April 3rd

‘This isn’t what it looks like.’

Amongst tangled limbs and clustered sheets, my boyfriend stared up at me in shock. His fingers were tightly, almost protectively, wrapped around the unfamiliar woman’s waist. Her slender legs s around his, her lips frozen against his neck.

I could hear him scrambling out of our bed as I spun on my heel, but I did not turn back. Even as tears stung my eyes, I pushed forward and refused to react to his desperate pleas, wishing to rapidly increase the distance between us. Only when I merged into the bustling crowds lining the sidewalk did his cries finally settle.

Sniffling and embarrassed, I walked briskly with my head hung low. Though my heart throbbed, I was not one who enjoyed revealing her emotions or receiving those dreadful looks of sympathy from strangers. Bitterly, my fingers swiped at the silent tears dripping down my cheeks until my face was swollen and dry.

Suddenly, the air was knocked out of my lungs and I fell to the ground, hands breaking my fall but painfully scraping across the pavement. My head jerked upwards, eyes fierce and mouth contorted in anger, ready to scold the person who had knocked me over. I opened my mouth to yell, but all that managed to escape was a soft sigh.

‘I’m so sorry, I’m not usually this clumsy’, the man exclaimed, awkwardly feeling around for the CDs he had dropped.

He was so beautiful, a mess of curly brown locks and adorably pointed ears. The sun made his fair skin sparkle beautifully and rays danced across the broadness of his shoulders. He had to hunch uncomfortably to retrieve his fallen possessions due to the undeniable extent of his model-like height.

I gasped and began hastily collecting the CDs. ‘No, no, it was my fault. I should have been more focussed, I’m sorry.’

His lips stretched into a charming grin, but I could only stare at his eyes. The different shades of brown shimmered gorgeously, seeming to transform depending on which angle light struck them. They were warm and inviting, crinkling cutely at the corners to accentuate his wide smile. However, they did not appear to be looking at anything in particular, but gazing lazily into the distance. He was blind.

‘You’re not hurt are you?’ he asked gently.

I snuck a quick glimpse at my dirtied hands. ‘No, I’m fine. I’m a tough girl.’

‘Ah, good to hear,’ he responded, chuckling softly, ‘did you happen to pick up any of my CDs? I think I’m missing a few, but then again I could have just miscounted. I’m terrible at math.’

‘I’ve got four here.’

He stuck his fingers out and counted, biting his lip in concentration. ‘All CDs accounted for! Thank you.’

I wrapped my hand around his wrist and helped him to his feet, only to feel oddly insignificant as his tall frame loomed over me. In the other hand, I firmly grasped his CDs, somewhat unwilling to let go. Though I knew he couldn’t see my expression, I stared up at him and smirked.

‘Let me help you carry these.’

‘They’re not heavy, it’s okay.’

I giggled softly. ‘I know. It’ll make me feel better for knocking into you though.’

‘You don’t have to feel bad just because I’m blind’, he insisted, a grin still plastered on his face.

‘Blind or not, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I could’ve knocked over a little old lady!’

‘So you don’t feel bad for knocking over a blind person?’

‘Wait, no that’s not what I meant! I-‘

He burst into laughter, shakily reaching out in search of my head to give it a reassuring pat. ‘I’m just messing around. I’d really appreciate the help. I know this area like the back of my hand, but with the crowds it can be kind of difficult to get around. Follow me.’

His hand slipped from my head to envelop my cold fingers and he confidently began to lead the way. For a moment my feet dragged and I stared at him, open mouthed and dumbfounded by his ability to sense other presences around him. Expertly, he wound around people and knew fully well when to stop or turn.

‘Ah, I didn’t even introduce myself,’ he cried, stopping so abruptly that I collided with him and almost lost grip of the CDs.

The fabric of his blue coat was soft and soothing against my inflamed face and he faintly smelled of vanilla. I stood stationery, happily inhaling it, my hand still comfortably wrapped in his.

He chuckled and dragged me out from behind him so that we were face to face. ‘I’m Chanyeol.’

‘I’m Min’, I answered, wiggling my hand out to grab his head and tilt it down, ‘and that’s how short I am.’

‘I think that’s a normal height. Not that I’ve ever been able to compare heights, but people have always told me I’m too tall.’

I snorted. ‘Anyone who has told you that is probably a midget. They just feel inferior because they can’t reach the top shelf without a stool.’

‘I like you’, he admitted, snickering cutely and instinctively seeking my hand once more.

We continued on our way without any struggle. Though he had claimed crowds made it difficult for him to traverse through the city, he seemed to do it with complete ease. Like only a moment earlier, he dodged each person who headed in his direction as though he could perfectly pinpoint where they were. What I didn’t know was that he never had trouble getting around; he just really wanted to hold the hand of the girl with the beautiful voice.