Can We Stay

Can We Stay

A Story by Clara
"

Sometimes the people whom we've known for only a short amount of time have a bigger impact on us than those we've known forever.

"

You were sitting in the 12:00 noon train that was bound for Busan, where your friend’s wedding was going to be.  A boy came up to you and asked if he could take the seat next to yours.  You smiled and nodded, praying that he would leave you alone for the rest of the trip.


As he attempted to make conversation, you resolutely ignored him by pretending to fall asleep until you couldn’t take another second ignoring him. For all you knew, he could have been a serial killer who was just waiting for a chance to strike.


You weren’t sure what finally made you decide that the boy beside you was not a criminal out for your blood. Maybe it was the endearing way he said, “Come on, Miss. I don’t bite… I just want a friend for this journey.” Perhaps it was the way he smiled when you finally acknowledged his presence.


“I thought I was talking to a wall,” he said, offering you some of the food he must have brought along for the trip.


You gratefully accept the food as you finally take in his appearance. He was short, tanned, brown-haired, and puppy-eyed; definitely far from your ideal type. Whatever it was, you knew there was something about him that drew you in, making you want to keep talking to him.


His name was Alex and he was the same age as you were. He majored in music and graduated at the same university as you did. As the conversation progressed, he revealed that you both came from the same village.


You both laugh at the irony of the situation. Two people who grew up in the same place and knew the same people never knew the other existed. The closer you approach Busan, the more you feel like you want to stay just to be able to talk to him. There’s an odd feeling at the pit of your stomach as you realize that the end of the trip is near. You may never see him again and you find yourself getting sad over that thought.


Suddenly, Alex asks you to join him for a photo. You smile and oblige, wondering why on earth he wanted a photo with you. You realize that he had his camera with him since the beginning of the trip. As you browse through the photos he had taken; you couldn’t help but wonder if somewhere among those photos was another photo of you.


The sound of a phone ringing disrupted your line of thought. Alex stood up to answer it. He smiled once he saw who it was on the other line. You could have sworn that there was some sort of light in his eyes as he talked to whoever it was on the phone.


There was a sudden pain in your heart as you studied him talking to whoever it was on the phone. Although you had no idea who it was, there seemed to be a paper cut forming in your heart. It was just a tiny cut, but damn, you could practically feel your heart bleeding. It was stupid, hurting over someone you’ve barely known, but it was happening.


You tore your gaze away from him to stare at the window. Tears wanted to flow, but something was keeping them back. This was getting irrational; there was no reason for you to feel this way.    


Alex cleared his throat to catch your attention. You forced yourself to smile, lest he got suspicious of your sudden change in mood. To your luck, he merely smiled and sat down. He revealed that the woman on his phone was his fiancée and she was asking when he was arriving.


While you congratulated him, the cuts in your heart suddenly felt deeper than they were earlier. Those paper cuts were rather deep and this time, they hurt even more. It surprised you at how much pain you were able to tolerate. You spent the rest of the journey simply allowing Alex to keep talking while you just reacted when it was needed. Your gaze was now directed at the window while you wondered what other bullshit fate had in store for you.


At long last, the train had finally reached Busan. As you both get out of the train, you heard a familiar voice calling out your name. You turned around and saw your friend Jean run to you. As you embraced, you felt Alex’s curious eyes on you. When she let you go, Alex pulled her to his chest, holding her face between his hands as he kissed her.


Jean then introduced Alex to you as her fiancé. You were surprised at your ability to smile for her despite the bleeding your heart felt. You walked behind the couple as they exchanged sweet nothings.


From a simple cut, now the wound felt like a straight stab in a heart. This was never supposed to happen. You only came to Busan to be with a friend on what was supposed to be the best day of her life. What did you do that caused fate to be this cruel? You quietly laughed at the predicament you’ve managed to get yourself into, without even understanding how you got yourself into this mess.  


It was stupid, but you couldn’t help but wonder what could have happened if you met Alex first. You wished that you could have remained with him on that train forever, where there was no world other than the two of you.


Among all the questions that ran through your mind, the one that stayed was, “Isn’t it fate that you met each other several years too late?”

© 2010 Clara


Author's Note

Clara
This was inspired by the overflow of sadness from SHINeeWorld aka Shawol (the official fanclub of the Korean boyband SHINee), when they found out that SHINee's lead vocalist Kim Jonghyun was dating actress Shin SeKyung. (That's why it's set in Korea)

And I swear, I saw this more as a music video than a written piece...

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Added on November 1, 2010
Last Updated on November 1, 2010

Author

Clara
Clara

Philippines



About
Hello! I am Clara. Anyway, this site is run by a crazy nineteen year old girl. She is a junior majoring in Communication Arts, Journalism track. She enjoys dancing, acting all diva, writing, r.. more..

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A Story by Clara