(credit to amberkrisber.tumblr.com)

AJ and Luna: Age 17/16

(AJ’s POV)

Saturday was drawing close and I was really hoping that Luna had forgotten that I had promised to go to the movies with her. I had thought about it and I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. It wasn’t really a date date. I just didn’t know how to say no. She hadn’t brought it up for the entire week so I was actually feeling hopeful.

Like clockwork, she walked into class and called out my name. “AJ oppa!”

I was getting so used to it that I was literally waiting for it every day. “Hey Luna,” I called back without even looking up.

“Oppa, did you finish this assignment yet? I’m having a hard time with it,” she said as she sat down next to me.

I found it a little strange that she would sit down beside me every morning for a chat but when the bell rang she would move to another seat. That never really made sense to me but she was definitely an interesting one.

“Not quite, but I’m almost done,” I answered, still feeling a little groggy.

“Can you help me? It’s due soon and I haven’t even finished half of it.”

“Uhm, sure. Which part do you need help with?” I answered. I was really tired that morning so I was basically answering her questions without thinking.

“Well, it’s going to take awhile. Why don’t we work on it after school?”

“Okay…” I mumbled.

Then the bell rang and she went back to her seat.

At the end of the day, I was about to walk out the classroom when Luna stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

“Oppa, are you ready?” she asked.

I stared at her blankly. “Ready for what?”

“Oppa, have you forgotten? You promised to help me with the assignment after school,” she explained.

As the day went by, my mind blanked out the conversation we had that morning. Oh, crap! How did that happen? I face-palmed myself. “Oh, right… I kind of forgot.”

She frowned and her usually cheerful face was filled with disappointment. “How could you forget?”

“Sorry, Luna. It just slipped my mind…”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to help me,” she sobbed.

I felt really bad. I had unconsciously agreed to it but she didn’t know that. I didn’t want to break my promise. “No, of course I still want to help you. I just forgot for a second there.” I forced a smile.

We headed to the library to finish our assignments. She explained which parts were giving her trouble and I helped her figure them out. I knew she was just pretending not to know the stuff though. Luna was actually a really smart girl despite what she let on. She behaved like she didn’t know much but in fact she was really bright and intelligent. She thought that I hadn’t noticed that she was just pretending to need my help because she wanted to spend time with me but I did. I wasn’t as naive as she thought either. I was beginning to develop a fondness for her so I didn’t mind. Actually I thought it was cute that she would go through all that trouble to get me to spend time with her. I had to admire her determination.

We managed to speed through our assignment without a hassle. After all, she probably already knew how to finish it on her own.

We were about to part ways when she stopped me. “So… about tomorrow…” she hesitated.

“What about tomorrow?” I asked in return, although I already knew what it was about.

“Uhm… well… are we still… going to… the movies…?” she stammered.

I grinned. It was the first time I’d seen her so nervous and shy since I met her. I knew that I had hoped to wriggle my way out of it but I suddenly had a change of heart. “Sure. What time do you want to meet?”

Her mood lifted again and she hopped excitedly. “How about we meet at noon at the cinema?”

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” I said as I gave her a pat on the head.

“Can’t wait, oppa!” she exclaimed.

As I watched her skip away, I thought to myself if I should have shot her down while I had the chance. I’m probably going to regret this.

The next day, I waited for Luna at the cinema as promised. She turned up a little late but it wasn’t a surprise. She was wearing a really cute outfit though; a floral sleeveless button-up blouse, a blue pleated skirt and she had a yellow bow tied around her head. I’d only seen her in her school uniform so I hadn’t really realized how attractive she actually was.

“Sorry I’m late oppa,” she apologized as soon as she saw me.

“It’s fine. You look pretty today,” I commented.

I saw her blush slightly and avoided looking at me directly.

“So… the movie is going to start soon. Shall we go in?” I continued.

She nodded. “How’d you know I wanted to see this movie?”

“You told me…”

“And you actually remembered?” she giggled.

I shrugged. “Did you want a drink or some popcorn?”

“I got it,” she smiled. “I can’t let you pay for everything, oppa.”

To my surprise, Luna had chosen to watch an action movie. I had half expected that she would have wanted to watch a romantic comedy. The more I knew about her, the more fascinating she was to me. Throughout the movie, I could see that she would periodically take a peek at me. She was probably checking to see if I was enjoying the movie as well which I did. Every time she did that, I smiled but I pretended not to notice. I actually had a good time at the movie.

“So oppa, did you like the movie?” she asked as the movie ended.

“Yes, actually. It was a good movie. Great plot twist, unexpected ending,” I replied.

“Oh, good. I was worried you might be bored or didn’t like it.”

“No, it was good.” We both went silent for awhile. It was a little awkward because I hadn’t thought about what we would do after the movie. “Uhm… so… what do you want to do now?”

“Well… you don’t have to spend the entire day with me if you don’t want to,” she said shyly. “You only promised to watch a movie with me.”

 This is unexpected. Despite being doubtful about the date initially, I was beginning to enjoy her company. “We can do whatever you want Luna,” I insisted.

A big smile broke across her face. “Let’s go!”

When I said we’d do whatever she wanted, she took it literally. She took me to an arcade where I won her a stuffed animal. We took photos in one of those instant photo booths. We went from shop to shop looking at everything from accessories to music CDs. We basically walked around town the entire day. Some of her interests were quite fascinating though. It turned out that she enjoyed listening to all different types of music from pop to r&b to electronic to classical. She enjoyed reading a lot. She loved animals. She also enjoyed all different forms of art. I was impressed. I hadn’t expected her to be so well-rounded. If you didn’t know her, you’d think she was a simple-minded girl but in fact she was complex and unpredictable.

After a whole day of walking around, I was starving. I hadn’t eaten anything all day except for the popcorn at the movie.

“Hey, are you hungry? Let’s go get something to eat,” I suggested.

“Sure, I’m starving,” she agreed.

I was craving some American food so I decided to bring her to a café. I ordered a burger, fries and soda while she decided on pasta and a fruit smoothie. We chatted as we ate and I took the time to find out more about her.

“Oppa, I really had a good time on our date today,” she suddenly said.

I hesitated for a moment, thinking about how to give her an appropriate response. “I had a good time too Luna. I found out a lot of things about you today that really changed my perception of you.”

“So, do you want to go on another date with me?” she asked, her eyes filled with anticipation.

“Listen, Luna. I have to tell you something,” I started.

“Hmm?”

“You’re a great girl Luna and I like you. You are pretty, intelligent and you’ve really surprised me with the real you… but I just don’t feel that way about you,” I finished. I stopped and fixed my eyes on her face, hoping to get a hint at what she was thinking. I hope I didn’t break her heart too badly.

Her face gave no sign of any emotions though. She just looked at me with a blank expression. Finally she broke her silence. “I figured. I was hoping that I could somehow change your mind.”

“You did change my mind about you… but you didn’t change the way I feel about you. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay oppa. We can still be friends right?” she responded unexpectedly.

She’d astonished me yet again. I would have never imagined the kind of response that she gave me. “Of course. I think we can be good friends.” I smiled.

We ended the night pleasantly and I walked her home.

“Thanks for the wonderful day oppa. I had a lot of fun!” she said. Then she tip-toed and pecked me on the cheek.

I was a little startled but I didn’t hate it.

She ran into her house without saying another word.

“I’ll see you on Monday,” I shouted after her and laughed.

(Luna’s POV)

I couldn’t believe I just did that. After I kissed him, I was too self-conscious so I just ran into the house without saying goodbye. I heard him call after me but I couldn’t respond.

I’m sorry oppa, I just can’t give up on you yet. One day you’ll like me back… I just know it.

(credit to The Klassic @ krystal.kr)