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The cool air cooled her heated skin. Shirayuki took a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders. The night sky filled with bright stars spread before her eyes. She enjoyed the view in silence for a while until she heard loud music and laughter. Lowering her head, she saw a huge crowd of people who were having fun to the fullest: alcohol had long since penetrated their bodies, filling their minds with joy.
Shirayuki wasn't that energetic. She wanted to be in a quiet place for a while, away from such a fuss. That's why, among all the guests of this party, she was alone on the balcony of the second floor of a huge cottage.
"Shirayuki, do you mind?" the balcony door opened, and Kihal, her friend, appeared in front of her. Shirayuki shook her head, then turned her gaze back to the sky. Kihal approached her almost closely, carefully examining her face. "Is everything okay? You look tired."
"It's okay, I just wanted to have some peaceful time." Shirayuki immediately smiled at her. "What about you? Why don't you join your boyfriend?"
Shirayuki didn't really communicate with her friend's boyfriend, Obi, and therefore felt out of place. It was his birthday, so the guests were mostly his friends. Shirayuki didn't know them, and she didn't want to make new acquaintances. Instead, she hurried to hide in the cottage while the guests were having fun outside by the pool.
"He's having fun without me." Kihal chuckled, glancing down to where Obi was laughing loudly and having fun to the fullest.
Shirayuki gazed at the crowd with tired eyes, amazed by their energy. She watched as confetti flew around Obi, as some of the guests handed him gifts and loudly congratulated him. Obi accepted them all with a big smile, until he noticed one guest. He hugged the blonde guy and then began to say something right in his ear, receiving a look of rolled-up eyes in response.
It took her a few seconds before she realized who it was. Her eyes widened in shock, and her mouth slightly opened. Shirayuki couldn't take her eyes off him in disbelief.
"Kihal, the guy next to Obi now, the blonde one, who is he?" she asked, drawing her friend's attention.
"Oh, it's Zen. He and Obi are best friends." Kihal rested her cheek on her hand, then waved, noticing the glances of Obi and his friend in their direction. "They've been friends since high school. Zen only arrived a week ago to celebrate Obi's birthday, but he has a flight in the morning. So what is it?"
Shirayuki couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't believe that he was standing down there, that he was in front of her eyes, that she saw him again after all these years.
The sapphire eyes widened as soon as they saw her. He stared at her intently, completely ignoring Obi, who continued to say something in his ear.
"Shirayuki, is everything okay?" Kihal put her hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention. "Do you know him?"
"Do you remember when I told you about my childhood friend?' Shirayuki turned her gaze back to the crowd, but Zen was no longer there. She began to look around, trying to find his blond head, but it was too late.
"So, Zen is that childhood friend?" Kihal chuckled slightly, remembering all their conversations about him. And Shirayuki had told her a lot. "Why didn't you say his name right away? You've tried so many times to find him. You would have met a long time ago!"
"Yeah, I know, but somehow I didn't even think that he would turn out to be a close friend of your boyfriend." Shirayuki sighed heavily, resigned to the fact that she had missed him again.
"Well, I did well too, I didn't immediately understand who you were talking about." Kihal put her arm around her shoulders, trying to cheer her up.
"It's okay, he probably doesn't remember me." Shirayuki chuckled with a bit of sadness.
Suddenly, the balcony door opened. Shirayuki shifted her gaze, expecting to see Obi, but her eyes widened in surprise.
He was right in front of her. And even though so many years have passed, he has changed, become more courageous, but his gaze has remained the same.
"Oh, Zen, hi! Is Obi looking for me?" Kihal immediately rushed to the door, literally pushing Zen out onto the balcony. His eyes were at a loss, trying to keep track of what was happening. "Then I'll leave you alone."
The door slammed shut, and silence fell between them. As soon as their eyes met, the corners of her lips lifted in slight awkwardness.
"It's been a long time, Shirayuki." He came closer, leaning against the iron fence. His eyes reflected the bright stars and the night sky, pulling her into this abyss.
"Yeah, you're right, Zen." She tried to smile naturally, trying not to look him straight in the eyes, but it came out crooked. She tucked a red strand of hair behind her ear, lowering her gaze to the iron railing. "It's been so many years since we saw each other for the last time."
"We were just kids then." And even though Shirayuki wasn't looking at him, she could feel his gaze. "How are you doing? How are your grandparents doing?"
"Oh, I'm doing great. And grandma and grandpa..." A sad smile stretched across his face, and unpleasant memories surfaced in his head. "They died about ten years ago."
"I'm sorry, I…"
"Don't worry, it's fine." Shirayuki raised her gaze, resting her cheek on her hand. "They were frequently thinking about you, and they were always wondering where you were, what you were doing, and how your life turned out."
"Oh, I don't think my life has gotten any more interesting since then..." he straightened up, looking up at the sky. And it was at this moment that the stars seemed to become brighter, and his eyes sparkled with a bright sheen. "I graduated from university, started a business with my brother, and I help my father in his company. Just routine, that's all. What about you? You dreamed of going to medical school."
"Well, the dream has almost come true: four years of a bachelor's degree and two years of a master's degree in neuroscience. Graduated three months ago. I'm not working yet, but I'm actively looking for it." Shirayuki couldn't take her eyes off him, even though she felt embarrassed.
She studied his features, his figure, noticing that he was no longer the boy next door she remembered. In her memory, he was a boy who smiled broadly, laughed loudly, constantly climbed trees, collected all kinds of stones, constantly came to her house to play, and always protected her from other children.
He turned to her, smiling, and at that moment, she saw his childish gaze with chubby cheeks.
Shirayuki couldn't hold back her laughter, covering her mouth with her fist.
"You've changed, Zen. You've become more masculine, you're just unrecognizable." Shirayuki answered the unasked question with a touch of amusement. "What a pity, but I liked your chubby cheeks."
"You only liked my cheeks?" Zen immediately closed the distance between them with a big smile. "Do you remember how you always teased me about my height?"
"What kind of nonsense is this? There was absolutely no such thing." Shirayuki theatrically turned away from him, seeing how he pointedly rolled his eyes. Laughter suddenly burst from her lips. Memories washed over them both in a wave, causing only tremulous and warm feelings inside. "You always stood on tiptoe to be taller back then."
"And you didn't stop teasing me about it. 'I'm taller, so I'm right,' you always said, and it didn't matter that I'm older than you." The way Zen portrayed her childish voice made Shirayuki laugh again.
"You were eating yoghurts all the time to grow up as soon as possible." Shirayuki chuckled, remembering how Zen always brought several packs of yogurts with different flavors.
"I ate them so that you could finally go on a date with me."
Hearing his words, Shirayuki froze in incomprehension. She looked at Zen, propping her chin on her hand and trying to remember it. An awkward smile spread across her face.
"You do remember that you promised me a date, right?" Zen approached her, realizing that she didn't remember it at all. He sighed in disappointment, pouting his lips. "Don't think I've forgotten about it. You said that as soon as I get taller than you, we'll go on a date."
This childhood memory clicked in her mind, making her feel embarrassed. She remembered that Zen always gave gifts and compliments, always invited her for a walk, but she completely forgot about it.
They were inseparable as children, and Zen was always by her side. His presence was already the norm for her, and she always thought it would be like this forever.
"But you moved before you got taller," Shirayuki said, remembering the day they saw each other for the last time. The day when her childish heart broke, and there was zero hope of reuniting and communicating again. "So it's you who didn't keep your word."
"Oh, really? Well, I can fix this situation." He suddenly leaned towards her, looking straight into her eyes. Shirayuki froze in surprise, hearing how loudly her heart was pounding. A smile spread across his face. "I'm much taller now. So, would you like to go on a date with me?"
"Aren't you supposed to leave in the morning?" Shirayuki asked, licking her dry lips. She noticed how the sapphire eyes followed it, and an incomprehensible feeling arose inside her. "Well, at least that's what Kihal told me."
"Well, she wasn't lying." Zen pulled away from her, and the smile faded from his face. He ruffled his hair, resting his buttocks on the iron railing. "I'll go abroad for work for a year or so."
Something inside her shattered again. Like when they were kids, when they said their goodbye to each other, not knowing if they would be able to meet again.
Did she meet him after all these years, only to be separated again? Had she been looking for him all these years just to meet for a moment?
Shirayuki didn't want to believe it.
"We're parting again..." she said, trying to hide her sudden sadness. As soon as Zen turned to her, she realized that she had said it out loud.
"A year is not an eternity, Shirayuki." He pulled her to him, squeezing her hand. Zen gently stroked her knuckles, smiling faintly at her. "This time, I will stay in touch with you."
"But do you really think that in a year we will…"
"We'll definitely meet again, Shirayuki." She didn't have time to finish her thought because Zen interrupted her. A blush appeared on her cheeks as she felt his soft lips on her hand. "You know... All these years, I've been trying to find you. I asked our old friends and tried to find your social media, but it was nothing. Right now, I don't want to lose you like it was many years ago."
Shirayuki didn't know what to say to him because there were so many thoughts mixed up in her head. However, he didn't need words to understand her. One glance was enough, filled with sincere feelings and desire.
She immediately found herself in his arms, trembling and tender. A pleasant fragrance hit her nose, causing butterflies in her stomach. Shirayuki wrapped her arms around his back, relaxing his shoulders.
And it was at that moment that she realized she had missed him terribly over the years.
Time was treacherously passing too fast. Talking about the future, the present, and the past, Shirayuki completely failed to notice how the party ended. They moved from the balcony to the living room, sitting comfortably on the couch. Bottles of alcohol and leftovers were scattered everywhere. The crowd of guests had long since left, and Obi and Kihal were cleaning up the trash in the courtyard, sometimes looking at them with wide smiles through the panoramic windows.
"I have to go now," Zen said, too sadly and with a deep sigh. Shirayuki pulled away from him slightly, completely unwilling to part. She absolutely did not want to lose those hugs, but she was well aware that this would not be the last time. "Promise that you will always be in touch."
"I promise." Shirayuki smiled faintly, touching his cheekbones with her fingers. "And promise me you'll come back to me."
"I promise."
His arms held her close while her hands wrapped around his neck. Their lips curved together, completely weightless, smooth and gentle. Tremulous, but so necessary, consolidating their promise.
And even though they didn't have much time to fill the huge gap that had formed between them over the years, Shirayuki now knew that they would definitely meet again.