That summer was hot. And Mingyu brought me to the place I loved most. The ocean. It was a place I only read about in books, seen photos on the Internet and imagined in my dreams. Never in my life would I have thought that I’d be able to see it in person.

I was so happy at the sight of the emerald waters. The waves crashed against the rocks and sand. The sounds of nature were music to my ears. Seagulls cried ahead as they flew across the vast blue sky. And I could actually see the horizon, the line where the sky meets the sea. I felt warm tears in my eyes. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life.

“Do you like it?” a voice behind me asked.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. And I smiled.

“I love it.”

I turned around to face Mingyu. My eyes must have been teary because he looked worried for a second. But then I smiled widely as I ran up to him.

“I love it!” I exclaimed as I jumped up and hugged him tightly, locking my legs around his waist, forcing him to hold me.

“Thank you so much!” And I couldn’t help but sobbed on his shoulder. He put me down but hugged on to me tightly.

“What is wrong with you?” he laughed. I looked up at him with teary eyes.

“I love you,” I said, planting a kiss on his cheek, which I regretted immediately. I could feel my face burning red.

But Mingyu only looked down at me and smiled. The corner of his mouth curved up slowly. Even though I knew it was too late, but my hands went to my red cheeks anyway. I cupped my face and ran away from him, towards the blue sea.

“Hey, come back here!” he cried, but I ignored him and kept running.

I ran until I was at the edge of the beach. I was so caught up at the thought of whether to jump right in that I didn’t notice Mingyu had caught up to me. Just when I was about to turn around to face him, he gave me a gentle push and sent me tumbling into the waters. I went in face first into the saltwater.

Even though it was shallow, I panicked. I have never learned how to swim. I didn’t have the need to. I trashed around until I found something to hold on to. I grabbed onto something soft. I figured it must be Mingyu’s clothes. I pulled at it frantically and the next thing I saw was Mingyu’s face plunging into the water. But he soon resurfaced, pulling me with him.

“What was that for?” was the first thing I said. He only laughed as if it was a funny thing.

“Gosh, you’re so adorable when you pout,” he smiled at me. Great, now he’s making me blush even when I want to get angry.

I ran forward and grabbed at his clothes, attempting to make him fall over once more. But he was faster than me, as if he had already foreseen what I was going to do. He pulled my arms instead and I fell onto the sand with him falling on top of me.

I braced myself for the impact of the wave, but the water level only reached to my waist. My hair was now in the sand. And something was blocking the sun from my face. Kim Mingyu.

His face was inches above mine. His warm breaths brushed against my face. My eyes had nowhere to hide but to meet his. My face must be burning now. But he wasn’t laughing at me anymore. He stared into my eyes lovingly. And I actually started to smile.

“You’re the most beautiful human being I’ve ever seen,” he whispered.

“I-”

My words were cut short as he suddenly leaned closer and kissed me fully on the lips. His eyes were closed. But mine were wide open. It was so breathtaking. With the water crashing against the shore, my hair full of sand and the sound of the sea, and he was kissing me right in the middle of it. It was such a new and unfamiliar sensation for me. But I tried to relax myself. My eyelids dropped and I gently kissed him back, feeling his lips pressed against mine.

It was my first kiss ever. I locked my arms around his neck and he held my nape, cradling my head. I had no idea how long we stayed in each other’s embrace, but I knew I was enjoying it.

When we finally broke away, he smiled down at me and whispered the three words I’ve been waiting for.

“I love you.”

And without hesitation, I replied, “I love you too.”

 

 

~                   ~                    ~

 

 

The sky gradually turned dark as we watched the sun slowly descending towards the horizon. For a moment there, everything was tinted with orange as the bright sunlight gave us one last peep before disappearing under the surface. It was my first sunset. And then everything was dark. The sky and the sea turned black. But soon, the stars were there to decorate them. The tiny lights reflected on the surface of the waters and I felt like I was watching the galaxies by the beach.

“This is the best day ever,” I said as I leaned my head against Mingyu’s shoulder.

He had my hand in his as our fingers intertwined. We strolled along the shoreline, admiring the stars in the sea and the lights in the sky. We decorated the sand with both of our footprints. And the air was accompanied with the singing of crickets and the music in the breeze.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he said simply, smiling.

“No,” I said softly, “I didn’t like it.”

He turned to face me, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“I love it,” I said, leaning in to kiss his soft lips. He kissed me back warmly.

This is the most perfect day. Nothing can beat this. All the uneasiness, the nervousness, the blush, the butterflies, all gone. It felt like we were meant to be, right here, right now, Mingyu and me. I wouldn’t want anybody else.

We walked hand in hand for a few more minutes until we arrived at a large beautifully furnished house.

“This is it,” Mingyu gestured towards it, “My summer house.”

I couldn’t contain my excitement. My mouth hung open in awe. The house was beautiful. Two storeys, a large front porch, and a spacious yard right outside the front door. Just a few steps away and there’s the sea.

“You wanna head right in?” Mingyu asked.

I stood at the front gate, eyes closed as I let the ocean breeze brush across my face. I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and saw the vast dark sky, freckled with tiny dots of stars.

“Let’s lay down for a while,” I suggested. Mingyu nodded as he brought out a large piece of mat from inside the house.

We lay on our backs and watched the faced the black sky. It was dark that night. But the stars helped light it up. I turned to look at him. And I saw the constellations reflected in his eyes. I was lost again, in his sparkling eyes. I didn’t realize I was staring until he turned towards me.

“What?” he asked, smiling a little.

I was sure I blushed as I shook my head slightly, “Nothing.”

“It’s just that…,” I began, “I really love you.”

He smiled, “And I love you.” And he kissed me deeply. I found myself gasping for air when he broke away.

The night was still young and we didn’t feel like ending the day just yet. Instead, Mingyu showed me some of the constellations he knew in the sky. It was like heaven to me. No cacophonous noises, no city lights, no cars honking at each other. It was peaceful, and perfect.

Suddenly, a thought struck me. I knew if I didn’t get it off my chest now, I would never get rid of it. I took a deep breath and asked.

“Are you…and Jeonghan…?”

“What? You mean like…,” Mingyu asked, “Together?”

I nodded, not sure if he saw me. He reached towards my hand and gave me a gentle squeeze. He must have known what I was thinking and how I felt. He brought my knuckles to his lips and gave me a peck before he spoke.

“He’s the closest family I’ve ever had.”

I stared at him with wide eyes, hungry for more of his story, his background. And I realized, he never really did tell me about himself. I realized, I didn’t really know Mingyu at all.

“Jeonghan is like an older brother to me,” Mingyu began, “Back when we were younger, we’d always played together.”

“He was my neighbour, who became my best friend, and then my brother.”

“My father…well, he was…not the kind of family guy you’d wished he was,” he said and I saw it in his eyes. It was painful for him to bring this up.

“He left and my mother did too soon after,” he explained.

“Jeonghan’s family took me in and raised me to be the man I am today.”

“He wanted to leave town initially,” he said softly, “But I convinced him to stay…with me.”

“I guess…I felt safer with him around.”

“I’m sorry…I didn’t know…,” I said, “How stupid of me to doubt…”

“No, it’s alright,” Mingyu said, “I guess I was being too clingy.”

“Until the day I met you, I guess,” he smiled. I laughed lightly.

“Well, I’m here now,” I said, embracing him until he’s leaning on my shoulder.

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

 

 

~                ~                  ~

 

 

He gave me a room with a balcony, facing the ocean. I woke up the next morning and the first thing I saw was the sea. The ocean breeze blew the curtains wide open. I yawned and stretched before getting out of bed.

I walked towards the balcony and welcome the fresh air. It woke me up instantly. Funny how living in the city and living by the seaside could be so huge of a difference. After washing up, I headed downstairs to meet with Mingyu.

He was already washed up and dressed, sitting at the dining table in the kitchen waiting for me to arrive.

“What’s all this?” I asked, looking around.

“Breakfast,” he said, spreading his arms wide, “Dig in.”

I wonder what time he’d woke up. He’d prepared scrambled eggs, bacon, and some toasts. He’d also prepared orange juice for me to wash it all down.

“I’m planning to cook dinner tonight,” he said, “Would you like to join me for grocery shopping?”

“Would I?” I laughed sarcastically, “Of cou