Outro;

October 17
Barcelona, Spain 

On the plane, I dreamed about the stars. Once, in our junior year of college, Minseok and I had snuck onto the roof of the tallest building on campus in order to look at the stars. The area was totally off limits to students, and the entire building was supposed to be closed at night. I guess that should have been the early warning signs of our future delinquency and affinity for breaking and entering, but at the time, it had seemed adventurous and romantic. 

We’d brought a picnic up there: kimbap, banana milk, and choco pies. Minseok laid a blanket down on the roof and we’d talked into the early morning while looking up at the stars, curled around each other for warmth. 

The stars in Seoul, I had come to learn, have nothing on the stars in Barcelona. The skies were clearer there, and it felt like I could reach out and pick them out of the sky. 

For a moment when I first walked in, I wondered if the apartment was empty. All of the lights were off, and I couldn’t hear anything. Had Minseok gone out? Or worse, had he changed his mind and not come at all? I swallowed back some panic as I put my suitcase down softly on the hardwood floor. I kicked off my shoes at the entrance and padded further into the apartment. 

Nothing had changed since I was last here. The same funky, modern and minimalist paintings hung on the walls in the exact same places. There were several pairs of shoes by the door, an umbrella on the counter, and a jacket thrown over a chair, showing signs of habitation. I turned the corner, peeking into the second bedroom on the side. Empty. It wasn’t until I entered the living room that I saw him.  

Past the black leather loveseat and glass coffee table, Minseok was standing on the balcony, looking out at the sea. He was barefoot, wearing nothing but a loose pair of sweatpants that hung low over his hips. I could see the lines of muscle on his broad back, reflecting light from the moon. 

There were some teenagers out on the beach still, their shadows visible as they danced around a bonfire. A light breeze brushed past, causing Minseok’s hair to rustle and me to shiver. Minseok turned when I shuffled to stand next to him, looking at me with fire in his eyes.  

“Hi,” I mumbled. 

Minseok’s eyes were boring into me, pinning me to the spot. He moved close, reaching out hesitantly. When I didn’t flinch away, Minseok pulled me in, wrapping his arms around my sho