synopsis: you’ve been constantly professing your love to your childhood friend ever since you were 12. you weren’t expecting anything but the usual rejection, but maybe some things don’t always stay the same…
You and Shinyu have been inseparable since you were kids.
Well, in your mind, anyway.
You’ve been adamantly professing your undying love for him since you were at the ripe age of 12.
You know, adult activities and all.
At first, he rejected you every time.
A little awkward, a little inexperienced but unmistakably firm.
But as time went on, rejection grew harder to administer, and Shinyu couldn’t tell if it was because you grew more annoyingly persistent as you aged, or if he was simply too used to you.
One thing he did know is that he loved to see you smile, even if it was when you were deliberately riling him up or when you deemed yourself more capable than you actually were.
That bright innocent smile that made his breath hitch each time.
He convinced himself it was due to allergies, but his heart argued otherwise. Not that you needed to know that.
Today, you were seated on the grassy plane of the community park. You found a perfect spot. Top of the small slope, in the way of the wind’s trajectory, overlooking the smaller section made for children half your age.
Your fingers plucked a petal.
You continued the process until a small girl on her way to the children’s park, no older than 8 years of age, ran past you whilst yelling you were doing it wrong.
You ignored her and plucked another petal from the daisy.
You stared at the bald flower, registering the result.
Gasping quietly, you sprang up on your feet, flower still in hand. A victorious grin stretched on your face as you lifted the stalk of the daisy like it a was trophy.
“Ah!” You startled, falling to the ground like a withered plant. Shinyu’s kind eyes peered down at you in mild curiosity, a calm expression on his face.
“You—you scared me!” You placed a hand on your chest, puffing a load of air out of your cheeks.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you.” He said lowly, beginning to approach your sprawled form on the grass.
He crouched close to you, revealing the white shopping bag he was clutching.
“I got us some juice and jellies. You said you were craving some earlier.”
He pulled the items out of the bag with ease and you just continued to monitor him from your spot.
Gosh, he had this weird ability of making the simplest things look attractive.
And as if the Earth heard your lament, the wind blew past the both of you, gently shifting Shinyu’s light bangs and exposing just a touch of his forehead.
Then it hit you too, throwing your hair completely out of place and making you look like you were just finished fighting an unknown entity.
The favouritism was beyond ridiculous.
The bright sound of Shinyu’s laughter carried past your eardrums. His hands covering half his face as he attempted to appear unaffected, but your glaring face was making it hard not to react.
You huffed in frustration, diligently accepting the juice carton he gave you.
“So,” he started, voice at the usual calm decibel he always used when speaking to you. “what is it that you knew?”
He poked a hole in the juice box with his straw, softly bringing his lips to it. His eyes slid to capture yours, a sign to show he was listening attentively. As always.
You sucked on your own straw intensely, purposefully avoiding his eye contact.
This time, you chose to act oblivious.
It’s always been the same anyway.
You confess, he outright rejects you. Sometimes you can’t help but wonder how this one sided chase had gone on for so long.
The spark in your eyes dimmed by a fraction.
Maybe it was time to move on. After all, one day he was going to end up finding the person that made his heart flutter. The person that lit up his winter nights with warm smiles and his scalding summers with refreshing laughter.
One day… Shinyu would no longer be there anymore. With you. Casually conversing at the park.
Taking a dramatic and dragged out sigh, you slowly shook your head, the wind rustling through your strands.
Shinyu’s eyes remained on you. An uneasy feeling churned in his stomach.
You’ve never answered like that before. You’ve never kept to yourself when it came to him. You’d always speak your mind no matter how controversial your thoughts were. It was practically his first time hearing you say the word “nothing” as a response.
His lips tugged to the side.
The smoothness of his voice stirred your heartstrings and you nearly gave in in less than a second.
Gosh darn it, he’s good! A master of persuasion!
(No, you’re just really whipped.)
You bit your lip, then dug your hand into the bag of jellies, purposefully filling your mouth with the sweets.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s totally nothing.” You manage to mumble out, mouth still full.
You could feel yourself growing warm, and it wasn’t the change in the weather.
Waving your arms in front of you to hide yourself, you gently took a hold of his face, manually turning it away from you.
A teasing smile threatened to find his lips. One corner had already began lifting upwards.
A breathy chuckle escaped him.
“If you don’t want me to stare at you all day, tell me what it was you were thinking.”
You relented, shoving another handful of sweets in your cheeks.
He sighed, continuing his stare.
“I feel like there’s been this awkward boundary recently… with us, I mean.”
You continued chewing, eyes focused on the kids playing on the swings far ahead.
“Don’t you feel it too?” He questioned you lightly, bringing his face right next to yours.
You choked on the sweets.
What’s worse was that you couldn’t even die in peace. Shinyu laughed at you quite loudly, but he still had to the decency to pat your back.
The same traits you had fallen for when you were 12.
“Dang it…” you coughed out to yourself.
You nodded, shooing his hand away.
To help you recover, you went for a sip of your juice box.
“Speaking of, it’s been a while since you’ve confessed to me.”
Nearly spitting your juice out, you glared at him, swallowing harshly.
He shrugged, looking at you with those big, shiny eyes, like he didn’t just purposefully try to end you twice.
Wiping the corner of your lips with your sleeve, you exhaled softly through your nose. Your eyes once again trained on the playground below.
“I think I’m done playing around.”
The wind gently picked up, it’s breeze caressing your skin.
Then, almost hesitantly, he asked.
You stayed silent for a long time. Pondering over your shared memories.
Were you just being delusional?
Were you just purposefully sticking by his side to delay the inevitable?
The sound of shuffling at your side.
You lazily veered your attention to find he had moved a tad bit closer.
“Well, if you’re not going to do it,” he nervously looked to the side before finding you eyes again. An unfamiliar sense of determination. “I will.”
The wind picked up again, like it was trying to carry the confession away from you before you could grasp it and never let go.
Your stare lingered. Shocked orbs completely absorbed in his dark ones. Lips gaping like a fish out of water.
“I like you.” He repeated firmly. That familiar resolve that you were so used to hearing with the opposite kind of words.
A disbelieved sound left your throat.
At your response, Shinyu hesitated.
He wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction.
Had you already moved on?
He bit his lips. Slowly playing with his slender fingers. His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed down his nerves.
“I’m sorry that I made it hard for you.” He whispered.
“At 16 I pretty much knew.”
“You had me confessing to you for this long?!”
You ran your hands down your face.
“Oh my gosh, my poor young heart.”
He bowed his head in shame.
His gaze rose to meet yours in a rush.
And with that, you launched yourself at him.
Throwing your hands around his large build with a bit too much force, the both tumbled off the edge rolling down the small hill, unintentionally.
Instinctively, his hand went to shield your head.
By the end of it, you were on top of him, releasing a painful groan. Your two squished bodies now at the foot of the hill.
“And you called me the idiot.”
Your eyes narrowed at him.
His arms remained wrapped firmly around you. A comforting shield.
“Don’t you usually say I need to talk more—”
You were so close that when you tried to get off of him, your lips gently brushed against his own.
A short breath escaped him, eyes slowly trickling down to your lips.
Your own breath hitched, watching him revel in the brief feeling of your lips on his.
Leaning forward, Shinyu went for the close—
“Mommy! Why are there two people kissing?!”
You separated with urgency.
Immediately creating a 50 metre gap between you.
You dusted off the small traces of grass on your clothes. Shinyu awkwardly coughed into his hands, then stretched his back like he was actually just exercising all along.
The little boy that witnessed the whole ordeal quickly fled the scene, you mentally cursed, watching his little body scurry off to his mom.
Shinyu spoke from afar, his voice raised so you could hear him.
He pointed to a random direction.
You both ran up the hill to collect your snacks.
“Let’s pretend no one saw that.” You whispered as you grabbed your empty juice box.
“Agreed.” He held the rest of the stuff.
You started to walk up ahead before a gentle hand gripped yours.
Shinyu looked at you for a split second, his eyes averting to the trees up ahead.
“Um, you don’t have to answer now but—”
You slapped a hand across your mouth.
“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I completely forgot to say it!” You squeezed his hand in yours.
“My answer never changed,” you fully turned to him, briefly letting go of his hand.
“I like you, Shinyu! Please go out with me!”
To the exact same target.
Some things never changed.
Shinyu found your outstretched arm, watching how you presented your empty juice box instead of the usual daisies you would offer him during each confession.
He snorted, releasing a small chuckle.
Taking your hand back in his, he held it up to his cheek, his eyes melting into yours.
“It’s the first time someone’s confessed to me with an empty juice box. I think my heart just fluttered.”
“I’d be honoured to be yours.”
12 year old you would probably be foaming at the mouth if she saw this.
He took a step forward. “Does that mean I get to properly kiss you now?”
You couldn’t even reply if you wanted to. Soft and fluffy, the taste of sugared candy and fruity drinks. His lips met yours with a long awaited harmony of unspoken feelings.
You could feel his warmth when you pulled away. His forehead against yours.
“Mommy! Look! Look! They’re doing the smoochies!”
You turned to each other, both already planning an escape route.
And with that, the two of you ran away, hand in hand, giggling like little children. Your radiant smile brightening up his spring skies.
TWS taglist: @jellyluvsjihoon @haru-reto
