her fingertips had barely lingered on the keys of the piano because, suddenly, the instrument was no one’s but bambi’s—- and she was fine by it. the brunette adored playing the piano, but she loved when the younger one kept herself entertained with an option she offered. annie sat next to the small one while enjoying and listening to the pretty music she was playing, sometimes both fixing the younger girl’s fingers on the keys she tried to hit and reminding her the tone of the song she was trying to play with a hum of her own. the sound of the girl’s giggles have always felt like a lullaby to annie’s ears, continuing to eye the way her little hands moved across the piano while also barely paying attention to the already empty classroom and the footsteps that were walking towards them. and even when whoever had just walked up to them, someone that wasn’t the friendly nanny who always greeted the girl next to her at the end of her class, and talked to the younger one, anastasia didn’t even bother to look up. not because she didn’t want to or anything, but the feeling of the world and her heart stopping at the same time was overwhelming when she heard his voice. his voice. memories that she had forced to be kept in the back of her brain for the sake to heal her broken heart—- every single memory that that she had spent with someone she will always consider her first love, starts flooding her head as she continues to listen to the way he is speaking to the little girl, chest aching to the point of it hurting because not only hanjae was in the same room as her after so many years of them not knowing anything about each other, but because it was rather obvious that he was related, close to bambi. and annie knew he had sisters, but she also knew they weren’t as young as the girl besides her, leaving her to connect the dots by considering the familiar features she had noticed over the months that, maybe, bambi was the boy’s daughter.
truth be told, annie was panicking. she didn’t know if her quick theory was correct, but her body was still as she watched him pick up the younger girl’s backpack by the corner of her eye, dainty hands frozen on top of the board she wanted to put down to hide the keys of the piano. it was when he started to speak to her when annie finally looked up, features rather stoic compared to everything she was feeling in the pits of her stomach: from happiness, to sadness, to anger, to basically everything. and when their eyes locked for the first time after so many years, years that she had spent longing for him with nothing but a heavy heart as she clung onto the little, barely non-existent hope that he was going to come back to her one day ( something that never happened, she bitterly thought ), annie wanted to cry when her heart made the biggest leap in her chest. her lips twitch into a simper when he dared to say her name with that voice of his. it was saddening how after so many years, he was the only one who could say it and make her believe that her name was the prettiest name ever. “ jae. ” her timbre mirrors the softness of his voice, a shiver going down her spine as she allowed herself to lower the board over the keys of the piano gently. “ yeah, i’m her teacher… ” she said, eyes still locked with his as she moved one of her shaken hands to the back of her neck, refusing to stand up because she knew she was going to end up on the floor due to everything she was feeling. “ you… ” she couldn’t help but gulp, rotating her body just the slightest on the bench. “ are you… bambi’s father? …the new nanny, perhaps? ” she asked, tugging at a dark lock of her long pony tail that was held tight with a baby pink ribbon, one of her many nervous tells, one that she knew jae would, with no doubt, be able to recognize.
when his name slipped past her lips, it caused the heart hiding within his chest to start up a rhythm, a pounding in his ears creating a song that seemed to block out all the noise around them. the only thing jae was able to make out was the constant beat and the sound of annie’s voice. sadly, even if bambi were to call out for him right now, there was such a high chance that he’d barely even hear it. the boy hummed a soft “hm” at her words, still at a loss when it came to finding his own. there was nothing he could think of to say to her. what could he possibly say? maybe an apology was due, but was it right if he had just come out with it out of he blue? the two weren’t even expecting this to happen and the last thing jae wanted to do was scare her off by bringing up the past and trying to spit out a unrehearsed apology that would probably be full of gibberish and stuttering. he cleared his throat again - this time not to speak, just because the boy was unsure of what to even do. he just watched her, eyes glued to the beautiful features that have matured in the most beautiful way over the past few years. a soft smile tugged on his features as he watched her hair in her hands, eyes finally dropping to the ground as he did his best not to smile wider or point the habit of hers out. “yeah. uh,” he started in response to her words, head giving a few gentle nods before he could glance quickly to bambi - still standing next to him and holding onto his hands. “no, no. not that nanny. she’s mine.” he explained, words gentle as he ran his free hand through the girl’s hair - removing the tie from around the bun that sat on top of her head and allowing the dark strands to fall around the small girl’s face. “is that better?” he questioned to her, shuffling the hair before turning back to annie.
it seemed as if every time jae’s eyes settled back to the taller girl, he found it hard to pull them away again. he had forgotten how amazing she always looked and maybe that’s what kept him staring. or maybe he was scared that if he looked away, it’d be years before he saw her. again. “i, uh...” more words, desperately trying to find an escape still struggling to actually form. “usually have her picked up because i’m usually at work but. i took time off for her and i, uh...” blinking a few times, jae was able to pull his eyes from the brunette, thankfully, the act was able to help him process words better and make actual sentences. “i’m suppose to be picking her up all week, but i can, uh... maybe have someone get her if this is, uh... a little too weird for you?” he offered, glancing back to the gorgeous girl as a soft smile forced it’s way over his lips. “or if it’s okay, then, uh...” his gaze wandered down to bambi, causing the girl to look up to him with her big, brown, doe eyes that somehow matched annie’s. she wore a smile as she glanced back between annie and jae, eventually letting go of his hand to sit on the floor patiently. “oh, okay.” he mumbled softly as he watched her, a soft chuckle leaving his lips. “uh, i was gonna take her to the park for a bit.” even though it wasn’t the initial plan. “maybe you’d like to come along with us. she always says how her ballet teacher is her favorite teacher. she really enjoys being here with you.” he explained, those words being true. if only he knew she was speaking of annie this whole time. “i mean you defintely don’t have to, but i fig-”
before he could continue with words that would most likely make him appear rather dumb, his little girl flew up from her position on the floor, darting over to be next to annie and take her hand into her smaller ones. jae watched her as pleading words - that he was almost able to make out completely - left her small body as she stared up at annie, begging for her to tag long with them. jae chuckled, head falling before he lifted it up, waving his hand lightly to grab bambi’s attention. “manners, please.” he chuckle out to her, looking up to annie before quickly shuffling his sight away - ears still perked to hear the small girl give a soft please to the older woman. looking back to her, jae gave a soft shrug of his shoulders, smile still trying to push it’s way to the front as he did his best to fight it. “you’re more than welcome to tag along if you’d like to.”
