Through the window, the rain cast faint, rippling patterns against the light outside, like the world itself had blurred for a moment, caught in suspension. The quiet felt alive—not empty, but full of something unspoken, a stillness that was less about silence and more about resolution.
The world beyond the cafe was quiet, waiting, as if holding its breath for whatever came next.
I got in the car and drove as fast as legally possible back to Juilliard, it was just after nine at night. Not many people were out at that time on campus considering a lot of students were going through assessments and were cooped up studying. I walked through the pouring rain, it didn’t occur to me to be cold, it didn’t occur to me to fear the slip and fall. I made my way to the dorms and headed straight for Yesoh’s door, I knocked gently on it and my heart thudded against my rib cage as I waited for her response.
When she opened the door she was wearing pyjamas and a face mask, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me.
“Wyn what are you—”
“I told you that I had something very important to take care of before we could do this right.” I reminded her.
“Okay… and did you take care of your top secret mission Sherlock Holmes?” She teased folding her arms, “I can’t believe you ran out on me like that by the way.”
“I did, take care of it I mean,” I assured her.
And then there was this heavy beat of silence between us, tension clawing away at the walls that suddenly seemed all too claustrophobic.
“And what now?” She sighed.
“Now.” I smiled stepping closer towards her and wrapping my arms around her middle, “I get the girl.”
28
The First Fall Of Snow
Wynter Andy Kwon and I hadkissed.
And he did sofirstand willingly. I had my first kiss. I pressed my fingers to my lips and the image of him there before lingered in my mind. The way his mouth moved with such urgency, such need. It was slow and tentative almost as if he were afraid to break me.
Maybe a part of me wanted him to, just a little bit.
My body was aflame ever since, to the extent that I thought that if I touched anything it’d crumble to ash.
I sat cross-legged on the plush rug in our room, clutching a mug of tea so tightly I was half-worried it might crack. The warm scent of chamomile drifted up, but it did little to calm the chaos in my chest. Our room was cozy as always—fairy lights draped lazily across the walls, polaroids pinned to the corkboard over my desk, and the faint hum of music playing from the speaker.
Sydney was sprawled across the bed, her legs hanging off the edge, scrolling aimlessly on her phone like she didn’t have a care in the world. Meanwhile, I was vibrating with nervous energy, and Remi had clearly noticed.
“You’ve been acting weird all night,” she said, plopping onto the rug in front of me and narrowing her eyes. “What’s going on, Yesoh? Spill it.”
“Yesoh acting weird? Groundbreaking,” Sydney said without even looking up, but I could hear the smirk in her voice.
“I’m not acting weird,” I said quickly, the lie so obvious I might as well have been wearing a neon sign.
“You’re literally holding that mug like it’s a life raft,” Remi pointed out, leaning forward on her elbows. “Come on, what happened? Did something happen with Wynter?”
I choked on a sip of tea, coughing violently as both of them snapped their attention to me.
“Wait a second,” Sydney said, sitting up now, her phone forgotten. “What did happen with Wyn? You’ve been glowing all night. Like,suspiciouslyglowing.”
“I am not glowing!” I protested, my voice a pitch higher than normal.
“Oh my God,” Remi said, her eyes widening. “Did you—” She gasped dramatically, clutching her chest like she was in a drama. “Did youkisshim?”
“WHAT?” Sydney yelled, practically falling off the bed.
“I—what? No! I mean—” I stammered, heat rushing to my face.
“Youtotallytongued him!” Remi shrieked, grabbing my arm and shaking me. “Yesoh! You had your first kiss!”
