I guess this can be seen as a part two to this brain worm
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A lot of words have been used to describe Rumi. Talented, charming, captivating. But right now the only words that could describe her was foolish and desperate as she dialed your number again for what felt like was the thousandth time.
"Hey it's me. Please, please you have to let me explain," Rumi cringed at how desperate she sounded but kept going. "I know I messed up by not telling you sooner about...everything and I'm so so sorry but I have my reasons. Just please let me explain myself. If you still hate me after then I'll leave you alone. Just give me a chance. Please. I....I love you. Always."
It's been a week since the demon attack that ruined everything. A week since Rumi has seen you.
Since then, the idol tried everything to fix things. She called and text you every day, sent you flowers with apologies attached. She even showed up at your apartment to beg for forgiveness. Nothing worked so far. Each call and text was left unanswered. The only sign she got you may have been listening is when she heard you shuffling near the door when she stopped by you apartment.
Rumi couldn't blame you for the radio silence. Not really. If the roles were revere and you were the one hiding a massive secret, she knew her reaction would be the same. Still, she had to try.
Putting her phone on the nightstand, Rumi sat on her bed. Her body felt heavy, weighted down by her patterns. Patterns found a new way to screw her over. She never hated them more.
Without thinking about it, the idol reached for across her bed in search of comfort. Her hands touch the soft fur of a purple teddy bear. A purple teddy bear you won for her from a claw machine during a date. The same bear you would spray your favorite perfume on before she went on tour so she would have a piece of you with her always. The bear now smells more of her then it does of you.
As she held the bear in her arms, Rumi wished it was you she was holding. She missed you. Oh god did she miss you. She missed your smile and your laugh. She missed the way you would leave notes that reminded her to rest and how much you loved her. She missed the way she could be herself when she was around you. Not the chart topping idol or the ruthless demon hunter. She could just be Rumi.
Hugging the bear closer to her chest, tears fell down her cheeks as she sobbed into the stuffed bear.
Another two weeks pass before Rumi hears from you. She was starting to give up hope at ever seeing you again her when her phone dinged with a text from you:
Meet me in the park ,near the oak tree tomorrow night at 10. If you're late, I'm leaving and blocking you.
Relief flooded Rumi's body when she saw your text and grabbed onto it like a lifeline.
'Yes, of course. I'll be there. Promise' Rumi texted back with shaky hands.
She did her best to stay calm and keep a level head as her text was sent out. She didn't want to get her hopes up too high because getting you to meet with her was the easy part. The hard part was getting you to listen to her, to believe her, to forgive her.
But Rumi was not going to waste this last chance. She refused to. She was going to put all her cards on the table and tell you the truth. The whole truth.
If you hated her after that, then that's fine. It's what she deserves after lying to you. She would bare the burden of the consequences like she bare the burden of her patterns.
Rumi prayed to the Honmoon that you would forgive her.
The fear of being late and missing you drove Rumi to show up at nine, a full hour before the meeting.
The oak tree you told her to met at was the same oak tree the couple share their first kiss on the second date.
Instead of taking her to a fancy restaurant with a rooftop view and chilled wine, you took her on a picnic date under the oak tree. The tree was in the deeper part of the park, away from the playground and the trails people ran on. It offered some privacy from prying eyes.
Rumi remember how nervous she was during the date. You looked stunning that day, granted she always thought you looked stunning. Every time you smiled at her, her heart fluttered in her chest. Each time you laugh it gave her another reason to fall for you.
By the time all the food you packed was eaten and cleaned up, the sun was setting. As the sky was being painted with pinks and purples, you slowly scooted over to Rumi. Soon enough your arm brushed against hers, your leg was against hers, your hand in hers.
The idol was so sure you could hear her heart pounding in her chest as you rest your head on her shoulder. She kept her eyes on the sunset, not wanting you to see her blush.
You broke the peaceful silence with a single word.
"Rumi," you whispered her name so softly she would have missed it if she didn't have her training as a hunter. She took her attention off the view in front of her and onto you.
"Can I kiss you?"
Not trusting her voice to work, Rumi nodded. You placed a gentle hand on her jaw and pulled her into a kiss.
The kiss was clumsy, as first kisses were, but it was enough to send electricity into Rumi's veins. Your lips were soft and fit against hers perfectly. The only thought in her head was how she was going to get you to kiss her again and again and again.
Rumi replayed the date over and over in her head as she waited for you on the rusty bench under the tree, clinging into the memory like it's the last good thing that will ever happen for her. It might be depending on how this meeting goes.
The sound of rocks and leaves crunching under someone's shoes pulled Rumi from her thoughts. She jumped up from her spot to see you standing in front of her.
You stood there, staring at the ground, hands buried in the hoodie pocket you were wearing. You looked...tired. Like you haven't been sleeping or eating properly since the last time she saw you. Rumi's heart ached at having you so close to her yet so far.
"Hi," Rumi's voice came out small and weak, she shocked that you showed up. She cleared her throat before gesturing to the bench. "Do you want to sit?"
You took the spot at the other end of the bench, leaving space between you and the idol. As much as she wanted to sit right next to you, Rumi left the distance and took her seat.
The silence was uncomfortable. Only broken by the occasional bird or faint car honk. As the silence grew, Rumi became more nervous. She didn't want to say anything, worried she'll say the wrong things and ruin everything.
When she was about to open her mouth to speak, you beat to the punch.
"So demons are real," you ask, blunt and straight to the point.
"Yes. They've been around for centuries. Stealing people's souls and causing chaos."
"And you hunt them?"
Rumi took a deep breath. Nothing but the truth. "Yes, along with Zoey and Mira. We've been hunting them since before Huntrix was formed."
You nodded, trying to process the information she just gave you. "Why?"
"The three of us: Zoey, Mira and me are sworn to protect humanity and to keep the Honmoon strong," Rumi explained, watching the Honmoon light up at being mentioned. "The Honmoon is a barrier made to keep demons out. When fans connect to Huntrix's muisc, when their soul connect to our music, it makes the barrier stronger."
As Rumi spoke, it felt like a weight has been taken off her chest. Even though the reason why she was telling you these things was less than ideal, it was nice to finally be honest with you.
You let out a hum at her explanation, trying to take it in. For a moment, Rumi was scared that you were going to get up and walk away, never to be seen again. But you stayed sitting.
"And you're half the thing you hunt?"
Rumi flinched at the way you said thing, feeling the weight of her patterns and shame on her skin. "Yes. The Sunlight Sisters were the previous generation of hunters. My mom, Celine and Poppy worked to keep the Honmoon strong when my mom fell in love with my dad and then had me."
You let out a humorless laugh and for the first time in almost a month you finally looked at Rumi. It broke her heart seeing how deep the circles under your eyes has gotten since she last saw you.
"A month ago, I wouldn't have believed you if you sat me down and told me this. I would have called you crazy and told you you needed more sleep. Now things are making sense. All the dates you cancelled, the times you disappeared, the bruises. All of those things were because you went out to hunt demons, right?"
"Yes. I'm so sorry for lying to you this whole time."
You cover your face with your hands and rubbed your eyes like you were making sure this wasn't a bad dream. Letting out a sigh, you dropped your hands to your lap and looked at the idol again. "Why didn't you, I mean besides the fact that I wouldn't believe you, why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did I nearly have to die to a demon for you to tell me the truth?"
Rumi's felt sick thinking about how close she was to losing you forever that night. How differently this whole thing could have gone if she didn't make it in time.
"Because Celine taught us to not tell anyone," Rumi said softly. "And because I was scared you would see me as a monster when I told you."
"You want to know the funny thing is? That night when I got home and was cleaning the cuts from the demon myself because I was scared to go to the hospital and be called crazy by the staff when I told them what happened , I kept thinking to myself 'how is Rumi the same thing as those monsters?'. It didn't add up to me because you were always so sweet and soft and gentle to me. So loving. I couldn't imagine you ever hurting me like that demon did."
"And I would never hurt you," Rumi quickly said, holding herself back from reaching out to you because god all she wanted was to hold you and comfort you and protect you.
You held up your hand, stopping her. "The days after that I was angry at you for keeping the secret from me. I was convinced that you were trying to trick me with this relationship so you could hurt me. But every text you sent and every voice mail you left told me differently. It just left me more confused and more hurt."
"You read all my text," Rumi asked. She was so sure you blocked her up until you texted her back.
"And I listen to every voice mail," you admitted. "I realized that if you were truly a monster, you wouldn't be trying so hard to fix things with me. If you were a monster, you wouldn't treat me like I'm the most precious and most important person in the world. You wouldn't treat me so lovingly if you were a monster."
"You are the most precious and important person in the world to me," Rumi whispered softy, hoping you believed her because you had to believe her. It was the most honest truth she has said in a long time.
"Do you...do you," you said hesitantly before swallowing your fears and doubts. "Do you love me?"
"I love you more than anything in this world," Rumi answered without a hint of doubt or hesitation. Like saying that she loved you was the most natural thing to her.
You sat there for a while, letting Rumi's words sink in. She stayed right there next to you, giving you all the time in the world you needed.
Slowly but surely, you moved your hand on the bench closer and closer to Rumi's until your pinky touched her. You hooked yours with hers and she held onto it like it was a lifejacket keeping her afloat in a stormy sea.
"I'm not saying everything is fixed right now," you warned as you looked over to her. "I'm still very hurt and mad at you."
"You have every right to be," Rumi agreed.
"But as long as we take things slowly, I'm willing to try to fix things between us."
"I'm willing to wait for as long as you need."
"There can be no more lies between us."
"No more lies. Asking me anything and I'll tell you the truth," Rumi promised.
"If I find out you're lying about anything else important, that's it. We're done."
"Understood."
"Good."
Silence took over again. It was still heavy with broken trust and hurt, but it was a bit lighter than before. More manageable.
Sitting next to you, with her pinky hooked to your, for the first time in a month, Rumi could finally breath again.
