On a sunny day, you were the crystal
That was by my window, that reflected many rays
But the body bends before the shadow
So I put on my armor, buckle it tighter than ever before
Fear I may lose it all
I’ll put this on to soften the fall
Show me the way
Show me the way to your heart

– Birds (Louis Baker)

***

“He’s on his way. You better fix your bangs or else you’ll look ridiculous like a five year old idiot.”

My head turned instinctively to the window next to me. From where I sit, I could see as Key mentioned before, my bangs is indeed the biggest flaw in my face. Who agreed to cut it last week anyway? If not because Taemin said someone’s found a girl with front bangs extremely cute.

Definitely doesn’t count me in.

“Get your book and walked out casually!”

I throw my phone inside my pocket and snatch any book I could reach and did as I told. Take a deep breath before stepped outside and clutch the book closed to my chest. My heart’s thumping insanely, almost runaway the ribcages seeing a tall tanned boy with black duffle bag clung on his shoulder walked closer while casually talked to the friend beside him.

Acting as nonchalantly as I could, I passed by from the opposite direction hoping he would notice me among the chaos in between period time.

Less than two meters, his camel eyes struck on the way with mine. As usual, he just toothy smiled displaying lined of white teeth behind his perfect lips. And as usual too, I just blushed, nodded, and grin stupidly instead making a beautiful remarks with my sophisticated beams.

***

High school is about young crush with fluttering hearts and angsty midnight sobbing when you heard your crush already dating someone or simply just failed to notice you in the crowd. Cursed by my own luck, cupid kind of kid around when I realized my biggest crush is a cute guy – if he’s not gorgeous – from my year who’s happened to be one of the school basketball team and soccer team captain. He’s born with a beautiful laughter and bright personality, made him almost star in every single field a highschooler could nail and successfully making me head over heels.

Jinki, Key, and Taemin had been a perfect team of secret agents on duty for the past two months, helping me stalked him so I can make myself accidentally bumped into him around the corner.

The athletic team I got into after so many struggles at the freshmen year usually had training at Wednesday. But after some pleading and bribing the team with carrot cake, I managed to push it back to Friday. Means when our team finished working out in the gym, we passed the basketball team that has practice every Friday night.

And that’s supposed to be the best time of the week, watching him sweating like a pig which somewhat adorable from the bleachers with cooling down after practice as my excuse.

Just like the other day, I wear my shoes back in a snail speed, hoping I left the gym at the same time the basketball team entering it. God of fortune must be over my shoulder because right the time I walked down the bleachers, he slithered the gym, a bit earlier than the rest of the group.

Jinki said, he always came twenty minutes early to warm him up by circling the gym with coupled jogs.

As a give thanks to my lucky star, I collect the guts from all over my body to lift my hand and waving it to him.

There’s a quizzical looks laid flat on his eyes, “Oh, hi! Isn’t it supposed to be our time?”

He talked! He talked to me!!

“We finished thirty minutes ago. I’m about to go, don’t worry.”

He beams again and almost blinds me on the spot, “Heading home, then?”

“Yeah. Can’t wait to land under the shower.”

WHAT THE HECK?!?!! WHO TOLD YOU TO TALK ABOUT SUCH A THING LIKE THAT?!

He must be as embarrassed as me, tinted of red shade formed abruptly on his cheek, “Well, okay, then. Get some rest.”

“Ugh, right right. Happy work out I guess?”

He chuckles and shakes his head, muttering something on his own, and turned my direction with joker smile across his face, “Thanks. See you! Take care on the way home!”

It’s early winter and I’m pretty sure it’s already below degree outside. What just did happen is a warm bliss that hovering the atmosphere around me eating me inside out. Something clenched inside my chest. But this time, it’s a good one.

***

“What happened with her?”

Jinki flailed his hand in front of my spacing out face, tried to seek some attention.

“Minho finally talked to her,” Taemin give a simple explanation without putting down the comic in his hand.

“Did she say he greeted her in the morning or in between break time?”

“This time is more than a sentence.”

Jinki nods and flopped himself beside Key and stole some chicken from his lunch box. The owner of it just shot him a sharp glare which only responded by Jinki’s trademark silly grin that melted every single human being on earth. Both of them then involved in a heated argument about manners toward other’s belonging. Taemin just put his headphone back and enjoy his leisure time without paying much attention to his friend.

I’m ready to slap both of them to at least shut them down when I found Jonghyun – Minho’s bestfriend – rushed happily to our table. My jaw dropped and shamelessly stayed gapping when he finally reached us.

“Hi, guys!”

Jinki and Key being their usual friendly persona which indeed, welcomed back by Jonghyun with the same amount of energy.

“I’m holding a party at my house tomorrow night. It’s my girlfriend birthday party. Wanna come over?”

Wherever Jonghyun is, there’s Minho around. So I clutched my skirt tightly, afraid to show some overly excited face with the invitation.

“I don’t know, Jong! It’s on school days. I’m not sure whether we can make it.”

Jinki’s too smart for a casual conversation like this, so I send my code to Key by clearing my throat and blinked my eyes several times toward him. Thanks God, Key’s brain is not that subtle, he took over the wheel and put it back to the right path.

“Is that okay if we only stopped by for couple drink? If an hour or two is enough, we are surely more than happy to show up.”

“Of course that would be great! See you there, guys! Bye, _______!”

Jonghyun left the crime scene with my eyes bulging out and weird lump stuck on my throat.

“Did he just bid me goodbye?”

***

 Key and party is not a good combination. So does Taemin. And Jinki. Like a socialite, Key’s jumped from one to another group of people, charmed every soul in the circle and left to the other after the current one exploded into big laugh. On the other hand, Taemin is too famous for his miraculous dance and wherever someone held a celebration, he opened his own showcase which ended up drowned his skinny limb in crowd of people.

The only hope I had is gone with Jinki immersed himself in spectacular mini concert. Karaoke machine is his weak spot. So does those girls pleading eyes that can’t stop asking him to serenade them a bit more.

Without my gang, I just look like a lost puppy, can’t find my way back home and failed to join the crowd. Heaved such a breath, I tugged Key’s sweater for some help.

“We did a good job. And he’s not here. Let’s go home, I’m tired.”

“No, the party is just started, _______. I’m sure he’ll be here in a minute.”

But it’s already two hour passed dinner. My head’s dizzy by loud music Jonghyun chose as back sound. Tomorrow is Thursday. Weekend is still far away, but people inside this house is not  even realized the time zone they’re stand at.

I wished Minho came so the party would be less lame.

He might be at the gym. Or sleep in his comfortable bed, recharging some power to run around the school the next following day. And that’s what I supposed to do, stayed home after finishing some homework and put some masker on my face so the dark circle around my eyes would less prominent in the morning.

I shout to Taemin who I’m not sure got enough ears to hear me out. Not so care with the party anymore, I headed to the front door and hoping there’s still a bus at this very hour or else I had to call Siwon to pick me up and it means another long speech about teenager, school, and alcohol on the way home.

“_______?”

Someone’s calling me while stepping down the stairs, cut my hand on the way before I could reach my coat.

“M––Minho?” I don’t know why I’m stuttered. The heater inside the house is perfectly working until just now, “What are you doing here?”

“To be polite like you, I guess. But it’s way overbroad. I was really tired so I spent the past hours sleeping on Jonghyun’s. Are you heading somewhere?”

Hesitating a bit, I finally manage to compose some words, “Apparently, I am. I’m going to catch some buses and straight to the home.”

“At this hour? Alone?”

“The trio is too busy with their social life, so yeah. It’s only couple block downtown, it’s okay.”

Minho looked to the living room where people start making a mess, scanning the corner to find Jonghyun but failed on the half way, “Wait here. I’ll go upstairs and get my jacket. I’ll walk you home.”

He dashed upstairs, two stairs in one jump, left my knees weaken by his warm attention.

***

Minho is not as cold as he appeared. He had soft heart and definitely a person to laugh with in such a cold night like this. We got some common and agree in one thing, summer is much better than winter. The information from Jinki proven right because yes, he loves kids and wanted to work out for the rest of his life even if he ended up in a Monday to Friday office hours. He really interested into photography so he told me nonstop about his Leica camera he got from his father.

I wish I live in two blocks further than this. That’s why a frown pushed my lips down when I saw the black fence of my house.

“So this is it.”

“Your house looks nice.”

“Thanks to the Lord for giving me an architect as a father.”

His laughter is the last thing I heard before we fell into another slump of silence. My toes fidgeting inside my boots and hand balled into firm fist inside my pocket. It’s so awkward yet felt so right at the same time.

“Well, it’s almost midnight.”

“Ugh, you’re right. Sorry, you’re not supposed to go this far.”

“It’s okay. My pleasure. I’m going now. Bye! See you tomorrow!”

He turned around and gave his back to my night view.

It’s now or never.

“Minho!”

He barely reached the fence when I blurted out in rather unpleasant voice.

“Yeah?”

“Wait!”

I pushed the door and go upstairs to pull my night drawer. A small bright blue box safely kept inside it. I rushed down to the porch soon after it moved to my hand. And Minho’s still there, leaned at the front poles of my porch, back facing the source of light. I tap his shoulder lightly and he quickly turned my direction.

“Happy birthday.”

He received the box in surprised.

“Last week is your birthday, right? I’m sorry I give it only just now. I had it since two weeks ago, but I guess I haven’t met the right timing, so yeah. I hope you like it.”

His lips lifted up into crescent shape making me so proud with my own courage, “Thank you so much. I had no idea how happy I am right now.”

“I’m the one who should thank you.”

“Whatever it is, I’ll keep it safe. I’m going. Bye!”

“Bye!”

My heart contented in its most possible way. His figure is no longer in sight, but not his scent that perfectly carved in my mind.

***

I’m about to grasp the stairs when I heard someone’s knocking at the front door. Well, finally one of those three idiots remembers they left a girl in a party and realized she’s gone without telling.

Expectation always against the reality. And it’s not the face I thought would be appeared behind the pulled in door.

“Minho?”

“Ugh, hi!”

“I thought you’re leaving just now,” I might be questioning his action but only God knows how loud my heart screamed inside my chest.

“Apparently. But can I ask you something?”

Calm down, girl. He might just asking what’s inside the box since he’s a King of Curiosity as told by Taemin.  

“As long as I had the answer with me.”

“I hope you could answer this right away, but I don’t mind if you need more time to think about it, by the way.”

“And what is it?”

“Would you like to go to the Winter Ball with me?”

For this kind of question, I think he doesn’t need to wait until tomorrow.

***