Whenever Sehun closed his eyes, he thought of the sun and the stars, of sunsets and of starry skies, but above all, he thought of Luhan. It was Luhan who had watched the sun rise in the morning and it was Sehun who now watched the sun set in the evening.

Sehun admired sunsets and the darkness that it brought along with it because when the world around Sehun was deplete of light, there would be almost no difference between whether his eyes were open or closed. More often than not, Sehun would be found standing alone on a bridge with his eyes shut, dreaming his surroundings into a dark and vast universe and himself into a small speck of starlight amidst it.

Being one with the universe was the only way Sehun could be reunited with Luhan.

Did you have any idea at all? Would you have ever known? It was always only you I ever wanted to see. The stars and the skies and everything was all you. My entire universe is you.

And when Sehun tucked himself under his bed covers that night, he expected darkness. He expected his universe. He even expected oblivion. The one thing he certainly did not expect was to be back in his school uniform on his sixteenth birthday.

“Don’t look until I tell you, okay?”

That voice… It was a memory. All of this was nothing more than a memory yet Sehun remembered that day as clear as he did yesterday. He remembered sitting on the edge of Mystic Bridge, waiting with his palms over his eyes and curiously trying to peek between his fingers.

“Happy birthday, Sehunnie!”

The named boy took his hands off his face and the first thing that met his vision was the most beautiful smile in the universe. There, right before Sehun, grinning from ear to ear, was Luhan.

Memories couldn’t be altered, though. All Sehun could do was relive the memory – relive it and cherish it for all of eternity.

He remained silent and unmoving in his place as Luhan took hold of his hand and gently slid a silver diamond-encrusted bracelet around his wrist.

“Take good care of it,” the older boy told him in a bright voice. “Not every Cartier bracelet has diamonds in the shapes of stars; I had it custom made for you.”

Sehun was absolutely certain that his face was currently the same shade as a tomato but there was no point trying to hide it. Beaming with delight, he didn’t hesitate to fling his arms around Luhan. “Thank you so much. You’re the best, Luhan! You really are.”

Luhan was taken aback by Sehun’s gratitude and simply chuckled as he hugged him back. “You’re welcome, you’re welcome. You didn’t even let me finish what I was saying, Sehunnie!”

The birthday boy reluctantly sat down again, not hiding his disappointment that the intimacy with Luhan had been cut short.

Planting himself down beside Sehun on Mystic Bridge’s edge, Luhan ran his fingers over the sparkling star-shaped gems of Sehun’s bracelet and unless Sehun was mistaken, he was sure he saw Luhan’s eyes sparkle, too. He was also pretty sure that Luhan had discovered that Sehun had been blatantly staring at him because a few seconds later, Luhan looked directly at him and the eye-contact alone was enough to make Sehun’s face heat up again.

“The bracelet is the universe,” Luhan said with a shy smile, “and the stars are people like you and me.”

Sehun could feel tears stinging his eyes – Luhan had put so much thought into giving him a meaningful present – but sixteen-year-old boys weren’t meant to cry so Sehun blinked the tears away and gave Luhan a playful nudge instead. “It’s perfect.” And it was beyond his control when he added, “Perfect like you,” in the most discreet and inaudible of tones.

Before Luhan had time to ask Sehun what he had said, the latter quickly spoke up first. “It’s brilliant that our birthdays fall so close to each other, isn’t it? I’ll be excited all week for Luhan’s birthday~”

“Excited for my birthday?” Luhan repeated as a mischievous grin formed on his face. “What for? Got a marriage proposal prepared or something?”

Sehun’s eyes widened at that. “N-no… I’m-I’m just happy for you because, uh, you’ll be a legal adult! Turning 18 is way cooler than turning 16, obviously. Aren’t you excited, Luhan?”

The older boy wasn’t totally convinced by the stutters and the awkward laughs from the younger but he let it slide and, eyes still sparkling, gave the other a small nod. Turning to watch the sun slowly setting over the glimmering waters of the River Lei, Luhan rested his palms behind him and in a supposedly casual tone, he asked, “So have you read the message engraved on the bracelet?”

Sehun glanced down at his wrist in curiosity and realised that there were indeed words extending all around the inner surface of the metal. His heart was hammering in his chest as he read the message aloud, “We are all small specks of starlight in this dark and vast universe.”

He looked at Luhan who was already watching him and in that moment, for the first time, Sehun longed to know the feeling of Luhan’s lips against his own. And when Luhan broke into a little smile that Sehun instantly returned, Sehun vowed that he would one day be brave enough to give his first kiss to Luhan.

There was no telling the time except ‘somewhere between sunset and sunrise’ when Sehun awoke with a start. He scanned the dark surroundings of his bedroom, took a few deep breaths, rolled over onto his side and then all of a sudden, Sehun froze.

“Is this a dream?” he asked in a barely audible whisper.

“A dream is worth every little sacrifice.”

And that was when Sehun was no longer able t