Day 33

That night, Daehyun drew me into his warm embrace and cried. He knew I had a life back home I needed to go back to, and so did he. His mother and father were still at home, undoubtedly tripping over the memories of their only child who abandoned them to live elsewhere.

Despite the lack of attention they bestowed upon the young teen, they still loved him.

They still wanted the best for him and they still cared because Daehyun after all, was their own flesh and blood. His mother carried him for 9 months just to bring him into this world, of course there would be an unbreakable attachment, whether Daehyun felt it or not.

He needed to go back with me, he couldn’t keep me with him on this island forever and he knew that. I didn’t know the way back either, so Daehyun had no choice but to come with me.

I knew he wasn’t ready to go home yet. He never had a plan to go back since the start but now he had no choice. I’ve landed on his island and now he needed to help me return, even if he didn’t want to.  

There were no signs of aircrafts or helicopters ever since I’d washed up onto this island, so now I knew it was best to resolve in finding a way back myself.

Being some-what understanding yet still wary, Daehyun agreed to help. He was quiet at first; not making any attempts to change his attitude towards the whole situation but eventually, the thought of going home had grown on him in surprisingly a short space of time.

So he agreed quietly, and told me to get some sleep since he was certain on getting up early to start on the raft.

There was indeed a craving to meet his parents again; I could sense it in him even if he didn’t show it.

We got up early the next morning and started to gather various materials from the island to build the raft. The rescue boat parked on the sand was too weak and rickety; Daehyun and I both acknowledged it wouldn’t hold out the journey back home.

Especially after the disastrous weather it had previously gone through.

The heavy rain had surely enough dampened the wood and the paddles inside were sodden and decayed. Daehyun and I needed to build something that would be able to undergo the waves and weather.

Clawing at the irritant itch on my left arm, I watched the bronzed Island boy tie several hefty logs of wood together with tight bindings of some of his old tattered clothes and other island material.

His strategy was quite promising because after several hours of hard work, Daehyun managed to put together something sturdy enough to stay afloat. I helped of course, but only under the instructions of the older.

Daehyun destroyed his own hammock to use the tight cross-hatched material to make some of the knots, so he resorted in using my hammock for slumber that night.

After a whole day of productive activity, Daehyun and I scooted beside each other on the beach, listening to the singsong of seagulls flying around overhead.

The sun was beginning to set and the ocean began to calm, gliding onto the beach in soft ripples. The two of us looked afar at the glimmering horizon, lost in thought.

Home was on our minds. The feeling of carpet between our toes, music in our ears, a freshly cooked meal using ingredients from a grocery store stimulating our sense of smell. We wanted the everyday conventionality of the city, but also the freedom and happiness of the island.

We wanted both but we only had the choice of one.

“This might be the last time I’m doing this.” Whispered Daehyun, bringing his knees up to his chin.

“It wont be. You can always come back when you want to…” I say, resting my head on his shoulder.

Daehyun looked down at my resting head and smiled. “I’m only doing this for you.”

My eyes flickered open and I looked up to face him. “Daehyun…your parents miss you. Your friends miss you. A girl you once loved also misses you…haven’t you ever thought of that?”

Daehyun stares back at me, chocolate spirals glazing his orbs. His stare was absurdly mesmerising, I often felt myself getting lost in a tender hallucination by just holding eye contact.

The thought of Daehyun possibly having a girl waiting back home sort of hurt, but we were two completely different people with different terminations. I had ambitions whereas Daehyun was just Daehyun.

He didn’t look forward to anything, nor did he carry his own future apart from living a life of peace and serenity.

I couldn’t quite muster the feelings I carried for the elder boy, but since we’re the same gender I don’t think he would feel a certain way I would…

“If I had a lover back home, I wouldn’t have left in the first place.” Daehyun spoke, leaning back with both hands resting behind him. “I wouldn’t do that to someone I love.”

The sun descended lower into the horizon and we simply watched in silence. I felt bad for invading his love life…it’s probably uncomfortable subject to talk about since he just admitted there was no actual force to go back apart from my pleas to reunite with my family.

“There’s one place I haven’t shown you yet…Youngjae.”

I bring myself away from his shoulder and watch him quizzically. “Where?” I meekly ask, my voice soft.

Daehyun gets up onto his feet and holds a hand out for me to take before guiding me through the forest. Dragonflies and tiny bugs accommodate us on the journey as we cross the bridge and wander through the mango trees and tall bushes.

My smaller feet pitter-patter beside Daehyun’s, his anklets making gentle clinking noises through the subtle croak of crickets.

 “We’re almost there,” he declares, taking us further southwest. He was right…I hadn’t come in this direction at all; the closest I’ve been was the volcano where I’d been bitten by the scorpion.

We clambered through dozens of tall palm trees that had been blocking the evening rays of sun and loads of flower bushes until we came towards an opening.

In an instant, my breath had been stolen away at the gorgeous sight ahead of me. Daehyun’s hand squeezed tighter within my own as we stared up at the amiable sway of bright green willow trees, loads of them. They nestled on a land of fresh emerald grass and the sound of the sea sounded not too far off.

Squeezing tighter onto my hand, Daehyun pulls me in closer until we were weaving through the long stipules of willow, feathering my face and arms. The thin leaves placed chaste kisses against my skin as we soared deeper in, fingers interlinked.

Daehyun sped up to a run and eventually, we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, panting heavily from overwhelming glee.

“This is beautiful,” I gasp when we finally stop running. Daehyun turns to me with a toothy grin, his eyes brimmed with utter jubilation.

“This is my home” he smiles, caressing a palm along a curtain of green leaves. “Every time I felt alone or upset, I’d come here and lie under one of these for ages. I’d fall asleep or I’d cry until I was satisfied.”

We walk on and I couldn’t help but stare at the bronze male in utter fascination. Had he been keeping this place a secret from me this whole time?

“I came here a lot when I first left home. When I discovered it I was absolutely mesmerised and it instantly brought me the feeling of relief and tranquillity. When I spoke…I felt the trees listen.” He confides, looking up at the beauty surrounding us.

“I feel like I’m in heaven…” I breathe, staring solely at the other male. Sensing my awe, Daehyun smiles softly and begins to close the gap between us.

“Me too…” he whispers, cupping my cheeks within his palms and leaning in. Moments later, our lips were joined together, moulding in sync to our heartbeats as we devoured the majestic moment within the willows.

Their hushed whispers drifted along the warm breeze as Daehyun injected the kiss with passion by inserting his tongue between my lips.

My hands remained rigid against his waist as his fingers curled and dug lovingly through my strands of brunette hair, winding me deeper into the kiss.

Energy swarmed my being as I realised how wonderful this moment was. How delicate Daehyun’s words were. How perfect his lips moved. How badly I wanted more.

How I just wanted to dive straight into his loving embrace and feel him coursing all over me. Thunder struck overhead but neither of us moved until the rain was pelting us.

Unlatching our reddened lips, we ran back through where we came from before stumbling into the cove for shelter.  Our time in the willows replayed in my head as we panted from the run.

Without being able to resist, I pulled Daehyun down to lie on top of me until my arms were wrapped comfortably around his neck.

Time was at a standstill. Outside of the cove became dark as the rainclouds blocked out the setting sun. Daehyun stared down at me with misty eyes and parted lips.

My gaze travelled down to the damp clothes sticking to his skin and several notions began to run through my mind, causing a cold sweat to slither down my spine.

After pecking on the hem of his vest, Daehyun got the hint and hesitantly removed it. Beads of rain trickled down his long nose and dripped onto my flushed skin, just adding to my coy desires.

That night, Daehyun and I slept in the cove in a messy tangle of limbs and jagged breaths. Among all the nights we’d slept on this island, this one was definitely the one we’d shared a nights worth of memorable bliss. 

~*~