The streets along the market were crowded with people like it was every Sunday morning. Sunday not only when fresh shipment of food and clothing would come in, it was also the day the “Gacrux” Circus would come out to play. The Gacrux Circus was known all over the little town that I gladly call home. It didn’t take long for word to spread around the town, and boy, did word about the Gacrux crew spread like a forest fire. They were a famous group of circus people that travelled from city to city, but visited this quaint town of Salgrove quite frequently. Some say that their ringleader has family here, while others think that they stay for the money that rains down from this town. Everytime the Gacrux entertainers come around, the townspeople shower them with money, blessings and gifts. The crew ends up leaving with three more suitcases than they had originally planned. Each time they come, the amount of gifts increases.

 

            This month was different. Word of a new member joining the Gacrux family had caused all the citizens of Salgrove to gossip. Rumour was that it was going to be a male magician. Everywhere I turned in the marketplace, someone was speaking about this magician. He had taken up the stage name of “Fatal Beam.” No one knew what the meaning behind this nickname was, but many rumours were amuck.

 

            “Excuse me!” I shouted over the crowd as I attempted to approach the lady with the apple stand. Managing to push past a few rowdy kids, I practically fell onto the wooden stand.

 

            “Whoa there little missie!” Old Mrs. Park said with a laugh. “A little excited today, eh? Is it because the Fatal Beam is going to be here in mere minutes?”

 

            I rolled my eyes and laughed softly while gingerly holding a perfectly round apple. Mrs. Park always had the juiciest and biggest apples, but she placed them in hard to find spots. Coming everyday to her stand helps locate the good ones. “This Fatal Beam kid probably isn’t as good as everyone makes him out to be.” I scoffed, as I grumbled moodily.

 

            “C’mon little missie,” She said as I handed her the money for the apple. “Don’t be such a grouch now. I heard he’s pretty cute.” She winked at me playfully and I couldn’t help but grin at the sweet old lady. Leaning against her stand, I sunk my teeth into the skin of the apple, letting the sweet juice flow into my mouth. I was ready to reply to her, just when trumpets were heard.

 

            The Gacrux crew always made sure that they were seen and heard from all over the town. They weren’t what you would call hushed. They came in their large truck-like car that had a compartment attached to the back that could easily be clicked into a makeshift stage. Opening the back of the compartment door dramatically, to reveal the acrobat and announcer of the group; Sheila Lyn. She was usually the substitute for their ringleader who only honoured the town with his presence from time to time. She introduced the regular entertainers in her loud and perky voice. First was Lark the strongman, then came Polina and Faun the two twin firebreathers, followed by Laurent the “rubberman” and the group of clowns whose names I can never remember. Then came the moment everyone was waiting for…

 

            “Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, the Gacrux family is proud to present to you our newest member, the great magician, Fatal Beam!”

 

            The curtain flew up and out stepped a charming young man with a killer smile. It was now evident why he was called the Fatal Beam, his smile was deadly. He grinned out at the crowd and bowed. It was hard to believe that he was here for the first time, confidence radiated from him. “I’m honoured to be here in Salgrove, and I know that everyone knows me by the name Fatal Beam, but since you guys are special you can just call me by my real name; Kim Sang Bum.” He threw out another wide smile to the crowd, causing many of the girls to swoon.

 

            That was when my sight of view had been blocked. Many girls had rushed into my way to see this new magician. With a groan I turned back to the giggling Mrs. Park. “What now?” I asked with a groan, taking another bite from the apple.

 

            The old lady grinned, causing the corners of her eyes to crease. “It’s just cute how the girls act when they see a handsome young man. I’m surprised you’re not like that. If I were you, I’d be drooling a flood.” She once again winked playfully at me, but seeing as how I wasn’t quite phased by the boy she instructed, “Now help me unpack my other stands while the crowd fades. I doubt you’ll be able to go anywhere with a sea of people blocking you anyways.”

 

            In a few hours the crowd faded, and all my chores set by Mrs. Park had just finished. I placed my sweaty palms on my knees, as I bent over panting.

 

            “Those watermelons sure looked heavy to carry; I’m surprised such a petit girl like you managed to lift them like that.” A soft laugh caused me to freeze in my awkward position. The voice was unfamiliar, yet something about it seemed to work my brain harder. I’d heard that voice before.

 

            Shooting upright, I turned around to be merely inches away from the new magician, Kim Bum. His lips curled up into a smirk as I felt my cheeks turning a bright red. I had to admit, the girls had all their reasons for swooning over him, up close; he was beyond perfect. It was hard to spot any flaw in his face, it seemed to radiate like an angel’s.

 

            “I—uh, I kinda – uh..” Stammering to find the right words, I stumbled back a bit only to feel his arm wrap around my waist, catching me before I split my skull on the edge of the stand. Looking into his dark eyes I could clearly see worry and concern.

 

            Pulling me up he gave me a look that reflected as much concern as I had seen in his eyes. “Are you alright? You outta be more careful.” He furrowed his brows in frustration as he detangled his arm from around my waist and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

 

            On a normal day, it was hard to get my mouth to stop moving, but today, in front of this complete stranger, my throat had completely shrivelled up. Luckily, Mrs. Park had come to my rescue. “Now now young lad, what are you doing talking up my little girl?” It was hard not to love the old lady. She treated me like her own daughter, it was quite endearing.

 

            “Well, I was actually wondering if I could take your little girl out for dinner today.”

 

            My jaw dropped with such speed that I was sure it was soon going to fall off. Could he be any more blunt? Heck, the boy’s only spoken to me for a few seconds, and now he wants to go on a date? I felt a slap on my back as Mrs. Park laughed and nodded. “Of course you can.”

 

            “Wait, but wha—“ I started, but of course, like always, I wasn’t allowed to finish.

 

            A large grin spread across Kim Bum’s face and he held out his hand for me to take. Looking down at his hand so many questions ran across my mind.

 

            He’s cute why not go for it?

            You don’t even know him, what do you mean “why not go for it”?! He could be a mass murder for all you know!

            But look at that smile! No murder has a smile like that!

 

            Before I could make up my mind, Mrs. Park “accidentally” shoved me into him, and oh so conveniently I just had to fall into his arms. I scowled to myself, For an old lady, she has a lot of strength.

 

            I could feel the gentle shaking of his body as he gently held me in his embrace and laughed. “A little eager aren’t you?”               

 

            Scowling, I shoved myself out of his arms and grumbled. “Let’s go. Get this over with.” Without waiting for his reply, I headed down the dirt road, not even bothering to ask where we were going to have dinner. It felt like hours, whereas it had actually only been 10 minutes, that I had been walking, and my feet were already hurting. After working for Mrs. Park (and getting no pay at all for my services) I could feel the blisters on my feet, and it didn’t help that I hadn’t looked back at the boy who was following me, whistling a joyous tune.

           

            Why did I even agree to this? I could’ve said no. He whistled louder as the pain in my feet increased. I couldn’t go on like this. Stopping, I pulled off one of my sandals and looked down at my feet. They were as red as the tomatoes I had organized and it felt like I had just skipped along hot rocks. I gingerly touched the skin with my finger, and winced at the pain that shot through my foot. In the midst of all my soreness, I hadn’t noticed that the whistling had stopped. Once the eerie silence had dawned onto me, I looked over my shoulder to find him, once again, inches away from me.

 

            I let out a squeak of shock and then groaned as I slipped my sandal back onto my foot. “Could you stop doing that? It’s scary!”

 

            Muttering a quick apology, his eyes didn’t move from my feet. He slowly looked up at me and stated, “Your feet hurt.”

 

            “Oh , we’ve got the next Sherlock Holmes here!” I said dramatically throwing my hands up and giggling a bit.

 

            Though, nothing seemed to make him smile now. He stepped in front of me and crouched down. “Get on.” He instructed seriously.

 

            “W-what?” I asked, completely taken aback by his sudden request.

 

            “It’s called a piggy back ride.” He said with a soft laugh. “Get on, or I’ll pull you on.”

 

            In fear of being pulled onto his back, I gently clambered on and clung onto his neck as his arms latched around my legs, carefully making sure that his arms only made contact with the dress and not the bit of my exposed leg. We travelled, or should I say; I rode, in silence for a bit, until he broke the comfortable stillness.

 

            “Are you actually hungry?” He asked with a smirk, tilting his head back a bit to look up at me. I shook my head and he laughed, looking forward again. “Good. Neither am I. It’s surprising how many gifts you get from this city. They really do like a good show.”

 

            I laughed along with him and nodded. “The people of Salgrove love the Gacrux family. It helps that you’re really good looking as well.” The minute I said that, my eyes widened in shock. What idiot would blurt that out?! That was supposed to be something you think inside your head. I prayed to god that he wouldn’t just stop and drop from his back right this minute for being so blunt and shallow.

 

            When he stopped, I could feel my heart pounding, ready to break out of my ribcage. Did he dislike girls who complimented him that much? I could feel my throat dry up, and multiple ways to apologize ran through my head as he lowered me off his back. When he spun on his heels to look at me, I instinctively closed my eyes shut, ready to be scolded for being so direct.

 

            I could feel the warmth of his breath near my face as he softly whispered, “Do you really think so?”

 

            Building up bravery, I slowly opened my eyes to find his face nearly touching mine. If there was any time in my life where I wanted to die, this would be it. Meeting a cute guy, and then embarrassing myself immediately, this must be a new record. All I could do was stutter as I tried to say, “I—I didn’t really, uhhh..”

 

            I was interrupted as he doubled over and laughed loudly. Great. He probably thought I was ridiculous. Biting my lip, I turned around ready to leave the hill that we had managed to climb up to. Before I could take one step, I felt his hand wrap around my wrist, spinning me to face him.

 

            “Where do you think you’re going?” He asked holding back more laughter. I glared at him, only causing him to smirk even more. “Come on now, you can’t just leave like that. I’m just teasing.” With a huff, I continued to glare at him. He arched his eyebrows and grinned, “Just stay for a minute or so, I didn’t carry you up here for nothing.”

 

            He let go of my wrist, and what did he do then? Did he magically place a picnic blanket in front of us? Shower me with gifts? Summon a magic horse drawn carriage for me? No. He lay down on the grass and patted the spot beside him. Cautiously, I lowered myself onto the cold grass beside him and looked up at the sky as he spoke again. “The night’s a beautiful thing isn’t it?” Not even waiting for a reply he continued, “I used to think the stars were magic. I thought that some magical being lit them up every night, and blew them away the minute the sun came up. Kind of like a candle.”

 

            I could help but laugh softly, causing him to ask, “What’s so funny?”

 

            I turned my head to look straight at him and said with a grin, “That’s ridiculous.”

 

            “Oh yeah? What did you think they were?”

 

            I thought about that for a minute. It had been a long time since I had come up to watch the stars. This moment brought back memories of laying here on this exact hill with my parents, savouring the beauty of the starry heaven. “Well, I remember my mom telling me that all the great people of the past became the stars…”

 

            “Don’t bull me, that’s a line from a movie.” We both laughed and continued staring up at the stars. After a while, he spoke once again, “I only go watch the stars with special people.”

 

            Without looking away from the dazzling night sky, I said softly, “You’ve only met me. I’m not special.”

 

            He snickered, and I looked over at him. He continued looking up at the sky, his eyes sparkling just as brightly as the twinkling light above us. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

 

            It was my turn to snicker. “That only happens in fairytales.”

 

            “You didn’t answer my question. Do you believe in love at first sight?”

 

            “No.”

            A frown came upon his face, and I immediately regretted saying that. I had never really thought of the question. Love at first sight had always seemed ridiculous to me, but maybe it did happen. Maybe that explained why my heart seemed to skip a beat when I had seen him on stage today. The first time I’d ever seen him. There was no reason for my heart to beat like that…but it did.

 

            “Well…” I started slowly. “I didn’t…until today.”

 

            The grin reappeared on his face, and he gently twisted his fingers into my own. We lay in complete silence for what felt like hours. Neither of us had noticed the slumber that came over us.

 

            I was awakened by the beam of sunshine that hit me straight in the eye. Squinting against the sun, I found my head resting against Kim Bum’s chest. Remembering our so-called “date” last night, I couldn’t help but grin. He was already awake and looking down at me. “Good morning.” He said with a yawn. Mumbling a good morning to him I pushed himself off him, and squinted out to look at the town not too far away. From this hill, there was a perfect view of the small quaint city that I knew and loved.

 

            That’s when a fact hit me. He was leaving today. The stony expression on my face caused him to worry, and he asked cautiously, as he stood up and stretched, “What’s wrong?”

 

            Standing up to face him, I frowned a bit and said softly, “You’re leaving today.”

            With a soft laugh he placed his hands on my shoulder and bent so that he was eye level with me. “For how long? A week? Maybe a month? I promise you, I’ll be back for you.” He took one of his hands off my shoulder and pulled something out from behind his back. He held a bright red rose to my face and waited for me to take hold of it. Blushing like a fool, I took hold of the rose and looked down at it.

 

            “That’s all I can give you this time, but I promise, next time I’ll bring you something more.” I grinned up at him and wrapping his arms around my waist, he pressed his lips against mine in a soft kiss. A kiss that didn’t say goodbye, but hello to a new life, a new love and a new story.

 

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I apologize for the long chapter, my oneshots will be smaller. I promise! Got a bit carried away.

^____^;