moving day | Heeseung x Jay

eleven

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Everyone knew that it rained sporadically in Hawaii.

It was never a sight that got old: Tourists glancing at their weather apps as a droplet fell from a deceivingly sunny sky or full-on gawking as a drizzle occurred randomly and sent people scurrying for cover.

Jay had always loved this about Hawaii. It felt like a fun surprise every time he went out to do something. It does have its irritating moments, but isn't that what happens to all things we love sometimes?

That day, the rain hadn't irritated him, nor did it make him feel like embracing an old friend. It had made him feel anxious, as if it knew how to twist the knife of anticipation deeper and mercilessly into his gut.

"Sorry that took so long; I know this probably isn't how you imagined a first date." Mila had stepped out of the tourist office, an apologetic smile on her face, before joining Jay at his side.

"Don't worry about it. I know how your dad gets," Jay had replied, and they'd started down the road to exit the farm. Jay had briefly wondered why Sunghoon worked so many jobs when his family owned one of the most successful coffee plantations in all of Oahu.

When he had asked Mila one time, she had just shrugged and said, "my brother: the overachiever," and that had been that.

Somehow it was a good answer because Jay had understood exactly what he meant since Heeseung was like that too, but not in the same way as Sunghoon. While Sunghoon had always branched out and explored a little bit of everything— piercings (he had six); photography (he had way too many disposable cameras for his own good; the art of barbecuing (no one dares to touch his hot sauce collection)— Heeseung had stuck to one thing and learned everything there was— basically, the whole science obsession.

"It's because it's tourist season, you know how it is," Mila had said as gravel scraped at the soles of both of their shoes. "Winter break always brings in a flood of people. They don't know how lucky they are, though. I've never seen snow."

Mila hadn't; that was true. In Hawaii, there were eternal beaches full of sand to satisfy them instead. But Jay had remembered the snow in Seattle before his family had moved, and he'd loved it. Someday he'd move back there, and he'd get to see it again.

"I can't believe we're graduating in a couple of years," Jay had said, and Mila had buried her face in his hands.

"Ugh, you always do that. Don't forget that I'm a year behind you! I just started high school." Jay had bit his lip and brushed some of her hair out of her face to earn forgiveness. He sometimes forgot that he was a sophomore and she was a freshman, probably because he had seen her get brain freezes over raspberry popsicles while he and Sunghoon played with dinosaur figurines across the table from her as kids. It was sort of strange dating someone he'd known for so long, but it did make it easy in some ways since they had been able to skip the awkward first introductions.

As they walked and chatted about recent things— how Sunoo's parents' cafe was undergoing a renovation and how Niki had won another surfing competition— Jay heard a rumble overhead and looked up at the sky.

He couldn't help the random things he knew, courtesy of listening to Heeseung blab on and on about whatever science he was into at the moment. It had only been natural, in that moment, for a bunch of rain facts to infiltrate his brain like they hadn't been sitting there for four years just twiddling their thumbs. Jay was only surprised that he still remembered them like Heeseung had told him yesterday.

"Guess it's gonna rain," Mila had said, not even bothering to check the weather app. "Let's pick up the pace. Jake's mom's boutique isn't too far from here. We can wait it out there."