“Let’s write something on the back of it. So we can remember this moment when we grow up.”

“Write what?”

“How about this: together forever. We’ll be best friends forever.”

The 12 year old Sungmin pinky swore Chloe who was just 10 at that time. They begged her mom to take a picture of them holding hands, to show that they’ll never be broken apart. After taking the picture, Sungmin came up with an idea of making a time capsule. They would write their wishes on a piece of paper each and not let the other see it, put it in a box with that picture and bury it under their favorite tree.

“T-o-g-e-t-h-e-r, together.” Chloe spelt the word out as she wrote it behind the photograph. “Your turn!”

Sungmin gladly took the marker from her tiny hands and wrote “Forever”.

“The rule is to return 10 years later at this date, to check and see if our wishes are fulfilled. You understand?”

Chloe nodded her head cutely and grabbed a piece of paper and pen to write her wish down. She turned away from Sungmin so that he wouldn’t see and thought really hard on what to write. Her face immediately lit up when she knew exactly what she wanted. I wish I can marry Sungmin when I grow older, then we can live in a big house with doggy.

Sungmin looked at Chloe’s serious face as he too, thinks of what to write in it. His tongue instinctively stuck out as he penned his wish down and folded the paper. Be by Chloe’s side always and protect her. He looked up and saw her folding her paper. “You done?”

“Yeap, are you?”

“Just one more thing.”

He quickly unfolded his paper and added two more words. Marry her.

“Okay, I’m done!”

Sungmin threw his piece of paper into the box and sealed the picture and their wishes in the box.

~

“I’m not lying! Your stinking girlfriend is cheating on you! I saw her and another guy doing stuff in the mall!”

Chloe paused to shudder at the image of Sungmin’s girlfriend and some guy kissing and groping each other publicly in the mall where everyone could see.

“Again. You’ve got to talk to her.”

“Enough Chloe. My girlfriend wouldn’t cheat on me.” Sungmin tried to speak in a level-headed tone. She did it again.

 Chloe suddenly rang his doorbell that afternoon and screamed right in his face that his girlfriend was cheating on him. “You’re 20 for goodness sake, please stop being so over sensitive.” He rolled his eyes at the girl was just staring at him, dumbfounded.

“And you’re 22! Can’t you see she’s just using you for your money?” Chloe spat back fiercely, knowing full well her best friend was sensitive towards the age issue. She couldn’t believe how blind he was, not being able to see that his stupid girlfriend loves his goods and not him. “Ugh, god! What must I do for you to believe me?” She moaned in frustration as she paced his room, trying to sort her mind out.

“Bring me to see her now. If she says yes then I will believe you.”

“You seriously think she’ll confess to her crime? You’re being such an idiot right now dammit.”

Sungmin’s anger was brought to a new level when Chloe continued to scream at him and now, even insulting him when he was trying to stay calm.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m an idiot for even introducing her to you. I thought you’d be happy for me.”

“I was, until I saw her making out with a guy that wasn’t you. Oh guess what, he wasn’t the one I saw just now.” 

“I am not that stupid to fall for this. You’re jealous and that’s why you’re saying this.”

Chloe held in the words that she was planning to say because Sungmin’s parents were just down in the living room and if they heard her say that, she’s pretty sure she will not be allowed here ever again. “Why on earth will I be jealous.” Gritting her teeth so hard until they hurt, she zoomed in closer to Sungmin’s face.

“Because you like me. Just because you like me, it doesn’t mean that I have to like you back.”

“Oh.” Chloe’s expression instantly fell as she stepped back from Sungmin. “I’m so sorry for trying to protect my friend.” She walked backwards and waved with a smile. “Well, bye! Sorry for interrupting your nice afternoon. And please don’t mind what I said it, I talk rubbish all the time. Enjoy the rest of your day! No, actually enjoy the rest of your life.” She turned and walked to the door. There she paused and tilted her head back and added. “Without me.”

Sungmin opened his mouth, intending to apologize when he realized what he said, a little too late. “Wait, I’m sor-“

He didn’t get to finish his sentence before Chloe took off running, but she wasn’t fast enough when she turned her head back. Her tears were faster.

“Chloe!” He ran down into the living room and unintentionally interrupted his parents having lunch. “Sungmin! What’s going on? Why was Chloe crying?” His mom questioned her son, seriously getting worried as Chloe did not even say goodbye to them as she usually does.

“Nothing. It’s just well, shesawmyfakegirlfriendmakingoutwithanotherguyandshecametotellme.” He paused to take in a gulp of air and continued. “Butiwasbeingstupidandsaidthewrongwordssosheleft.”

“Woah woah woah, calm down and tell us properly. I thought you liked her? Why do you have a ‘fake’ girlfriend?

“I paid a girl to be my girlfriend to stop Chloe from liking me.”

“Why?”

Yeah, why? Why did I get a fake girlfriend?

“Because I was afraid I would lose her? I didn’t want all those years of friendship to go away just like that if we got together then break up.”
“I gotta agree with you son. You’re pretty stupid.”

“Mom!”

 Sungmin’s mother laughed at the pathetic sight of her son. She wasn’t being mean, it was just that he never thought her son would be so flustered over a girl he was so comfortable hanging out with since young.  “Why don’t you go find her now?”

“How would I know where she went after you stopped me for so long?!” His voice shook as he felt his eyes burning. , no. He can’t cry in front of his parents.

“Say, isn’t today the day you two were supposed to take that time capsule out?” Sungmin’s father finally spoke and his words were the most comforting ones, compared to his mother’s.

“That’s right! Thanks guys!” He kissed both his parent’s cheeks before running to the tree where their time capsule was.

~

“Chloe! Wow, you really are here.”

Chloe’s head jerked up when she heard a familiar voice call her name. She squinted to see through the bright sun to see Sungmin walking towards her. She had her head to her knees for quite some time now, considering how everything was so bright to her.

He squatted down beside her and looked into her wet eyes. He cupped her face with both his hands and wiped the remaining tears off her beautiful face. She frowned as he did that but all Sungmin did was smile. That was when he noticed something peeking out beside her; the time capsule box. He pointed to the box and Chloe nodded, a gesture that told him to open it. She remembers too.

He flipped the cover open and saw two tiny pieces of folded paper. He took one randomly and once again, looked at Chloe to seek her consent to open it. She stretched her hand out and took the other one in the box and began to open it up. Sungmin did the same and gasped when he saw the childish handwriting of his best friend’s. He turned the paper around to show Chloe and was surprised to see her already flashing hers.  

Be by Chloe’s side always and protect her.Marry her.

I wish I can marry Sungmin when I grow older, then we can live in a big house with doggy.

“We…” Sungmin started, yet with Chloe ending his sentence off.

“Wrote the same thing.”

Sungmin now knew for sure just how much Chloe loved, no scratch that, loves him. He without a doubt, knows his own heart as well. He broke their eye contact to take the photograph of them holding hands out and flip it over. Behind were the faded words of their messy handwriting: Together Forever.

Sungmin reached for the marker he conveniently threw in just in case Chloe wanted to change her wish, and took the cap off. He knelt down and traced the faint lines carefully as Chloe watched him. T-o-g-e-t-h-e-r. He spelt it out in head with his tongue sticking out as always. He handed the marker over to Chloe with expectant eyes. She took it and was about to write the following word when a stronger pair of hands wrapped around hers. Her heartbeat raced but showed nothing different as the both of them scribbled down the word:

Forever.