"Alright guys, Sunny and I are just going to pop out for an hour or two for a quick catch up. You'll be okay?" I asked Tiffany more than Hyoyeon. She nodded with a smile and returned to her seat next to her new friend. I was glad the two were getting along, Tiffany managed to let their conversation flow despite her nervousness, I felt like a proud mother.
"Okay, let me show you how to set it up" Hyoyeon said, motioning for Tiffany to get up and go to the TV. I nodded my head to the door and Sunny and I left them to it. I hoped Tiffany was going to be okay, Sunny noticed my nervousness and chuckled.
"Hey, she'll be fine" she reassured me as we walked out of the apartment complex and started down the icy street. "I've told Hyo not to touch her or make her uncomfortable...she'll be perfectly fine" she smiled.
"I hope so" I sighed.
"You like her don't you?" Sunny smiled and linked her arm with mine, cuddling up to me as we strolled along.
"I like her as a little sister or a friend. Nothing else" I replied. "She's too young anyway"
"Not really" Sunny shrugged. "There are couples with thirty years between them, you and Tiffany have...what, five? That's nothing"
"Maybe it's nothing if she was in her twenties, she's still a kid" I protested, not really liking where this conversation was going. Sunny left it at that so instead I told her all about how I met Tiffany and where she came from.
"Damn" Sunny exhaled once I had finished. "Poor kid's been through a lot."
I know, but I'm try..."
Sunny's ringtone interrupted me. She let go of my arm and I could see Hyoyeon's name on the caller ID before Sunny brought it up to her ear. I watched as her smile turned into a worried look before her eyes rested on mine. The last thing I heard was Hyoyeon shouting through the phone "You need to get here now!"
I ran, I had never run so fast in my life. We were a mile away from my apartment and due to my lack of fitness and short legs, I managed to get there in fifteen minutes. A stitch was throbbing against my waist but I didn't care. As soon as I reached my door, I knocked and knocked until Hyoyeon answered.
"Where is she" I demanded, storming into the living room and not seeing Tiffany there.
"She's in the coat closet" she replied, almost above a whisper. She was scared at the tone of my voice.
"Why the fuck is she in the closet Hyo! Open it!" I shouted, watching as the confident girl before me shrunk at my outburst.
"I can't, it's locked" she replied
I rushed over to the coat closet and tried the handle but she was right, it was locked. I looked around for the key and saw it on the ground, it had broken off while inside the lock. I held it up to Hyoyeon's face and she backed away so I threw it at her in anger.
"Tiffany?" I asked through the door only to be surprised when a loud and strong knocking ensued, making my face flinch away. I could hear her sobs.
"Please!" she begged from the other side. "Let me out!"
"Tiff babe it's okay, we'll get you out okay, just calm down" I replied, I was wondering why she sounded so scared, it's just a closet...then I finally remembered.
The orphanage, the small and dark room she was locked in many times, she was terrified of it...fuck.
"Please tell me the light is on in there" I asked Hyoyeon but she didn't answer, didn't even raise her head. "You stupid fucking...!" I stopped myself before I got too mad. I heard the desperate banging from behind the door again and held my head in my hands, what could I do?
I ran to the kitchen, got out a large knife and returned to the door.
"Tiff, step back from the door okay sweetie? I'm going to try and open it with a knife. Are you away from it?" No answer... "Tiffany?"
"Yes!" She screamed, she was panicking.
"Calm down babe, it's okay" I said as I thrusted the knife in and out of corner of the door, I had no fucking idea what I was doing and it wasn't working. Where the fuck was Sunny? Probably still running over here. "I knew I shouldn't have left her" I mumbled while losing my mind with worry, my hands were shaking.
"I'm so sorry" Hyoyeon whined.
"You better have a good fucking reason why she's in there" I growled back before dropping the knife to the ground. "Tiffany, I'm gonna have to break the door okay? Step back, I'm going to get you out sweetie, don't worry"
Sobs were all I heard and my heart clenched tight.
"Get over here and be useful" I snapped at Hyoyeon who obeyed immediately. "Kick the door on three. One, two, three!"
Nothing, but it was working, I could feel it. Thank god I had cheap and flimsy doors.
"Again. One, two, three!"
Sunny rushed in and thankfully she was smart enough to pick up what was happening so joined in. With the three of us, the door swung open, broken off it's hinges and I rushed inside. Stupidly, I wasn't thinking straight and immediately went to grab Tiffany who was huddled in the corner...the unexpected touch scared her so much that she started to hit me.
"Tiff it's me! It's me!" I cried trying to get her to stop, she was really going for it. Her eyes were closed and tears were pouring down her face as she pounded her fists against my body.
I lowered her to the ground carefully while wincing and then I let her go. I turned to Sunny and Hyoyeon and told them to get out nicely, not before giving Hyo the glare she deserved though. They were full of apologies but I ignored them, keeping my eye on the broken girl curled up in a ball on the floor.
As soon as that front door clicked shut, I crouched down beside her and waited. In truth, I didn't know what to do to help her...
"I'm so sorry" I sighed, sitting down and hugging my legs. "I don't know why she did that, but believe me I'll make sure she'll get punished"
Tiffany's sobs started to quieten down after about half an hour and I watched as she looked up at me, her eyes bloodshot and still filled with tears.
"I'm so sorry" I repeated, I was so mad at myself. What was I thinking? Leaving her there with Hyoyeon while she was still so vulnerable? I gritted my teeth and I flickered my gaze to stare at a space on the wall whilst punishing myself inside for being so stupid. I got a text from Sunny while I waited.
-Hyo said they were snooping around and she saw Tiffany going into the closet. The door was still wide open so as a joke Hyo shut it and locked it. She said she only meant to keep it locked for a second but when she turned the key to open it again it broke off.
She feels awful Tae...-
My anger started up again and I was about to throw my phone at the nearest wall but a trembling hand on my arm stopped me. I looked and saw Tiffany was starting to crawl towards me.
"C-can I hug you?" she whispered as she came closer tentatively.
"Of course, come here" I replied, opening my arms wide while she encircled my waist and rested her head on my chest, just under my chin. "Can I...?" I started and was relieved to feel Tiffany let go of my waist and pull my arms into a position to surround her before hugging me again.
I held her until her cries softened, her body was still shivering in fear though which pretty much killed me inside. I felt awful, like a complete and utter failure.
"I'm so sorry"
"You saved me" was all she said as she nuzzled her nose into my neck. I could feel her gentle exhales from her nose as I rested my head on hers. She tightened her grip around me and I couldn't help but let out a smile, she was hugging me.
"I didn't save you" I replied, finally answering her question after getting caught up in the hug. "I was so fucking stupid" I seethed. "How could I leave you li..."
"Shutup" she interrupted, moving so she could look up at me, our faces were so close, it was almost uncomfortable because she was so beautiful. I slowly brought my hand up and made sure she saw it before I gently wiped the tears away from under her eyes. She closed her eyes at the contact and although she didn't flinch, she hugged me tighter. I kissed the top of her head and I felt so warm inside.
"You're my angel" she said.
"Nah, you're mine"
