Mina wasn't much of a outdoor person. She would rather stay in her room and draw anything that comes to mind while listening to classical music than go outside into the sun. Her parents never said much about her not getting enough sunlight since they let her do whatever she wants as long as she doesn't get into trouble, which she never does. 

Mina walked with light steps past the joggers and families who were having a picnic on the grass. She was heading to her usual spot deeper inside the park. She arrived after five minutes of strolling and sat down on her favourite bench. Mina loved this spot because it was closer to the sea than the other benches. Plus, there were two big trees on either side of the bench to shade it from the sunlight so no matter how brightly the sun shone, the bench would still remain cool. No one would really bother walking this far into the park unless they wanted to jog the entire distance or like Mina, enjoy the weather alone in a secluded spot. 

Mina brushed the bench lightly with her hand to sweep away the dust before sitting down. She placed her sketchbook and the metal case on the space beside her before taking her phone out from her pocket. She plugged her earphones into the port and placed her playlist on shuffle. 

The soothing sound of violin filled Mina's ears as Beethoven's Violin Romance No. 2 began to play. She picked up her sketchbook and flipped it to the last page. She decided to finish using the old one before she began drawing on the new one which is why she brought along a spare. She opened the metal case and took out a 2B pencil and a eraser. 

The soft sound of pencil lead running across paper could be heard as Mina began to draw. She was going to sketch the view from where she was sitting today. She could draw basically anything and everything but landscape was her speciality. Human features were doable but a little tedious so she prefers to stick to landscape sketches. 

Mina let the calming sound of the instruments take over her senses as her pencil moved gracefully over the sketchbook, adding detail after detail of the sea, the sky, the shadows. Not forgetting the minor details of the tree barks and the many leaves on the tree. That was one of the key points of Mina's drawings; detail. Her attention to even the smallest and most overlooked detail is extraordinary. Just to perfect a artwork, she wouldn't mind spending hours just to fill in the tiniest of details.

The song came to a end as Mina finished up the outlines of the landscape. 

Arcangelo Corelli's 12 concerti grossihe No. 1 in D Major began to play as she turned to the metal case beside her and placed the 2B pencil back in the case in exchange for a 9H pencil. She began to shade the lighter areas of the sketch skillfully as she moved actoss the paper. Mina placed the pencil back in the case and took out a 9B to shade the darker and medium areas. When she was done, she tucked her pencil behind her ear and took out a shading stump and tortillion and started to blend in the pencil marks. Rough blend with the stump and finer blends with the tortillion. 

Mina completed the sketch just as the cello bowed the final notes to complete the song. She held the sketchbook at arms length and gave it a look-over. Deciding it was satisfactory enough, she closed the sketchbook and took out a new one, returning the shading tools as well as the 9B pencil behind her ear into case and taking out the 2B pencil again.

Ennio Morricone's Nella Fantasia (Gabriel's Oboe) was up next as she twirled the pencil around in her hand, contemplating on what she should draw next. Mina closed her eyes to think as she listened to the drumming of the timpanis and the mellow bowing of the strings. She could imagine the chirping of the birds, the sound of the waves gently washing upshore, the sun rays that filtered through the tree leaves. There was a gentle breeze blowing against her resting form as the oboe blew it's first notes. 

Suddenly, Mina felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a girl looking at her with wide eyes and eyebrows slightly raised. The girl seemed to fit the song perfectly, her appearance was dreamy just like the song. Straight black hair that reached just below her shoulders, small face with sharp features and flawless skin. The most stunning feature was the girl's pair of light brown orbs that seem to twinkle with innocence. Mina was throughly captivated by her beauty. The girl too was surprised. She never expected to meet someone that looks so stunning out here in the park since most girls with good looks would be spending 'quality time' at the mall shopping. 

Mina took out her earphones to see what the other girl wanted. They looked at each other for about ten seconds before Mina broke the awkward silence.

'Do you.. Need something?' Mina asked the girl who looked like she wanted to say something.

'Oh uh.. I was going to ask if it was okay for me to sit here.' the girl said. 

'Ah.. Sure. You didn't have to ask, this bench is open for everyone really.' 

'Oh okay. It was just that you seemed to be doing something and I didn't want to be rude and disturb you.' the black haired girl said as she carefully sat down on the bench on Mina's right. 

'It's fine. I was just thinking what to draw.' Mina replied and the girl nodded. 

'You're an artist?' the girl asked and gestured at the metal case and sketchbook on the bench between them as well as the one resting on Mina's lap. 

'Just a hobby I guess. It's a niceday today so I thought why not come to get some fresh air.' 

'Just like what my parents think.' the girl huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. 

'Parent's chased you out for fresh air?' Mina guessed and the girl looked seemingly surprised.

'How did you know?' 

'Oh it was a lucky guess actually.. Your clothes too kinda shows you were out of the house reluctantly. A ah.. Oversized tee and sweatpants with flip flops isn't really a park friendly outfit.' Mina chuckled lightly and dark haired girl dipped her head slightly to hide the little blush of embarassment on her cheeks. 

'Anyways, it's cool. Everyone gets herded out for a little sunlight at least once in their life.' Mina said and the girl nodded. 'By the way, what's your name?' 

'Sana.' 

'Hmm.. You aren't korean right?' Mina asked and Sana nodded,

'Japanese. My family migrated here.' 

'Ah I see.. I'm Japanese too. Mina.' the artist introduced and bowed slightly in her seat.

Silence settled between the two girls with only the sound of the surrounding nature to prevent the silence from becoming deafening. Mina had placed the left earbud back in. A idea hit her on what to draw and she got to work. Tilting the sketchbook slightly towards the left so Sana couldn't see what she was drawing. 

It was weird actually. Not just her idea of sketching this complete stranger that just sat down beside her but also the fact that Mina never spoke more than two sentences to someone she wasn't familiar with. She was completely puzzled by what she did. Sana was no doubt attractive and Mina couldn't deny that. There was a really minor feeling of fluttering in Mina's stomach but she brushed it off. It was impossible that she felt it because of Sana. They only know each other's names, how can love blossom so easily? Besides, Sana might not even play for the same team. 

Mina shook the storm of thoughts out of her head and just focused on conpleting the sketch, placing the right earbud in as well and let the classical music drown out the sound of her surroundings. It didn't take long for her to be completely focused on the drawing. With her concentration only on her sketchbook, she didn't notice Sana looking at her with curious eyes. Thankfully for Mina, the girl wasn't that curious to take a peek at what she was doing. 

'Mina?' Sana called out but the girl did not respond. 

Hmm, she's probably busy sketching. She can't hear me anyway since she's listening to music and I don't think it would be too good to interrupt an artist. I'll just borrow this to look through. She probably wouldn't mind. I hope, Sana thought as she gently pulled the sketchbook that was on the bench out from beneath the metal case. 

The black haired girl was surprised at how good the artwork was. Flipping through the pages, some were full complete sketches and others were just a page full of random objects. Some are still life and others are figure and gesture drawing. She smiled as she reached the last sketch which was dated today; the sketch that Mina just completed. 

Sana then flipped the page over to a particular sketch that caught her eye. It wasn't as proportionate as the others and it wasn't the neatest. 

'Is it good?' Mina asked and the sketchbook in Sana's hand almost went flying as the girl jerked slightly. 

'Sorry if I scared you.' Mina chuckled.

'Ah no. I should be the one who's sorry. I didn't ask..' Sana said and was about to flip back to the cover page and return the sketchbook back to its original place when Mina stopped the motion with her index finger. 

'You were looking at this particular one for a long time.' Mina said.

'Oh. I was curious why this was a little.. Different as compared to the other drawings.' Sana asked and looked at Mina. The artist pressed the sketchbook down with her finger so it tilted slightly towards her to see what it was.

'Ah.. This. I was trying a new technique called blind contouring. It was to keep my eyes on a object and draw according to estimation as well as keeping the pencil on the paper without lifting it. Well... It didn't turn out very well as you can see.' Mina said sheepishly and scratched her neck. 

'It's still better than what I can do. I'm any artist's worst nightmare.' Sana joked and handed the sketchbook back to Mina.

'Nah.. It's a skill that can be refined and honed. With a little practice I'm sure you can be as good as Picasso.' Mina smiled and placed the sketchbook on the bench. She then closed the sketchbook that was on her lap and stacked it atop the old sketchbook before placing the metal case on top.

'Oh you're done?' Sana asked seeing that Mina had packed up her materials. 

'Mmhm. It was a simple drawing.'

'Can I see?' 

'Maybe another day.' 

'Oh okay then. Are you leaving?' 

'Do you want me to?' 

'Honestly? No. I kinda.. uh.. like your company.' Sana said shyly as she tugged at a loose thread on the hem of her shirt. 

'I can hang around for a bit. Do you want to go somewhere else or continue sitting here?' Mina asked. She had lots of spare time on her hands so why not spend some of it on her new friend?

'Really? If you have something else to do you could go. I think I clocked enough time outside to appease my parents.' 

'Haha I have plenty of spare time. Coffee?' Mina suggested. She wasn't sure where all this courage to talk to a stranger was coming from and she was definitely questioning why did she just ask this girl she met twenty minutes ago to grab coffee together. This sudden burst of outgoingness was scaring her.

'Like this?' Sana gestured at her super casual outfit. 

'Why not? I'm not taking you to a fancy cafe.' Mina laughed.

'But still.. You look decent and I.. Look a little homeless or something.' Sana pouted and Mina's heart tingled a little. It wasn't as bad as it sounded though. Mina too, looked pretty casual. Decked simply in a white v neck, navy blue khaki shorts and white vans.

'It's fine.. We kinda match anyway. white shirt.. White.. shoes.. slash flip flops.' Mina snorted. 'A girl as pretty as you can't be homeless anyway. Let's go. It's on me.' Mina said, her thoughts accidentally slipping out of . She mentally slapped herself and prayed her new found friend wouldn't ask about it. 

'I can pay, I brought my wallet.' Sana rolled her eyes and Mina sighed in relief. 

'Still on me. Take it as a treat to celebrate me making a new friend. C'mon.' Mina said and grabbed her drawing materials. 

'You sound like you never had a friend.' the dark haired girl strolled beside Mina as they walked to the main road where there was a little cafe nearby. 

'Basically. My friends say that I looked a little scary because I was quiet and would just look at them without speaking. Also that I had some chic aura or something.' 

'Should I be feeling proud of myself that I befriended some kinda cold person?' 

'Maybe. What a brave person.' Mina joked sarcastically. 

'Why thank you.' Sana stuck out her tongue. 

They walked in and sat down at a table near the window. Mina ordered the drinks and brought them to the table.

'So what are you? A student?' Sana asked as she sipped her tea.

'I graduated a few years ago. I never applied for college either. Perhaps I should soon.' Mina said.

'I see. You could major in art.' 

'I guess. How about you?'

'I'm not in college either but I'm thinking of applying for a culinary major.'

'I assume you're a foodie?' 

'I guess since I like trying new food. I like the cooking process more.' 

'Cool. Bet it tastes great.' 

The two sat and talked for an hour or two, touching on many topics from life to random thoughts like what superpower they would want to have.

'You know, I never imagined myself ever getting coffee and talking hours to someone I just met today. I thought I would just draw and walk around before heading home. I guess this is new.. And nice.' Mina said as she drank the rest of her coffee. 

'Me too. I thought I would just camp out at the park and take a nap before going home, but this is a good change of plans for me. I made a new friend. Yay!' Sana yipped and wiggled her fingers which made the artist laugh.

'You're a bright one aren't you?' 

'I guess.' Sana grinned.

They decided it was time to go since the sun was setting. Time sure flies when you're having fun. 

'I guess I'll see you around?' Sana asked, doubt lacing her voice as they stepped out of the cafe.

'We'll see. If we live in the same area we're bound to meet. Or we could meet in the park.' Mina shrugged. 

'Good idea. I'll be on my way now. Bye Mina, thanks for the treat.' Sana smiled as she turned to walk down the street, hands tucked into her sweatpant pocket.

'Bye Sana.. I hope I'll see you soon.' Mina whispered to herself as she watched Sana's back view disappear into the crowd of people.

Mina's parents didn't ask much about why she came home later than usual but they were fine with it. Their daughter was no longer a kid anyway. She had dinner with her family as per usual, talking about how their day had been before they retired to their rooms for the night. 

Mina sat on her swivel chair and picked up the tennis ball on the table. She spun round to face a empty wall and threw the ball against the wall where it bounced back to her and she caught it. For some reason this helped her to think better. All that Wii tennis must be getting to her.

There was something about Sana. This indescribable feeling. Somehow the girl's presence made Mina feel as if she known her since they were kids. She just seemed so confortable to be around and talk to that Mina's usual introvert and closed off traits just flew out of the window.

She huffed as the ball hit her palm with a thud. She leaned back and spun round in her chair. She stopped and wheeled closer to her table, taking the new sketchbook and flipping it to the first page. 

Every facial feature of Sana was captured perfectly in that one simple sketch. Even her shirt. Mina pursed her lips and stared at the drawing before reaching for her metal case. She took out her pencils and began touching up on her sketch, removing the base lines and making Sana's jawline a little sharper with a few to keep it clean. 

This was also a rare ocassion where Mina actually wanted to add color. It wasn't that she hated coloring, she was just lazy to think of the multiple tones and shades that would match and blend together. The first thing that the artist added color to was the lips. Blending the basic red with a little ruby on the inner lips and rose on the outer lip. She then used a little garnet to add in the creases. 

Just like this, a simple sketch was brought to life little by little. Colors were slowly added to each feature and detail. When Mina was done, she held the sketchbook up to admire her work. It was almost as good as a picture printed on the page of he sketchbook. The shades were blended well and of course, the detail was exceptional. Mina signed at the bottom right corner of the page and dated her sketch. She closed the book and stretched, letting out a small yawn. 

Pressing the home button of her phone to check the time, she was shocked that it was fifteen minutes past midnight. She had been at it for three hours. Mina quickly washed up and got into bed. She was supposed to meet up with a friend at 9 am and knowing her, she's probably have problems waking up with less than 7 hours of sleep. 

Tucking her phone under her pillow after setting multiple alarms of 5 minute intervals, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

It felt like she only slept for an hour before her pillow started to vibrate and the muffled sound of her alarm blared in the silence of her room. With her eyes closed, she slid her hand under her pillow and felt around for the disturbance to her beauty sleep. She forced an eye open and took a peek at the time: 7 am. Without hesitation, she snoozed the alarm and dropped her phone on her stomach, falling back into dreamland. 

Her alarm sounded again and she jolted awake. Taking another look at the time, she found that it was the last alarm set and it was time to get up. She must have either slept through the previous six alarms or snoozed them all in a daze. Regardless, she kicked off her blanket and stretched before rolling out of bed. Curse her friend for being such a early bird. 

She stumbled out of her room only to bump into her brother and almost sent the both of them tumbling if he hadn't supported their weight by placing his hand on the wall. Thank god for their narrow hallways. 

'Sorry o-nii.' 

'It's okay. Are you awake yet? Like really awake?' Kai asked, amused smile playing on his lips as he watched his younger sister rub the sleep out of her eyes and blinked a few times. 

'Er.. I will be later.'

'Haha alright. Where are you going? You're up unusually early.' 

'Meeting Jihyo to just hang around.' the girl said and yawned mid sentence.

'Ah I see, have fun. Go wash up or you'll be late.' Kai said and turned his sister around by the shoulders, pushing her gently in the direction of the bathroom. 

Mina was a little more awake after washing her face with cold water and brushing her teeth. She walked back to her room and picked an outfit. She and Jihyo weren't going to spend much time outside even though the sweltering summer heat was slowly cooling off. They were going to the arcade today and wherever they felt like going. 

Mina picked a comfortable and casual outfit; plain white tee, black knee ripped jeans and her favourite pair of white adidas. She told her mom she would be back by evening and left the house. 

She threw her car keys slightly into the air and caught it as she whistled and walked to her car. It wasn't too flashy but it wasn't too shabby either. This was her favourite model; the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. Indeed a little pricey but it was a worthy investment nonetheless. Anything for the convenience of her and her friends and family. 

She got in and started the engine, buckling up as she felt the engine rumble to life. It was now 8:30 am according to the clock on the dashboard. Plenty of time to get to the meeting point since it was just a fifteen minute drive away. She smoothly turned the wheel and guided the car out of the parking lot and merged into the main road without much waiting. It was still early and it was a weekend so there weren't many cars.

It didn't take long for Mina to reach the little restaurant where they agreed to meet and have breakfast together. She parked her car and checked the time. 8:50 am. She decided to head in and grab them a seat. Grabbing her phone, wallet and car keys, she locked the car and went inside. She sent Jihyo a quick text as she sat down in a small booth for two, telling the girl she was already inside. 

It didn't take long before Jihyo arrived.

'Hey, sorry I'm late.' Jihyo said as she slid into the booth.

'Nah you aren't. I'm just ridiculously early.' Mina smiled. 'Shall we order?' 

'Yep.' 

They browsed through the menu. There wasn't much to to choose from since it was still morning and a light breakfast would suffice. 

'I'm getting this.' Jihyo pointed at the menu. 'A regular stack and.. a Americano. You?' 

'Hmm maybe a regular stack too and a latte.' Mina closed the menu. 

Jihyo nodded and waved for a waiter. 

'Two regular stacks, one americano and one latte please.' Jihyo recited and the waiter nodded. 

'So how's life?' Jihyo asked Mina.

'Oh you know.. Same old same old. Ah.. Jihyo..' Mina trailed off.

'Something up?' 

'Yeah..' 

'I'm listening.'

Mina swallowed and began to tell Jihyo about Sana whom she met in the park just yesterday. When she was done, Jihyo interlocked her fingers and leaned back. 

'Hmm.. That's unusual of you.. It's so.. Out of character.' Jihyo said thoughtfully.

'Yeah.. And it's weird because I don't usually act like this and definitely not towards strangers and it's bothering me that she makes me feel like this.' Mina huffed and ran a hand through her hair. 

'Well you only saw her once.. Probably like those moments where you have a crush on a really attractive stranger?' Jihyo suggested.

'Maybe.. We did say that we might meet at the park again though, but we never said when exactly.' 

'Well, if you're fated to meet you'll meet her one day.' 

'I guess so.' 

The waiter returned to their table just as they ended their conversation and placed their drinks down before another waiter came by with their food. 

'Enjoy your meal.' he smiled and walked off.

'So what shall we do after this?' Jihyo asked as she cut up her pancakes and spread the scoop of butter around.

'I guess.. a movie?' Mina asked as she cut up her own pancakes. 

'And the arcade?' 

'Yep and the arcade. Then walk around and see what else we can do.' 

'Sounds good.' Jihyo nodded and drizzled maple syrup over her now cut up stack of pancakes.

They finished their meal over a light conversation, catching up with each other. 

They were out of the restaurant an hour later with full bellies and light footsteps. 

'Arcade or movie?' Mina asked.

'Hmm movie first. Suicide Squad?' 

'Oh yes that! Let's go!' Mina's eyes widened in excitement. She had plans to watch that but never had the time. Now was a good opportunity to do so.

They paid for their tickets and went into the theatre. Opting not to buy any snacks ot drinks since they just had breakfast. Settling into their seats, they waited for the movie to start. 

'Damn that was awesome.' Jihyo said.

'You bet it was.' the Japanese girl agreed.

'Time to go shoot our own zombies.' Jihyo laughed.

'Haha go go!' Mina said and took off for the arcade with Jihyo chasing after her. 

They bought an arcade card and went on their 'mission'.

'To the shooting games!' Mina ordered and Jihyo playfuly saluted. 

Mina tapped the card on the reader and the game began to start up. 

'Bang bang bang~' Jihyo sang and waved the gun around, making her good friend chuckle.

The intro played on the screen as the two friends got their guns in position.

The game started and they began firing at the first wave of zombies that were moving slowly towards them. They made it up to the seventh round till Jihyo's character got attacked which left Mina to fend for herself against the seemingly endless supply of zombies that kept spawning till her character too got overwhelmed.

'Oh well, not too bad eh. Look, we almost beat the high score.' Mina pointed at the screen. They were just about 200 points to beating the high score. 

'Teamwork.' Jihyo raised her hand and Mina gave her a high five. 

'Racing?' the shorter girl asked to which her friend nodded.

They walked around the racing area, deciding on which machine they should pick. 

'This looks good, 6 gear transmission is always fun and it looks quite new too.' Mina said as she peered around the racing machine which appeared to be in better condition than the others. 

'Let's play on this then.' Jihyo said and got into the seat. 

She tapped the card on the reader between them and waited for the game to start up. While waiting, they decided to adjust the seats to a comfortable position. There were cushions on the seat so it wasn't too uncomfortable to sit on.

They picked their cars and the track they wanted to race on and got ready. The moment the light turned green, the accelerators were floored. One hand on the wheel and the other on the gear, they tore down the racetrack nevk and neck. They raced round and neither was able to shake the other off their tail, making Jihyo's victory a lucky one by just two miliseconds.

'Haha it's like your driving licence helped you improve eh?' Mina joked.

'Maybe.' Jihyo shrugged with a cheeky smile.

They then went around the arcade to play the rest of the games that caught their eye before moving on to window shopping. Mina sent Jihyo home before driving to the park. Something in her gut just told her to go back to her favourite bench and take a quick peek. 

She turned into the narrow road where the landed houses were. The bench could be seen from that road. Mina checked her rear view mirror and slowed down seeing that there were no cars behind her. 

There was no one at the bench. 

Maybe tomorrow, she told herself before driving home. 

Mina was at the park again the next morning. She wasn't going to lie, she felt a little disappointed that Sana wasn't at the park yesterday. Mina wasn't sure why she was so eager to meet the other girl again. 

She walked to the end of the park and was surprised to see someone sitting at her usual spot. There was a girl who was bent over looking at her phone. As Mina walked closer, the girl must have heard her approaching because she looked up and turned to face Mina. 

'Mina?' 

'Sana? What a surprise, didn't expect you to be here.' Mina said, eyes widened.

'Well.. I did say I'll see you around.' Sana smiled. 

'Maybe we should make this our meeting spot.' Mina suggested and took a seat on the bench. 

'Hmm maybe every weekend?' 

'And holiday? Sounds good to me.'

'We'll do that then.' 

Mina smiled. She was happy that she would be able to meet Sana again and at a fixed date too. 

'You come here to draw regularly?' Sana asked and pointed to the drawing materials on the girl's lap.

'Ah yes I do.' Mina said and looked down at her sketchbook. She only brought the current sketchbook which was meant for Sana's portraits. 

'What are you drawing today?' Sana asked.

'Uh..' Mina racked her brain for an answer. If she said the view it probably made no sense since she drew it the last time. Even if Sana did accept it, she might want to see it after that. But to say she was drawing her might seem a little creepy too. 

'Ah am I asking too much?' the black haired girl knitted her eyebrows together.

'Oh no, it's just that I haven't decided what to draw.' Mina said quickly. 

'I see.. Don't mind me if I'm a disturbance. You can just pretend I'm not here.' Sana said. 

'It's okay, you're not a disturbance. If you don't mind..' Mina said and raised her earphones.

'No problem at all, whatever makes you comfortable while you're working.' Sana smiled. 

'Thanks.' Mina said. She plugged it into the earphone jack and scrolled through her playlist. Her song choice usually depended on how she was feeling and her sketch would follow along with her feelings. She decided on Erik Satie's Gymnopédie. As the first keys of the piano played, she began her sketch of Sana. Mina had tilted her body to angle herself such that Sana won't be able to see her sketchbook. The girl didn't seem to mind as she didn't say anything so Mina kept it as that. 

As per any sketch, she started with the base lines to form the shape of the face. She slowly got immersed in the sketch and didn't pay heed to Sana who was watching the girl. Mina had decided to fill this sketchbook with portraits of Sana as she thought that this would be a way of finding her true feelings. If she could draw the same face on 20 pages without feeling dread or tired of it, it definitely means something.

Sana found it interesting to watch Mina draw. She liked the way Mina's eyebrows would furrow once in awhile when she seemed to have drawn a part wrongly. How her tongue would sometimes poke through her lips in concentration and how her pencil seems to glide across the page as graceful a ballerina. 

Mina would look at Sana ocassionally to see if she got certain details right but to do it subtly, she would pretend she was stretching her neck. Sana didn't seem to suspect anything but she did notice how Sana seemed to turn away from her whenever she looked up. 

Mina decided to see if her suspicions were right and resumed her sketch but peeped at Sana from the top of her eyes. She tried to contain her smile. Sana was indeed looking at her drawing.

'Something on my face?' Mina asked without looking up. 

'W-w-what?' Sana sat up straight, looking a little flustered. When the artist did look up, there was a light pink hue spread across Sana's cheeks. 

'You were staring at me?' Mina asked questioningly. 

'Oh.. Uh.. I er..' Sana started but slumped against the backrest of the bench. 

'Haha I'm not going to scold you.' Mina chuckled and placed her pencil down. 

'I just found your face of concentration interesting to look at.' Sana muttered.

'That's new. I'll take it as a compliment.' Mina chuckled. 

The pair fell back into silence as Mina resumed her drawing. When she did look up again she found that the girl was dozing off. The artist smiled. Today she brought her color pencils along so she decided to color while the girl was asleep. She started with her hair, then the face and then the girl's clothes. Today Sana was dressed a little more decently; plain white v neck, denim shorts and a pair of white shoes. This meant that there was lesser coloring for Mina to do, just need to shade the creases on the shirt around the neck area. 

She was blending the colors to make it smoother when she saw Sana stir and woke up. The girl stretched her arms and legs, letting out a cute little grunt. 

'Oh sorry I fell asleep.' Sana said, rubbing her eyes.

'No worries. You woke just as I finished.' Mina smiled.

'Really? Can I see?' Sana's eyes widened.

'Uh.. Maybe another time.' Mina gave a nervous smile and Sana seemed a little dejected. The girl's eyebrows furrowed a little but the crease quickly smoothened as she brushed the matter off. 

'Are we going for coffee again? I look a little more appropriate this time.' Sana laughed.

'If you want to sure we can. Are we making this a habit too? Meet at the park and watch be draw before going for coffee?' Mina joked.

'It actually doesn't sound that bad.' Sana said after pondering over it. 

'Let's go with that too.' 

Mina and Sana went to the same cafe as the previous time. They talked over drinks and left when it was around 5 pm. 

This slowly became their routine, for the first few meetings that is. They would meet up every weekends and holidays, stay at the park and maybe walk around sometimes before going for either coffee or a drive around the neighbourhood before heading home. But as time passed and they grew closer, they would opt to go to each other's houses if the weather was bad or it was too hot to go outside. 

The artist was sitting on her swivel chair flipping through the previous pages. A unconscious smile spread across her face as the pages went by, with Sana at different angles and backgrounds. She flipped to the back and realized she had reached the second last page.

Mina closed the book and slid her hand across the cover. She took a deep breath. The answer to her question was pretty clear now. She was indeed in love. Mina realized that when they were at Sana's house a few weeks back. When the girl curled up by her arm and unknowingly let the sound of raindrops pelting against the window lull her to sleep. Mina took that time to think about what had happened so far. How she felt so comfortable around Sana. How easily she managed to open up to the older girl. How miraculous that they seemed to click so well despite having only met for only four months and counting. 

Mina looked down at the girl who was sleeping soundly, using Mina's arm as a pillow and just then, the thought seem to crash into her. She let her eyes roam around Sana's face. The face she seen and drew so many times she could do it in her sleep. Yet she never felt tired looking at the girl. Not one bit. 

Mina pressed her lips together as she snapped out of her thoughts. Looking at the clock on the wall, it was almost time to go. The two had exchanged numbers and agreed to meet at the library today. She took her sketchbook and her metal case before leaving for the library. 

Sana was already there when Mina arrived. 

'Sorry I made you wait.' Mina said as she sat down. 

'It's okay. My thoughts kept me occupied anyway.' Sana smiled.

Mina placed her drawing materials beside her and opened up the second last page. 

'When will I be able to see your drawings Minari?' the older girl asked. 

'The next time we meet. I promise I'll show you then. And I'll give you a surprise too. Hope you'll like it.' Mina said softly to not disturb the readers around them. 

'Yes!' Sana whispered in glee. She had asked a few times before but always got the same answer so she decided to let Mina take her time. She would show her when she wanted to anyway. 

Mina smiled and shook her head at the girl's excitement. She opened her metal case and picked out the 2B pencil and began her routine. Sana had found a book to read to pass time while Mina was drawing. The artist had picked the second movement of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A Major as today's song. 

Like the light and pleasant tune of the clarinet, she drew at a leisurely pace. They were at a spot beside the window where the sunlight was shining through. They weren't sitting in the sunlight but it was reflected off the polished floor boards and onto Sana's face, making her look angelic.

Mina moved on to the collar of Sana's varsity jacket and t-shirt while the girl continued reading. This sketch captured Sana's concentrated look perfectly. Each sketch was different, some were of the girl laughing and some were of the girl with a more solemn expression. 

Mina held it away from her to take a look before moving on to the coloring.

Just like that, the girls spent their afternoon relaxing in the peace and quietness of the library.

Today was Sunday and as Mina promised Sana yesterday, she would be showing her the sketchbook. 

More like giving it to her, Mina thought. 

The artist had spent an hour last night before bed, penning down her heartfelt words onto the last page and signing it off as well. There is no backing out of this now. Sana had been eager to see the contents of this book. 

Mina twiddled her fingers before taking the book into her hands. She could feel her stomach churning with nervousness. Today, they decided to meet at the cafe they frequent. 

The artist opened the first drawer of her desk and took out a pair of rings on the stack of papers. She had bought the rings last week and got their initials engraved on the inside of them. Mina her lips and slipped on the ring with Sana's initials on it. She then carefully tucked the ring into the smaller pocket of her jeans and patted it. 

Mina bid goodbye to her parents before leaving the house and driving to the cafe. 

She had just parked when she received a text from Sana, stating that she would be a little late because her bus got caught in a traffic jam to which Mina replied that it was okay. The younger girl went in and found a seat near the back of the cafe where there was lesser people and also slightly quieter. She placed her sketchbook on the table and took out her phone to play some games to calm her nerves. 

Mina did have several flings so she shouldn't be this nervous and tense, but for some unknown reason, she was. Maybe it was because she hadn't dated for quite some time. Maybe it was because she didn't meet Sana through a mutual friend like her previous partners. Maybe, just maybe, this is actually the feeling of true love. It's not that Mina didn't love her previous partners, but when she thought back about them, the feeling of attraction just didn't feel as strong as what she was currently feeling towards Sana. 

Mina managed to clear five levels before Sana arrived, slightly panting and hair slightly disheveled. Sana unshouldered her bag and slumped onto the chair, running her fingers through her dark locks to fix the slight mess. 

'You ran here?' Mina asked and the girl nodded. 

'Didn't want to keep you waiting.' Sana said sheepishly.

'It's fine really. Coffee? It's on me.' Mina smiled. 

'Ah sure. The usual please. Thanks.' 

Mina came back with two drink cups in hand and placed it down onto the wooden table. She noticed how Sana looked particularly attractive today. She looked casual today; a short-sleeved light blue striped blouse with white sleeves tucked into a white skirt and white sandals. Mina on the other hand, had a red varsity jacket thrown over a plain white v-neck, black jeans and white sneakers. 

'So, I guess you'll be showing me those sketches today?' Sana asked. 'Not drawing?' 

'Nope. I uh.. have other plans for today.' Mina smiled nervously. 

'Are you okay? You look a little.. Jumpy.' Sana raised an eyebrow.

'Ah yes, I'm fine. I have something to tell you.' Mina started.

'Hmm?' the older girl hummed, eyes filled with curiosity. 

'You might find this rude or creepy but.. I'll just give this to you first. This is my.. Present to you. Maybe this will explain better than what I have to offer.' Mina slid the sketchbook across the table.

'It cant be that bad can it..' Sana said out loud as she held the sketchbook. She flipped the cover and was surprised to see a highly realistic portrait of her. She continued turning the pages and realized that Mina had been drawing her everytime they met up. Flipping past the pages and taking in the enormous amount of details, Sana was a surprised to say the least. She had reached the second last page which was of her at the library yesterday. She was eager to see what was on the last page since Mina hadn't had the time to draw her today. 

Sana turned the page and saw a message in neat handwriting. She read it slowly, digesting every word. 

Mina was watching the expression on Sana's face and it didn't look too good. She could already hear the girl saying that she was a creep and she would never want to see her ever again. 

'Mina..' Sana trailed off. The said girl gulped. The noise of the cafe drowned out and all she couldhear was the thumping of her heart and what the girl was about to say next. 

'This is beautiful.. Thank you so much..' Sana smiled gently and her expression was that of gratefulness. 

For Mina, that was enough for her to let out the unconcious breath she was holding and the white noise slowly came back to her. However she couldn't rest just yet, Sana still haven't given her an answer. 

'About the confession..' Sana said and Mina took the ring out of her pocket.

'I know it's kinda.. weird. Maybe you don't feel the same way about me and this daring move might ruin our friendship but.. I guess I'll just take the plunge and tell you how I really feel.' Mina paused to let the girl process what she just said. her lips, she continued. 'Yes, I am sure that I'm in love with you, as cringy as that sounds. I'm not even sure when or how but you definitely had a whole new effect on me. I'm not the most outgoing person but somehow, you managed to pull that side of me out on our first meeting. You were different from any other person I met before. I guess that was when I started to think about it and here I am. So, I'd like to know your feelings too. Even if you don't reciprocate, it's perfectly fine.' Mina finished off her speech. 

'Mina.. I..' Sana furrowed her eyebrows, trying to find the right words but her mind was in a mess. She couldn't belive that Mina liked her. 

Mina felt her heart twist at the actions of the girl, but before she could say anything, Sana spoke.

'Is this a dream?' Sana asked but it seemed more to herself as she continued before Mina could formulate an answer. 'If I knew you liked me I would have told you eariler too.' 

'That... you would reject me?' Mina asked, clearly confused by the girl's words which could be intepreted in different ways. 

'No silly! That I liked you too. I like how you look so serious when drawing, I like how you are playful at times yet have a serious side in you. I like how with you, I feel.. complete.' Sana smiled dreamily. Now it was Mina's turn to feel like this was unreal. Her nervousness and fear was instantly washed away and was instead replaced with relief. 

'Well..' the artist rolled the wing over her fingers. 'I guess I could present this to you?' 

Sana extended her hand wordlessly. Mina slipped the ring onto the girl's ring finger where it fit snugly. 

'Simple yet meaningful.' Sana said as she rubbed the ring that felt cool against her skin. 

'I'll take it as you like it?' Mina gave a lop sided grin. 

'Yes Minari, yes I do like it. Actually no, I love it.' Sana said. 

'As much as you love me?' Mina asked cheekily. She reached across the table to take the girl's hand, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the back of Sana's hand. 

'As much as I love you.' Sana repeated with a wide smile. 

Took quite some time to get this uploaded because of my procrastination but nonetheless, I hope that you will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this :)