The sky was of a light grey shade. It was a comparatively colder day. Gentle breeze rustled the dark green leaves that lined the shore of the lake.

It has been cloudy a lot recently.
He thought.

Yoongi threw another stone into the water watching the ripples grow bigger each time. He was lost in his thoughts while he competed with himself at his game.

“Hey.”

Yoongi turned his around at the soft voice. An instant smile adorned his lips when he saw her smiling face. She sat by him, her hand randomly picking a few stones by her side before she joined him in the game.

After the day at the hospital they had met a couple of times now, unbeknownst to Joon however.

“When do you plan to leave?” Soran asked him after she ran out of stones.

“As soon as I get done with the exams.”

“So…” she paused,” Soon?”
He nodded, eyes still on the lake.

“And Joon?” he asked her after a while.

“Next week.”

She combed her hair back with her fingers trying to keep it in place when disturbed by the breeze. Her knees grazed his and he enjoyed the sudden contact. Slowly he gazed at her. She looked back and the corner of her lips turned upwards.

Not taking her eyes off him she asked, uncertainty evident in her voice,
”Do you plan to return?”

He blinked once and breathed out.
“I don’t know.”

He tore his eyes from her and looked away. She nodded understandingly but her mouth turned into an involuntary upside down curve. He did not fail to notice the change.

Raising his hand, he pulled up a corner of her lips. She let herself smile at this. He then proceeded to rub his thumb against her cheek bone. This made her turn towards him, her heart beating faster now.

Her eyes met his. After she felt it gazing into her soul, she saw them move around her face trying to memorize her features. When it finally landed on her lips, she thought she might die of a heart attack.

Yoongi sighed. This might as well be the last time that he saw her. And if there ever was a next time, things would be dramatically different.

Feelings would be different.

He might have changed. She might have changed. She might be someone else’s by then. It was now or never.

Determined, he leaned in a little. He felt relieved when he noticed the distance lessen further by her.

Gentle cool breeze caressed their face as they moved closer. Leaves rustled in harmony.
They couldn’t hear it.

A flock of birds flew high up in the sky. The breeze caused waves in the lake. They couldn’t see it.

For them, nothing else existed except this moment. As a few strands of her hair fluttered softly onto her face, he moved it away with his fingers. Their eyes closed completely when their lips finally met.

--

It was six in the evening. The boys stood around the old trunk that Joon had brought from his appa’s store.

“Let’s hurry. I have to get back soon,” Jimin was restless.

“Let Kookie and Tae get here first,” Hoseok added gazing over and over at the road. He wanted to apologize to Tae before he left.

Kookie and Tae slowly made their way to the boys. After the discussion at Jin’s the other day Tae had decided to apply to a school known for their art programme to build a strong portfolio.

This way he could get into a top arts college on a scholarship and lessen the burden on his family. It may have been a form of escapism. But he felt he needed it, just like Yoongi.
Needless to say, Kookie wasn’t happy with Tae leaving.

The boys were in the woods by the lake, standing in a circle. It was cold as the sun had almost disappeared and darkness spread. Being by the lake, the cold wind had led to an alarming decrease in the temperature. It felt eerie and scary to the boys, especially Hoseok and Jimin.

The boys had decided to meet up one last time while they all of them were still together. Since Jimin was leaving that very night, they had decided to make a time capsule. Each of them bringing an item that meant a lot to them.

“There they are!” Hoseok pointed and waved at Kookie and Tae, who as they neared, ran towards them.

The hole was already dug. The trunk left open. One by one they placed their items in the box.

Jin went first. He bent and pulled out a used and worn out diary from his bag. Running his fingers over the leather cover, he released a sigh.

“This is from around the time all of us initially started hanging out at the Bowl, where it all began.” He placed it at the bottom of the trunk. Yoongi patted his back.

Yoongi went next. His hands immediately went around his neck and he removed the chain he wore. The chain that held a very special cross. He wrapped it up neatly in his handkerchief and placed it over Jin’s diary. He needn’t explain because everyone knew the significance of the cross.

As Tae pulled out his item from his bag, the bag became flaccid. In his hands Tae held an old worn out and frayed baby blue blanket. Kookie’s eyes widened at the sight. After looking at Kookie for a second, he placed the blanket into the trunk.

“I didn’t know you still had it after all these years,” Kookie mumbled. Tae nodded, his eyes brimming and vision blurry.

It led to the escape of a few tears when Kookie placed his item in the trunk. An old faded dirty teddy. Nana. Tae ran to him and hugged him tight.

“You had saved nana?”
Tae felt Kookie nod his head against his chest as his T-shirt started getting wet.

Joon sighed and patted Kookie’s back. He then raised a small tyre in his hand that had the logo of a skull on it. Jimin beamed. A tyre from the SKULL BOARD. Joon smiled in response exposing his dimples.

“The Skull board. The very reason I am here right now. The reason it all began,” he said as he placed it in the trunk. He looked up at Jimin.

“Imagine if I hadn’t invited you to come play with it,” Jimin shook his head while he smiled,” I can’t believe you had this though.”

“The day it finally broke beyond repair was the day appa had moved out,” Joon trailed off.
It was clear he wished not to speak further about it.

As everyone fell silent, Jimin stepped forward. He held a snow globe in his hand that displayed a teddy in front of an Eiffel tower. He looked at it and sighed. To others it was a question mark. To him, it portrayed his lost childhood.

“What’s that Jiminie?” Hoseok asked out loud.

As someone who always tried his best to keep others happy, it pained him subconsciously that his friends knew very little of his own pain. He shook his head,
“Just something from my past,” and placed it in the trunk.

As he walked back it was finally Hoseok’s turn. Yoongi saw him smile his way and look at his own hand. When Yoongi followed Hoseok’s gaze, he saw a box. Hoseok put forward his arm and raised the box to Yoongi, who in turn was intrigued.

He took the box from Hoseok’s hand and opened it. After a confusing expression on his face for a few seconds, his eyes widened at the unexpected answer and his jaw fell slightly.

A paper crane.

It seems someone like Hoseok who seemed happy all the time, needed the total opposite Yoongi in his life. It was then Yoongi realised how important he was to Hoseok.
Hoseok just smiled, closed the box and placed it in the trunk atop all the other objects.

The wind had gotten stronger. It was getting colder by the minute.
The boys looked at each other one by one. Their eyes met. Their hearts started feeling heavy. Seven years of being together and now…

Jimin looked at his watch and sighed.

It was time.

He immediately turned to the person next to him and initiated a hug. It was Kookie, and he hugged him back tightly.

“I’ll miss you hyung,” his muffled voice was heard amidst the leaves rustling. Jimin broke the hug and ruffled Kookie’s hair.

He walked to Joon and hugged him.
“Always make sure you are happy over anything else,” he advised the younger one, “and don’t stop skateboarding like the rest of us!” Jimin chuckled again.

“Never change Jiminah,” Jin said as he hugged him and then proceeded to pull his mochi cheeks. Jimin moved onto the next person.

“You mean so much more to us than you think,” Yoongi told him amidst the hug when Jimin rubbed his back in response.

Hoseok tried to lift him during the hug. Then they did a funny step they had once practiced and broke into a laugh.

And finally he went to Tae. It was a little awkward at first, but they tightened the hug soon.

“You are not just some rich boy who accidently walked into our group Jiminah. You know that right?” Tae whispered. For some reason Jimin’s heart dropped and eyes filled with tears. He nodded in response.

“You will always be one of my best friends. I promise,” Tae added as he tightened the hug. As he let go of Jimin, Tae saw his broken face that struggled not to cry. This led to his own vision turning blurry.

Without wasting another second, Tae hugged him again. All the boys ran, piling on top of them, hugging them from whichever side they could.

It was dark by now. A crescent moon dolled up the dark bluish sky accompanied with a million stars. The trunk was locked and buried soon.

The boys left for their own homes taking with them their most cherished memories.