Put your head on my shoulder

Epilogue-Finally

Present day- Incheon Airport

I was still groggy when I stepped out of our private jet. Being sleep deprived for more than 72 hours and a 10-hour trans-Atlantic flight straight after a four hour concert would certainly do that to even the most invincible among us.

"Hyung, finally we are home! No more concerts or tours for at least two full weeks!" exclaimed Taehyung in a sing-song voice and I faintly wondered for the millionth time how that kid was so energetic. Jungkook or Jimin or even Hoseok paled in comparison.

"Ah, don't shout much Tae, we are trying to be discreet. Plus, it's freaking four a.m. in the morning and my ears hurt." I grumbled and he stuck out a tongue at me peevishly. I would've flicked his forehead if I wasn't so bone-weary tired as I was.

"Yeah I agree someone please shut him up." Jin groaned and rubbed his head.

"That's an impossible feat." I wryly deadpanned and Jin chuckled while Taehyung pouted at us childishly.

Jimin and Jungkook were way ahead of us and Namjoon was ahead of them, walking with Hoseok while me and Jin were together but at some point of time Taehyung slowed down to join and apparently annoy us.

We were trying to not be spotted by crazy fans and paps and that day it was surprisingly quiet, no one had recognized us yet as we made our way across the airport. My face was hidden by a face mask and a beanie so it was not as if they could recognise me with that on anyways. (But still for some unknown reason some odd fans could always achieve that feat no matter how much we tried to be discreet and careful; I had learnt over the years.)

I was just about to push the glass door of the 'Arrivals' gate open, when Jin hyung hissed "Incoming, three o' clock" in my ear.

By now, we were the only ones left to yet reach the van which would take us to our dorms as Tae had skipped ahead after apparently getting bored with annoying us, to annoy the others.

"What?" I whispered back surprised and swiftly wretched open the door. I was hoping we wouldn't be swamped by fans today at least when no one knew about our 'top secret impromptu flight schedule'. Some wishes don't come true after all.

"Yes, its a bunch of young girls, they look like high school students."

Ah, s**t. The worst of them all, no offense to anyone.

I quickened my pace and so did Jin. We were about to make it to the van when I bumped into someone.

A citrusy scent enveloped me, a scent which brought back a flood of sweet memories. Oranges and lemons. I couldn't believe it ; was I really dreaming?

After all these years...

I snapped my head and met a pair of brown orbs which blinked and squinted at me. My heart skidded to a halt when I saw that face.

A crease formed on her forehead and looked down and I followed her gaze and realized that I had instinctively wrapped my hands around her so that we both don't fall from the impact of the collision.

Still, I couldn't begin to remove my hands, I couldn't even bring myself to blink. Or breathe. That strange yet all-too-familiar tingling feeling was back after so many years of being MIA.

I could faintly make out that all hell had broken loose around us and that my band members were shouting my name wildly and frantically and Jin hyung was even tugging the back of my shirt and shouting at me to snap out of it. The high schoolers were now joined by other bystanders who had by now realized who we were and were gathering around to click pictures.

But I couldn't snap out of the trance I suddenly fount myself in, I heard it all but it felt as if I was underwater and all the din surrounding me was just a faint sound in my eardrums.

It was as if time stopped yet again, just like the first time I saw her stick her head out of her black Mercedes all those years ago...

She looked the same as before yet different too. Her hair were cropped short now. She looked more mature than her childish self, yet still like the clumsy bubbly girl who would trip over a flat surface easily. Her eyes were the same; the same chocolate brown shining orbs which made my heart flutter wildly and transported me back in time when she locked gazes with me.

I breathed out her name before I could stop myself and she frowned at me, probably surprised as to why a total stranger who she bumped into the airport knew her name.

The pretty face before me was her- after years I finally met her again. Kang Se-ra.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" she arched her eyebrows, confused while I stared at her unabashedly; having forgotten all about my shyness after seeing her face after so many years.

'How do I even begin?' I wondered how to answer her question.

"Yah Min Yoongi get inside the van this instant!" Namjoon shouted the command at me, briefly snapping me out of my reverie. I saw that Jin had already left and was probably inside along with the rest of them.

"M-Min Yoongi?" her eyes widened with recognition. Oh yeah I had forgotten all about being a famous celeb who she had probably heard of, I mean she didn't live under a rock.

"Are you really..." she trailed off and then stepped back in what I assume was surprise. I realised by then that I should move, or say something and not stand there like a statue.

"Um, yes?" It sounded like a question and I kicked myself for sounding like such a loser. Somehow, being in front of her always had that effect on me, it made me speechless and awkward.

"MIN YOONGI!" Namjoon shrieked and I decided that he must've had enough of it and he would snap anytime soon and I didn't want to make a bigger mess than I already had made. The crowd was enclosing around me and fast. I simply had to move.

Instinctively and without thinking, I grabbed Se-ra's hand; a thing I had been dying to do for all these years. Her eyes widened even more and she scrambled to grab a roll on suitcase which I assume was hers. I enclosed my hand around the suitcase's handle instead and tightening my hold on her hand I wriggled out of the crowd.

She didn't protest much and followed me to the parking lot where the van was waiting for me along with a very angry Namjoon. But his angry expression morphed into confused one when he saw Se-ra and he raised his eyebrows as if to ask me-"Who is she?"

The others' heads were peeping out of the partially rolled down window and when they saw our joined hands they whistled and winked at me while I blushed. I'm sure Se-ra also did, and she wriggled her hand free in embarrassment.

"You both can go with Manager Sejin. He's here too in his car." Namjoon simply said and quickly got inside the van. I turned towards Manager Sejin who had been standing nearby all along and he ushered us both in a black sedan's backseat and took Se-ra's luggage. He didn't ask me any questions about the situation we were in and I was grateful for that.

When the car made its way out of the airport, I breathed a sigh of relief. All my previous tiredness was gone and adrenaline was pumping in my veins from having met her again.

She cleared her throat after staying silent throughout the whole ordeal and I turned towards her slightly, facing her. God, she was pretty,so pretty.

"I-" we both began at the same time and she chuckled lightly. The sound of her chuckle-Ah, I had waited all these years to hear it again.

"You go first." I said politely and she shook her head. "You first Mr. Min Yoongi." she said.

"Um, ok," I awkwardly began and cringed internally. All these years, and I was still so shy and awkward around her!

"I'm sorry for what happened out there. I'm sorry that I...um, that I dragged you along with me forcefully without even stopping to ask you-" she cut me off mid-sentence,

"Don't be. Actually you kind of helped me get out of there without being spotted by the driver my dad had sent to pick me up..." she said and sighed loudly. Then she looked at me and smiled her warm smile which never failed to make my heartbeat accelerate,

"If anything, I should thank you."

"Um...you're welcome?" it sounded like a question again and she caught it too; so she chuckled lightly.

"Um, Se ra-ssi..." I began, struggling to say the words I desperately wanted to, to ask her if she remembered me or not.

The rational part of my brain argued that she certainly wouldn't, that why would she remember an insignificant guy who she met in the passing years ago, a guy who wasn't anyone important like her first love or crush?

But maybe the years had made me a bit more brave, and my heart argued back that I had nothing to lose anyways so might as well ask her. Seeing her face after years of pinning and missing my first love was a factor too.

Maybe, just maybe...

"Yes?" she asked.

"Se ra-ssi, I...I mean don't you remember? Well, I guess you don't and I don't blame you...I mean we only met a couple of times in Daegu while we were in high school and talked a little so-" she again cut me off and the words she said next made me shocked to say the least,

"Oh but I do remember Yoongi-ssi. I remember everything." she whispered the words so I barely made them out. When I did, my very much confused not to mention utterly astonished expression made her repeat the words a little louder and she gave me a small smile.

Did she look shy and nervous all of a sudden? But why?

Those words, surely she meant...??

"Excuse me?" I blurted out, confused out of my mind.

"I remember our each and every encounter, some even you don't remember," she said and I couldn't understand what she meant by those last words but I let her continue,

"I remember meeting you on that bus in Daegu, I remember when you paid the cashier in my stead at the grocery shop in your neighbourhood- I remember it all. It's clear as crystal in my memory, as if all that happened yesterday and not years ago."

I was speechless. Her eyes had an unfathomable expression and my heart was reacting wildly to the words coming out of her mouth. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming about this all but all I could do was stare at her as she said,

"I remember you Min Yoongi."

THE END