei said, letting out a relaxed breath.
Haseul felt her heart settle, as if things were finally right in her life. Then, softly, she replied.
“I love you too.”