it wasn’t often that you saw a new face in the schoolyard after classes. since the beginning of the year, you’d been watching out for somebody to talk to who wasn’t a neurotic soccer mom or some businessman father who would clearly rather be in a meeting than picking up their infant child, but alas, you’d spent the last few months in silence, pretending to be texting your imaginary boyfriend. the things you endured for your little brother.

 

it was a friday afternoon much like any other in april, sunlight filtering through soft cherry blossoms and velvety magnolia that dripped with scent and spring showers just passed. you twirled your umbrella in your hands, spraying rain both on the ground and on your jeans, thinking about your memories in this very same playground. how you always played jump-rope by the gate, or when you fell down half a flight of stairs to win a race. now you had college to contend with. late nights, coffee and deadlines, accompanied by the metallic taste in your mouth most commonly associated with disappointment.

 

while you were dreading the future, he just sort of, stood beside you. hands in pockets, staring ahead at the door from which his child would emerge. even though he looked far too young to have a child of his own. he barely looked twenty years old in fact, still baby-faced himself, all long lashes and pink cheeks. you only glanced at him for a second, utterly bewildered at this figure before you, the corners of his mouth lifting just as your gaze flashed away.

 

“so…how about that weather, huh?” he said. you stared at him, a grin reaching his eyes, one hand resting on the back of his neck. index finger pointing up at your own face, you raised a brow, and he nodded, a low chuckle whistling past his pretty lips, such as they were. 

 

“it was raining.” you replied dumbly, eyes flickering back and forth between him and the door, holding out your umbrella, shining with rainwater. he laughed at that too, and you couldn’t help but blink at the expression on his face, one of wonderment and intrigue. he stared at you the same way you stared at him; a little too affectionately for somebody you had just met. 

 

“yeah, it was.” he added, smirking now as you twisted your feet against loose gravel, chewing on your lip in the search for something to say that wouldn't make you come off as a fool. 

 

“you’re too young to have a kid.” 

 

“well, so are you.”

 

“i know…”

 

he sighed heavily. it wasn’t your fault you were so tongue-tied, it was his for being so inquisitive. months you had spent, avoiding other people in this playground, and the one person who decided to strike up conversation had to be him. 

 

“why did you start talking to me?” you murmured at your fingers, intertwining them around your umbrella, only slightly damp now as the sun’s rays caught your arms and his. he only shrugged, instead taking in the view; the gates, the old buildings, the cityscape which framed the grounds of the school. his distraction allowed you a second to look up through dark lashes at his face. 

 

you felt stupid when you thought it, but his face made you happy. and he could tell, because you saw one side of his mouth turn up and his dark, dark eyes squint in curiosity. 

 

“what are you looking at, hmm?” each word was laced with a gentle teasing, the kind you would want whispered to you on a sunday morning as you poured a glass of juice. though it startled you, and your hands clamped down upon your cheeks in a bid to cover the deep red that rose upon your skin. the heat was searing, enough to make you want to melt into the ground. 

 

 

“nothing.” you managed through pouted lips, huffing out a short giggle instead of an actual reply worthy of note. he his lips and nodded disbelievingly, fixing his gaze on your hands, which hid most of your crimson face, aided by the untied umbrella, it’s damp layers catching onto your skin. 

 

he stood like that for a minute, lashes fluttering in inspection of your face, lips parting as though in a deep reverie that was broken only by heavy drops of rain slipping from waxy foliage above as the steady pattering began again. 

 

“you want under?” was all you could say, soft and genuine, as the umbrella burst open, a late blooming flower. 

 

“oh, um. thank you”

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could this be love at first sight, or should I walk by again?

you're photogenically dressed, the conversation begins

oh god, now what did i say? let me start over again

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

it had been six months since that first meeting, warm rain and the sounds of happy children in wellington boots. he was better than you could ever have imagined, his arm wrapped about your waist now in that same playground, waiting as you did, every day. 

 

now the trees had turned orange and red, maple leaves burning against the last of the summer sun, spinning to the ground, blanketed with crisp foliage, and seungcheol remained constant and yet, always surprising. 

 

you shared a pair of tangled earphones, and he wove his fingers into yours, holding fast against the sharp breeze that foretold the coming of winter. he leant his head against yours, eyes closed, listening to the tune you’d picked out just for him. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

well, you might be a bit confused

and you might be a little bit bruised

but baby how we spoon like no one else

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

“you know i love you, right?” 

 

“you what?”

 

“i love you.”

 

he gazed at you, the same way he gazed that first day, your head in your hands, as the rain came falling down around you, teasing and open, a miracle waiting to happen before the bell rang.

 

“i loved you all along.”