The Moment: Top and Mina

Minette was in the studio listening to the final version of one of her brother’s new songs. She wanted to make sure it was perfect before it was sent on to him. Thankfully, it was. “Jess, this is amazing. He’s going to love it. Do you mind if I send it to him right away?” She had been going to give it to him in person but her day was just not going the way she had planned. Not even a little bit.

Jess gave the affirmative and she went ahead and sent it to Glitch. She had no idea if he was even going to listen to it right away or not. He was getting ready to go stay with Bae for a couple of days for his party, after all. But that was okay. At least he had it. That was one thing crossed off her list. She stood up and smoothed out her navy blue dress.

Her phone beeped. Email alert. Excited, she opened it to see what Glitch had to say. It was a little too fast for him to have even listened to the whole song but maybe he didn’t need to? It turned out not to be from him but from the woman working on her dress. She was running behind and the fitting had to be pushed back a little. Lovely. This was supposed to be her final fitting too.

Minette sighed internally. Outwardly she wore a smile as she took Jess’ hand. “Thank you so much for this. I look forward to working with you again.” She gathered her things and headed for the door.

Top had been in the studio working. He'd deliberately booked the time, knowing that Mina was here today. He'd finished up a while ago.

Now he was just waiting. Someone text him to say that Glitch's song was done, so she was leaving soon. So he slowly ambled down the hallway that she'd be popping out of.

He didn't want it to seem planned, more like a happy accident. So as Mina came out of the door, he bumped into her physically. "Ah, I'm sorry." He said, as he'd knocked her bags from her hand.

He immediately swooped down to get it.

"Oh I'm so sorry," Mina said af the same time he did even though he'd been the one to bump into her. It was a little hard to recognize him when he was bent down. But wouldn't it be just her luck if she'd detained one of the studio's stars? Goodness.

I took only a moment for her to realize she recognized the voice even if she couldn't see the face. "Han?"

"Oh, hello Mina." Top said as she said his name and straightened up a little. "I didn't realise you were working with this studio now...its so lovely to see you."

"Well Glitch and Bae switched..." Minette felt a little silly. She should have realized she could have run into him now that they were working for the same studio and company. "It's lovely to see you too. It's been a long time." She couldn't help but smile at him.

"It has, I heard you're getting married." top said, he didn't say congratulations or that he was happy for her because that was a lie. "So I uh..." He struggled for a minute. He wasn't really shy, but he was when it came to her. "Don't want you to be mad about what I say next, with that in mind."

It wasn't surprising that Han knew that she was getting married. He could have easily heard it from Glitch or Bae. But his words were confusing. He had once, a long time ago, spoken of marrying her. But many years had passed since then. He had moved. And she had not seen him since there. Just as he knew she was getting married, she knew he had been with other women. She thought he had moved on, left those dreams together in their childhood, and forgotten her. So what could he possibly say now? "Okay..." she said uncertainly, clearly confused.

"I hadn't wished to seek you out until I could fulfil a promise I once made to you." Top said as he slipped his hand inside his pocket and then held out a small velvet box in his hand to her. "Of course, they stopped selling that exact ring long ago. I had thought of chasing someone down, but they're personal things, rings, aren't they? I had to make someone do it as a commission. I hope it doesn't displease you." He said.

Minette looked at the little ring box. She had a feeling she knew what was inside. But that couldn't be...Had he really remembered and tried all this time? She took the box from him and opened it up. There it was. If he hadn't had told her it wasn't the original, she might not have realized. It looked just like the one they had looked at in the window all that time ago. The one he'd promised to get her when he could. When he'd ask for her hand in marriage too. "Han?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of it.

"If you don't love me any more, I understand. It has been... Too long. If that's the case, please accept this as a wedding gift." Top said, he was trying to make it less awkward for them if that was the case. "We can go about our lives and be friendly. But if you do, if any part of you still loves me, as I love you, then you know what it means. You know." He said, her tears making him want to crush her into a hug, but the situation didn't allow him that yet.

Minette's free hand covered her mouth as her lips parted in shock. She had not expected this. This, what was happening right now, was something that only happened in romance novels and dreams. But this wasn't a dream. It wasn't a book. Her childhood sweetheart was really there in front of her professing his love just weeks before she was due to marry another.

"All this time I thought you'd forgotten me..." She choked out the words as she struggled with her emotions. Of course she still loved him. How could she not?

"What? No..." Top said, his eyebrows going up in shock. "No, I just didn't... No one wants a man who can't keep their promises, I felt I wasn't worthy of you until I had kept it. But then you were in a serious relationship and I'd only just got the money together from the band starting out. I still had it made, but by the time it was done, you were already engaged."

"Did you really think that mattered to me so much?" Minette asked, tears spilling over onto her cheeks. "That I wouldn't want to talk to you or spend time with you? Just see you again?" From her point of view it had looked like he was moving on without her. And so she'd tried to do the same. And now this.

"It mattered to me, my pride." top said he knew that was maybe not the right thing. But it did. "I'm sorry. Don't.. I mean. I don't know. What am I supposed to say? I love you, Mina. I've always loved you. There's never been anyone else for me."

Minette's hand closed over the little box with the ring in it. Her free hand went to her face to hide her tears. She felt so weak all the sudden. "I've never stopped loving you," she admitted quietly.

That was all Top needed to hear. Now he pulled her close and wiped away her tears. No one here would pass the information on outside. They weren't allowed as part of their contracts, to stop the flow of gossip and rumour weaving.

"Then the ring is a promise ring. I'll ask you to marry me when the time is right. Which isn't right now." top promised.

"It's really not," Minette said, laughing while crying at the same time. She could not promise herself to him while she was still engaged to another. But that was over now. She'd finally been truthful with her heart in response to his own heart being presented to her. She couldn't pretend and she couldn't lie. She knew it. The wedding was off. And her engagement with Teddy was over. It would not be to her dress fitting she went after all but to her fiance to break up with him.

"I am sorry that it took so long." He said truthfully. He hadn't meant for her to move on. "It was more than just the ring, you know that don't you? I needed to know I could support you as my wife. That's very important to me. You're very important to me."

"I know," Minette said. "I understand. I just wish that you had told me to wait for you. I would have..." If she'd just known that he hadn't just forgotten their childhood promises to each other, that he was working so hard for her and not just for himself. For their future together.

"I didn't think that was fair, what if the band tanked?" Top said, then he'd be without money. A struggling artist. He didn't want that life for her. "I wanted better for you."

"I would rather be poor and with someone I love than rich and with someone I do not," Minette said stubbornly. "I know how that has turned out for the people around me. I know what I want for myself. I wish you had given me the choice. I could have supported us both and I wouldn't have been upset for it."

"So what of my feelings on that? How would I have felt being supported by the woman I want to care for." top said, they were both being selfish over it. He knew that. "I wish we could have had that time together. But it is gone and being angry about it won't change anything. We have our future to plan now..."

Minette sighed and stepped out of his arms. "But I have a future to end first," she said. "I cannot step forward with you until I have handled that." But she knew he would understand. She would not be that girl. She would do what she could for Teddy. And she would wait the proper period before moving on. She wouldn't marry Han the day after breaking up with Teddy or anything of the like.

"Of course. That's why this is a promise ring and not an engagement ring." Top said, but he didn't want that to mean he had to wait for her some more. "Are you going to shun me entirely until a proper time period has past? We do not have to go public until you're ready, but I would hate to think that I have you, but I cannot have you." He didn't just mean sex, before you go there.

"No," Minette said and shook her head. "I will not shun you. But I should like it to keep it quiet for a little while. Not very long," she assured him. "But long enough to be polite to Teddy." She wasn't going to make Han wait for months to be able to be with her properly.