webnovel

Chapter-13

"Happy birthday." I smiled, playing with the edge of my quilt.

"You remembered." It wasn't a question.

"Of course I did. I might be bad with dates but I don't forget birthdays of people I care about."

He giggled. "Thank you. It means a lot."

"So-" I started to say.

"Oh wait a minute. I am getting a call from my sister."

"Oh okay."

He hanged up.

I got out of bed and limped around to turn the lights on. I sat on my bed and pulled the quilt over me. I was tired and drowsy but I didn't want to fall asleep without talking with him. He would call when he would finish talking with his sister. He definitely would. My eyes started to burn as my eyelids turned heavy. I lied down on the bed and decided to just close my eyes for a while.

He would call...

The whole day's scenario flashed in my mind. School, friends, the tiring football match, the pain as I twisted my ankle on the ground and the time lapse when suddenly I found myself in the emergency room. I smiled, recalling when I called him in the evening to tell I got hurt, he freaked out. He gave me an earful...

I was startled by the sudden vibration under my head. I had fallen asleep. Maybe for five minutes or so. I knew it was him so I picked up without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" I said and cleared my voice.

"Oh."

"What?"

"Why is it so dark?" He asked, confused.

I frowned, barely managing to open my eyes.

"What?" I asked again, wondering if I was dreaming.

He giggled. "I video called you. Don't tell me you are pressing your ear against the phone." He laughed.

My eyes widened and suddenly I felt wide awake. My whole body awoke and I froze for a moment.

Video call. For the first time. Was I going to see his face for the first time? My heartbeat fastened and my palms started to sweat. I couldn't move my hand to look at the screen. Was I dreaming?

Gathering the courage, I sat up and moved my hand to look at the screen. I frowned as he had the camera turned to the ceiling. I sighed and ran my fingers through my now messy hair.

"Were you sleeping?" He asked, the nervousness clear in his voice.

I nodded, showing my face. "Um." I bit my lips, wondering if it was okay to ask him to show himself. I was literally dying to see him. He was always in my mind, without a face. The more time passed, the more I fell for him. And he continued to ran in my mind, faceless.

"I...I wanted to show myself to you and I thought about it a lot but I couldn't gather the courage. I don't know how you would react so I am really nervous. Give me a moment." He said. I knew he was nervous but so was I. How should I react?

I nodded, continuously biting my lower lip in nervousness. To be honest, I didn't know what to say. I wasn't prepared. It felt too unreal. Maybe I was just dreaming.

"Here we go."

I stopped breathing as the always faceless person in my mind now suddenly had a face. He smiled and waved on the screen. I couldn't react. I didn't know how to. All I could do was jut stare at that baby-like face, the face I was dying to see and know. He arranged his hair and continued to smile. My heart felt like it would burst out at any moment. It was just too unreal. I reached for my thigh and pinched myself hard. I flinched as it stung.

"Kwan?" He called.

I was back to my senses. "Oh...huh?" I said, still staring at his face, studying every detail of it.

"Oh, I thought your screen froze. You were too still."

"Oh." I was dazed and at a loss of words.

"You look a little disappointed. Am I too ugly to what you imagined?"

I gasped. "No. No. Sorry but I need a little time to process. I am kinda dazed because I just woke up. I feel like I am dreaming." I smiled. "A very precious dream."

He blushed and I was dazzled. He was beautiful. "Silly. It isn't a dream. I just wanted to show myself to you. And no day would have been better than today."

All the blood rushed to my face. I flushed.

"You can go back to sleep. Sorry for disturbing you." He smiled, lying down on the bed. His hair fell from his forehead, exposing his round face.

"No, wait." I said quickly. "I am not sleepy anymore."

He laughed. "You look so dazed, Kwan. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I am okay." I took a deep breath to calm myself. My feet had turned cold even though I was burning up. I started to shiver.

"You are really good looking. I can't believe you are real." He said and laughed again.

I opened my mouth to say something but I couldn't find the words. I wanted to compliment him too. I wanted to say he was beautiful and that he had the most beautiful smile I had ever seen but I just couldn't bring the words out.

"Sorry for startling you in the middle of the night because I knew if I didn't do it now, I would get cold feet later."

I exhaled and lied down back. I smiled at him. "Don't be sorry. I am glad you decided to show yourself to me. It's just a little shock to me as I had no idea. I wasn't prepared."

He slowly smiled. "How is your ankle now?"

"Pretty sore." I just couldn't stop staring at his face. He was pretty for a boy with a beautiful smile.

"Get some rest. I will feel bad if you don't get proper rest."

"It's fine. I am skipping school tomorrow. I don't want to limp around."

He raised his dark and perfectly shaped eyebrows and smiled in amusement. "Are you sure it's okay to do that?"

I nodded. "Um hm. I will be going for an x-ray tomorrow evening."

He gasped. "Is it that bad?"

"No. No. Just to be sure it isn't that serious."

"Oh okay."

"What's your plan for the day?" I asked. I couldn't let silence envelop us. It would be awkward to just stare at each other.

"I don't know. I don't want to go to college." He pouted.

I smiled. "Then don't"

"Eh, as if it's that easy. I can't afford to lose attendance."

"Hmm right." I felt drunk. It was too good to be true. I hoped it wasn't a dream but reality.

He laughed.

"What?" I asked.

"So this is what you look like when you are sleepy. I always wondered about it like how you manage to talk even when you are too sleepy."

I flushed in embarrassment. "Why? Do I look ugly?" I teased.

"Ugly? Gosh, if you are ugly then I am poop."

I chuckled. "You are beautiful."

His smile faded and his eyes widened in surprise. "B-beautiful? Me?"

"Yes, you." I finally got to say it.

His screen turned black. "Oh god. I built my confidence when you didn't say anything at first. Now I am shy!"

I laughed. "Come on. Don't be shy. Let me see you."

"No! My whole face is burning now. I feel like jumping around like a rabbit."

Cute. "Aiy, come on." My eyelids were turning heavy.

"You are falling asleep." he said, showing his face back on the screen.

I kept my eyes wide open. "No, I am not."

"I can see it, Kwan. You can't lie anymore."

I sighed. "I am not lying." I lied.

"Please sleep. We will talk tomorrow. Don't make me worry."

I stared at those dark eyes across the screen. For a moment, I wanted to travel through the screen and touch his face.

"Don't look at me like that with that gaze." He said softly.

"Why? Is it making you horny?" I teased.

He laughed. "It might, who knows. Then we won't be sleeping the whole night."

"Sounds good to me."

"Eh. Sleep now."

"Wait, just a little longer."

"Okay." he smiled.

I studied his face, trying to print his image in my mind. If it was a dream, I didn't want to forget that face. I took a screenshot of the screen, just as an evidence that it wasn't a dream when I would wake up.

"Goodnight." I said. He never said goodnight first. Never. He said he hated to say bye first.

"Goodnight Kwan."

"Sleep well and dream of me." I smiled sleepily.

He chuckled. "Surely. Sleep well too."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I didn't want to end it, afraid I would wake up from the sweetest dream I had ever seen.

"Hang up." He said.

"You do it."

"Aiy, you know I like watching you go first."

I smiled. "I hope this isn't a dream. Don't disappear."

"I won't disappear, I promise."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I hanged up and shove my phone under my pillow. As soon as I closed my eyes, I fell asleep.

Walking down a street surrounded by flowers, I came across a swing. I looked around the empty space, wondering in confusion why there was no one in sight. There were birds chirping on trees but no person around.

"Kwan?" I turned to the voice.

There he was, sitting on the swing with a sweet smile on his lips.

I gasped with wide eyes. His eyes, his nose, his lips, he had a face. A face that always remained unseen.

"Come to me." He whispered.

I took a step towards him slowly. He waited for me but each step I took wasn't taking me closer to him. He seemed to be at the same place. I felt like I was walking on a trampoline. I was walking on the same spot.

"Come." He whispered with a smile.

"I am trying." I said, walking faster.

He smiled, still waiting for me to reach him.

My eyes flew open and I sat up on the bed. I rubbed my face with my palms and exhaled loudly. I fell asleep with the lights on so it was bright in the room and it stung my eyes. I quickly grabbed my phone and opened the gallery. And there he was, in the screenshot I took.

Without thinking anything, I video called him. I was still in disbelief. He picked up and his face filled the screen.

"Good morning?" He greeted hoarsely, barely opening his eyes.

I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand. It wasn't a dream. It was real!

"Nightmare?" He asked, yawning.

I shook my head, still covering my mouth. "I just wanted to make sure it wasn't a dream last night."

He chuckled sleepily. "I told you I won't disappear."

I nodded with a happy smile. There was a sudden boost of happiness and excitement inside me. I felt happy and new.

"Sleep more. I will call you later." I said, guilty of waking him up so early. It was four thirty in the morning.

He nodded. "You sleep too. It's not a dream I promise."

I blushed. "Yeah. Sleep well. See ya" I stared at his face.

He smiled. "See ya."

I hanged up and lied back on the bed, sighing. I just couldn't believe it.

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How you tell someone you love, that everything about them makes you feel like you're not good enough? They are better in every single way or at least in the things that seem to matter anyway.

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