“Oh. You know my name already,” she nodded to herself. She sighed before mumbling, “That’s a surprise.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. Why would knowing her name be a surprise?

“So…” she smiled at me. “What’s your name, neighbour?”

Now that was the real surprise.

“You don’t know my name?” I asked her back.

She stared and squinted at me, as if trying to examine any other meaning behind my words but those were just it. I know that it was unusual for me to let a person who has been with me for three days to get a hold of my mind for months, but it should be normal for the two of us to at least remember each other’s name.

But to my dismay, she shook her head and answered, “I’m sorry… but no.”

I stared back at her with my mouth gaped open in disbelief. She just answered “no” and it meant that it was only me. It was only me who vividly remembered and revisited the memories of El Nido. It was only me whose mind and heart ached upon wondering of the ifs and the what ifs. It was only me who treated those moments as rare, special and precious. It was difficult to forget Suzy especially when I always dreamed of the stranger who made my heart race in just three days. I was not the type to think romantically but I’d admit that I looked forward to this day where I would meet that girl again but I never thought that our second meeting would leave my mind in messier state.

The girl who bravely kissed me by the beach couldn’t even remember my name.

 “Are you really sure that you don’t know me?” I asked again.

She stared again at me, as if trying to give it a deep thought but asked back, “Are you someone that I already know?”

I groaned thinking if this was what the girls whom I rejected felt – being loved dovey and sweet at one moment then forgetting you and treating you like a stranger the next. Then an idea popped into my mind. Maybe Bae Suzy is pretending not to know me. If this was the game she wanted to play, I’d show her that I could play this one better.

“No,” I gently shook my head. With a smile, I convinced myself and her, “This is our first meeting.”

I then held out my hand, and said, “I’m Lee Jongsuk. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” she took my hand and shook it with glee. With another beam she added, “Welcome to the neighbourhood!”

And in my mind, I said to her: Welcome back to my life, Bae Suzy.

I was walking along the corridors, trying to look for Room 306 where my first class for the school year would be commencing ten minutes from now. If I don’t find the room anytime soon, I’d surely be late and that would not leave a good impression on my classmates or on my professor. Desperate, I grabbed the attention of the one nearest to me.

“Excuse me, but do you know where Room 306 is?” I asked and that was only the time that I realized that it was a girl whom I have just called. Her hair was a few inches below her ears; her orbs were large but beautiful and her overall aura seemed so innocent which reminded me of Suzy.

“I’m actually looking for it too,” she said in a soft voice.

“Ah. We must be from the same block,” I gasped.

“Hmmm. I think so,” she hummed. She then extended a hand at me and said, “I’m Lee Yu Bi.”

“I’m Lee Jong Suk,” I shook her hand quickly. “But let’s get going or else we’re going to be late.”

The desperation in me was getting bigger as I thought that there was another person who depended on me now so I blocked the way of a tall student and a girl who was walking just behind him.

“Excuse me, but do you know where Room 306 is?” I asked yet again.

“Oh. They’re from our block too,” the girl behind him mumbled.

“Why are people so stupid nowadays? How many more should I fetch on the way?” the male groaned as he rolled his eyes but his eyes were so chinky that it was almost unnoticeable. He then spared us a glance and said, “It’s 306. Of course, it’s on third floor. Come on, just follow us.”

He then walked again fast and we indeed followed behind him. The girl behind him then slowed her steps a little as she said, “I’m Kang Sora and that tall guy is Kim Woo Bin. I also met him on the way. What are your names?”

The short-haired girl then took the honors and replied, “I’m Lee Yu Bi and this is Lee Jongsuk.”

Sora then glanced at me and I merely bowed a little and said, “Hi.”

“Hello,” she beamed and added, “Let’s all be friends.”

Before we could even engage in another conversation, Woo Bin noticeably groaned again and uttered, “Faster guys! We don’t have time for introductions now!”

As we ran together towards the classroom, a smile played on my lips as I knew that these three might just play a large part of my life from now on.

While I was walking back on my way from school, I decided to drop-by the grocery store to buy some chips that could aid me in my all-nighter to study the books that I have borrowed from the library. After grabbing three different chips, I was about to quickly check-out from the counter but then I saw her again. The thought of calling her attention already came, but then I find her cute when she’s too oblivious of the surroundings. My lips curved into a smile as I quietly followed Suzy around the grocery store. I just watched as she stuffed some veggies and meat to her cart then she contentedly smiled to herself before walking towards the counter.