last summer

#008

"what the fuck? is that a cockroach?"

y/n stumbled out to the balcony, displeased by the thought of a disgusting pest in her home. the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the meadows. evening breeze gently tousled her hair as wisps of smoke soon curled into the air. a cigarette rested between her fingers, its ember casting a soft glow in the darkness. the girl sighed, staring into the distance while lost in her thoughts. it's been a few days since she revealed her condition to kai and it's been still deeply bugging her— part of her was mad that she told him and possibly made him worried that he'll view her slightly different, maybe even worry every time they spend time together whilst the other part of her was glad to at least have let that weight off her shoulder. besides, kai didn't seem to be hindered by it; well hopefully he wasn't.

but still, telling that to someone made her experience another set of emotions that was full of disbelief and denial.

so this was what she was destined to?

alone till death, huh?

the countryside's air is better than the city's, y/n thought, taking another whiff. she has always been obsessed with air quality. her father always joked saying she could've worked as environmental analyst. too bad, she can't live to pursue that.

out of the blue, she sensed another presence. y/n casually glanced at her neighbor's balcony, her gaze fixed on the man whose silhouette was etched by the diminishing sunlight. their eyes met and for a while, both of them paused. y/n looked away first, bringing the cigarette closer to her lips.

huening kai.

he leaned against the balcony railing, breaking the silence. "good evening," the male chirped, lips pressed into a friendly smile.

y/n nodded, acknowledging his presence. "quiet up here," she replied, her words hanging in the air like the dissipating smoke.

he glanced at the dying ember in her hand. "yeah. my house was noisy though." he spoke, "can i join or do you want some alone time?"

"i don't mind," y/n mumbled, granting permission. he appeared beside her quickly, leaning against the rooftop ledge. the silence lingered, punctuated only by the rhythmic inhales and exhales of y/n's smoking. kai observed her, his gaze contemplative. eventually, he spoke with his eyes trained on her intently, his words gentle as the night breeze.

"beautiful night, huh?"

y/n tilted her head in agreement, exhaling a plume of smoke. "yeah, it is."

he hesitated for a moment before continuing, "you know, my parents used to say the night sky is like a canvas, and each star is a story waiting to be told."

she glanced at him, a wistful smile playing on her lips. "stories, huh?" he nodded. "maybe we all have our own stories written in the constellations above."

as the words hung in the air, y/n's gaze returned to the night sky. the canvas of stars seemed to come alive, each twinkle a punctuation mark in the dark.

"so," kai continued, his eyes tracing the same constellations they had gazed upon, "what's your story, y/n?"

she chuckled, the sound blending with the soft rustle of leaves in the night breeze. "my story? it's a bit complicated, you know?" his eyes met hers, "complicated stories often have the most beautiful constellations," he mused.