A year past by.

It was fascinating to me that Hawaii had almost constant weather. It became slightly cooler during the usual Fall and Winter half of the year, and warmer during the Spring and Summer half.

During the cooler months it rained quite a bit. I learned that during those times when it poured for days on end, I was not supposed to go near the river edge.

Adapting to the harvest and producing cycle wasn't hard, and I finally found I could be of some help. Wu Fan couldn't deny that it would help if there was an extra person to help plant the rice and sugarcane. I learned side by side with them, my back ached after the long and tedious work, but I was happy to help.

He ended up giving in and letting me not only help plant but also help harvest. As it had been Yixing's original idea, I became their 'basket-picker-upper boy'. For the rice I would wait until after they drained the fields, and then I would hall a large wheelbarrow around and collect their cut bundles and take them to the hut that the trio lived in. My first time doing it was when I finally go to see what the inside looked like.

Inside the hut there was three hammocks hanging side by side, a small sink and a cut off room that was the bathroom. Right outside of the hut was a long and low wooden table where they threshed the rice plant, and I would dump the plants on to this table and then make my way around again. That was the part I was not allowed to do, Wu Fan told me, it was too much work and he would not allow it.

As I worked alongside them, I began to look like them. A noticed one day as I was showering that my tan line had gotten darker. My hair grew out like theirs, I began to wear my clothes in the same fashion as they did. Wu Fan regrettably bought me a pair of working gloves and a hat to wear out in the sun.

My stamina increased as I hauled the wheelbarrow back and worth; I could feel the power in my arms, back, and legs increase with everyday that passed.

A year passed and I barely noticed, I was too happy and at peace to care.

~ ~ ~

“Come on! Hurry!” Luhan screamed at me. He was far ahead of me, so far I could barely see him.

“Minseok! You're slow!” Jongdae yelled back. He was probably right next to Luhan, but I couldn't see him for the life of me. It was Sunday sometime in the summer. That morning I had woken up and found Wu Fan's arm once again around me, his face in between my shoulder blades. I hadn't complained of course, only snuggle in to him.

After breakfast the trio wanted me to play with them. Yixing wanted so bad to play in the river and I couldn't deny his begging face. Wu Fan agreed, but mentioned the waterfall instead. Jongdae almost flew away in excitement at the idea, so it was settled. I had never been to a waterfall, but they all assured they had been there a dozen times and it would be so much fun, so I happily got ready to go. We packed up some snacks for later and brought towels as well. I wore the new pants Wu Fan had bought me; a pair of dark khaki shorts I found too comfortable and perfect for hiking up to the fall.

It was late morning and we were hiking up a small slope that would lead us to the waterfall.

“You guys are going too fast!” Yixing yelled up to the two hooligans. Wu Fan, Yixing, and I had apparently fallen behind. That was according to the two men that had sprinted up and away from us. I could barely make out their hyena laughs from up above us.

“Why is it taking so long?” I groaned and adjusted the pack of fruit on my back. Wu Fan only chuckled lightly under his breath from behind me. He claimed he was only a slow-paced hiker. But I already knew he was going to stay behind me just in case I fell. Which I actually had already slipped once or twice on loose soil, and Wu Fan's hands had shot up so fast and had held me so securely. Of course I told him to stop doing that, I could take care of myself.

“And let my husband roll down the hill to his death? You're so cute Minseok.” he scoffed. I rolled my eyes but let him stick behind me for the rest of the trip. The land began to flatten out and it became easier to navigate my body through the thick jungle we were in. I could hear the two hyenas at the front talking animatedly and laughing out loud. Yixing was traveling beside Wu Fan, humming a gently tune as he walked. I kept pointing out flowers and little birds and pretty insects I saw, asking Wu Fan what that was, wasn't that pretty, can I touch it? He was patient with my hyper-active curiosity and answered my questions one by one with a small smile of affection on his lips.

“Minseok! Come up here and look at this!” Jongdae screamed down. I didn't have a chance to answer when Luhan's voice followed.

“Come look at what we've found!” his voice boomed. I didn't hesitate and began sprinting ahead to see what it was, hearing Wu Fan's voice telling me to be careful fading in to the trees. I followed the Jongdae and Luhan's voices as they kept calling me, pushing some brush out of my path and answering them to make sure I was on the right path.

I smacked in to someone.

The older woman almost fell over, but I grabbed her just in time. She didn't yell or complain but she was obviously unsettled by my sudden presence.

“I'm so sorry! Are you okay?” I screamed in panic and helped her stand up straight. She didn't answer me and tried to stand up on her own.

She was thin woman, with long black hair and sun kissed skin. Her eyes met mine and I shuddered. She didn't look upset or annoyed. Her eyes, they had no expression in them. She was staring right through me, right in to me. He face looked withered, and the skin under her eyes was dried and irritated. Like after crying for a long time.

“I'm-I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?” I lowered my voice. Finally I saw a flash of annoyance in her stare. Again she didn't answer me. I heard quick footsteps approaching and soon enough Yixing and Wu Fan came jogging up to us.

“Minseok, what happened?” Wu Fan came to my side, placing a protective hand on my shoulder. I told him how I'd crashed in to her, he immediately apologized again on my behalf. He paused mid-sentence, I glanced up at him in question. He was staring at her, a look of complete shock and guilt written in his features. Yixing too had the same expression, his whole body had gone still and his eyes widening the slightest. The woman was staring back at them, a more calm expression.

“You haven't visited in awhile.” her voice made my head whip up to really stare at her. Her voice sounded so...so sad. I could hear in my head the same voice my mother made, the same tone that came from her vocals whenever she was trying to hold her pain and grief in. Like when my grandmother had passed away, and she had pretended she was perfectly fine. The small choke in her voice, the unhealthy calming way it flowed from her lips and made her eyes distant. And I feared for this woman's suffering.

Yixing spoke to her, but in Mandarin. He too looked sad now, upset and anxious. The woman listened, and then replied back. I couldn't understand it. I watched her as she continued to speak. But even in a different language I could hear that tone, that sad tone of distance. She finally bowed her head at them and went on her way, leaving us in the jungle.

“Who was that?” I asked. They both exchanged a look before Yixing sighed heavily.

“It's a long story, but we have a long way to go. Do you want to hear it?” he confirmed. I nodded eagerly, anticipating one of Yixing's many stories. We continued our journey as he talked, he walked beside me and Wu Fan right behind us.

“You know that our ancestors were slaves right?” he made sure I was up to date.

“Yes. Chinese slaves brought over to make sugar cane.” I applied what he'd told me before. He nodded and continued on.

“And I know I've told you about a few of the Hawaiian gods and their legends. So I'm going to tell you about two new gods.” he started, and already I felt the magic in his words.

“Their names were Kane and Kanaloa. They were brothers. Both were water finders, fishermen, and powerful gods. But while Kane was the god of the living and of fresh water bodies, his brother Kanaloa was the god of death and of the ocean. It is said that when the land ran dried up and the people suffered, they prayed to Kane and Kanaloa to save them and worshiped them still. So Kane took favor on them, ing his staff in to the land and letting water flow down and create the rivers. Kanaloa helped him as well, the two brothers stirred the water so it flowed down and created falls, Kanaloa brought the dead and dried up fish back to life so the people could eat. The island was blessed and the people continued to praise their names. Kane continued to create life in the form or fish and plants to maintain life. Kanaloa continued to take the souls of passed away people in to the underworld when the time came. They kept the world in balance.” Yixing paused for a moment, masking any emotion that had almost slipped out. He took a deep breath and kept speaking.

“The natives blame the 'white man' for the disruption in the balance. It wasn't uncommon to get visitors form foreign lands, but eventually they went on their way. It was the white man that stayed, forced their presence here. And with them they brought hundreds or slaves. There was too much life, and the balance was thrown off. It became worse because the white man was greedy; they tore down sugar cane and killed too many animals with out Kanaloa's permission. So Kane became angry, and he let his brother punish the people for it.” I felt the dread in the air, the darker part of the story was about to unfold. I listened carefully.

“Along with the natives, many people were forced to come here from China, Korea and many more to become slaves. They were forced to live here. They forced the men to work in the fields and forced the women to clean their homes. Sometimes they forced themselves upon the women. And if the women became pregnant with their child, they forced them to get rid of it.” his voice was broken. I was silent, utter shock and horror washing over me.

“You know we live above the Wailuku river. Wailuki means destruction in the Hawaiian language. After their babies were born, the women had no choice but to wrap them up tightly and leave them by the river. They would leave their babies in the hands of Kane and Kanaloa. Even if they were not born from his land, they believed and prayed that Kane would make sure the child was safely brought downstream, and Kanaloa would swiftly take its life and keep the body in the ocean. Many babies were abandoned by the river of destruction when my grandparents were slaves. My grandmother was lucky to have never been forced to sleep with her master, but her friend's daughter was not so fortunate. Her name was Ani, and she was very beautiful just as her name said she would be. She was half Chinese and half Hawaiian. She had long black hair and soft eyes. When she gave birth to her master's son, he told her to offer him up to Kane. She begged him to let the child live, but he told her that if she did not put the baby in the river, he would kill it himself. So she placed her son in a woven basket with Plumeria flowers lining his head and placed him in the water. And so the baby died. In the end when the white man finally left, peace was restored. Kane took back the punishment by making food and water more plentiful than before. But during a time of the year he and Kanaloa mourn with the people over the innocent lives that were lost, and the rain pours down and the rivers flood. They say that because of all the death, Kanaloa promised to let the natives and the innocent slaves live longer. And now anyone who is either forced or peacefully come to live here, will have a long and fruitful life.” he paused, and tilted his head up to the sky. I did so as well and could hear the rush of the water not to far away. We kept walking and I quickly pushed a question in before he continued on.

“Why did she put Plumeria with the baby? Does that flower mean death?” I sadly thought about the beautiful flower I adored so much.

“No, quite the opposite...the Plumeria for the most part symbolizes a deep love” Yixing smirked and threw a long look at Wu Fan. My head snapped back and forth between them as they exchanged glares. Wu Fan finally rolled his eyes and seemed to sigh in defeat. Yixing smiled and spoke again. The atmosphere was lighter now, the dark part of the story over.

“Well in the Hawaiian culture the Plumeria means perfection and perfect bond. It is given at funerals and weddings. For a funeral, to symbolize admiration of that person's life, and how they were perfect in your eyes. At a wedding, to symbolize the perfect people meeting to become the perfect pair.” he smiled wider but continued speaking

“In the Hindu culture it is a sign of loyalty. And Brides wear them at their weddings to show their loyalty to their husbands. In Vietnam the Plumeria is only worn by the rich and powerful, because it is a sign of education and class.” and suddenly Yixing's voice rose to become more dramatic and loud.

“And in the Chinese culture, as me and Wu Fan are from, the Plumeria means love. A very strong and innocent love. In fact it is a very rare and serious token of love back in our country. Something only given to a person you would give your whole life to. The traditional Chinese are not accustomed to sharing their feelings. But when they seriously love someone, they offer Plumeria flowers. When someone offers you Plumerias Minseok they are saying 'I love you' or 'You are special'.” Yixing's smile was threatening to rip his face in half, he leaned in to me to whisper loudly.

“Hasn't Wu Fan given you Plumerias before?” he teased. I heard Wu Fan speaking harshly in his mother tongue before Yixing began to giggle uncontrollably. My face was heated and I could feel the blush all over my cheeks and at the tip of my ears. I suddenly replayed every time Wu Fan had given me a beautiful bouquet of the flowers I loved so much. So technically he'd been confessing to me?

The shouting and excited whooping from ahead caught our attention. The roar of the falls was very loud now, and I could finally see the pair that had ventured ahead of us. Luhan had already stripped his shirt and was pulling off his shorts while screaming in excitement. Jongdae was already in his boxers and waving at us from the edge of the land.

Yixing waved back and began to jog ahead of me and Wu Fan.

I peered back at him, and he was staring at the ground. The words Yixing had said kept running through my mind and I blushed slightly at the word 'love' paired with 'Plumeria' and how many times I had technically accepted Wu Fan's confession of love.

And then the question came to me.

Had I known what their meaning had meant before, would I still have accepted them?

Yes, my mind immediately answered and I gasped quietly at myself. I tried to ask myself again, slowly and calmly. If I had already known the meaning of the flowers being given to me, that they meant love, would I still have accepted them from Wu Fan? Yes. I would have.

But then I thought, what if it had been Luhan? Or Jongdae, or even Yixing? Would I have accepted them then?

No, because they weren't from Wu Fan. And I would only accept his love.

I stopped in my tracks. My body buzzing and my mind tingling. It was like I was back in elementary school, slowly beginning to understand a new concept. So I would only accept the Plumeria flower from Wu Fan, the Plumeria flower meant love. So I would only accept Wu Fan's love because...

“I love him.” the words were on my lips before I could finish the thought in my head. But that didn't matter. The epiphany was making my heart race and my knees weak. I loved him. I loved Wu Fan. He loved me, and I loved him.

“Minseok? You okay?” I heard his voice ring in my ear. He was standing beside me, of course concerned as to why I had suddenly stopped and was now staring at the ground in shock. My heart, god my heart had never beaten so fast. Breathing had never been such a great task to achieve. I couldn't even look him in the eye.

I could still remember when I had told him I was falling for him. And since then it had been so easy to keep falling. It was difficult not to fall for him. He seemed to love me in every way. He wanted to do everything for me and be my everything. I was touched by his sincerity.

I couldn't imagine having been married to anyone else. I'd thought about it before. What if I'd ended up married to Jongdae? Or Luhan? Or Yixing?

The small spike of fear had always made me go still. I didn't want to be with anyone else. If I was given the choice tomorrow to go back home, to leave this life with Wu Fan, I would refuse.

He had become my everything. He was the one I depended on, the one I woke up next to and held close to me, he made me smile and he made me extremely happy. As he wanted to give me a good life, I wanted to live my life with him.

“I'm fine.” I smiled at him. He smiled back, not knowing I was having the self-discussion of a lifetime.

“Come on, take your clothes off.” he grinned. I stepped back from him in shock. He laughed out loud.

“So we can get in the water!” he kept laughing at my blushing face. I immaturely pushed him away from me, telling him to 'go away' and storming past him to get to the area where the other three were waiting for us. Luhan was all giddy and skipping about in excitement while Jongdae kept poking Yixing who was trying to take his shirt off. I laughed at Yixing's serious tone of threats that if Jongdae poked him one more time he would push him over the edge, which caused more quick pokes and even quicker retreats. I stared down at the green-blue water that rippled against the rock walls. We seemed to be really high up...

“Are you sure this is safe?” I asked out loud. Luhan was the one to come up from behind me and pinch my cheeks as he spoke in a baby tone.

“Is Minseokie scared? Aw wittle Minseokie don't be scared baby!” he cooed. I slapped his hands away and pouted. Already annoyed I looked around for Wu Fan to make this nuisance go away.

“Ah Minseok its really safe, it hasn't rained a lot, its during the later half of the year you should be concerned. That’s when the falls became rapid and dangerous.” Luhan patted my back before telling me to hurry up and get ready to jump in. I sighed heavily, still staring down as the water twisted and turned. I wondered if Kane would keep me alive that day...

“Yixing?” I called. He was in his boxers, just a small silver chain hanging around his neck. He walked over to me and asked what it was I needed.

“What happened to the girl? Ani?” I asked.

“She grew up. We all knew her from our old village. She is an older woman now that lives in the mountains secluded by herself. After her baby died she became very distraught, very lonely. But she continued to live in hopes that one day she could birth to other children. We all visit her from time to time, make sure she is taken care of.” his eyes were looking off in to the distance, beyond me and in to the jungle that surrounded us.

“You just met her.” he said. The woman I had bumped to in the jungle flashed in my memory. The woman with beautiful long hair and sun kissed skin.

“That was Ani?” it made sense now, that look in her eyes...

“Yes it was...come on. Forget the story for now, I'll tell you more about it later if you want. Let's get in.” he pulled my arm and we walked to where Wu Fan, Jongdae, and Luhan were waiting. Kris too was in his underwear and waiting. I tried not to stare at his well muscles body and focused on getting undressed. I quickly pulled off my shirt and shorts. And then we all walked up to the edge of the dirt cliff. It was a breathtaking view. The waterfall flowed gently downward, the mist from the impact rising and creating gentle rainbows from the sunlight bursting in. the water was so beautiful and a rich color, the rocks near the walls seemed to have been a apart of a painting. The air was fresh out here, like near the river below our house. The water was deep and it seemed inviting with the hot air around me. I scrunched my toes in the moist earth. Wu Fan's fingers intertwined with mine, and he grasped my hand tightly. I looked to the opposite side of me and I barely caught a glimpse of light brown hair flying through the air and then falling down. There was a great splash followed by a great ripple of water. I looked down, only to find Luhan's tiny head bobbing up from the water. He was grinning and laughing excitedly as he splashed his arms about and swam in the water.

“You guys! Hurry up!” he squealed in delight. Wu Fan's grip on my hand intensified, and I readied myself to go flying in to the air. But a loud yelp stopped us both and we looked to our left, only to see Yixing easily pick Jongdae up and pull him in to his arms. Now Jongdae was struggling and complaining about how much scarier it was to jump like this than on his own. Yixing only chuckled and got ready to jump anyway.

“Put me down! I'm serious Yixing I'll kill you!” Jongdae began screaming and hollering. The sight of Jongdae wriggling around in Yixing's strong arms was quite a sight. He tried with all his strength to get out of the Chinese man's grasp, but Yixing's built arms held him securely.

“If you're so scared, next time don't poke me then. Did I ever tell you how cute you could be sometimes?” Yixing laughed, and Jongdae began to scream profanities at him. Yixing took a few steps back, and then began running straight ahead.

“Nonononono!!” Jongdae begged. No matter, Yixing still jumped off the edge in the end, Jongdae screaming all the way down. Their splash was louder and much wider. And this time when they emerged from the deep blue Jongdae wasted no time in attempting to put his tan friend in a choke hold. 'Attempting' was the key word, since Yixing had no problem in picking Jongdae up and launching him up and away back in to the water.

“Should I pick you up too?” Wu Fan asked me with an upped brow. I quickly shook my head in panic. I'd rather jump on my own will. He laughed, kissed the back of my hand that he was holding, and began to count down from three.

“One,” he started, I stared down at the water, at Luhan who looking up at us with squinted eyes.

“Two,” he continued, my fingers gripped tighter around the long fingers that held on to mine.

“Three.” he yelled. I tightly shut my eyes and he jumped forward, and he pulled me with him. I was in the air, my stomach was in my throat, I was screaming out loud as our bodies plummeted downward. The water engulfed us seconds later and my legs started kicking to get me to the surface.

My head reached the surface and I took a deep breath in. I turned my head this way and that, looking to see where Wu Fan would turn up. I was confused and a tad scared when I couldn't find him.

“Minseok!” I heard his voice and finally found him. He had swam far away from me, hovering near the waterfall. He inched backwards until his shoulders were under the large stream. I swam over to join him, also placing my back in to the wall of water with him. It stung a little at first, but soon it felt like a massage, and the water wasn't too cold. I smiled widely at him, he smiled back. I loved that smile...

My hand scooped up some water and quickly threw it at his face before I retreated behind the waterfall.

“You little!” I heard him laugh and attempt to splash water where I should have been. I was standing just behind him though. A small carved in cave waited behind the falling water. I watched him as he sputtered the liquid out of his face and then his head whipped left and right trying to find me. Little did he know I was hovering right behind him. I shoved him with all my might, making little progress. His body didn't fall more than an inch away from me. And because of my move he knew where I was, his hand gripping my arm and following it. He ducked under the harsh pour of water and playfully attacked me. We splashed at one another, sending small waves towards one another over and over again. It was difficult for me since I was laughing too hard and I couldn't see with the water in my eyes. I could hear him laughing too, but he had longer arms than I and those made bigger waves for some reason.

“Okay! Okay! You win!” I screamed. The waves ceased instantly and I was able to wipe my eyes before blinking them open and losing my breath at the sight before me. We had made our way deeper in to the small cave, able to stand on whatever rock was beneath us. The water reflected off of the cave walls, making white electric lines dance against the stone ceiling.

Wu Fan stood before me, his bare chest wet and his hair falling in to his eyes. The lighting in the cave made his skin paler, his eyes darker, his lips fuller. A small smile was on his lips as he looked down at me. I could only stare at this beautiful image before me. He hesitantly reached out, his thumb barely touching my cheek. There it was again, that overwhelming affection in his eyes. My emotions came to a boiling burst.

“I love you.” I confessed. His hand stilled, his eyes widened, his chest rose rapidly. I didn't have time to gasp or cry out in surprise. His arm was so quick to find it's way around my waist and pull me through the water, flush against him. His free hand still on my face and making me look him in the eye. My cheeks were exceedingly hot and there were so many things going through my head. One was that our bares chests were touching. His skin was so smooth and I could feel it right against mine. His skin was warm, and it was warming mine.

The other thing on my mind was pure dread and embarrassment. I had just confessed. My feelings were out in the open and I was so nervous I wanted to sink in to the water and disappear forever.

“Please say it again.” he more or less demanded. I didn't mind it, I said it again, and my heart opened up like locked doors that had finally been presented with a key.

“I love you Wu Fan.” I declared.

His lips were soft, just like the rest of his skin. And they were warm. He kissed me slowly and precisely. His movements were full of want and his body gave off a sense of finality. I was his now, there was no turning back. I draped my arms around his neck to bring him closer, if that was possible. His one hand never left my cheek and it always caressed my face lovingly. I felt his other arm as it moved from being placed shyly at the small of my back to turning in to an iron fist that pushed me to him as firmly as possible. I was his, he was mine. I could never turn back.

He kissed me for a long time, behind that waterfall. And when he was done kissing my lips he kissed my cheeks. When he was done with those he kissed my forehead and my nose. After that he kissed my ears and my temples. He didn't forget to kiss my jaw and my chin, my neck or my shoulders, my hands and my lips again. He finally pulled his head back, his eyes now sparkling as he gazed down at me.

“One more time? Please?” he asked. I sighed heavily before kissing his smile, speaking these new found words against his mouth,

“I said I love you.” I growled. He chuckled, both his arms circling me and squeezing me tight.

“Took you long enough.” he sighed in content. I was his, and he was mine. I was never going to turn back. I didn't want to.

~ ~ ~

There we sat, under a shade of a large banyan tree. The sun was peering through the treetops as patches of gold here and there. The air around us wasn't too hot or too humid. There was a swift breeze that came and went that kept us cool. I savored the sweet fruit in my mouth, extracting the juices with my teeth as I swallowed the chunk down. I saw another piece of the pineapple offered in front of my face and I opened my mouth to accept it. I was sitting in between Wu Fan's legs with my head resting on his shoulder. He had a knife in one hand as he continuously sliced up pineapple and papaya for me and himself. Jongdae was sitting crisscrossed on our right with a banana, happily chomping the yellow fruit and sipping the water we had brought along. Luhan was laying down with his head in Jongdae's lap. A large bull of assorted fruit was cut up and being picked at by the other three. Yixing was laying down also, his hands behind his head as he sighed happily. I tried to hold in my little fits of giggles.

Wu Fan kept feeding me fruit, poking and pinching my cheeks and whispering in to my ear. I told him to stop, but of course he didn't listen.

“You're cute.” his words would tickle my ear.

“I love your cheeks.” he would breath as he kissed them.

“I love your lips.” his mouth on mine.

“You smell good.” I could hear him inhale and exhale against against my hair.

“I love you.” he sang over and over again. My blush was reaching my ears. My smile was making my cheeks hurt, as well as my stomach from laughing. I elbowed him a few times to make him quit it, told him to be quiet because it was already embarrassing enough to hear all his sweet nothings right against my ear. But it was twice as embarrassing and hard to ignore the three evil smirks and knowing gazes that kept falling on us. I was glad I couldn't understand Mandarin for the sake that I might have died from emotional state of shyness as Luhan and Yixing kept exchanging words back and forth. Sometimes Jongdae would snicker after they said things, and other times Wu Fan would pause while kissing me and send death glares their way.

But when I was able to get over my blushing shyness and ignore the smiles next to me, I enjoyed his sweet pecks all over my face, when he placed a piece of papaya between his teeth and I bit the half sticking out, which ended in a kiss flavored with the tart and sweetness of the fruit. Wu Fan held me close, like he was never going to let me go. It felt like his arms were meant to hold me. I felt like I belonged there. I wanted to always be held by him.

We all laughed together about nothing, sharing stories and mapping out our dreams.

Luhan wanted to see his homeland one day, and build his own house like Wu Fan had.

Yixing wanted to settle down on his own with a lover, he wanted to raise a child as his own.

Jongdae wanted to see Korea one more time, and then get married right here on this island.

We talked about the upcoming summer festival. I asked them about it, and Yixing simplified that it was a holiday created by Hawaiian royalty in the past. It was fun though, and their village would definitely be throwing a party with music, dancing, and parades. It was going to happen in a few weeks and we all decided we should go. Wu Fan whispered in to my ear how amazing I would look with flowers in my hair, “Like an angel.” he smiled against my face. I kissed him for his compliment.

Late in to the afternoon we made our way back down the mountain, hiking downhill until we found the dirt road that would lead back to our home. Our hair was still damp and our eyes sleepy from swimming. I kept yawning and stretching out my arms as we walked. Wu Fan and I loosely linked our hands on the journey home, and I hummed the same tune I'd heard from Yixing earlier. The sun was settling down when we finally made it home. I plopped on to one of the ugly couches and clutched a pillow to my face before closing my eyes. They may have been ugly, but damn they were soft. I felt Wu Fan try to get me to the bedroom, but I was perfectly comfortable where I was. He gave up after I constantly pouted and shoved his hands away.

I vaguely remembered Luhan poking my cheeks before saying goodbye, and Jongdae pulling my hair and then leaving.

I did remember Yixing talking to me. He was telling me how they all wanted to go visit Ani the next weekend, that I should come with them. I agreed, and he said his goodbyes. But not before leaning in closely and whispering to me,

“I believe Kane blessed us with you Minseok. I pray that nothing spoils this happiness we have here.” his voice shook the slightest. My mind was going fuzzy and my eyelids were heavy, but I could feel his hand was gently easing my hair back, like a mother would to her child.

“I pray you never leave us my hoaloah, my beloved friend.” and then he was gone.

I felt a warm body shuffle in and wrap itself around me, I welcomed it and held it tightly against me. Wu Fan always smelled like the earth, like the fresh air he breathed everyday.

“I love you.” I mumbled with my face smashed against his chest. His kisses planted themselves here and there. I liked his kisses a lot. There were so many of them and enjoyed them so much.

“I love you Minseok.” my name in his voice made me shudder and breath heavily. I almost wanted to cry and scold myself. It had taken me too long to figure it all out. A small part of me regretted not fully surrendering myself to him in the first few months I had been here. But a greater part knew it was for the best. That part was satisfied with that moment of him holding me close and being able to fall asleep in his arms. My dreams were only of him now, no nightmares to be found.