“Lay!” someone called after the boy who was putting books into his bag. The boy was slim, average in height, and fairly good looking with gentle facial features. He had warm, dark brown eyes, neat dark hair, a handsome jawline, dimples, and small, yet full lips. He turned around to see his friend, Chen, waving at him with a goofy smile on his face.

    

“Hey,” Lay said to him.

    

“We’re gonna go play some basketball at the park, you coming?” Chen asked as he walked toward his friend, gesturing towards the guys waiting in front of the music academy. Lay looked over to them and saw that they were ready to go. The boy greeted them with a smile and a nod.

 

“Uh, I think I’ll pass for today. I have some things I need to do at home now,” he lied. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to play with the guys, in fact he loved hanging with them. It was just that… there was someone that he was anticipating to see.

 

“That . Next time, right?” his friend asked, while playfully punching Lay in the shoulder.

 

Lay chuckled. “Yeah, next time for sure,” the boy reassured him. He rubbed the spot his friend hit. He smiled at Chen and the guys and bid them a farewell as they parted different directions.

 

Since he had quite a bit of time, he leisurely started to walk to the bus stop, admiring the surroundings. It was bright outside and the weather was nice and warm with a refreshing breeze. Everyday he felt a little stuffy in the lesson room from playing piano for three hours straight. He always loved the intake of fresh air once he stepped out of the conservatory building. Even so, playing in the little room was worth it to him, for piano was his passion.

 

Lay observed the people and shops on the peaceful street he walked down. There were a few families, couples, and people strolling down the street or going in and out of the little shops. Students were hanging out with their friends, since it was summer break. Families and couples were spending time together on the lovely day.

 

After ten minutes of walking, he arrived at the bus stop and stood there alone as he waited for the bus to come. The boy became a little nervous. His heart began to beat a little faster as he thought about her.

 

I’m so silly. Getting so excited over this, he told himself while smiling.

 

When the bus came he got on and greeted the bus driver.

 

“Afternoon, sir,” he said to the man, giving him a polite smile, as he showed his bus pass. The driver curted him back with a small smile and a nod of his head. The boy looked around to see that the bus was uncrowded, like every other day. He headed to the rear end of the bus to take his usual spot in the very back corner. He sat down while he took off his backpack and placed it at his feet. He looked out the window on his left and anticipated for her stop. The bus ride was always the high of his day.

 

Smiling to himself he thought, Just two more stops and I’ll see her. The nervous boy fished out his iPod and earphones from his backpack, and plugged one in his right ear and wrapped the other around his left. He didn’t play any music though. He just did it to look like he was occupied.

 

The moment he had waited for finally came. The girl got on the bus.

 

Beautiful as always, he thought as he stole a glance at her, secretly.

 

To Lay, the girl was breathtakingly beautiful: her straight long dark hair, soft angelic facial features, fair skin, petite frame, and lovely smile that made his heart race. She didn’t look much older than him, so he expected them to be around the same age. She always dressed very ladylike, wearing skirts, dresses, and blouses, which suited her very well. Everytime Lay saw her, she was glowing. The girl was his unrequited love.

 

The thing was, he knew nothing about her: her name, age, school, nothing.

 

He assumed that she was coming back from a music lesson as well, for she seemed to be carrying an instrument every time, which he assumed to be a flute. He always wondered if she played as lovely as she seemed to be.

 

Lay watched her go to where she usually sat, next to the window with the second door behind her. From his spot, it was the perfect angle for him to admire her from.

 

Lay wasn’t the type of guy who fell for a girl just for her appearance. He wasn’t superficial like that. He liked the girl for the kind, gentle aura she gave off. She was always polite by giving cheerful smiles to the bus driver and the people on the bus, even though they were strangers.

 

Her actions were always very thoughtful and gentle. On the rare days the bus was busy, she always gave her seat away to anyone standing who was in need.

 

She also seemed somewhat shy. Two weeks ago, a guy on the bus had noticed her beauty, and sat beside her to flirt. The guy was greasy, shamelessly flirting, not caring about her comfort zone. That bus ride, she had become very timid and looked very uncomfortable. That day, Lay was incredibly jealous, wishing for the guy to get lost and leave the girl alone. Luckily for both Lay and the girl, the sleazy guy got off just ten minutes later. The girl seemed very relieved once he left. That was one day Lay hated thinking back to. And to both of their reliefs, the sleazy never came on the bus again.

 

Back to the present, the girl looked out her window, so Lay took the moment to view her side profile.

 

What’s she like? What’s her name? What are her hobbies and interests? Does she notice me? he wondered, but all he could do was admire her from afar. He sighed. Lay was much too shy to go up and talk to her. For all he knew, she could have a boyfriend or someone she fancied. He just prayed to heaven that she didn’t. When it came to girls, Lay wasn’t all that confident. Then again, this was the first time he had liked a girl this much. No girl before had ever captured his heart like her, even though she wasn’t doing anything to do so. The boy hoped that fate would somehow bring them together, giving him a chance to talk to her. He wished for some sort of situation to happen.

 

As thirty minutes had passed, the girl’s stop was coming closer. She pressed the request button and gathered her belongings to get off the bus. A wave of disappointment washed over him as he watched her. Subconsciously, he stared at her. Now standing, the girl felt a pair of eyes on her and turned her head his direction.

 

Lay’s heart skipped a beat. Surprised at being caught, his eyes widened and face turned red as they locked eyes. The girl blushed, but then quickly turned her head away in a shy manner. When the bus came to a stop, the girl thanked the bus driver and then hopped off.

 

Be safe. See you tomorrow, he told her in his mind. His heart was beating fast but he tried to calm himself down. The corners of his lip curled up as he watched the girl’s figure get smaller into the distance.

 

On the next day, Lay was sitting in his normal spot, and as usual, the bus wasn’t crowded. The highlight of his day came as the bus came to a stop and the girl got on.

 

Something about her feels different today, he noted to himself. She seemed a little zoned out as she took her usual spot. Her face held a worried expression, and looked liked she was in deep thought. Lay became concerned as he observed her state. He wondered what was on the girl’s mind. Watching her in curiosity the entire ride, the boy didn’t notice the time fly. As the girl’s stop came close, she snapped out of her thoughts and requested a stop. She got back to thinking right away and didn’t notice what she left behind as she got off the bus.

 

On the other hand, Lay did. As the bus left, the boy started to panic about what he should do. He looked at the flute and then out the window toward the direction she left.

 

Should I get off and return it to her? She couldn’t have gotten far, right? What if I can’t find her? Should I just give to the lost and found? All these questions ran through his head. Looking back at the flute, the boy went with his gut feeling. He decided to go after her. Lay saw the whole situation as fate. This was his chance and he didn’t plan on missing it.

 

Lay hastily pressed the stop request button, took his bag, and then rushed to the front of the bus to grab the instrument left in her seat. He dashed out the moment the doors open, but didn’t forget to yell a “Thank you!” to the bus driver.

 

With an anxious heart, the boy sprinted to the previous stop and then down the route the girl always took. The route had no turns or curves so the boy just ran straight down the street. After a minute of running of as fast as he could, he finally saw the girl’s figure in the distance. Relieved, the boy stopped for a second to catch his breath. Seeing the girl getting further away, his grip tightened around the instrument and started running after her again. When he got close enough for her to hear him, he yelled “Excuse me!” The girl stopped walking and then turned around, surprised to see the boy running towards her. Lay finally caught up to her and stopped right in front of her. He immediately crouched down, panting heavily, for he spent the past five minute running faster than he ever had in his entire life. He was exhausted and sweaty. Not knowing what to do, the girl just stared at him, confused.

 

After regaining some energy, he stood up. Lay’s hearting was beating like crazy, and not because of the running just he did. He took a deep breath. Looking into the girl’s eyes, he gave her a deep dimpled smile. She’s even prettier up close.

 

“I think you forgot this,” he said to her, holding up the instrument in his hand. The girl’s eyes widened and then looked at her hands to see that nothing was in them. She then looked back at him with a relieved smile.

 

“Oh my goodness, thank you so much,” she said to him gratefully, in the sweetest voice Lay had ever heard. His heart started beating even faster.

    

“I didn’t even notice I left it on the bus. My parents would have been so upset if I lost it. I can’t tell you how thankful I am,” she explained to him, smiling brightly.

 

“Oh, uh, it was nothing,” he said, laughing awkwardly. He handed the instrument back to her. “I see you on the bus everyday so I noticed that you left without it today-not that I watch you like a stalker or anything!” he quickly defended himself, not wanting to sound creepy. “More like observing...if you know what I mean?” he added stiffly. His face grew pinker than it already was. He looked away from her and touched his neck. Way to go, I totally blew it. She’s going to think I’m a total creep now, he mentally scolded himself.

 

The girl looked down and softly giggled at what the boy had just told her.

 

“Actually, I’m pretty glad that you noticed me,” she quietly admitted, looking back up at him, “or at least noticed that I forgot my instrument.” She then started to blush and looked away.

 

Feeling contented by her words, knowing now that she didn’t think of him as a weirdo, he gained enough confidence to face her again. He decided to ask the question that he was dying to know.

 

“I’m Lay. What’s your name?” he asked, looking at her with warm eyes.

 

“My name’s Ahri,” the girl revealed.

 

So her name is Ahri...suits her perfectly, Lay thought. His smile grew wider, and then decided to keep the conversation going.

 

As they kept talking, it was confirmed that she was on the bus everyday coming from flute lessons. He also learned that they were both the same age, 17. They both had the same passion for the instruments they played. A few minutes into the conversation, they decided to sit down on the bench nearby.

 

Lay found it very easy to talk to Ahri, he felt like talking to her all day. He sensed that their personalities really clicked well. Ahri was also very comfortable with Lay, she felt relaxed. As they got to know each other more, Lay asked her a more personal type of question.

 

“You looked a little out of it today, is there something on your mind?” he asked, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to though,” he added to be polite.

 

“You noticed, huh?” she replied. She softly laughed and then said, “I have a recital next month and got stressed about finding a partner. There’s this piece that I want to play but I need someone to play the piano accompaniment...I’m not close with anyone who plays the piano well, but want to find someone who I can practice with a lot,” she explained and then sighed. “I want to make sure that music will be played expressing the tones and colours of the piece to it’s best, you know what I mean?” she looked up to Lay, who was engaged in her words.

 

Lay totally understood what she meant. He knew what she wanted to portray while playing the music; to bring the tones and colours of music out to their fullest. He was awed at how alike they thought about music. She’s so devoted.

 

“Yeah, I totally get it,” he assured her. He decided make his move. “I know that we just met, but if you want, I could play with you,” he hesitantly proposed, “I’d be willing to practice as much as you want. Plus, I think we both have the same feeling about playing music,” he added. Nervous about the response, he slowly turned to face her. He met her eyes to see her smiling at him.

 

“Would you really?” she asked, looking at him with hopeful eyes. Lay couldn’t help but laugh, she was just too cute.

 

“It would be my honour to play with someone who loves music with the same amount passion as I do,” he replied with a huge grin on his face. Ahri couldn’t help but smile even more.

 

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am,” she sincerely thanked him. A question suddenly popped up in Lay’s mind.

 

“Wait, but what’s the piece that you wanted to play?” he asked.

 

“Oh,” she realized and then grabbed her bag to take out the piano score. Smiling merrily, she handed him the music sheets. “It’s a very famous piece so I think you would know it,” she said with a bright expression on her face.

 

“Salut d’Amour,” he read. The boy scanned the music. He then smiled and looked up at the girl. “Absolutely lovely,” he told her.