44 YEARS AGO I MET THE SUN (2)

She slowly turned, as her confidence also gradually returned to her. He was accommodating, and she was simply drawn to him.

Like how a moth was drawn to the heat and light of a lamp at night despite the threat of being burnt alive.

Like how Icarus in Greek mythology flew too close to the sun despite the danger it imposes.

She smiled back and responded, trying to match his warmth with her own. "No. I just went here to pray for… uhm, personal reasons…"

"Me too. I guess that's what temples are for." He ended his statement with a cheerful and light chuckle. 

"Xue Guangxi." He raised his hand in a hello gesture just at the level of his head.

"Su Jingjing." She somehow mirrored his greeting.

They exchanged pleasant stories after exchanging names. They sat on the stones by the brook where a wooden red bridge draped across.

She shared with him some of the handmade sandwiches and onigiri she brought with her that day. 

'I don't know anything more about him other than his name, but I feel as if I've known him all my life.' She observed in between tiny munches of her sandwich. She sneaked some stealth glimpses of him while munching her sandwich. She hid behind her sandwich, as if that little tiny thing could shield her.

She was acting unusually funny and bashful at the same time.

He blabbered about his classmates at school, about baseball which she had no idea about. She noted how he was fond of both. He emitted this energy that could heal weary souls.

'He's the miracle I prayed for.'

'Silly.' She bit her lower lip to prevent her smile from stretching out in full.

His warm smile never left his face.

It came to the point that she wondered whether his facial muscles do not get tired or stiff from it at all.

Sometimes, as embarrassing as it would sound, she caught herself gawking at him with a silly smile on her face not just one time but several innumerable times. She wasn't as effective in controlling her smile from stretching too much. Her self-control was failing her, too.

At the discovery, she could only tear her eyes away and focus them on the ground while anticipating the next opportunity to shamelessly gawk at him again. 'Is five-second interval fair enough?'

She felt at ease with him even if she just met him.

The best part was that he did not push her to contribute to the conversation. It seemed alright with him whether she'll share anything about her or just stay quiet as she listened attentively to his babbling.

Her lips curled up on its own. She found herself laughing with him. The whole experience was thrilling, sensational. She wished it wouldn't have to end.

But, alas, the sunset grew dimmer and dimmer until it was obviously time to say goodbye.

She did not want to part with him. She swore that she could stay with him just talking about anything under the sun.

He's the sun.

'That day, I met the sun.'

'Xue Guangxi is the sun.'

'He's the miracle that I have been praying for.'

'Not that he can restore my father to good health.'

'But he... he's capable of making my worries appear lighter. He makes my heart flutter.'

They both fidgeted on their respective spots outside the temple. It was the time to part ways.

"Will I see you again?" He said, his voice trembled. He seemed agitated, yet his smile never left his face. Just some stubborn horizontal lines appeared on his forehead.

"En. I don't think it will be the last time." She had smiled enigmatically. She remembered what her uncle told her. If he's the boy he's referring to, then, we will be seeing each other again.

'But if he's not him…' A flicker of worry crossed her eyes for a tad second.

"I will go to the temple again tomorrow. Will you be here?" The boy inquired with expectant, searching eyes. 

She responded with a slight nod and a reassuring smile.

Truth be told, she did not have plans of going back to the temple the next day.

But, she did.

Just like him, she also wanted to see him, to be with him. She wanted to hear more of the stories of his real-life adventure in his school, with his rowdy classmates.

She wanted to know more about baseball.

Suddenly, she found it oddly interesting. She had not been a great sports enthusiast before.

True to her words, they saw each other again.

The next day was not so different from the previous one, except that she had brought more hand-made food with her.

"One of these days, let's watch a baseball match together." He blabbered. Then, as if remembering something, he worriedly added, "Would you want to go watch the game with me?" His brows knitted with anxiety.

"En. Let's watch it together. But I'm afraid that you will have to explain what's happening every now and then. Haha. I'm completely clueless."

"That's alright! Leave it to me! I will supply you with the necessary details!" He confidently committed with such a big grin on his face. "I will make you fall in love with baseball."

Then, he paused and averted his eyes from her. So suddenly the atmosphere became awkward. She noticed his ears turned red.

After that awkward moment, he somewhat went more rigid than before. "Hey, are you alright? Is something the matter with you?" She touched his arm in concern.

As if burnt, he jolted to his feet. "N-Nothing."

"S-Sorry." He found his seat beside her again.

This time, the worry lines invaded Su Jingjing's forehead. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked bashfully.

"N-No! No!!!" He waved his arms and shook his head vigorously.

Just like the previous day, and like any other day, the sun had set, and they reached the end of their little casual date.

"I want to see you again!" He declared. "L-Let's make it certain." 

He had the habit of saying something confidently then added a one-liner with reservations. "Can we?"

Su Jingjing felt her face heat up and her heart race upon hearing his words. She couldn't understand it, but she was exhilarated that he wanted to see her again, be with her again.

She nodded.

She, too, wanted to experience the fluttering feeling in her stomach when she's with him. Another time, another try. Another chance to be with him would be most welcome.

'I want to be with him.'

'He's like the sun.'

'So warm and radiant, and… blinding.'

'He lifts my weary heart and diverts my attention to somewhere else more wonderful.'

'He's the epitome of hope.'

'My… sun.'

She stared at him in a way that was thinly balanced between being carelessly audacious and being coy. She couldn't even lift her eyes at its normal height. Head slightly bowed down, she stared at him at the maximum angle her head dared to raise it up against him.

He somewhat mirrored her behavior, too.