✿

Through the music blasting on my headphones, I could hear my mom vigorously tapping on my bedroom door. "Canon Reese, couldn't you at least pretend you're gonna miss your father and I?" She yelled from outside my room before I heard a few thuds as something heavy fell on the floorboards. "Be a dear and help us with our luggage, won't you? That band you've been gushing about isn't going anywhere, you know. You can get back to them later."

With a sigh, I yanked my headphones off, set my notebook aside, and dragged myself to open up the door for her. She wore a yellow floral dress, but her smile that reached her eyes was most radiant of all. I stuck my tongue out before adding, "I'm gonna invite lots of boys to stay over when you leave."

She just giggled at my reaction, knowing I am just sulky for not being able to go. "Sure, sweetie. However many you'd like, I allow it." That being said, she knows full well that I have no love life whatsoever for two reasons: (1) not many boys take interest in me, honestly, and (2) my standard for men is way too high.

Of course, I have no one else to thank for my unreachable standards than The Knights, short for The Knights of Autumn. They are a five-member boy band who caught my attention many years ago, not only for their sound but also for their groundbreaking lyricism that goes beyond topics many other acts in the industry have shied away from. Knights represent honor, nobility and loyalty, while autumn is said to represent the preservation of life. As for someone who finds solace in music and poetry, I could really feel their songs resonate within me.

"Come on, sweetheart. If we keep this pace, we'll miss our flight." Mom carried as many bags she could but still managed to leave some behind which I instinctively picked up and helped load on the back of the pickup truck. I suddenly remembered I owe her a couple of bucks since I ordered The Knights' new album. Hopefully, this will make up for it. "Oh, and since you spent your whole allowance on albums and merchandise, and you still have to pay me for the amount I lent you," mom mentioned, as if having read my mind, "you could ask your sister if she'd loan you money if you ever dream about going out."

Ah, yes. My debts.

I hurriedly flashed her the puppy dog eyes, "You're flying off to Hawaii with dad for the summer and you wouldn't even give your favorite daughter some allowance to get by?"

"Oh, she did." I heard someone speak from behind me. As I turned around, I saw Cassidy with a huge grin on her face and an envelope in hand. "Mom gave me allowance."

I could only feel my mouth drop at this point. "Her?" I exclaimed as I clenched my chest in feigned hurt. "You picked her over me?"

"Calm down, kiddo." I felt dad ruffle my hair as he loaded more luggage into the car. He is only wearing a plain shirt, a pair of shorts and sandals as if he is planning to dive into the waters the second he steps off the plane. "It's just that we could trust that she won't spend it on bulk orders of merchandise like you did last time." He chuckled as he counted the number of bags, checking if he missed any, before he pulled on the cover for the back of the truck. "No hard feelings, yeah?"

Well... That makes sense.

"Won't you come send us off to the airport, at least?" Mom asked, lightly nodding towards the car. It seems like dad will drive to the airport while Cassidy is tasked to drive back home so they would not have to leave the car at the airport parking lot and we could use it for getting errands done while our parents are gone.

"I'm writing lyrics," I mumbled as I played back the melody of The Knights' newest track in the back of my mind. The moment I heard it, I was inspired to write my own. The words kept flowing until mom came knocking on my door earlier.

"I'll void your debt and give you thirty bucks," she offered, already scouring her purse for the paper bills. I am not usually so easily bribed but, on my current situation, I would probably do almost anything even for just five.

Instantly snatching the money from her grasp, I dashed back into the house. "I'll come with you, just wait a sec!"

Having run to my bedroom, I picked up my pink notebook and pencil before heading back downstairs. I guess I'll just write lyrics on the way or while waiting at the airport, then.

✿

"Any news?" My mom asked as soon as she saw dad jogging from the information desk. There seemed to be a delay on their flight. We have no choice but to wait for a while, I guess.

"They said they're looking into it. Does any of you want to go grab some coffee?" Dad spoke up as he scratched his nape. "It might take a while." You can see the dismay on his face. He has been talking about Hawaii nonstop, mainly how he and my mom met there years ago when he went there on a company trip and mom was vacationing with my aunts. Of course, that was their chosen destination for their honeymoon this year.

"Oh, honey, I'd like to but what if they announce something while we're gone?" Mom anxiously glanced at the information desk once again.

I have a pretty bad feeling about what might happen next so I kept silent and slowly backed away from them, lyric notebook and pen in hand.

"Here's an idea." Ah, there it is. This is targeted towards me, I can feel it. Cassidy grinned menacingly towards my direction, "We," she gestured towards our parents and herself, "stay here." She pulled out a measly five dollar bill from her pocket before extending her hand towards me, "Canon would get us drinks and pastries. Wouldn't you, Canon?"

Ultimately I glared at my elder sister but took the bribe, anyway.

She handed me the money to pay for the food since I sure as hell cannot afford to pay it forward, plus a tip for the service and for the mere act of letting her trample on my dignity.

I slammed my notebook shut and tossed it on the seat. "Look after this for a bit," I told her as I pocketed my pen and was about to walk away when I threw her a backwards glance, "but don't you dare look inside it or I'm gonna make sure you won't get any sleep while mom and dad are gone due to the fear of the unknown."

She rolled her eyes at me but I know she picked up what I meant. We used to get into petty fights when we were younger. Sometimes, even now. She likes wearing her hair long while I keep mine short. One time, after an argument, I sneaked into her bedroom and cut her glorious long hair.

Even if she grew them out by now, I can tell she has never forgotten. She is no better than me, though. She once shoved my makeup into a plastic bag and tossed them out the window from the third floor. Rest assured, they were pulverized and the mirrors were crushed to smithereens.

Younger us were less chaotic but still pretty evil. Cassidy likes reading and whenever she learns a word that has a condescending meaning, she would spell it with the alphabet magnets on our fridge, complete with an arrow pointing at my picture.

And, as she also liked drawing at some point, I vividly remember her begging mom and dad to get her the biggest set of colored markers, the one with six different shades of red and blue and so on. After we got into a fight, I opened all of her coloring markers and left them without the lids overnight, making them dry out.

Ah, good times.

I made my trip to the nearest Starbucks and ordered a couple of muffins, espressos for mom and dad, green tea for Cassidy, and a cup of hot chocolate for me.

I have been itching to keep writing lyrics but I have to sit here, waiting for the barista to complete my order. Thankfully, I was handed a receipt. I fished my pen from my pocket and started scribbling words. Despite my tiny handwriting, I was able to fill out the whole page, just as I was called towards the counter to claim the food.

By the time I got back, mom and dad were already frantically gathering their luggage.

"Oh, sweetie, there you are," mom kissed me on the cheek, "they said we have to check in now."

"But I got your coffee," I extended my arm to hand the drinks to them.

"We can't bring food and beverages in, honey. You can finish them with your sister." Dad ruffled my hair before kissing my forehead. I scrunched up my face. Neither of us even drinks coffee. "See you in two weeks?" He smiled, lightly tapping the tip of my nose. "You, girls, take care." We said goodbye before they hurried towards the check-in counter, leaving Cassidy and I alone.

"What are we gonna do with all this coffee?" Cassidy groaned, taking the drinks from my grasp.

With a sigh, I snatched up my pink lyric notebook from the chair, a bag of pastries on my other hand. "We can hand them out if we see someone on the streets," I suggested, trailing behind my sister as she walked towards the airport's exit.

"Alright, then."

✿

"We're gonna be living off cup noodles and microwave-ready food, aren't we?" I asked Cassidy the moment we reached the house. She tossed the keys on the kitchen counter before checking the fridge. The look of dismay is evident on her face. With our combined cooking skills, we could probably make something edible, at most.

"We've to go grocery shopping tomorrow, I suppose." She closed the refrigerator door before rummaging through the bag of pastries I got from Starbucks earlier.

I guess we're having sweets for dinner, then. We have no one to nag us about nutrition and health at the moment, so we might as well. I poured my hot chocolate into a mug before popping it in the microwave to heat it up with the muffins. Cassidy did the same with her tea. She was too focused driving earlier so she did not get any chance to drink or eat. On the other hand, I kind of dozed off on the way.

"I'll be in my room." I placed the mug on a plate, along with my blueberry and chocolate chip muffins before I went up the stairs. I could finally resume my lyric writing in solitude.

I plopped on my swivel chair, used my legs to pull me closer to my desk, and slid my headphones on. I scrolled through my phone, choosing which one of The Knights' songs would suit my mood tonight. Besides their group songs, each of the members released music on their own, showcasing their individuality.

Well, maybe it is because of the plate of sweets beside me or the slight joy I had when Cassidy and I stopped over earlier and handed out coffee and muffins to a couple of homeless persons on our way back from the airport. I feel bad for not being able to offer more but remembering their smiles as they offered their gratitude before we left made me feel... euphoric.

With that, I chose to play the song Bliss, an individual song by member Nikon Warner.

All set, I placed my lyric book and skimmed over the pages only to discover that most pages are blank. Eyes wide, I scanned through the pages once again. I could have sworn I have written on at least three quarters of that notebook, there is no way it could be this empty.

As I flipped through the pages, I landed on a sheet with pink print on it.

"Kiss Note?" I read, brows furrowed. This is definitely not mine. How on earth could I wind up with this? My mouth dropped when I realized I placed down my notebook when I went off to Starbucks earlier. I must have picked up someone else's when I came back.

I mentally cursed myself, I have poured so much words and emotions on that notebook, how could I possibly lose it? Hold on. I am positive it was still my notebook when I put it down on my seat at the airport. That could only mean one thing.

With a hint of annoyance, I stormed into my sister's room. "I asked you to watch over my notebook!" I waved the pink book in the air, "That was so simple!"

Cassidy was sitting on her bed, she did not even bother looking up from the book she is reading. "I did."

I walked towards her and waved the notebook once more, "You did not!"

Finally, she looked at me as she adjusted her glasses. "I think you need a pair of glasses, too, 'cause it's right there in your hand."

"This isn't mine!" I threw it on her bed, struggling to keep my composure. I cannot believe I just lost my lyric book. That was the only thing I could confide on. Without it, I feel incomplete. And if someone was to read it, I could not help but feel helpless. They would see through me - weak, vulnerable, raw.

With her brows furrowed, Cassidy flipped through the pages of the notebook herself. "Ah, shoot." She looked empathetic all of a sudden. "A family sat next to us when you were gone to get drinks," she ran a hand down her face, "the girl knocked over her purse, along with your notebook, when she sat down. I went to help her pick them up, she must have had the same notebook and we might have switched it."

"You didn't even check?" I could only wail at this point. "You know how much that notebook means to me."

"How can I check? You told me not to look in it, remember?!" Her eyes widened, realizing that she had just raised her voice at me. She heaved out a sigh to keep her composure before she placed her hands on my arms. "I'm sorry."

She reassured me she would do everything she could to retrieve it. Having found the only pages with print on it, she had the same look of skepticism as I did when her eyes landed on the words Kiss Note. She dismissed the idea immediately, fixated on the fact that I am on the edge of a meltdown.

"Okay, it says here at the bottom, 'If found, return immediately,'" Cassidy read aloud. "I'll send them an email about the mix-up, okay? We'll get your notebook back. I promise." She gave my arms a light squeeze, "Try to go get some sleep first, okay? I'll go fix this." After getting the information she needs from the notebook, she handed it back to me and I could only walk back to my room in despair.

I threw myself backwards on the bed and selected one of The Knights' most comforting songs, hoping it could calm me down. I scrolled through my playlist and selected Mystic Shop. I know there really is not much I could do about the situation at hand but I find it difficult to hold back my tears. Even as a kid I find it hard to share my fragility with other people, and all I had to divulge into was The Knights' music, my lyric notebook, and the occasional rom-com movie marathon. With that in mind, I figured I would binge-watch romance films tonight.

✿

As the credits rolled after having watched The Notebook, I felt restless once again. I went back to playing The Knights' songs and glanced at the pink notebook on my desk, something about it is drawing me in.

I found myself crawling on my swivel chair and browsing through the pages once more.

"Kiss Note, huh?" I mumbled to myself. "Maybe the owner's a writer?" That is the only reasonable explanation there is that I could think of. As I read further, each sentence is even more ridiculous than the last.

The human whose name is written in this note shall kiss the person who wrote it.

This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

If the type and cause of the kiss is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. If not specified, the person will simply kiss the writer's cheek.

After writing the type and cause of the kiss, details of the kiss should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

If the time of the kiss is written within 40 seconds after writing the cause of the kiss, it will happen. If not, the kiss will occur in the nearest possible time.

Frankly speaking, it sounds like a rom-com spin-off of the anime, Death Note. Although, I am a little bit curious how the story would have panned out if it was, indeed, a book. As the chorus of The Knights' 23!! played, I feel as though his voice enveloped me into an embrace and I could only feel intoxicated by the warmth it brings. Biting my lip, I found myself reaching for a pencil and scribbling on the page.

Nikon Warner, I wrote, his image flashing in my head before spiraling into a hurricane of The Knights' songs and rom-com movies I yearned for earlier. He walks towards me under the pouring rain, wraps his arms around my waist and twirls me around before kissing me on the lips. And, if it was not obvious yet, I added, Like in the movies.

Of course, this was heavily inspired from a scene from The Notebook which I watched and cried over just now. Go on, Canon Reese, pretend that those tears were solely for the movie and not for the fact that the notebook which embodies each and every part of your being is missing.

"This is pathetic." I sighed, feeling as if I was reeled back into reality as I reached for an eraser to undo my awful penmanship on the page but before I could do anything, I heard light knocks on my bedroom door. Seconds later, it swung open and Cassidy's head peeked in.

"Wanna go for an ice cream run?" She forced a smile. I know I should not but I feel even more awful now since I know that she feels bad for me. She rarely acts like an elder sister and we usually just bicker around. It sure is unusual, her being nice to me. "I'm paying, come on."

Having realized that it has grown pretty warm in my room since we are in the middle of summer and I just had a cup of hot chocolate, I found myself putting slippers on and following her to the nearest convenience store.

"It's so hot," I complained, struggling to bear the heat as I dragged myself down the street. "Do you think we could visit the beach?"

"Would that make you feel better?" Cassidy pondered over. She really is trying to be nice here, usually she would flat out reject the idea.

I sighed, surrendering to the insufferable heat. "Yeah."

"Okay," Cassidy surprisingly agreed, "how's a quick trip to our hometown sound? The beach there is alright, we have old family friends there so I feel like it's a bit safer than other options, and we could just stay at our old house for less cost? You can even bring a couple of friends."

"How did you think through all that in this heat?" I whined but understanding that she has a good point. Plus, I never expected her to consider my suggestion in the first place. This offer is too good to pass up, "I'm in. When are we leaving?" We finally made it to the convenience store and I easily picked up an ice cream flavor.

She just shrugged, "It's your call. I owe you."

One thing about us, sisters, is that we refuse being indebted to anyone, especially each other. So whenever we do something nice or something not-so-nice to each other, we make sure to even it out. In this case, that is exactly what Cassidy is up to.

"I'll let you know when," I told her, to which she nodded.

"I promise."

I stepped out of the shop while I waited for Cassidy to pay at the counter. I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead in this heat. I almost chuckled, remembering what I wrote on the notebook earlier. A romantic kissing scene in the rain in this weather? Not a chance.

✿

"Why didn't we bring an umbrella with us?" I exclaimed as we ran alongside each other. I could feel the sharp raindrops hitting my skin like needles. My clothes are drenched, as well.

"How could we have predicted that it was going to rain?" Cassidy remarked matter-of-factly, hand firmly grasping the grocery bag. "We're in the middle of summer, it hasn't rained in so long!" She sped up as soon as she saw our front porch from the distance. I somehow found myself coming into a halt when I processed what she had said. It is odd for it to be raining right now.

Little by little, the stinging touch of the rain felt less cruel. Now that I have paused for a moment, I could finally notice the earthy scent as the warm ground welcomed the rain, like an embrace after missing its touch for so long.

The droplets now feel like kisses, pouring harshly but I could feel its warmth. It feels like a blanket of consolation, a reassurance that I could cry if I wanted to, a reminder that my world could crumble in the night but I could rebuild it tomorrow once more.

"Canon!" I heard my sister from a distance, "What are you still doing there? You might catch a cold!" She started walking towards me with an umbrella in hand as if we were not soaked already.

I managed a smile, "Just give me a moment." I almost laughed at myself at how sentimental I sounded, choosing to hang out in the rain. I saw my sister hesitate whether she or not she should approach me but she knows better to leave me to my own thoughts for now.

"I'll be here, then," she finally caved in. "The ice cream's melting so don't take long." The chime hanging over our front door jingled as she stepped back into our house.

I closed my eyes and let the rain wash over me. I could hear the pitter-patter as the water droplets hit the ground. It all felt so calming, I found myself tearing up. It may not seem like a big deal towards some people but I do feel like a huge part of myself is missing. I already feel nauseous just thinking about the possibility that someone could read the contents of my notebook, I almost wished the person who finds it would just burn it to ashes, not even bothering to get it back to me.

All along, that was just my diary, clothed with a rhythm so they would sound ravishing and hide away my stories laced with melancholy.

It will all be alright, I reassured myself. It is just part of the grand scheme of things.

As I listened closely, I could hear heavy footsteps on the wet pavement. My eyes flew open and I could make out a silhouette of a guy walking towards me. I struggled to identify his features as the rain made my vision blurry.

My instinct is reminding me that it is pretty late into the evening and I should not be hanging out in the rain by myself. I wanted to run back into our house but I found myself frozen in place.

The figure of a man started getting closer until he was right in front of me. With his face up close, I finally begun registering his physical attributes. His charming doe eyes were absorbed in me. He was panting slightly, appearing as if he had run here.

"Wait," I mumbled to myself, "you're—" I could only wipe my eyes in total disbelief, but here he is.

"Hi." It was almost inaudible when he spoke.

For a second there, it felt like silence enveloped us both. I failed to hear the raindrops and could only make out the sound of my rapidly beating heart.

"Can I..." He looked lost, his lips parted to say something a couple of times but no word came out. I have no idea what to do in this situation, either, I just feel so confused. He took a deep breath before he finally voiced out, "Can I kiss you?"

I am struggling to breathe properly. I tried to gather something to say in response but I could not grab a hold of even just one word. I found myself nodding.

He stepped closer, hesitantly, before scooping me up in his arms and twirling me in the air. When he paused, I could feel his intense gaze as his eyes lingered on my lips. I notice him biting his own as if to hold himself back, unsure of his actions at the moment.

His face inched closer and I felt his soft lips pressed against mine. The warmth of his touch lingered even as he pulled away, his toasty breath tickling my neck when rested his head on my shoulder.

The rain was beginning to calm down when he put me down. Both of us are at a loss for words. I cannot believe this is happening. There is no way this is happening. It seemed like a scene ripped out of a dream.

"I, uh—" He almost choked on the words when he pulled away, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I—" Still appearing to be in a trance, he could hardly meet my eye. "I don't know why I did that." He combed his hand through his long hair, still damp because of the rain. "I assure you, I'm not a creep. I just... I don't even know how I got here." Astonished, he brought his fingers over his lips, "I can't believe I did that. We don't even know each other, I'm—"

"Nikon Warner." I managed to say, gaining his full, undivided attention once again.

I must have gone mad to even consider this but... I think the Kiss Note worked.

✿

Author's Note:

It's back! After heavy editing and revisions, Kiss Note has finally returned. I have written this story years ago and back then, the story was pretty thoughtless. I wanted to rebuild my characters and give them more depth. In the past, Canon Reese was nothing more than just a crazy, teenage fan whose whole world revolved around the band. I wanted to change that and many more so stay tuned. Also, the old version's prologue only had about 1.5k words, the new version had over 4.2k. See the difference?  Along with many others, their first encounter changed as well.

Q: Wait, I think you are missing something here... Why are there only 5 members in the band?
A: Initially, the band in question was a 7-member group called The Red Bullet band. I tried to rewrite the story around seven band members but as I progressed, I noticed two of them just kept looking like filler characters in the band so I chose to just keep it down to five.

Q: Does this mean this is an OT5 story?
A: No, the two members that are not in the band will still be in the story. They're just... you know, not in the band.

Q: Why? Just... why?
A: Trust me on this one.

On a side note, I have decided to keep the original names I have given the boys. Fear not if you find it difficult to remember them. I will guide you through it, when they enter the story line. However, does anyone want to guess who Nikon Warner is? (If you hadn't known already?)

Also, here are some references in the story:

Euphoria - Bliss
Love Yourself: Answer - RE: Ego
Magic Shop - Mystic Shop
Wings - Flight
2! 3! - 23!!

If you have read this story before, or if you are only finding out about this now, I hope you enjoy reading. Thank you.

Date originally written: November 21, 2013 (Thursday)
Date rewritten: April 23, 2020 (Thursday)
Date reposted: February 14, 2021 (Sunday)
{ deleted story, revised & reposted }

Characters:
Shin Ryujin as Canon Reese
Park Jiyeon as Cassidy
Jeon Jungkook as Nikon Warner

Kiss Note will be updated every Monday.
Happy Valentine's Day!

✿

(Since this book is about artists, I figured we could share music/artworks we feel connected to. It would be nice for others to discover underrated art creators. Feel free to comment or send me a private message so we could feature it here and share with others.)

FEATURE OF THE DAY:

https://youtu.be/j3VJ6d_x8xA

This is a song called Dagat (Sea) by Meryl, a Filipino band.

One of the members is an old friend of mine. He used to take up engineering but switched to a technician course. When I last talked to him, he told me he switched schools and that he is finally taking up a music course. We may not be close but the amount of respect I have for him is insurmountable. I am so proud of him for doing something he loves and is passionate about. Through hard work, they won an artist search and became the opening act for the New Year's Countdown at the city, along with big names in the Filipino industry — Rico Blanco, Ebe Dancel, Ben & Ben, James Reid's Carless Music, Leanne & Naara.

They came back last September 2020 with a new song called Paghilom (Healing). Here's them performing it in the comfort of their own homes.

https://youtu.be/ktkduVHJ_OI

The same friend plays for another band called Brisom, and they featured in some songs by Rhian Ramos. Here is their live performance of the song Body Crashes on the Wish 107.5 Bus.

https://youtu.be/Q49bmAfwNiM

I guess that's it for today. I hope you are all doing well. Let me know what you think about this chapter. I'll see you next week!