Words: 657

Dingdong…

“Joon Jae, can you get th-,” I start to yell into the space of my overly large house. My voice echoes and it hits me for the millionth time that I live alone now. Thought after thought about him run through my mind.

The past few weeks have been painfully lonely without Joonjae. Even though most of our time together consisted of silence, his presence was comforting. Well, at least my heart won’t continuously beat faster whenever I look at him…? I just… miss him so much.

Ever since I returned to Japan from our “one night dream”, I haven’t been able to rack up the courage to contact him. I think we’re both scared of the consequences once we get together. Hopefully, he’s doing well. Or, more than me?

I snap out of it and run to answer the door. It’s probably just the mailman.

As I open the door, I ask, “Haai?”

(Yes?)

A familiar voice that speeds up my heartbeat answers, “Konnichiwa. Boku wa Joonjae-desu.”

(My name is Joonjae.)

Stunned, I take a few seconds to just stare at the beautiful illusion in front of me in disbelief.

Moments pass and I still, apparently, look confused, because the illusion asks, “Did you forget about me? About everything that happened?” He frowned.

Still in a daze, I subconsciously reach out to touch his face. When I feel his soft face, I realize that the appearance of the model-like man in front of me was not imaginary (as I’ve experienced several times in the last few weeks). Tears start welling up in my eyes and precious memories flash throughout my head. I manage to choke out a, “Konnichiwa, boku wa Takuya. I remember everything.”

(My name is Takuya)

His face softens and he gives me that adorable smile that always spreads a warmth throughout my body. Purposely, he drops his suitcase and I reflexively reach to catch it at the same time as he does. Déjà vu washes over me and I remember the first time we met, which was also when my crush first started to develop, hehe.

With a grin, I take his hand and suitcase and lead them in. We walk slowly along the hallway, savoring this dream come true.

Suddenly, he calls my name, “Takuya.” His voice is rich and deep.

I quickly turn around.

The next moment, my back is against the wall and his face is a few inches from mine. I feel déjà vu again when I notice his hands are on the wall, trapping me. My face turns hot and flush, a blush quickly spreading across my face. I stutter, “Y-yes?”

“I like you, Takuya,” Joonjae whispers. As soon as he finishes saying it, his confident façade somewhat weakens and he adorably starts blushing.

If it was possible, my face grows even hotter and my heart beats even faster. My voice cracks as I whisper back, “I like you, too Joonjae.”

He wipes away tears on my face that I didn’t even realize were falling. Tenderly, I place my hands on his. His face gradually grew closer to mine and I close my eyes.

After what felt like a million years, I feel his warm and soft lips press onto mine. The thoughts in my head that were present milliseconds ago disappeared and all I could think about was how good he smelled. Just like the jersey he gave me when I was waiting at the bus stop.

He pulls back and looks at my face, eyes full of love. We take a few moments to gaze at each other and I pull him into a tight hug. My arms wrap around his neck and his arms find the circumference of my waist.

I take in his smell and presence, our bodies as close as possible. We stay like this for what feels like forever, just enjoying our beautiful reunion, love, and each other.