“HURRY UP, DAMN IT!”

“CHO KYUHYUN, GET YOUR LAZY OUT HERE RIGHT THIS FREAKING INSTANT.”

“HOW CAN I DO THAT? DO YOU WANT ME TO FLY?” Kyuhyun yelled back out the window, stepping away as he shook his head. “Impatient idiots.”

                He finally put on a shirt, grabbing his house keys from his desk before finally leaving his room. He was home alone for now and therefore, he needed to lock up before he left. His father’s wrath wasn’t a pretty sight the last time he forgot to lock up and Kyuhyun vowed he would never repeat the same mistake.

“About time, you lazy .” Shim Changmin made a face at his best friend. “Come on, Kyu. Let’s get going.”

“I said I was changing, remember?” He rolled his eyes as he closed the front door behind him, double checking to make sure it was locked.

“We’ve been waiting for fifteen minutes already.” Kim Heechul rolled his eyes right back.

“Hyungs, stop that.” Choi Minho called out from his bike; the two behind him, Lee Donghae and Kim Jaejoong, nodded in agreement. “We won’t get anywhere if you keep fighting.”

No one really bothered to argue against that; Kyuhyun’s friends waiting a tad more patiently than they did as he finally brought his own bike out of the garage. “Where to?” Jaejoong asked.

Kyuhyun grinned, putting his feet on the pedals of his bike. “Anywhere.”

                With a grin that matched his own, they sped off away from his house; Heechul leading the way this time around. Giddy smiles crossed their faces as the wind swept past them; their hair, short as they may be, fluttered around. It was an exuberating feeling; one of the reasons why I loved to go biking so much. It had a sense of adventure and freedom that they all craved for.

“Hyung!” Donghae called out as they slowed down, unsure of which direction to go to in the intersection. “Let’s try the left one. We haven’t gone there before.”

                Heechul carefully raised a hand and gave him a thumb’s up; everyone following his lead as he turned left. The area wasn’t really familiar to any of them; the road seemingly leading to a more isolated part of the neighbourhood. Little by little, the houses that they passed by lessened in number until trees were already greater in number. It was refreshing sight to see, especially in a place that was nearly more urban that it was supposed to be rural.

“Look at that!” Minho pointed at the many trees to their left. “It’s like a hidden park or something.”

“Hey, let’s look around!” Changmin suggested; his bike coming to a stop as he parked it by the curb.

                The rest of the boys easily followed suit, leaving their bikes to run around amongst the tears. Well, everyone did, except for Kyuhyun. He stayed on his bike, smiling goofily at how his friends made fools out of themselves. They were embarrassing but it’s not like anyone cared, right? Besides, they were all having fun and as snarky as may be most of the time, his friends mattered a whole lot to him.

                Sighing, he looked around to see the area; his eyes falling on the intimidating house across the street. It was grand alright, with its high, metal gates, well-manicured garden and cobbled paths. It was a mansion to be honest. But as grand and intimidating as it looked, the house still looked lonely to him. Kyuhyun wondered why. The sun glared down at him and he used his hand to shield his eyes as his gaze drifted upwards; his eyes freezing on a window in the second floor.

There was a girl.

                She seemed like she was around his age, maybe younger. Seated on the windowsill, her chocolate brown hair cascaded past her shoulders. She looked pale to him, like she hadn’t been out much. Engrossed in the book she was apparently reading, she pulled her pink knit sweater tighter around her frame unconsciously it seemed. Who was she? Kyuhyun didn’t know. He’d never seen her around before.

“Kyu!” Changmin yelled. Kyuhyun blinked and realized his friends were already with their bikes a couple of meters ahead of him. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”

“Yeah.” With one last look at the girl by the window, he went off.

It wasn’t the last time he went there.

It wasn’t the last time he saw her.

Sometimes they returned to bike; Kyuhyun subtly insisting that they should explore the area more. Sometimes he went on his own. Sometimes she was there. Sometimes she was and when she did appear, she was always by the same window, just like the first time. He had lived in the area since he was born and he’d never seen before. Who was she?

It was on his sixth visit that she finally noticed him.

                She was neither reading nor writing. She wasn’t sewing or listening to music. She was seated by the windowsill as always but this time, she had gazed outside the window and watched as the sun set. Kyuhyun had hid partially behind of the trees, watching her, when she lowered her gaze and her eyes met his.

                His faze heated up in an instant and he looked away, embarrassed. Kyuhyun wanted to hide, to escape but his feet didn’t budge. He cursed himself. He probably looked like a stalker to her, or some crazy psychopath or whatever. Hesitantly, he looked back up and found that she was still watching him. She seemed curious and it surprised him that she didn’t look afraid. Instead, she looked amused.

Slowly, she smiled.

o-o-o-o-o

“Hey.” Heechul gently smacked his fist against Kyuhyun’s chest, snapping the younger man out of his thoughts. “Back on Earth now?”

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Hey, hyung.” Minho took the time to swallow a sip of his bubble tea before he spoke again. “Are you okay?”

“Well…” He his lower lip in thought. “Remember where we biked two days ago? That place full of trees?”

His two friends nodded simultaneously. “Why?”

“There’s this huge house across the street, right?” Kyuhyun didn’t wait for a reply before he continued. “I saw a girl by the window… and I haven’t seen her around.”

“Oh?” Minho’s eyebrows shot in interest. “That’s odd. How does she look like?”

“She looked thin... brown hair. Sorta doe eyed or whatever it is you call her eyes.” His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Pretty pale too but not really fair skinned.”

Heechul rolled his eyes. “Why didn’t you go and ask?”

He shot the older man a look. “And who was I supposed to ask? There was no one outside.”

“Let’s go there, then!”

Kyuhyun’s eyes widened. “Hyung, are you serious?”

“