Promised you

Huge stacks of papers were scattered everywhere. The strong smell of ink was all over the place. Sighing, Lyla leaned back on her office chair, stretching her arms to relax. She closed her eyes for a moment until she heard a buzz on her phone.

'Reminder: Christmas eve in two days'

Her eyes widened at the reminder before checking today's date. The calendar read '22 December' in bold letters. Lyla held her head in complete disbelief at how much she had been keeping herself drowned in this unnecessary work that she forgot Christmas eve is in two days. Unfortunately, it's her only way to avoid all her problematic thoughts in life. She just wants to avoid thinking about certain things or more like someone. Lyla gathered all her flies and papers, stacking them neatly in the cupboard before cleaning the place which had waste papers lying from the work she had been doing throughout the week

She grabbed her phone before making her way toward the kitchen to make a quick coffee to reduce the stress, that she caused herself from the work she insisted on doing. As soon as she reached the kitchen, she tied her hair up into a messy bun before proceeding to make some coffee.

work, home, and work. This has been her routine for the past year. Work was more like an escape from reality for Lyla. Afraid she would think of the past event again, she kept herself busy.

She doesn't go out unless it's for basic essential needs. She refused all the vacation leaves she was given, always keeping herself as busy as possible.

This concerned the people around her about her well-being. Every time someone asked her about this she would be quick to answer with "I am okay, I just enjoy my work". In reality, work has been nothing but just a coping mechanism for her

Lyla poured the boiled coffee into the coffee mug. After making sure she turned off the stove, she made her way into the living room, making herself comfortable on the couch near the window. She watched the snow fall, which brought a smile to her face.

Lyla remembered that she had done all her work and was refused by her boss to be given more. She did beg her boss to give her some more work as she didn't really wanna celebrate anything, but she was threatened by her boss that she would get fired if she didn't take a vacation. That did shut her mouth. This just explains that everyone around her cares about her except herself.

She continued watching the snow fall as it brought her back memories from Christmas eve last year. Lyla closed her eyes as she leaned back on the couch relaxing, slowly letting the, sleep take over her.

It's Christmas eve. Lyla was beyond excited to celebrate this Christmas with her family and her one and only boyfriend, Seungmin. They all gathered in their family guest house before Christmas Eve as it was more spacious and comfortable for all of them to celebrate together. Lyla helped her mother prepare the food, while Seungmin and her dad arranged fairy lights all over the house, bringing in the Christmas atmosphere.

Soon enough, Lyla finished helping her mom as she made her way toward the living room. She saw Seungmin arranging the presents and decided to help him.

" You need help?" " Oh no, I am almost done. Just need to put the star up there" he said while giving a small smile to Lyla.

"Give me the star, I will put it up," Lyla said. Seungmin looked at the tree and then at Lyla as if he was judging the height difference. Lyla, who observed this, gasped as she lightly nudged him. " Hey! I can put the star. I am not that short, you know. Just watch", She said before grabbing the star from him.

Lyla stood near the tall Christmas, trying to put up the star. She tiptoed with all her strength trying to put up the star, but to her dismay, it didn't work. Seungmin, who was watching her, shook his head laughing before slowly approaching her.

Lyla, who was unaware of Seungmin's presence behind her, was caught off guard when she felt detached from the ground.

" It's me . Now put the star up there". When she heard Seungmin's voice, she immediately put the star on the tree. She adjusted the star, making sure it was in the center before she patted Seungmin, signaling him to put her down.

Seungmin put her down immediately, facing her towards him by grabbing her waist. " You are so cute" "shut up will you", Lyla said, trying to hide her obvious smile at the compliment.

" Why? I was just stating facts" "tsk". They both giggled as they leaned closer, sharing a quick kiss.

"Guys, come to have your dinner" they both heard Lyla's mother calling from the kitchen. "Coming!!". " Let's go, shall we?", Lyla said before parting away from the hug. Seungmin nodded his head as he followed Lyla to the dining room.

The dining room was filled with laughter. Lyla's mom shared embarrassing stories of her daughter making the rest laugh out loud while Lyla complained about how it's unfair to bring up her embarrassing stories now. The rest of the dinner went smoothly as the family took many photos together. Of course, good moments don't last long.

Soon after dinner, Lyla's mom went to wash the dishes while Lyla decided to clean up the dining area. Her father was in the living room along with Seungmin watching the Christmas events on TV. Seungmin was busy texting on his phone until he got called by Lyla to help her with something. He immediately placed his phone on the little table in front of him before going to help.

Lyla's father, who was watching t.v, was suddenly interrupted by the continuous buzzing of Seungmin's phone. Wanting to give the phone to him, he picked it up only to pause after seeing the message bar. Being the curious old man he is, he read the messages taking them in, the wrong way.

'from Ayla♡'

'Seungmin, this ring is so cute, right?'

' It perfectly suits. It fits me perfectly.'

'I will send you a few more rings. Chose one.'

'love you'

Lyla's father found himself being boiled in anger as he yelled seungmin's name, making the three people in the kitchen startled. Three of them came running.

" What happened, dad?" Lyla asked as concern filled her tone.

" What's this?" " It's my phone?" Seungmin answered, confused. Lyla's father made his way toward Seungmin before giving him a tight slap across his face. The room was filled with gasps.

"Dad what are you doing?? ARE YOU CRAZY?" Lyla spoke as she checked on Seungmin.

"He is cheating on you. LOOK AT HIS MESSAGES"

He threw the phone across the table.

"DAD YOU JUST CAN'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS AND WHY WERE YOU CHECKING HIS PHONE?"

Lyla defended Seungmin, knowing very well that her boyfriend was not the type to cheat.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HE WAS TALKING ABOUT GETTING PROMISE RINGS WITH SOMEONE ELSE"

That's when it clicked to seungmin that it was a misunderstanding . "sir there-" "YOU KNOW WHAT I AM NOT SPEAKING TO YOU" before seungmin could explain he was dragged by his collar to the front door. Lyla, on the other hand, was crying, pleading for her father to listen to him. But to her dismay, all her words were in the drain. Before she could think, Seungmin freed himself from the strong grip as he threw a disgusting look at Lyla's father. He didn't speak a word nor glance at Lyla as he made his way out.

Lyla gasped as she woke in a cold sweat. She must have fallen asleep on the couch. 6 pm. the clock read. She sighed as she stared outside the window for a while until it hit her. She hasn't bought any clothes or accessories for Eve. It's not like she is gonna celebrate anyway, but she just likes to shop for something and she has a lot of free time.

Seeing that she had time left, she lazily lifted herself off the couch and grabbed the empty coffee cup with her. She cleaned the cup before carefully placing it back in the cupboard.

She made her way towards her bedroom to freshen up. Soon she came out of the shower, making her way towards her clothes. She grabbed a pair of jeans along with a beige sweater, slipping into them.

She made her way downstairs, grabbing her black purse along the way. She wore her shoes before pushing the door and going out of the house. The cold air hit her, sending chills down her spine. She made sure she locked her door as she began walking into the town. She decided she did walk since it's nearby.

Fairy lights filled the whole town. Laughter and joy filled the air. Lyla saw an old couple sitting on a bench enjoying hotdogs while watching young couples shop together, smiling, probably remembering their love story. Lyla smiled sadly, remembering her memories with Seungmin. She suddenly came to a halt facing a jewelry shop. She saw two rings on display that read 'Couple rings Christmas collection' She smiled as she remembered something.

"Seungmin omg wait look at these rings" Lyla stopped excitedly looking at the couple rings displayed in the shop. seungmin smiled as he looked at his partner being excited over the rings. "You want them?" Seungmin asked. Making Lyla look at him as if she was judging "dummy those are proposal rings. are you gonna propose to me now or what" Lyla shook her head speaking. "I know that's why I asked" Lyla's eyes widened looking at her bf who smiled at her . "don't worry not now maybe soon" seungmin laughed at Lyla's almost shocked expression before he went 'ow' as he felt Lyla hit him. " I panicked thinking you did do it now. I wasn't prepared!" Lyla yelled at his bf who was still laughing. "okay but I have one question" "what is it?" "what if..we had to be far from each other after today or had fights that we part then what will you do?" Lyla's question caught Seungmin off guard but soon he answered "If the that's the case, at night of Christmas eve I will come back to you" he answered sincerely. "I promise"

Lyla smiled sadly before wiping the tears away and making her way forwards to buy herself a dress.

Lyla's alarm went off waking her up. she groaned lazily sitting at the edge of the bed and staring at the wall for a solid minute before she grabbed her phone. 6:00 am 24th December. It's Christmas eve today. she doesn't have any plans but she prefers to wake up early for special events. Lyla yawned before making her way to the bathroom to fresh up

After one hour of freshening up, she came out wearing a baby blue crop top and cardigan with white pants. She sat in front of her mirror. she has shoulder-length hair so she just combed it before placing a clip at the side. she applied some red lipstick as she looked at herself in the mirror . "gorgeous" she said to herself before getting up and grabbing her coat and going downstairs. Since it was eve she thought she would have her breakfast and go out for coffee.

Lyla finished her breakfast before grabbing her purse and making her way out. she decided to take a walk as the coffee shop was nearby.

The weather is just perfect for Lyla. She decided she did shop for the rest of the day since it's Christmas tomorrow she thought of getting presents for her friends, even though none of them are here she decided to give them after the holidays.

Lyla pushed open the door with her leg as she carried all the heavy bags in her hands into her apartment. Her little gift shopping turned into a 'shop every shiny thing I see'. She started regretting after the long bill was placed in front of her at the counter and she just knew its too late to turn back. she placed all the bags in the living room as she sat on the couch reviewing the bill and the items . "well you see at least I enjoyed hahaha..." she spoke to herself convincing herself while crying inside looking at the bill. soon after she went through all stages of grief she stood up to go to her room. Even before she can reach the steps her phone buzzed making her sigh and turn towards the table.

Lyla picked up her phone and went on checking all messages once again going towards her room until a certain message made her halt in her steps. Never in million years, she thought she would see the name pop up again in her inbox.

"From Min"

"hey, Lyla. It's been a while. I know it's so sudden to message you and I am not even sure if you still have my number but trying won't hurt you know. I will be waiting at the blooming park for you. I understand if you don't want to show up but I won't give up - seungmin"

Lyla didn't waste a second grabbing her coat and car keys and headed towards the door. she could have walked to the park but again she was afraid if she wasted any more time she did lose him. No matter what she needs to talk to him . even if she felt she wasn't ready to face him she just needs to at least see him and hear him.

She drove there as soon as possible while thoughts filled her head. How would she react when sees him? it might be the last meeting for them after today but she wants the answers to her questions. whether it be a happy beginning or a sad ending she wants to do it right.

In no time she was at the park in her car. she's suddenly scared and nervous to face him, so she sat in her car. she took a breath and opened her eyes again. "it's now or never" she comforted herself before unlocking her car door. She slowly stood outside feeling a shiver run down her spine due to the cold temperature. She once again took a deep breath before walking into the park.

Lyla took in the surroundings, some people are playing with snow not many are present. Her eyes looked for that one familiar person until she saw him. He sat on the wooden bench, his gaze was fixed on the snow. Lyla's lips curved upwards. the feeling of longing came rushing over as she took large steps towards him.

Soon she was in front of him waiting for him to notice her presence. seungmin who was staring at the snow on the ground felt the presence of someone sitting beside him. He lifted his head to view the person. He froze looking at the person who was looking back at him with the same longing eyes. He was beyond happy to see Lyla again. He didn't expect her to show up today knowing very well that she might not be ready to see him but she came and that was more than enough to give him the courage to talk to her again.

"it has been a long time" seungmin started the conversation . "yeah..it has been" Lyla tried her best to keep talking but again she was unsure of where to start, seungmin who sensed this decided to talk everything out instead of just beating around the bush. he was too scared he did lose you again if he delayed it anymore. "I wanted to talk about everything and clear the misunderstandings" Lyla was about to speak but she was cut off mid-way. "No . please hear me out first" seungmin took a deep breath before speaking. "After the fight, I went back to my hometown for a week to settle my mind. I wanted to talk to you but again I don't want to fight you once again. So I laid back for a week and went back to the city after that. I waited for you at your company but you never showed up until I approached your company friend who said that you got transferred here. I was devastated I didn't know what to do but again I kept my transfer here. There was never a place I didn't search for you here. I almost felt like I lost you but then I saw you at a coffee shop after six months smiling and talking with your friends. I felt hope again."

"Ask me anything now I will answer honestly," seungmin said. He went quite expecting her to ask the question about the messages. "Why didn't you approach me when you saw me? what took you so long?" That question sure did catch him off guard. Seungmin stood up and walked towards Lyla stopping in front of her. He crotched in front of Lyla as her eyes followed every moment of him carefully.

"Cause I was scared. Scared you did push me away and won't accept me. Scared that would be the last we did talk which would be a fight. So it took months to settle my mind. every day I would just watch you from afar and be the happiest fool. I am sorry I took too long." At this point, Lyla was a crying mess.

Lyla moved forward attaching their foreheads while holding his hands tighter. "I thought you forgot the promise we made. After that day I came out of the house to search for you but you were nowhere. I thought you wouldn't come back" "I would never leave you" Seungmin's tears ran down his face as he cried along with Lyla. Neither of them wanted to speak any further. they just want to let all their emotions out.

After 10 minutes of comfortable silence, seungmin spoke as he looked into her eyes "I have something to tell you" Lyla nodded her head telling him to go ahead. "Ayla is my cousin. That night we were talking about wedding rings. I didn't know what you would like so I asked for help but it didn't turn out the way it was supposed to be. You didn't ask but I don't want us to have any misunderstandings in the future. so.."

seungmin took a velvet box out of his brown coat. He opened it showing two promise rings placed in it. "These were supposed to be proposal rings but I don't wanna rush things between us. I want us to have a better understanding. so I promise to marry you one day. Will you let me in your life again and move in with me?" Lyla's tears rolled down as she held her hand out for him to put the ring on her ring while vigorously nodding unable to put her affection into words. He immediately put the ring on her finger while she did the same with him.

seungmin stood up as he held his hand out for Lyla to get up from the bench. Lyla got up standing in front as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I love you, Lyla"

"I love you too Minnie"