I let her slightly rough, small hands trace the outlines of my face, the touch sending electrifying chills down my veins despite the ticklish feeling. I had no idea on what she was intending by that, but I figured that she hadn’t really seen me in a long time; I knew it was probably for her to be reminded of my face again.

It was weird not having her look directly into my eyes, as her eyelids were now closed because she hated the fact that she couldn’t focus on anything with them opened. From the close proximity however, I could see the faint scars on her forehead and on the bridge of her nose that must have come from the accident. They were healing, but still there, looking straight at me almost as if wanting to make me feel guilty.

She then cupped my face ever so lightly, almost as if she was afraid I would break from her touch, and as my heartbeat could only accelerate by her face slightly approaching mine, I had an idea for what would happen next.

Then, for a fleeting moment I wondered how things would change after this; how it would become too serious for us to just quit it, how things had even gotten as far as this. Because I was about to get to kiss the girl I had been thinking about all along, despite me thinking it would be wrong to do so, and I couldn’t help myself from thinking that this would be better.

The moment I felt myself lean closer to meet her halfway, my eyes already starting to close as I could feel the warm touch of her hands lightly fall down towards my shoulders. Tilting my head slightly, I could almost feel her slightly ragged breath against me, the softness of her cheeks despite the scars and wounds, and then it happened.

Her soft, delicate lips met mine with such warmth and tenderness that it felt as if my heart almost exploded into tiny pieces. At least it was beating immensely faster, almost pounding by the sensation that ran through my veins by the simple action of her lips upon mine. It felt as if they were just made for me, perfectly moving in sync against mine despite my slight taken aback reaction.

I was prepared for the kiss, but I wasn’t prepared for such a firework explosion that went through my head as I could only grip onto her arms as if to control myself from falling. There was nothing else on my mind except for the warmth, the feeling and the oddly sweet taste of the girl in front of me.

The kiss was tender, soft and everything a first kiss should be, despite both of us already haven given away our first kiss to someone else. However, as mine went for a boy I did not love in the same way, it felt like the first kiss I always wanted yet never got, in a setting I did not expect in a million years.

It was soft, yet so deep and emotional. It was searching, extended and inferring me that this was probably not only the first kiss, but the first of many kisses just like this.

The moment our lips were connected, it seemed like eternity and infinity stood still.

When we parted after a while, I couldn’t quite phantom that it ended so quickly although I had no idea how long it lasted. The only thing I knew was that it was everything I ever wanted in a kiss, something I hadn’t experienced the first time, but it still made up for it as I felt a bit breathless.

Our faces were still close, one of her hands on my shoulder and the other on my jaw, her breathing slightly scarce as if she just ran a thousand miles and I couldn’t say I was any better.

“Are you on drugs?” Ara then suddenly asked, and I wanted to give her a perplexed look by the random question. However, before I could she interrupted herself, probably understanding my confusion.

“I mean, you’re choosing me of all people; a stubborn, sarcastic idiot of a girl who can’t even see,” she continued, her voice sounding so fragile and so lost for a reason, as if she had lost all self-confidence as she sat there.

“Why would a perfect girl like you want a girl like me?”

Then, as if a flashback ran through the back of my mind, I could only sigh slightly before placing my hand upon the one on my jaw, before letting my fingers fall beneath hers in such a perfect way that made me smile.

“Because I can’t stop thinking about you, and you make me feel out of my element, in a good way,” I began softly, hoping she’d understand. “And when I’m with you I forget about everything else; there’s no strict parents, no classes, no reality and nothing but you.”

After what felt like forever and a day, I finally saw the smile on her face that reminded me of why I even fell for her. The corners of her lips tugging up slightly until they stretched into a full grin, showcasing the happiness from her entire being in such a simple action that I almost felt emotional by it, knowing fully that it was us now.

Then she let out a chuckle; a sincere one that wasn’t forced to make me feel happy, to reassure me as I could feel the mood lift up drastically. “It’s just weird; before you I used to hate the idea of mushy confessions like this, but now I don’t know why I feel so complete,” Ara shared then and I could only laugh.

“Well, you have to add a little salt and pepper to make it complete,” I said then as our hand ended up on the blanket above her leg, my heart still feeling a bit giddy by everything that just happened, almost not understanding that it was real.

“There is one thing I’m going to miss, if I never regain my sight,” Ara broke the comfortable silence we held for a while now, our hands never letting to despite how clammy and sweaty they were, and how uncomfortable this position on the chair was.

“What is that? Never seeing my gorgeous face again?” I slightly , and she only laughed before lightly shoving my shoulder before she continued to speak.

“You know why my name is Ara?” the girl with cerulean locks asked then, and as I could only look at her closed eyelids for a moment I could only ask why, wondering what she was going to reply.

“I don’t know why, but my father said that from the minute he held me in his arms and up until now, I reminded him of his mother,” she said surprisingly enough, my ears now listening to her soft voice speaking. “She used to be a very talented artist back in her days, and a frequent traveler despite her not knowing any other language than her mother tongue.”

Ara took a small break there, her small hand around mine tightening a bit as her head then landed on the pillow beneath her, almost as if she was asleep yet her lips kept on speaking with such a clear voice.

“Her entire life was an adventure, only wanting to explore the best of the best, and even when she got pregnant it didn’t stop her from exploring as much as she could; she was a great woman,” Ara said then, adjusting her position a bit.

“Were you named after her?” I asked then, looking over at the cerulean dyed hair of the girl I figured I was too attached to now. Then, she shook her head.

“No, but she loved music, traveling and art. Art was basically what my parents thought when they saw me for the first time, but they thought Misul didn’t seem right. They wanted something that worked in both America and Korea. Thus they ended up called me Ara; it doesn’t actually mean art, but it comes from the word… And that is what I’m going to miss.”

I could only nod by the small story then, wondering what made her think of it, but it was cute nevertheless as I lightly smiled. “Ara is a beautiful name, though,” I shared my honest opinion, because it was; unique and something out of the ordinary.

“But what made them realize you were still like your grandmother?” I then asked after a while, looking towards her seemingly sleeping face, as her eyes were still closed. She let out a small chuckle then before replying.

“Both of us curse like sailors and at math,” Ara said and I could only laugh a bit by her response, because it didn’t surprise me at all although I rarely actually heard Ara curse. However, she did seem like the type when she got angry with something, as I could only think back about how everything around me changed the moment I got to know her.

“Why does everything feel different with you Soojung?” Ara asked then after our laughter died down, our hands still intertwined as I could only smile slightly, thinking about everything one more time.

“I don’t know, but you got to hold on to what you’re feeling because I’m determined on us staying together for a long time,” I said despite the fact probably not going to be true, but I didn’t want to think realistically because I wanted this summer to be spent on nothing but happiness.

“But you know that things might not work out that way, right?” Ara replied then, so honest yet as if she didn’t want to believe herself. I felt my chest slightly descend by the thought of us not being able to be together, but as mentioned I would not let my spirit fall.

“I’m placing my bet on us, no matter what,” I replied then, hoping the cerulean haired girl would do the same.