ARA’S POV

     I helped the customer that had stepped in between me and Junsu and when I looked again, he was gone. I thought, like at the playground, that I had only imagined him coming in and asking me out. But when I went back to see what Kyung-sook was doing, I saw the flowers sitting in a cup of water. She was trying to keep them from falling over. So it really must’ve just happen. Kyung-sook turned to me and at the same moment, we clasped hands and squealed in excitement, jumping up and down and turning around in circles. Then we stopped, realizing that everybody in the café could hear us and were probably wondering what the heck we were doing. Then she hugged me and laughed. Our boss came out to scold us tell us to get back to work and as I did, I thought of how, before any of this happened, I didn’t have friends I could laugh and squeal with. That was when I thought that maybe this wash was the best thing I’d ever done.

     I didn’t want to get too dressed up. I didn’t know where he was taking me and I didn’t want him to think I was trying too hard. Besides, it was like he was going to take me to a super fancy restaurant on our first date, right? Earlier that day in Biology, I had talked to my lab partner about it. She always comes to school in nice clothes and she totally understood where I was coming from. She suggested pants with a nice blouse and some good jewelry accents. I was too nervous to think straight, so when I got home after school to get ready for work, I asked Eun Hye to help me pick something to bring with me so I could change at work instead of coming back to the dorm. Working somehow helped calm me down. Maybe because it kept my mind off of the date. Then afterwards, I took my duffel bag into the bathroom and changed into red capris, a leopard-print shirt, and brown boots, with gold jewelry. I hoped that wherever Junsu was taking me, we’d have a lot of fun together. I stuffed my old clothes in the bag and left it with Kyung-sook, who gave me a thumbs-up as I grabbed my purse and left.

     I waited outside for what seemed like forever, wondering what would happen tonight. Would we go out to eat? See a movie? Would he bring me a gift? Would he kiss me…? I looked at my cell phone. And when would he get there? It was already 7:50.

“Ara!” I turned around to see Junsu running, panting. “I’m so sorry I’m late!”

He looked so guilty and apologetic that I couldn’t possibly be irritated with him. I shrugged.

“Oh, it’s ok. I would’ve waited here forever. I’m just glad you’re here now. So let’s go.”

He nodded and I took his arm as he led me to a parking lot across the street where a scooter was waiting for us.

“Tada!” Junsu spread his arms.

I laughed. Good thing I wore pants instead of a skirt.

“I rented it.” He told me. “I thought it would be fun. Here this one is yours.”

He handed me a pink helmet and he put on a blue one. I pulled my coat closer around me and buttoned it.

“But, Junsu. Don’t you think it’s a little bit cold to be riding a scooter at night?”

“It’s warmer than it has been in days.” He reasoned, swinging one leg over the bike and settling onto it. “If you get cold, you can just move closer to me.” He winked at me and motioned for me to get on.

I hopped on behind him and wrapped my hands around his stomach.

“Have you ever ridden one of these?” He asked me.

I shook my head, feeling childish all of the sudden. “No…”

“Don’t be scared ok? I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I nodded. “I know, I trust you.”

“Ok, here we go.” He started the engine. “Hold on tight!” And pulled out of the parking lot.

The cold wind swept my hair back and my heart was pounding inside of my chest. I did feel scared, I felt exhilarated. So much so that I wanted to laugh out, so I did.

I laughed and said, “This is fun!”

Junsu took one hand off the handlebars to pat mine. “I’m glad you think so.”

“So where are we going?” I yelled over the rush of the wind and the roar of the engine.

“There is a place near the mall that is showing fireworks for National Foundation Day. But it doesn’t start until late, so we can go shopping first. Is that ok?”

Suddenly feeling a chill, I leaned against his back and answered, “It’s perfect.”

     He drove us to the mall and as soon as I got my helmet off and shook my hair free, he took my hand and pulled me inside. First we took pictures in one of those little photo booths I’d never had enough money for. We took sweet couple pictures, silly face pictures, posing model pictures, and just fun pictures of us laughing and hugging and stuff. Then we decorated them with stickers and phrases. At first Junsu wouldn’t let me see.

He blocked my way and said, “I have to write something first. It’s a surprise, don’t look!”

So I turned around and crossed my arms.

“Junsu, you’re taking too long, what are you writing? You can’t do them all! Let me do some, that’s not fair!”

I gave him a pouty face so he let me see what he’d done. On one picture where I was trying to pose like a supermodel and look cool, he’d written, “You’re so beautiful”. One where I had my arm around him had a heart with the word ‘love’ and one said ‘sweetie’ with stars around my laughing face. The one with the best handwriting said, “My Everything, My life”. The one was a really good picture of us. A silly one of me had an arrow pointing to my face and it said, “Cuteness!” And the one of me kissing at the camera that I was sure hadn’t come out right said, “My heart melts completely”. I blushed bright red, then shoved Junsu.

“Ah, Junsu, these are so embarrassing!”

He just kept smiling. “What are you talking about? I like them. Now you have to write something.”

“Ok…” I thought about, and then pushed him. “Turn around. If I couldn’t see them then neither can you.”

I knelt in front of the screen with the pen attached by a cord and picked out my three favorite pictures out of the ones he hadn’t written on. I wrote my messages and decorated with stickers of clouds, wings, and music notes.

“Now you can look.” I moved away so he could see.

He bent close and read out loud, “You are my wings…I am the wind beneath them. You are my sky…I am the earth that meets it. You are my song…I am the verse to sing.” He straightened up to look at me and smiled.

I kissed his cheek without thinking.

When I realized what I’d done, my smile faded to a shamed blush and I backed away, mumbling, “Sorry.”

He put his hand to his face, then took my hand and squeezed it. We the printed the pictures and chose which ones each of us would keep. Then we continued walking, hand in hand. We went in and out of stores, trying on sunglasses and hats, buying ice cream and candy, like it was summer. We went to the arcade and played games together, then found a carousel in the middle of the mall.

“Let’s ride that!” I begged, pointing and hanging on his arm. “Please?”

“Ok, fine.”

He pulled the last of his money out of his pocket and handed it to me. I handed it to the man who ran the carousel and we both got on the same horse, Junsu sitting behind me. As we spun around and around, rocking up and down, with Junsu holding me tight so he wouldn’t fall off, I thought I was the happiest girl in the world. Who’d have thought a girl like me with little-to-no life would end up with an amazing guy like Xiah Junsu? All because I believed enough to make one wish. I wondered how long it would last…