I walk back to the table with two sodas in my hands, trying to keep the sparkling, bubbly liquid from spilling over the sides of the cups.

I slide the drink in the front of Haru and sit down next to her, directing my vision to the couple performing on stage.

"I wonder if they have any rapping songs to choose from," Namjoon says, leaning back in his chair.

Hoseok shrugs, looking down at his phone, "They probably do. Go look and see."

"If they do then can I join you guys?" Taehyung asks, excitement lighting up his face.

Yoongi scoffs, "The day Yeontan grows wings and flies will be the day you rap with us, Taehyung."

We all break into laughter, but Taehyung just pouts. "Whatever."

I glance at Haru who's focused on the singing couple. "They're so good. Their voices compliment each other really well, don't you think?" She turns and looks at me, taking a sip of her soda.

I shrug, "Yeah, they're okay. But you know who would sound better than them?"

She stares back at me, oblivious, "Who?"

Jimin chuckles, "Isn't it obvious Haru?"

She looks at us, puzzled, before realizing what we're trying to say. "Oh heck no."

"Aw come on," Seokjin whines, and she scoffs. "I feel weird singing even in front of you guys. What makes you guys think I would actually have the courage to sing in front of all these other people?"

Namjoon slams his fist on the table, startling us all. "Haru, you need to have self confidence. You need to learn to love yourself."

We all stare at him in silence, still surprised. He grins, his dimples popping out, "Sorry. I didn't mean to be that dramatic."

"Haru," Seokjin chuckles, "Take Namjoon's advice and stop being so shy all the time. We know you're not really that shy."

Hoseok sets his phone down, grabbing a french fry from the basket in the center of the table. "You were shy in the beginning but honey, you've broken out of that shell now."

"Go on stage and sing your heart out. It's an enlightening experience, really," Taehyung says, tilting his head towards the stage.

Haru sits up straight, hands hovering on the edge of the table. "I don't know, I'm kind of nervous."

The rest of the audience claps as the couple walks off the stage, bowing. Yoongi bounces his legs in his seat, "Look Haru, they're done! Quickly go before someone else does!"

Hesitation is woven into her face, and I realize how nervous she really is. "If it makes you feel better, I'll go with you," I say, giving her hand a squeeze.

Her face lights up, "Are you sure? Will you be okay with it?"

I nod, "Of course I will. Come on, love."

I stand up and take Haru's hand in mine, walking to the stage. We hear the guys' cheers behind us as we walk up to the karaoke machine. "Okay, what song should we sing?" I ask, scrolling through the list of songs.

"Hmm," her eyes are scanning the list when they widen, "They have 'Say You Won't Let Go' on here!"

"Do you wanna choose it?"

She nods, "Sure! If you're okay with it, though. It's all in english."

I shrug, clicking on the song, "I'm okay with that. We're gonna sound the best out of everyone who's singing tonight, watch."

She giggles, handing a mic over to me and keeping one for herself. "Yes we will."

We see the guys cheer for us again when the music starts. "You can do this!" Hoseok shouts, earning cheers of encouragement from the crowd.

The instrumentals slowly fade into the background as Haru and I start to sing together. "I met you in the dark, you lit me up. You made me feel as though, I was enough."

I feel a smile take over my face, feeling the slow music pulse through me. "We danced the night away, we drank too much. I held your hair back when, you were throwing up."

I glance at Haru, who's now loosened up on the stage. A small smile tugs at her rosy lips when she notices me looking at her. "Then you smiled over your shoulder. For a minute, I was stone-cold sober. I pulled you closer to my chest."

"And you asked me to stay over. I said, I already told ya, I think that you should get some rest."

Haru's eyes drift close as we sing through the next few lines, and I can tell she's putting more and more effort into her voice. "I knew I loved you then, but you'd never know. 'Cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go. I know I needed you, but I never showed. But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old."

"Just say you won't let go. Just say you won't let go," she opens her eyes again and directs her gaze towards me, mine of which has been locked on her. She's mesmerizing, really.

I sing the next couple verses by myself, Haru beaming at me with the prettiest smile I've ever seen. "I'll wake you up with some breakfast in bed. I'll bring you coffee with a kiss on your head. And I'll take the kids to school, wave them goodbye. And I'll thank my lucky stars for that night."

I slowly approach Haru, who's cheeks are now tinted a soft pink color. "When you looked over your shoulder, for a minute, I forget that I'm older. I wanna dance with you right now."

I push a piece of hair behind her ear, "Oh, and you look as beautiful as ever, and I swear that everyday'll get better. You make me feel this way somehow."

I feel my heart swell as Haru picks up again, voice beautifully smooth and delicate. "I'm so in love with you, and I hope you know. Darling your love is more than worth its weight in gold. We've come so far my dear, look how we've grown. And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old. Just say you won't let go. Just say you won't let go."

Wanting Haru to sing by herself, I turn my mic off, making sure she doesn't notice. "I wanna live with you, even, when we're ghosts. 'Cause you were always there for me when I needed you most." I briefly glance at the guys, their jaws agape with wide eyes. Yoongi's mouth is covered with his hands.

I turn back to Haru, who still hasn't noticed that I'm no longer singing with her. My heart pounds with a special warmth, hearing her angelic voice filled with emotion. "I'm gonna love you till, my lungs give out. I promise till death we part like in our vows. So I wrote this song for you, now everybody knows, finally it's just you and me till we're grey and old."

She finally turns her gaze back to me, a smile lighting up her eyes. "Just say you won't let go. Oh, just say you won't let go."

The music comes to an end, and the audience begins cheering. "That was so freaking cute!" I hear Hoseok shout.

I bring Haru into my embrace, her head leaning into my chest. She tilts her head up to look at at me, keeping her arms around me.

The sound of the audience drowns out as I lock my gaze with Haru's, her eyes sparkling with the light of a million galaxies. She says something to me, but I don't hear what she says. Not because of the audience, but because of my affection for her that overwhelms my heart.

I gently cup her face and bring my lips to her's, filled with emotions as I feel a smile forming on her lips.

I knew I liked her. I knew that I had strong feelings for her.

But I didn't know how strong they were until now. Until this moment. This moment in which our lips are connected, everything precious and beautiful in the world encapsulated in one perfect being.

In this moment, I realize how deeply in love I am with Park Haru.

Whenever I'm with Haru, I feel as if I should protect her. I feel as if everything's going to be okay, that all of my pain will come to an end.

I feel that nothing's wrong with me, that I'm perfectly healthy, that I'm more alive than ever—that my kidneys aren't failing.

That I'm not dying.

the secret's out :(

also, 3,000+ READS WHATTTT

ILY GUYS SO MUCH

alsooooo eid mubarak to my muslim readers!! i'll be celebrating it on wednesday but i wanted to wish it to everyone bc ramadan is basically over now :(

ily guys 💞