The thing about trying to get over someone is that it’s nearly impossible especially when the chances of meeting that person are at least once every day.

However for three weeks, I managed to avoid running into him. I didn’t see him anywhere, not even during practice. There was no sight of him anywhere around school ― not at the cafeteria which I sometimes see him having lunch with his friends, not the hallway which occasionally we would pass by each other, not in the morning and after dismissal, not even outside my class where he would wait for Riah or me sometimes. Although I was somehow glad for that, I couldn’t help but to wonder where he has, and if something might have happened to him. I realized then, that even during his absence, he hadn’t left my mind at all.

-

I was sitting at my place one morning, head on the desk as I tried to brainstorm for last minute ideas to write my essay for literature class later, when I heard knocks on the door. Looking up, I found Riah leaning slightly on the door with her hands crossed, a smile gracing her lips.

“You’re early,” she commented.

In fact I was ― I had to knowing that I still had an unfinished homework. I smiled in return. “You’re early too.”

She gave a shrug. “I woke up too early and couldn’t fall back asleep. Figured I could find something beneficial to do in class… study, maybe?” she said, chuckling a little.

When she dropped her hands as she made her way to her desk, I noticed her empty wrist. She seemed to notice that I noticed the difference, because once again she carved a smile across her lips, wriggled her hand and spoke.

“I took it off,” she said. “I heard you helped him picked it out.”

“He chose it himself. I was just there to accompany him and give useless opinions.”

“I’m sure your opinions matter,” she returned. “I should’ve taken it off earlier.”

I shook my head in response. “No, you shouldn’t have taken it off at all. It doesn’t really bother me that much.”

“But it does bother you, doesn’t it? You said it doesn’t bother you that much.” Riah smiled saying that. It was a genuine one, so I knew she didn’t mean it in a bad way to make me upset or anything. Silence fell between us after that. I went back to (attempt to) write my essay while she took a book out from her bag and started reading. It lasted for several minutes before she spoke again. “You see, we broke up. Minseok oppa and I, I mean. Minho’s brother.”

In all honesty, I was truly surprised to hear that, because although I did feel bitter about Minho, none of it was her fault. “But why?”

She gave my question a thought before answering. “Did Minho ever mention that he’s not that very close with his brother?” she asked, to which I nodded. “I suppose then by now you had it figured why they turned out that way,” she assumed. I said nothing while she paused so she continued. “It doesn’t make you feel good to do such thing, you know. There are a lot of better things to achieve and this isn’t one of them.”

“But wouldn’t that give him a reason to get closer to you?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

“I thought about that too. But then I thought it would give me a reason to stay away from him. I think I’ve been too pampered before, so maybe it’s time for me to stand on my own feet.”

I wanted to say something else, but the door opened then and someone walked in. We left the conversation at that as we both went back to what we were doing. But when I turned to the next page of my book, there was a sticky note pasted there. The handwriting was unfamiliar for me but I could recognize it at first glance.

Just like that the walls that I had been building with so much effort in the past few weeks began to crack.

-

It was almost two weeks later, when the autumn breeze has gotten much cooler and leaves were already filling up the road, that finally I saw him again. I was sitting on the court along with the other members of the club, completely engrossed in a story Soojung was telling while waiting for the coach to arrive, that the door creaks open and a familiar set of footsteps were heard. I turned around towards the direction of the door, and there stood Minho, smiling abashedly and apologizing to others for being late.

“Where’ve you been?” I heard Jinwoon asked.

“Ah, I hurt my wrist so I couldn’t play for a while,” Minho explained as he took a seat near his friends.

“Your wrist? How bad was it?”

“It was just a minor accident so there’s nothing to worry about. It’s much better now. See?” he waggled his left hand in front of the boys with a reassuring grin. He glanced around after that and caught my eyes, but I turned away before he could say or do anything.

Just in time, the coach arrived and diverted our attention. He stood in silence for a moment, and then with a smile he began. “As most of you may have known, this will be our last meeting before the winter break.”

There was a mix of groans and cheers all around while the coach only laughed at our reactions. In all honesty, I had no idea what I felt. I wanted to glance back to see what kind of expression he had on his face, but somehow I could sense his eyes on me, so I strained myself.

“But before I let you all go on a break, there is something I’ve arranged,” the coach resumed with a smile. He went on to explain the camping trip he planned out for us, but after taking the state of weather into account, changed the venue to our school. It was a two days and a night affair meant for the graduating seniors as some sort of a farewell event. He added more with the details of the camp, as he calls it, and when he stated that it was compulsory for all members of the club, another round grunts was heard, followed by the coach’s chuckle.

“Are you going?” asked Soojung.

“He said it’s compulsory, didn’t he?”

“I was hoping that maybe you’d rebel once in a while.”

I laughed at her reply and dissolved myself among the discussions surrounding me. After a while, I decided to risk a glance at him, and seeing him being immersed in a conversation with his friends, somehow I started to look forward to the weekend, and hated myself for being that way.

-

“Are you sure you have everything you need?”

“Yep.”

“Towel? Toiletries? You know you can’t go around without brushing your teeth because god knows how your mouth stinks after you wake up in the morning.”

“Yes I have them all. I checked three times before we left the house, remember? And my mouth doesn’t stink!”

“As if you would admit it even if it does. How about food? Your late night snacks in case your black hole stomach can’t bear starving.”

“I have that checked too. And I know what my stomach is capable of.” I rolled my eyes at him.

 “Extra set of change in case something happens? ?”

“Ugh oppa!” I exploded and attempted a hit on his arm which he managed to swerve away from pretty swiftly. Jongin burst out into a fit of laughter soon afterwards.

“I was only checking,” he grinned in response and ruffled my hair lightly when he saw the scowl on my face.

“But you’re doing it! I’m not a kid anymore, okay?”

“You don’t say that when you pester me for ice-creams and to beg me to do your homework for you.”

“Are you done nagging now? Because there are people staring and I can see Soojung snickering over there,” I said, nodding at her direction. “Even mum isn’t as naggy as you.”

“Everyone needs someone to nag at them, especially spoilt brats like you.”

“I’m not spoilt!” I protested, and then quietly added, “Even if I am that’s entirely your fault.”

He nodded slightly and lifted his gaze up at the brilliant blue sky. “Hmm maybe I shouldn’t have given in to you all the time but instead hit you harder.”

I gave him a kick on his shin, but he managed to dodge it and chortled at me afterwards. He handed me the bag he was carrying for me. “You sure you have everything?”

“For God’s sake, oppa, yes! You made me triple checked before we left, remember? And besides it’s not like I’m going somewhere far away for years.”

“But you always leave things behind whenever we go on a trip,” he retorted.

“I have everything, okay? So stop acting like an overprotective mother.”

He glanced away for a moment, exhaled a sigh and ruffled the top of my hair. “Will you really be okay?”

From the corner of my eyes I could see a group of boys walking approaching the school’s gymnasium. Even from a distance I could easily tell him apart from the rest. I mustered up a smile and averted my eyes back to meet Jongin’s gaze. “I’ll be okay.”

■ I'm sorry I left this for too long! I did want to take a break but I didn't intend for it to be that long. I'm really really sorry :(
■ Sunflower will come to the end soon so since I have a special attachment with this story most probably I will avoid writing it because I don't want it to end just yet haha
■ Also if I'm gone for too long again it's okay to remind me :)