three | when we met

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may did indeed fly around all too quickly that year. the sun was unbearable to me, and i was one of those insufferable people who burned and complained all day about the heat. the grass was drying out on everyone's front lawns, and the sprinklers were spewing lukewarm water in attempt to revive the damage. heatwaves swirled up like tentacles off the tarmac and they always sent me into this daze while i sat on the hot bench on our front porch.

everyone did this in the estate to be honest. the local men would have a bottle of cold beer in hand, vests grossly drenched in sweat and shorts riding up their legs as they relaxed in front of their houses. sometimes, when i occupied my own bench, i would have headphones in and simply stare at those heatwaves while they all chatted across to each other from their properties. my dad occasionally shooed me away and told me to 'be a good kid and watch tv or something'. condescending? yeah, i know. but nobody disrespected those older than them, so i always did as i was told and returned to my room to flop onto my bed.

however, this particular day was a bit different. i wandered out to the front to check if my father was already there or if i could sit there, but to my misfortune he was, so i was left with a separate option. i always lived in sandals or sliders when at home, and the sound they made when dragging against the tiled floor was actually one i loved. it annoyed the hell out of my mum and my little sister, but the spiteful child in me would emphasise it just to be a pain.

i had scuffed my way to our back garden where the brown blades of grass were spiky and too rough to brave with bare feet. i then realised that our gate was open, and i swear i'm the only one, even now, who remembers to clean up after myself when doing anything. so i dramatically groaned into the air like this simple task was just too much — my acting makes me giggle now — and stomped over to close it over and lock it for the fifty-fifth time it felt. though, what my oblivious self had noticed then was the figure on the other side going to shut it as well.

when i tell you i screamed like a girl, i mean every word. my lungs betrayed me when they allowed the pitchy shriek to leave my body.

i fell back again flat onto my ass. i can still see the gate opening again like i only just closed it now...that celestial light from the sun blocking out most of the other person as they appeared to help me up.

"sorry," he laughed, extending a hand to me and waiting for my own to grasp it. but i didn't. i dumbly stared up at him until my pupils could adjust to the rays of light burning them, and dropped my mouth open like a vending machine offering him a drink. he sort of seemed taken aback, and i couldn't blame him. i was being rude, i guess. "i'm not stalking you," he tried to explain. i wasn't even thinking that at the time. "i saw this was open so i wanted to shut it in case y'got robbed, you know?"

lee donghyuck, was all my tiny brain was computing, and it wasn't until he took my hand for me that i snapped out of my daze and helped him pull me up. "i didn't think you were stalking me," was my second set of words to him. first 'my hip just popped' and then that. how extremely dashing of you, renjun.

"nice," he chuckled. he was being kind even when i was very clearly awkward. i want to slide back in time so badly so that i could live this embarrassing moment again. the fleeting minute i met him just to feel that same rush again. it isn't my favourite part of what our relationship held, but it was one of the memorable pieces. now that i think about it, i sort of feel that i revisit that summer so often just to make sure i can recall every detail of it; every instant. if i ever lost any of it, i'd die. there would be no one else to remember these things, and that scared me more than anything.

"renjun, isn't it?" he had then said, probably trying to get me to open up. i know why he did now, but back then i thought there had to be ulterior motives.

"mhm, and you're donghyuck." he knows who he is, stupid. come on! i was the type that needed to get their shit together, no doubt.

"actually, i was kinda hoping to see you. maybe fate's on my side for once," he beamed like such a pretty angel, and that caused me to totally forget to question why the heck he added 'for once'. as far as my teenage self had been concerned, fate was always on his side, bringing him luck.

"you were?"

"yeah," he had smirked and let go of my hand when we both realised it had lingered a little bit long. "we're literally living across from each other. i feel bad that i didn't come over to introduce myself."

don't feel bad, i remember thinking. because i hadn't put the effort in either. it was my fault we hadn't communicated for all this time. there was no point in being silly and apologising for what couldn't be reversed though, and so i shrugged it off as a mistake. "nice to meet you, i guess."

"hope so. i could be the worst person ever, but at least you'll learn that way."

"oh i'm the worst person ever," i giggled stupidly, but he simply smiled like it charmed him. i had never fancied guys much, since most of them never particularly looked my way...but i knew i did like hyuck. it was too ridiculously easy for me to fall when even an ounce of kindness was thrown my way, but i didn't care. he was very nice.

"alright, i'll take your word for it. would the worst person ever want to come for a walk?"

honestly, i was a fool for so blindly saying 'yes' that day, because strangers were supposed to wave huge red flags for people. but i'd have been a fool for rejecting the offer as well, because he made the following months of my life the best ones. i probably looked awful then, with my sticky fringe on my forehead and my rosy cheeks from the sun. but he didn't care, at least not that i noticed.

his hand was clammy, sweaty and warm...yet i really liked it.

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