Back to the present,

2014

Just like he said he would, Mir came back towards the end of the afternoon. Lina was sitting on the rocking chair on the porch while reading an old novel she had borrowed from the library. Hearing her name being called, she lifted her head up and smiled at her sight; she quickly closed up her book and got up from her seat, meeting Mir at the edge.

“I told you I would pass by, didn’t I?”

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

She took a look at him and softly pushed some strands of his hair away before staring back at him, meeting his eyes. “I missed you so much Cheolyong.”

“I know… I missed you too.” He took her in his arms, hugging her tightly against him and placed a small kiss on her temple, pulling away to look back at her. She sat down with the boy following her behind as they bathed in a comfortable silence before Mir spoke up.

“I’m sorry about what happened to your grandfather… I didn’t know until yesterday. Nobody ever told me anything. Why didn’t you call me?”

“Call you? With what number Cheolyong?” The snappy reply made him lightly jump as he quickly looked away from her. With a breath out of , she softly apologized to him with her fingers through her hair and turned her head to look in front of her. “If I had called you...”

He turned back his head to look at the side of her face, cutting her sentence short. “I would’ve dropped everything to come to you.” He noticed that she had tighten her grip around the book she was holding on her lap as her head dropped down with her eyes shut closed. Her shoulders were slowly starting to shake with tears rolling down her cheeks letting soft sobs out of her system.

Seeing her like this broke his heart; he clenched his jaw to hold himself from breaking down and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he brought her closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. He let her cry as he gently caressed her with both of his arms enclosing her figure. He knew how in pain she was and it tore him apart to know that he wasn’t able to stand by her side like he said he would, years ago.

She let go of the book and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to feel the comfort she would usually get whenever he would hold her; it was faint, but it was there gradually calming her down.

With the silence back between them, she placed herself more comfortably against him and went back to her book, opening it to fetch out the bookmark; she handed it to Mir and as he looked at it, he smiled at the sight of the set of pictures they had taken when they were at the mall on that one day.

“I can’t believe you still have it…”

“Of course, why would you think that I wouldn’t?” She pulled herself away from his shoulder with a frown on her face, looking at him; he still had his eyes on the pictures, lightly grazing over the content. “Well, with everything that happened afterwards… I thought you would throw it away…”

“Never. It means to much to me.”

He turned his head and had his eyes locked straight into hers, cutting off his breath short. He noticed sorrow and fatigue marking her gaze, which sent another tug in his heart. He softly caressed her cheek and leaned in to press his lips against her forehead, giving her back the warmth she missed feeling from him.

“I missed being your best friend Cheolyong… You have no idea how hard it was for me.”

“We were still friends though, weren’t we?”

“But it wasn’t like before… Yes, we hung out a few times but that was just at school and only because Grandpa didn’t want us together.”

“But it didn’t stop me.”

“I know. You were so stubborn.” She lightly chuckled at the memory, lying her head back on his shoulder. “I remember trying to convince him that you were good but he didn’t want to listen and I just… gave up… If I kept fighting then maybe we wouldn’t have been so distant.”

“It’s not your fault Lina.”

“Then why do I feel like it is? Why do I feel guilty of letting you go… I pushed you away because he wanted me too. I know that he was looking out for me and I’m always going to be grateful for everything he did but it was hurting me… I was hurt because I couldn’t have you anymore… I couldn’t call you my friend anymore and I’ve never felt so alone…”

She felt the itch in and held in her tears the best she could; once again, he leaned in and kissed the top of her head, reassuring her that it wasn’t her fault. “I should’ve walked up to him and asked him. It wasn’t your responsibility.”

“Why?”

“Because I promised that I would look out for you. I wasn’t going to let go.”

“But you did…”

“Only because you said that you didn’t need me anymore and… I believed you…”

“I’m not going to lie but I hated you for it…” He closed his eyes as he held in his breath. “But I hated you even more when you started dating that Hwa Young chick… I’m still trying to figure out what drove you to her.”

“I was a stupid kid I guess.”

“An idiot.”

He chuckled at her choice of word making her back away to look at him and turned her head to face the bridge in front of them. Pushing her hair behind her ears, she let out a deep breath, having that specific memory imprinted in her mind. “That’s when we stopped talking completely… I never thought that the one that brought us together would be the same one to push us apart.”

He didn’t say anything but only stared down at the polaroid, letting the flashback of this day settle in his mind; she was still looking in front of her before glancing towards him and back down at the set of picture, her eyes landing on the one with the kiss on the cheek.

“You know… you were my first kiss…” From the picture he looked up at her with a slight surprise appearing across his face while she was still staring down in amusement at the foreign moment. “Really?”

“Well, you were there, it wasn’t really a first kiss, more like a meet up or something of the sort.” She lets out a chuckle while he was still staring at her, feeling his heart climb up his throat; he wasn’t denying the lost feelings that were coming back to him, he was still in love with her and somehow, he felt like now was the chance to kiss her, to take this opportunity and just do what he always wanted to do. “How about this then?”

The next thing she knew, she felt a soft pair of lips gently pressed against hers, taking her completely off guard, her eyes wide open and her heart stopping; just then she realized that Mir was the one kissing her as he was shyly holding onto her with his palm caressing her cheek.

The warmth she loved so was creeping up her veins making her heart flutter at the newest sensation. She closed her eyes, sinking into the kiss, letting herself go with everything pushed away only to have this moment as the main focus.

The innocent kiss over, he hesitantly pulled away as their breaths collided against each other. She wanted to lean back in, feeling like this wasn’t enough but hissed when sudden pain was shot through her bad knee. She pulled herself away and bent over as she clutched onto her skin, a soft cry escaping from her.

“Lina, wh-what’s going on?”

“My kne-ee hurts. Help me get up.”

Did as he was told, she leaned onto him and straightened out her leg, the pain gradually dissipating. She made her way towards the entrance of her house where she leaned her back against the wall and took in several deep breaths until the pain was completely gone. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. The pain is gone.”

They stood like this without saying anything else.

He could still feel her lips against his and it left him with slight shock wave swimming through him; he loved the way it made him feel and right now that’s all he could focus on. Intently watching her lips, slightly ajar for the air to reach her lungs, he took his steps to her and closed in the distance until he was near enough to feel her warm breath against his.

She lifted her eyes up and caught onto the depth of his gaze, leaving her motionless. She sensed the tip of his nose brushing up to hers before having his lips hovering against hers. She wasn’t able to look away from him as she found herself lost by the way he was staring at her, so new and unfamiliar compared to how he used to do it. His hands carefully cupped her cheeks and continued to lean in until he touched her lips.

The air couldn’t reach her lungs anymore and once again, she closed her eyes with the strange sensation flying crazily inside of her. She didn’t understand the emotions she was feeling but they were good and made her feel warm.

He slowly started to glide his lips over hers and captured her bottom with the smooth feel slowly firing him up. Letting the shyness and uncertainty of his action wash away, he emptied his mind with only the touch of her body lightly pressed against his as her arms were dropped by the side of her body, her hand holding her cane as her knuckles were slowly turning white with the seconds floating by.

He took her breath away the moment she felt her lips parting from each other to let the caress grow deeper. She was slightly distressed on what to do and he could sense it; tender care by her cheek, the tension that was resting inside her body was slipping away, letting herself fall into a complete daze.

It was the first time that such emotions were living inside of her and that was why it left her confused but she liked it, she liked how a tingle of excitement or even feeling her stomach jump and her heart pounding against her chest were all so new to her and made her want to let them linger a little bit longer.

From standing still, she slowly started to move, first with her lips as she began to respond to his gesture and then by pressing her body further against his for its warmth; she wasn’t even sure she was doing the right things but the feeling was just too sensational to ignore and it let her body speak for itself, her sanity put aside with her awakening and unknown instincts taking over her being.

Feeling her move, he pushed his body more against hers letting her back softly crash with the wall behind her. His one hand trailed down until he got a hold of her waist as he let the other slid to gently hold her from behind her neck, letting his fingers get entangled in her brown hair, with the softness of her curls against his palm.

The kiss deepen even more and heightened in its level of passion with Mir losing himself into the mountain of emotions that were building up in the pit of his stomach. It was the first time that a kiss created such an effect on him and knowing that it was her first, he wanted to make it more special and felt that it had that sentiment.

He didn’t want to pull away and there was no way that he wanted this moment to end but she suddenly stopped as he felt her pushing herself away from him without looking up to meet his eyes. Their heavy breaths were the only thing that could be heard between them until she stopped breathing the moment she felt his fingers under her chin, lifting her head up.

“Why are you crying?”

“You ha-have to go…” Her words were just a mere whisper, broken by the tone of her voice. He looked back at her with slight confusion but shook his head, denying her request. “Please Cheolyong…”

“Why?”

“I-I don’t know, just go. I c-can’t deal with this…”

“With what Lina?” He leaned in his forehead against hers and went back to lightly cup her by the cheeks, wet from the tears that were falling down. “Let me stay with you, hmm? Let me stay for the night Lina… Don’t push me away.” The smoothness of his voice sent chills down her spine; she closed her eyes and felt a slight electric tingle run its course at the sound of the muttered words that were so sweet and yet deadly to her sanity as they were pronounced against her swollen lips.

One kiss and he spoke again with the same tenderness and calmness, soothing her soul.

Another kiss and she felt herself slowly losing grip of reality as she waited for his lips to touch hers again.

The third kiss and she didn’t let go but he’s the one that pulled away making her lock eyes. “Let me make it up to you for leaving you behind. I’m sorry Lina, I really am… I’m sorry for letting you go through this hell all by yourself… Let me hold you for tonight; let me comfort you…”

And again, chills up and down her hot skin, her breaths were becoming short with a hesitant nod from her head, earning herself to gain his soft lips back against hers.

They haven’t moved from their spot until the faint sound of raindrops caught their attention; looking back, the evening sky was turning grey with the bad weather coming along. Looking down on the ground, he quickly grabbed onto her book with the picture inside and turned back to her before opening the door to let her walk in, following her closely behind.

He placed the novel by the closest table and with her back facing him, he approached her carefully, his hands on her shoulders before letting them slide down to hold her trembling hands. He could still hear her soft cries, making him wrap his arms around her, hugging her so strongly against his chest, it would’ve been futile to break free.

Out of reflex to his familiar hug, she sunk into his chest and stood still while sensing him move with his face hiding in her neck, his warm breath tickling her skin.

“I have to go and check on Grandma...”

“Okay.”

She felt his hold loosening around her, giving her the chance to walk away as she made her way up the stairs. Once she reached the designated door, slowly opening it, she saw her grandmother asleep on her bed with a photo album opened next to her. Walking in, she fixed the set, careful not to wake her and once she was done, she kissed the old lady goodnight and walked out with the door softly closing it behind.

From the stairs to the living room, she looked around and couldn’t see Mir until her eyes landed on the slight open door to her bedroom. Taking in a deep breath, she marched her way in there and spotted the boy sitting at the edge of her bed with a familiar book in his hands. Turning his head to look at her, he waved the novel in front of her with a slight smile, amused.

“Did you love the book I gave you that much to keep it ten years later?”

She chuckled at his question and shook her head while she went to sit by his side, taking the book onto her lap. “To tell you the truth... I hated it. I didn’t say it to you because I thought that I had troubled you enough with the way I was acting when you were just trying to be my friend...”

"How come you have it?"

"Grandpa bought it from the library for me... Apparently I looked too attached to that book and he decided to surprise me and bought it."

"Did he knew it was because of me?"

"Mhmm, that's why he bought it."

"I thought he hated me?"

"And he hated you even more when he figured out the reason why I was crying so much... He was ready to kill you for having broken my heart..."

"When I left?"

"When you started dating... Her. He was ready to be lenient towards our friendship after my grandma talked to him, but after what happened, he changed his mind again. He did everything so I would stop thinking about you."

"What happened then?"

"He had the heart attack..."

Sudden silence fell over them, dreadful and painful. The memory of the old man left the ache she had to be awaken slightly before letting herself breathe to calm down. His hand reached out for hers as he softly her skin and intertwined their fingers together, squeezing their hold.

"You look tired Lina..." By the use of his free hand, he pushed some strands of her hair away from her face with her profile to his view. "I'm exhausted Cheolyong... I'm so exhausted."

He moved away as he pulled her up on her feet leaving her confused until she saw him pull the covers away and slid inside her bed before telling her to get in, placing the blanket back over her figure. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed her body closer until he had her breath lingering over his lips. One small peck and he turned to lie on his back, letting her rest her head against his chest with the echo of his heart rapidly beating against her ear.

She felt him her hair and lifted her head up to see that he had his eyes down on her. The stare left her breath stuck inside her lungs, and soon closed her eyes when she felt his hand, that was around her waist, warm against her cheek. He leaned in closer, slowly, and went back to catch her lips against his, the mild touch fitting in perfectly between them.

He wanted to deepen the kiss but felt her push him away, enough to brush his nose to hers. Gazing at him, the confusion struck in her eyes as she voiced it out in a whisper.

“W-why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” He snuggled the tip of his nose further against her as he stared down her lips, his own.

“K-kissing me…” The tickle that was living in her stomach kept climbing up as it spread out through her body, leaving her to slightly tremble as she felt his breath colliding with her slightly parted mouth.

He didn’t answer her question. Instead, he kissed her again as he had taken the chance with her open lips, with his fingers sliding to the back of her head as they ran into the locks of her hair. The sudden movement left her frozen and as tempting as it was to simply give in, she was still stuck in reality and pushed him away again.

“Please…”

“I don’t want to stop.”

“You have to…” Pushing him further away, she sat up and turned around to have her back facing him. She bit in her bottom lip to hold herself from crying and spoke up with a stern tone. “We’re not a couple Cheolyong. You can’t just k-kiss me like that and pretend like-like its something we d-do.”

He sat up and rested his chin on her shoulder, making her head turn to look at him. A small peck on her shoulder, he whispered an apology but hasn’t let go as he let his hand trail back up to her face, gently pushing her hair behind her ears before carefully holding her. “I just… missed you.” He leaned his face until he nestled his nose to hers and caught her lips once again but going in for the innocent caress.

Pulling away, she tried to look up in his eyes but could only fixate herself on his lips. The breathing was catching up to her as it was making her chest heave up and down. 

“Y-You don’t need to kiss m-me for that…”

“But I want too. Its all I want to do right now…” Not giving her the chance to react, he quickly dived in for the passionate kiss, catching her breath in his throat along the way. She barely had any strength left to fight him and still had the ache in her heart that left her puzzled about the reason behind what he was trying to do.

With the seconds dropping, the need of air was becoming more urgent but was ignored for Mir as he had lost complete focus of his surroundings with the emotions tied to his being, reaching to the surface as it sparked his warm skin. As for Lina, as much enjoyment she found to be bathing in such comforting warmth, she pulled herself away again, panting for the air she needed for her lungs.

“You still haven’t told me why and… why so suddenly…”

Locking eyes with her, he wanted to give her the real reason and felt that if he missed this given chance, he would never be able to confess again; he had this abrupt urge to pour everything out and just tell her that he saw her more than a friend, that he wanted more from their relationship, as twisted and broken it became over the years.

The moment he was about to speak up, the bad weather caught up to them with the loud sound of thunder reaching them; out of fear, she lightly jumped in her spot and placed her hand over her chest to calm herself down. “Afraid of thunder?”

She nodded her head as she looked to the windows where the raindrops became more severe, banging against the glass. She got up and closed her curtains to hide the outside view before turning back around to see Mir sitting back at the edge of her bed.

The depth in his dark orbs were fixated on her, leaving her to feel at the sudden exposure; it quickly went away with the sound of another thunder, this time faint but still sent cold chills down her spine.

Without a word, Mir got up and stretched out his arm as if to invite her to his side of the bedroom. Wrapping her arms around herself, she limped her way over, careful as not to stumble since she wasn’t holding onto her cane. The moment she was at an arm length distance from him, he pulled her against his chest, his arms tightly holding her body against his. He led her back to her bed where they both lied down, his arms around her with her head back on his chest.

She closed her eyes and was calmly breathing while the boy was glancing from one side of the room to the other, realizing now that it was the first time he ever stepped foot inside. From her desk, his gaze landed on her cane to which he had also realized that he never knew the reason why she had her leg problem; through almost ten years of friendship and it was becoming clear that he knew nothing about her.

He frowned at the thought and formed words on the tip of his tongue that left her stiff with her eyes shot wide open.

“Lina… Why do you have a bad knee? I never knew why you had to carry a cane through all these years…”

Lifting her head up, she propped herself on her elbow and stared at him with a hint of worry crossing her eyes.

“What if I told you that your father did this to me… Would you believe me?”

A/N: Awwwwwwww!!!~ They kissed!! \^o^/

Hehe :3

What did you guys think of this? And what's up with the ending?! :O

Nyahahaha xD

Lots of love, xo