"Swing it! Please, Seung Ho! I wanna feel the wind. This spring is really pretty,"she laughed as I pushed the swing.
"Mi Rae, you might fall if..."
But I didn't even get to finish my sentence 'coz I saw her skinny body flying through the air and landing with a bang! on the ground.
"MI RAE! MI RAE, DO YOU HEAR ME?"I shook her body.
She let me see her icy-blue eyes. They were swimming in a pool of tears.
"S-Seung Ho..."
I couldn't help myself. I wrapped my arms around her and I held her tight in my arms. "Silly, silly girl...don't cry. I'm here. Let me see, where are you hurt?"
She showed me her scrached hand. "Seung Ho, I think I shou-"
But I stopped her. I gently caressed her hand, taking the dust off with my handkerchief. Then I kissed the wound.
"Y-yah...that's not right, Seung Ho. It's dirty and-"
"Mi Rae, I wasn't able to protect you in time. Please trust me! You'll feel better after this,"I said, still holding her hand in mine. "I'll make the wound hurt less,"I continued, gently pressing her hand against my cheek.
And we stood like that. Maybe time stopped there. Maybe I got tied to her even more. Maybe that was when it became changing...
~*~
That night I slept over at her place. Like always, we would listen to music and read the books we picked one for another.
"Seung Ho, will you promise me?"she whispered from behind her book.
I listen to her soft voice. Maybe she fell asleep...
"Will you?"
"What do you want me to promise you, Mi Rae?"
"That you'll never leave me."
I chuckled. "Isn't that obvious? We promise, didn't we? I prefer staying by your side than eating bananas."
She sighed. "I'm serious here, Seung Ho. I mean, promise that you'lll never ever leave my side. Not even when we're older."
"What's gotten into you, Mi Rae? Are you sick? Did someone upset you today at the dancing classes?"I asked, worried over her strange request.
"Nothing happened. I'm just...Seung Ho, I'm afraid I'll end up all alone. I hate being alone. I like being with you. So please, promise me."
I smiled. Soft as always, I gave up in front of her blue eyes.
"Alright! I promise you. I will NEVER EVER leave your side. Not even when we're old and smelly,"I giggled while placing a kiss on her white forehead. "But Mi Rae, you have to do the same. And don't ever cast me aside. Always remember that my shoulder is for your tears and this muscles are here to protect you."
"I promise,"she smiled. "I'll never forget about you, Seung Ho."
She promised. And she meant it. I know she did. But then again, why did we change so much?
~*~
"I love the spring,"she sang while making a pirouette in front of me.
I looked up to her.
"Stop moving around! I can't draw you if you move like that. Stay still, please,"I asked while drawing the lines of her face. "And why do you like the spring so much? I thought that your season was the autumn."
"That too. But spring is...love, Seung Ho!"
My pen fell on the grass as I lifted my eyes to look at her. She...was she in love? What was she talking about there? Was it me...the lucky guy?
"Mi Rae."
"Do you know that guy, Seung Ho?"she cut me off while pointing at a guy that was surrounded by many girls.
"Yeah. He's Dongwoon. And he's a bad person, Mi Rae,"I added, watching her reaction.
"Oh...a bad person you say? He didn't seem so yesterday..."
I frowned. "Yesterday? What happened yesterday, Mi Rae?"
"Nothing!"
But she was blushing. And then he passed by us and winked at her. Player!
I was patient. I knew something was going on with her. Just by looking at her I could tell that something was definitely going on.
"Tell me Mi Rae, do you like Dongwoon?"I finally asked on our way back home.
"W-what makes yu think that?"she mumbled, tucking behind her ear a black lock.
I chuckled. "C'mon, Mi Rae! I know you very well! I'm your best friend after all!"
She nodded and kept silent.
I respect her. But I was dying of curiosity!
"Seung Ho, what does it mean when my heart beats faster everytime I see somebody?"
"It means you feel something special towards that person. It's like your aware of his presence without even looking at him. I believe it's like a code."
"A code?"she whispered softly.
"Yeah. The rhythm of your heart changes whenever there's another heart around that knows the same code. Their beatings are alike and they understand each other. They don't need words to syncronize their moves. They don't need anythink. Just locking looks would be enough,"I explained while looking at the blue sky above us. "That's what I think at least."
"Then,"she began with a trembling voice,"it means that I...I like Dongwoon? 'Coz my heart beats faster everytime he's around. Seung Ho?"
"Hmmm?"
"He told me that I'm pretty,"she confessed.
That was it. The first fissure. The one that brought the doom.
~*~
I remember that tree. It grew right in front of her window. I often used it as a way to get inside her room after midnight. And that time was not a first.
"Yah...Mi Rae, wanna go stargazing tonight?"I whispered, leaning over the window's frame.
"Seung Ho! can't you knock at the door like normal people?"she snapped frowning.
I smiled, hiding my hurt expression. "It wouldn't be fun anymore. So? Are we going or not?"
"You can go by yoursefl. I'm busy tonight,"she answered and put the phone next to her year again.
I watched the smile that bloomed on her lips. She was...happy.
"I thought you always wanted to go stargazing,"I mumbled, playing with a feather that landed on the window's sill.
"Yang Seung Ho, can't you leave me alone? I told you already that I'm busy tonight! Why can't you get that? Go stargazing by yourself! I wouldn't care less. Just leave me alone,"she hissed before closing the window.
And I listened to her. I left her alone. I gave her space.
But she needed more and more space. More and more time for herself.
Neh Mi Rae, what happened to us? Where did I do wrong? Where did 'we' dissapeared?
Why can't I turn back time?
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