On Saturday morning, I heard thumps on my window. I looked up with a frown, setting the book I had been reading to the side before sliding out of bed. This was one of those rare days where I woke up earlier than the usual ten o’ clock that I was accustomed to on weekends, the book being the main culprit to blame. It was a recent purchase, a little something I decided to buy during my last trip to the bookstore. I was hooked at the first chapter and had never been able to stop reading it since.

I padded across my room towards the window, pulling the curtains aside slightly to peek through the tiny crack. It provided a limited vision; I could only see bits of grass and the flowers from my garden. Something pattered against my window again, and I pushed the curtains open.

I found Baekhyun standing on the front yard, holding a handful of pebbles he picked up from the gravel path. He dropped them when he saw me. I frowned at him and pushed the window open.

A blast of cold wind hit me, pushing my unbound hair back and seeping through my thin pyjamas. The morning smelt fresh, as if the air was washed by the rain that poured late last night. I gripped the sill and leaned forwards to speak.

“Byun Baekhyun what on earth are you doing?”

Baekhyun had his head tilted up to look up at me, a small smile tugging the corner of his lips. I noticed that he was wearing jeans and a jacket with a shirt underneath, clothes that looked far fancier than what he usually threw on when he decided to come over to my house.

“I didn’t wake you.” He said it as a statement, not a question.

“How are you so sure that you didn’t?” I asked with a scoff.

“I know you Yoora. If I did wake you, you’d have thrown something at me by now. And besides,” he said as he took a step forwards, “your hair is brushed and your eyes look bright. I’m not a fool to believe that you’ve just stumbled out of bed.”

I crossed my arms and leaned against the window sill, scrutinising him. “Why are you here?”

“To fulfil my promise, of course,” he said with a grin. The wind was teasing the stray strands of his hair and dropping them into his eyes. “Get dressed; it’s time to go.”

“Come in,” I said with a huff, reaching up to shut the window. “You know where the key is. I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Sometimes Baekhyun, I think you’re crazy. What in the world gave you the idea that you should throw stones at my window?” I said as I pounded down the stairs, pulling on my jacket and pocketing my phone. I gave him a look before I headed to the kitchen to write a note for my parents.

Baekhyun shrugged. “This is what they do in the movies right? I thought it would look romantic.”

My eyes widened and I spun around to stare at him. “Romantic?”

“Okay, look. I did everything that you asked me to. Now I need someone to test my moves on before I try them with Soojin. You’re my closest girl friend so...” He gave me pleading eyes.

“Oh for goodness sake!” I threw my hands up, knowing that I can’t win with him. “Fine, do what you like!”

Baekhyun grinned and ruffled my hair. “You’re the best, Yoo.”

I slapped his hand away and began rummaging through the drawers, looking for a piece of paper to write the note. Baekhyun pulled out one of the drawers and handed me a pen and a notepad.

“Where are we going today?” I asked as I quickly scribbled something down to tell my parents that I was with Baekhyun.

Baekhyun was smirking deviously. “The mall.”

It was still early and I knew that Baekhyun of all people knew that the mall was closed. I voiced my irritation as we walked down the sloping hill, skirting around puddles and brushing off the tiny droplets that had dripped down the leaves and into our hair. The light was still muted by the heavy clouds, but I could see the first rays of the sun breaking through, forming tiny, lighted cracks through the thick fluffy mass.

I had my hands shoved deeply in my pockets, hoping with all my heart that we had seen the last of the rain last night, when the pelting raindrops drummed against my window and the strong breezes cut mercilessly through the shadowy darkness. Neither Baekhyun nor I brought an umbrella, and I didn’t fancy the idea of running uphill under the pouring rain.

“I could have gotten a few more hours of sleep,” I argued as we walked.

“Why sleep when you’re already awake? Don’t you want to enjoy the one rare moment in your life where you take a walk in the morning sun and experience the wonder of nature awakening after 12 hours of slumber?”

“Well, you’re getting poetic, aren’t you?” I asked with raised brows.

Baekhyun laughed as he jumped over a small puddle. “I was thinking about the lyrics I was writing down last night. I was trying to tap into my innermost emotions to write a song that touches hearts when sung. I suppose I haven’t quite gotten out of the mood yet.”

Sometimes, Baekhyun would engage in one of his song-writing projects, projects that I was strictly forbidden from participating or to eavesdrop on. I knew Baekhyun could sing and play the guitar, but I hadn’t seen the full extent of his talent in composition due to his extreme reluctance to show me anything that he had written. Once, I had pestered him to let me see what he had penned after confining himself in his room for four hours. My attempts were to no avail.

 “Who’s it for?” I asked. “Soojin?”

Baekhyun didn’t answer right away. I peeked at him from the corner of my eyes, and saw that he was gazing up at the sky, watching the moving clouds with the intense concentration he showed during his guitar performances.

“Not really,” he finally replied. “Soojin’s my high school crush, the girl that I like now. This song is something for the person I am going to love, and will love, until the end of time.  It might be Soojin or it might be a person that I have yet to meet, but all I know is that this the song written especially from my heart, and that this is the song I’m going to sing to her once I’m sure she’s the right one.”

I just stared at him silently, stunned. Baekhyun had always been to me the happy jokester, never with the care for the world and taking everything that rolled down the tough road of life to stride. Emotions were not something he spoke about. I never noticed it, but thinking about it now, I realised that Baekhyun was by many ways predictable, but he kept his heart hidden in the far corners of his soul. To listen to my best friend who always laughed and teased me express something this deep stunned me speechless.

“I’m impressed,” I said. “I never knew you were such a romantic.”

“Romantic, huh?” he said, chuckling to himself amusedly. “Is that what they call stripping your heart bare and pouring out your innermost feelings? This is a one-time deal though,” he said, turning serious, “I’ll only let you see this emotional side of me because you’re my best friend. But as of now...”

He smirked and suddenly poked me on the side. “Turn that frown upside down Yoo. Don’t you want to spend the day with the best guy you’ve ever met?”

He goes back to the annoying idiot he is, I finished with a sigh.

I brushed his hand away, sneaking a poke to his side, and dodged as he attempted to sling and arm around my neck. We laughed, as we always did when we were together, as we had always done since we were children.