“Will you quit it? What’re you so nervous about anyway?” my cousin Leo teases, putting a hand on my knee to stop my bouncing of them. “You’re just going to be relaxing the entire time while I’m sweating my off.”

I roll my eyes as I smack his hand away. “Like you had a to begin with.”

“Hey! The ladies think my is very y.”

“Did not need to know that,” I groan, covering my face. “And I’m not, by the way. Nervous, I mean.”

“Coulda fooled me with the way you’ve been fidgeting nonstop since before we even got into the airpot,” Leo replies with a laugh. “As a side note, you should try be nicer to me since I persuaded my boss to let you come along so you could see your long lost crush, confess your undying love, and live happily after.”

“I’m paying for this by myself, thank you, and yes, yes, I’ve already said-What?” I squawk. “Wha-what are you talking about?”

Now it’s his turn to roll his eyes. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, little coz. Don’t think I didn’t see your ears perk up when I told you I was going to Seoul and might be going to see him. And besides, you really expect me to not remember how you trailed after him like a puppy all the times I brought you on set?”

I choose not to answer him as I feel my cheeks turn red and instead turn to look out the plane window.

Leo chuckles quietly before returning to his book.

As I watch the clouds roll and swirl beneath the plane’s wing, my mind wanders back to those few months. Those few months where I fell in love.

==============

5 years earlier

“Stick close and behave yourself, understand? And don’t get in anyone’s way,” Leo instructs me as he leads me through a maze of hallways cluttered with all sorts of stunt training equipment. “You could easily get hurt and then I’d be in trouble.”

“I am seventeen, you know,” I retort, trying to rein in my desire to glare at him. “You’re only four years older than me.”

“Your point?”

“Whatever. Yes, yes, I promise to stay out of the way. It’s not like I haven’t been here a thousand times before.”

He chuckles. “I know, it’s just a little more serious since we are practicing for an actual film this time around. I can’t believe you’re still thinking of doing stunt work after all the times you’ve got to watch us get beat up.”

“Just because I’m not bulging with muscle doesn’t mean I’m not strong enough,” I reply, punching him lightly in the arm to prove my point. “Dancers have to be strong too.”

“Ouch. Violent,” Leo complains. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I already know. Joon’s a perfect example of that.”

“I’m right here, you know. You don’t need to use my name.”

“Huh? Oh, right,” he laughs, laughing even harder when he sees my confused face. “Not you. The kid actor we’re working with for the film is Korean and his name is Joon, J-o-o-n, not J-u-n-e like yours. Well, technically it’s Changsun, but everyone calls him Joon.”

“Oh...but what does he have to do with dancing?” I ask, still confused.

“Apparently he went to an arts high school and specialized in dance. He’s actually only a year older than you. Anyway, I wasn’t expecting much when they first brought him in, but he’s impressed everyone, even the older guys.”

    I raise my eyebrows. Since I spend more time with Leo than any other family member, I’ve met most of his fellow stuntmen in the company and know them pretty well. It’d take a lot to impress this bunch.

“I know, right?” Leo continues. “But he’s got good reflexes, learns pretty fast, and he' a very hard worker. He’s pretty graceful too, which it’ll make everything look good on film.”

I nod, growing more curious about this Joon. “What’s the name of the movie again?”

“Right now it’s Ninja Assassin, but who knows if it’ll end up as that,” he shrugs as we finally reach the practice room. Pulling out the keys, he goes to unlock the door, but finds it already opened.

    Glancing back at me with a bewildered look, Leo pushes the door open enough to peek inside. Being who I am, I duck under his arm to look as well. What’s inside captures my full attention.

    A tanned youth dressed only in a pair of sweatpants flits around the small square of open space in the center of the room. The only sounds are the swish of the staff as he twirls it and the smack of wood on wood as he slams it into the floor. I watch entranced as the dance of his muscles mimic the fluid movements of his body. The movements themselves are wild and fierce, but executed in a way that proclaims he is in complete control. With a final spin, the boy kicks out a leg and drops to the floor in a crouch, holding the final pose for a few seconds before standing.

His head snaps around when Leo pushes the door the rest of the way open with a whistle. “Good job, Joon. Very good transitions.”

    I should have been prepared for his face to be as beautiful as his way of moving, but I was still taken aback. A clean cut jawline lies the foundations for the rest of his strong features. Pillowy lips and eyes made for smiling soften the effect, keeping him from being intimidating.

A bright smile breaks out on his face as he bows. “Good morning, Leo,” he says in slightly accented English, running a hand through his short, glossy black hair as he comes back up.


“Morning. Have you been practicing long?”

“Just a few hours. Mark gave me the key,” Joon explains, carefully setting down the staff to pick up a water bottle and wipe some of the sweat from his face. He starts to say something else, but stops and jumps a little when he notices me standing a little behind my cousin.

Leo notices where he’s looking and reaches behind me to push me forward. “Oh, almost forgot. Joon, this is my cousin, June Link. She’s thinking about doing stunt work when she gets out of high school. June, this....Joon.”

I roll my eyes as he chuckles like he’d made a joke before I turn my gaze back to Joon. Praying my cheeks are turning red, I hold out a hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Those deep chocolate eyes flick between my face and my hand, a semi embarrased look in them. Hurriedly wiping a hand on his pants, he gently takes mine and shakes it. “Nice to meet you too.”

“You’ll probably see her around a lot now that school’s out. I can’t seem to get rid of her,” Leo teases, ruffling my hair.

    I stick my tongue out at him as he walks off to stow his bag. When I turn back to Joon, he’s pulled on a tight black tank top and looks a little relieved. Although I can still see his sculpted arms and hints of his muscle beneath the fabric, it makes me a little relieved as well. Now I don’t have to worry about him catching me staring as much. Maybe.

“So,” I cough, shifting my feet. “Leo said you’re a dancer?”

Joon nods, some of his earlier smile returning. “Yes.”

“What do you dance?”

“Everything,” he shrugs. “Ballet, jazz, modern...”

“Me too.”

“Really?” Joon’s eyes widen a little as he looks me up and down, blushing a bit when he realizes what he’s doing.

“Almost since I could walk,” I answer, glancing over at the stereo system the team sometimes uses during workouts and trying to calculate how much time we have until Leo comes back. “Want me to show you?”

His eyes come back to mine. “Huh?”

“Zane likes to keep some slower, quieter stuff around for when they’re doing stretches and cool downs. You need to cool down too, right?” I continue, beckoning him over as I dig through the plastic cases. I pause, realizing that in my desire to see how he danced, I might be being too pushy. With an apologetic smile, I turn around. “But, you don’t have to do it this way if you don’t want to though. I’m sorry; it’s just kind of exciting to find a guy who moves like you do.”

Joon stares at me blankly before admitting with an embarrassed smile, “I’m sorry, but could you please repeat that? My English is kind of...”

I wince at my insensitivity. “Sorry. Would you like to dance with me to help you cool down?”

“Um...” He looks towards the door Leo disappeared through. Tentatively he says, “All right.”

“Great,” I smile. When I finally find the right one, I trade out the CDs and find the right track.

    Silently congratulating myself for having worn appropriate clothes in case I decided to join in, I quickly shake out my body as I head back to where Joon was practicing earlier. Joon does the same beside me, watching our reflections in the mirrored wall in front of us. Wordlessly, we begin moving independently as the music’s volume rises to guide our movements. It feels so good, letting the music take over and drown out every other thought.

    I can’t help being aware of Joon, catching glimpses of him out of the corner of my eye as we circle each other. His face holds the same focus as it did when he was doing the staff dance. The way he moves echoes the ebb and flow of the music, making him even more beautiful than before, if that was even humanly possible. Slowly, we draw closer together and start playing off each other. A brush of limbs here and there, a hand supporting a back.

    As the tremors of the music signal an end to the song, Joon’s hand finds mine and his eyes look into mine. Despite knowing him for less than an hour, I trust him. I twirl closer before bunching my muscles to jump lightly into the air. His arms catch me as I fall back down and bring me into his chest.

    The music suddenly flees my mind as my breath catches. I feel his own breath still as he realizes as well how dangerously close our lips are. I find myself lost in those dark eyes that look back at me, the warm arms that gently hold me, the smell of sweat and musky spice that entices me. I unconsciously bite my lip, trying to figure out why my heart is racing.

“Bravo!”

    The abrupt cheers, claps, and whistles startle us apart. The previously empty doorway is now filled with the most of the stunt crew, who are looking on with interest.

“Well dang, June,” Brian laughs, coming all the way into the room to clap me on the shoulder. “I never knew you could move like that. That was really nice. You too, Joon.”

“Thanks,” we both mumble as the others come over to offer similar comments.

When they leave to put away their things, I turn to Joon. “You were pretty amazing.”

“Thanks,” he smiles. “You were too.”

I hesitate, but I can’t help myself. “Do...do you have any free time later? If you want...we can hang out or something.”

Joon’s face falls for a few seconds before his smile returns even bigger. “I have to train all day, but I finish when Leo does.”

“I’ll still be around.” I feel my face light up at the idea of spending more time with him.

He motions for me to follow him so we can sink onto some extra mats and hands me an extra water bottle. As he sips, he frowns. “But what about your friends? It’s summer, so don’t you want to be with them ?”

I look away, spinning the bottle. “I actually don’t have that many friends other than Leo and a few others.”

“Why? You’re really nice and beautiful.”

“I don’t know. It’s just how it is,” I shrug, smiling a little at his compliment.

“Then I’ll be your friend,” Joon says with a determined nod. Sticking his hand out, he looks at me expectantly. “Friends?”

Unable to keep a straight face, I giggle and take it. “Friends.”

    And that was that. I came to the company with Leo almost every day after that so I could see Joon. Thank goodness the other guys liked me. Sometimes I’d just watch while other times I’d actually try to do what he was doing, which usually ended up a fail. Still, Joon would just laugh and help me do it right most of the time. When he did get frustrated with me, I could usually charm a smile back onto his face quiet easily. After training, I’d take him out to show him around and help him with his English.

    I loved those days of just being with him. Joon would always listen to me when my family was making me upset and make me laugh after I’d gotten it all out. He became my best friend other than Leo, even if underneath it all we knew we didn’t have much time. The start of filming made this even more apparent. By the time school started, I barely saw him except for the few stolen evening hours. In the end, I didn’t even get to say goodbye because his company made him leave soon after shooting wrapped up. That afternoon, Leo handed me a slip of paper. Written in Joon’s scrawl, it simply said:

June, I will always be your friend. We’ll see each other again. I promise.

~ Forever yours, Joon

    I cried myself to sleep once Leo left because with those simple words, I realized I’d fallen in love with my best friend only to lose him before I had a chance to tell him.