Original Word Count: 4900 words
Edited Word Count: 4967 words

Seven years

It started seven years ago and yet, it still felt like only yesterday when I first saw him. Funny how time flew by so fast when you were with the person you loved the most.

The ring on my finger was a reminder of that day, when our eyes first met. I still remembered the way his cologne smelled: fresh mint and citrus. He smelled so sweet yet fresh that my heart couldn't stop beating, like I was running a marathon.

I still remembered the day he walked into our class; his steps as graceful as a ballerina and his eyes as clear as fresh water. His eyes bore into my soul and that day, I knew that he was the one.

I saw the person next to me stir in his sleep, his hair perfectly framing his beautiful countenance. He huffed in his sleep and mumbled the cutest sounds in the world.

This man was my life saver.

January 5, 2008

The first day I saw him walk in to my class, into my life, I never knew perfection could have a name but he had and, surprisingly, a beautiful one, if I may add.

I was in my junior year when I first saw him. When he walked into our class of Advanced Applied Calculus. He was a senior, but his looks would say otherwise. He had a baby face with a cute smile plastered on his lips, hiseyes shone brighter than the stars, and he had a cute button nose highlighting his features.

He was my version of perfection.

"May I sit here?"  were the first few words spoken by him to me and I still remembered how I foolishly stuttered to answer him. I still chuckled at myself for acting so lovesick infront of him.

He was best known for his kindness all around the school. Every girl wanted his attention and every guy wanted to be his friend. Who could say no to someone with a kind heart and a sweet smile? He was even cherished by his teachers for being humble and down to earth.

Even though people around him were dying to be his friend, he always had this special place where he would be left alone to himself with nature. He would pop his earphones in, drowned himself in music and no one would dare disturb him. Even if you did, he would give you a smile and ask you to join him. He was that kind of a person.

Perfect.

He was my seatmate in Applied Calculus and I was honored to be next to him. The way he spoke my name was like a sweet melody to my ears. To say that his voice was melodious and as sweet as honey would be an understatement; sweet honey would definitely be jealous of his voice.

He was charming and witty; he was down to earth. He was none other than my Zhang Yixing.

My sweet perfection.

It was not long until we became friends. We used to share only a few words in class and stole glances near our lockers, where his was diagonally opposite to mine. I came to know about his likes and dislikes, and his family. His father was a businessman whereas his mom was a social worker. He had a younger sibling, Zhang Meiyi, whom he loved unconditionally and spoiled her to the core.

"Here, you go," he handed me chocolate milk then sat next to me.

"Thank you, sunbae, but why all of a sudden?" I asked, looking curious as to why he gave it to me.

"I dunno. I just felt like giving you something today," his reply made my heart swoon. It was a simple drink but still, it meant a lot to me. He never left a single chance which made my heart flutter.

As time rolled by, we became good friends. He was very smart in math and kept at the top of our class. I was always the second best compared to him.

Our conversation would sometimes be the most random topics to discuss, or about our studies. We did do a little bonding in class but it was only on a friendzone base.

Every day, he used to surprise me with his beautiful thoughts and natural smiles, that I fell deeply and unconditionally in love with him. Was it even possible to love someone so much that all his wishes were your commands? That all his endeavours became your goals? Well, I had my answers now.

He was sitting in his usual place where he would connect his soul with nature through music. Whenever he was quiet, he had this mysterious aura around him which drew people toward him. He would strike the curiosity in you, and smiled like nothing ever happened.

I slowly tiptoed near him, not wanting to disturb his escapade from reality. He looked like an angel with his eyes closed. He didn't belong in such a world as this.

He was like a unicorn which could heal a person. Likewise, his smile could change a gloomy day into a beautiful one. He had that much power onto my heart.

I was dazed by his presence that I didn't notice his look on me. He had noticed my presence and smiled at me. When I realized, it felt like I got caught in the midst of stealing candy from a jar. I gave him a shy smile then sat next to him.

He smiled at me and took one of his earphones out then plugged it into my ears. A beautiful song was playing. It was slow and soothing, like the songs that could change a person's mood; like the songs which doctors used for therapy. I was drowning myself in the music and I didn't know when it stopped. I opened my eyes and saw him watching me. His eyes bore into mine and my heart started beating at the speed of a hummingbird's wings.

"Do you like it?" he questioned, eyes scanning my face for a reply.

"The best song I have ever heard," I replied with a smile, replying with an honest answer. It was true. The song was beyond human composition.

He smiled at my reply, dimples carving his cheeks.

"I composed it," was his reply. It got me mesmerized. I knew he had a liking towards music but I was unaware of his godly talent for it.

"Truly, the song is one of a kind. You are one of a kind," I couldn't stop myself from saying that. I panicked a little, thinking about my bluntness but I was relieved when he smiled like a sweetheart.

"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. You can take it, if you want," he handed me his iPod and smiled. I accepted it with trembling hands. The want to touch his hands, the desire to hold them forever, burned in me.

"Would like to join me this evening? I can show you some of my songs, if you would like?" I was more than relieved to hear those words from him.        

Soon after, we left the campus and made our way to his house. He lived in a posh society but he was never a snob. I was happy with the way he was brought up by his parents.

He lived in a mansion and had 3 sports cars of the latest launch but I have never seen him arrive to school in his car, nor have I seen him boast about them.

"Good evening, young master Zhang."

"Good evening, ma'am Park," he bowed respectfully to his maids. I have seen many of my friends ill-treat their servants but Zhang Yixing was surely one-of-a-kind.

We reached his living room and saw a lady sitting on the couch with her husband, reading a book. She was beautiful and looked younger than her age. She had the same eyes as Yixing.

"Mom? Dad?"

"Hello, my handsome son," she greeted with a kind smile.

"You are home so soon?"

"Yes. Your father and I wanted to take a break from work. Ah, who do we have here? You brought a guest, and a beautiful one, that is," she said and smiled at me. A small blush painted my cheeks and I bowed to them respectfully.

"She is my friend from school, mom," he replied in a sweet voice.

"Hello there, beautiful," it was his father this time and I immediately knew where all the charisma came from. His eyes were sharp but he had the most precious smile, just like Yixing's.

If anyone saw Yixing's parents, they would never have thought that they had two kids. They looked like they just got married. I bowed slightly and they all chuckled at my blushing face.

"It's the first time our son has brought a guest home, even more a girl. You must be special," his mother's remark sent sparks down my skin. Really? Was I the first one he brought home as a friend?

"She wanted to hear my compositions, so I brought her here," he gave a genuine smile to them. His mom reflected it back.

"Sure. Do feel comfortable, dear, and Xing, bring her something to eat," and I knew where the care came from.

"Sure, mom," he smiled and lead me to his studio.

"Oh, and do show her your paintings, I think she might like them, too," he heard her tell him and he chuckled, shaking his head at his mom's childish behavior to boast about her son's talents. Truly, he was worth the boasting. Anyone would be proud to call him as their friend.

"So, this is it," we arrived into studio: a wide and spacious room with lots of instruments, like a keyboard and a guitar, to name a few.

"Youcan play all of them?" curiosity got the best of me. He smiled at me and shook his head.

"No, I only play a few. My sister plays the rest."

Wow, she was also a perfectionist, I guess, quite like him. A small smile grazed my lips and we smiled at each other.

Next, he took me to his gallery and showed me his latest painting of a small girl he drew on the street. In his free time, he would venture out and draw life portraits of people. This was a new piece of information for me about him.

In the painting, the little girl was holding a rose in one hand and her mother's hand in the other. She was smiling while looking at her mother. The smile was so pure that I was shocked that he could actually catch all of that in a painting. It was one of the best paintings in his collection.

"This is the latest one I'm working on," he showed me a picture of a girl whose face was not finished. The girl had a bow on her hair with her hair kissing her shoulders. The golden color of her hair made me envious. I chuckled at myself that I was feeling jealous of a painting. His paintings could even make a human jealous.

"Why haven't you finished her face?"                                 

"Well, every time I wanted to finish it, something doesn't seem right. My heart doesn't accept the features I draw, like something is missing... It's like my heart tells me to draw something but I don't know how to," he sighed, expressing his confusion. I could feel his restlessness to complete his painting and I patted his shoulder to encourage him, to wait until he felt he got the features correctly. He smiled at me and I swear my heart stopped for a second.

He toured me around the house. I got tired just by seeing half of it. Soon, we arrived to his special room, the room that made him Zhang Yixing, the angel: his piano roo