It was him

I gasped as I looked out the window to see the car they had pulled up in. It was an AC Greyhound – a very old fashioned vehicle but remarkably well preserved. I had been sitting by the window almost all day, just hoping that they would come sooner than planned. My stomach was in knots and I found myself unable to eat anything because I was so nervous.

I looked down at myself and frowned - my mother had forced me to wear the most ridiculous dress. I came downstairs an hour before they arrived in jeans and a t-shirt but she freaked out. She said that I had to be presentable and she didn’t want them to think I had turned into a slob. The worst part was that she and father were allowed to wear their casual clothes. I suppose I will never understand their motives.
The car engine let out a huge sigh as they turned off the ignition. I could hear the car doors opening but nobody stepped out. The suspense was killing me.

“Jangmi! Come downstairs and greet them properly, please!” My mother called, snapping me back to reality. I answered her call and descended down the stairs, dragging my feet behind me to disguise the fact that I was nervous.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I noted that the door was already open, and that Chen’s parents were making their way down the path. Our parents greeted one another formally – shaking hands and kissing cheeks – although as soon as Chen and I had gone I knew that they would be acting like children again. After all, it had been years, and they were the greatest of friends.

“Oh, just look at you, Jangmi! You look absolutely gorgeous!” His mother cried, throwing herself into my arms after she was finished with mother. She had always loved me like a daughter, which was nice as my own mother couldn’t care less about me.

“You’re probably wondering where Chen is, aren’t you, sweetheart? He’s just getting his things out of the car, he’ll come in soon.” She said once more.

My mother, Ji soo, looked at me briefly, then turned to his mother.

“I’m sure that Jangmi can go out and greet him properly. It has been a while after all.” She looked at me with a stare that told me I didn’t have a choice.

“Sure, I guess.” I replied to her, not really wanting to make a big deal out of it. I was trying not to make my voice sound shaky as I didn’t want to embarrass myself.

I stepped out into the cool air, the flowers in the garden turning and quaking with happiness as I passed them. They seemed to be enjoying themselves well enough, so why wasn’t I? I was meeting up with the person who had saved my life, yet I was dreading it as I would a test at school.

I apprehensively approached the car. It shone a piercing blue in the sunlight, reminding me of the sea which I lived so close to. The wheels had an antique design, but were seemingly brand new, as if they had used time travel to bring it to the present day from the past. I averted my eyes to the boot of the car, for I was sure I would find him there. I was right.

He was reaching into the back of the car. From here, I could see his tall, firm bone structure and strong arms. He was wearing an oversized grey jumper and black jeans. I looked down at his feet and smiled. He was wearing Doc Marten boots and large red socks. Even though he had completely changed in body structure I could see that his style was not that different.

I watched for a while until he lifted his head out of the trunk and averted his gaze towards me, just looking at the bags and counting them.

He was even more handsome than I had hoped.

His black hair was messy and fell over his face in a manner which made me feel flustered. His brown eyes rested fairly deep into his skull, and he bit his bottom lip as if he was in deep thought. His cheekbones were very prominent too – he would have looked gaunt, but his skin was so smooth and clear that it just made him look hotter.

He looked into my eyes. I looked away.

Like I said, I hate meeting people’s gazes.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Jangmi. I forgot.” he apologised.

I did not reply. I didn’t want to be rude of course, but I didn’t want to say something silly that would ruin the moment. It was silent for a while, but I had the guts to turn to look at his face again. He had not moved. For what had seemed to be two minutes, he had not moved a muscle. He looked mesmerised, as if looking at me made his heart skip a beat.  I spoke out.

“Hii… Hi, Chen.”

He grinned handsomely, “Hi, Jangie.”

“You remembered my nickname.”

“How could I forget?”

I smiled. His voice was so deep and gentle. He had grown up a lot, but in many ways he was still the same person he was a few years ago. He was exactly like I thought he would be. There was silence for a little while, but luckily I gathered the courage to speak again.

“I’m sorry about the dress. My mother forced me to-”

“You look beautiful.”

This time I couldn’t afford to not look into his eyes. With a deep breath, I met his gaze. He was looking back at me, challenging, as if he was daring me to look deeper. I don’t know how long we stood there for. Perhaps it was hours or maybe just seconds. I had lost track.

My mother’s laughter sounded from inside the house, waking me up from the trance I was in. He shook his head abruptly as if to clear it and lifted his various bags off the floor. We walked back up the drive together and into the house once he was ready. I could feel his gaze on me the whole time. What was he so mesmerised by?

“Oh look at you both. You’re so perfect together!” his mother cried again, clasping her hands in front of her in a childish manner. I looked to Chen, who had gone bright red and was shifting his feet across the floor. She was about to continue, but my mother, who had assessed the embarrassment, suggested that we went for a walk on the beach whilst they cleared everything up and prepared the dinner.

We walked in silence, the wind blowing through my hair as we stepped in time. It was just the way things used to be. Even when we were children the silences we endured together weren’t awkward ones. We were too familiar with each other.

“So, how have you been? It’s been a while since we’ve talked.” I spoke gently, almost in a whisper.

“Oh, you know me. I’ve had a lot of work to do, what with my new school and everything. I really hate boarding you know, I feel so alone sometimes.”

It sounded like he really hated his new life. I was so sad when he moved away, but I used to tell myself that as long as he was happy, I should just let him be. To hear that we weren’t happy with his new life crippled me.

“But there’s been enough talk about me. What about you, Jangie? Are you still at Maurward?”

That was my school. Of course I told him how I hadn’t moved. I was stuck there for the rest of my basic education. We chatted for hours, just catching up. It had been a while, and we needed to become more familiar with each other again. He hadn’t forgotten a single thing about me, which was reassuring as I thought he would have abandoned all thoughts of our relationship.

It was slowly getting dark. The gentle breeze sailed over the waves, forcing them to the sand and then retreat. It was beautiful.

“I think we ought to turn back. It’s getting late and they’ve probably got dinner on the table.” I said, twisting myself around.

“Jangie, wait.” I heard him say. I twisted around again slowly, not knowing what he was about to say. He had come closer, and took hold of my waist gently after I turned. His eyes glinted in the suns light. He was so gorgeous.

He leant in a little bit. I became scared. I wanted to kiss him, but it was too soon! Everything was happening so fast. However, I didn’t want to turn away from him, I would just have to make the most of it. I closed my eyes and pursed my lips slightly, but instead I felt his soft lips brush my cheek. I smiled when he pulled away. I knew he wouldn’t force me to kiss him too soon.

“You look beautiful, Jangmi.” He said.

I needed to return the favour. I reached for his hand and he took hold, his gentle fingers twisting around mine. All at once, we pivoted on our heels and went back to the house.