You sit in awe as you watch Jun, your childhood friend, perform in his first-ever solo piano concert. You've watched him grow up learning the piano day in and day out. It's always been his dream and you were happy to see him achieve it.
He was able to secure tickets to the front row seat just for you, and you were happy to see him perform up close. When he finishes all his pieces, he gets up from his seat and takes a bow. Jun smiles back at you before turning around to leave the stage.
After the show, you visit him backstage, bringing him a congratulatory bouquet for his successful concert. "You were great as always, but I'm really glad you managed to get me some front row tickets."
"I picked a good seat, didn't I?" He says playfully.
Knowing you, of course, you wouldn't miss the chance to show the good side of your face." You hand him the bouquet. "Thank you for giving me a free pass, and at the front row, at that!"
"It's nothing," he says, looking away and playing with his bow tie. "I should be the one thanking you. Your support means a lot to me."
"Ehhhh, why are you being so shy? You should be proud of yourself!"
"I just...I've never performed for an audience like this before," he says. "I'm a little nervous."
You give a short laugh at his statement, but he doesn't seem amused. "Oh come on. You did well, incredibly well for your first concert. The crowd loved it as well. "
"I suppose..."
"Well, you're the one who always wanted to play the piano. How can you not be proud of such a great accomplishment?" you say.
There's a brief silence.
"Thanks..."
Before you can question him any further, he suddenly pulls you into a hug. You return the hug for a while before you both let go.
"Well, I should be off." He says, giving you a small nod.
"Hey, wait! Do you want to grab some food? It's on me. Think of it as a congratulatory gift."
"I can't, I have to practice in a few hours," he says sadly.
"Well, we still have a few hours, we won't eat for long. I insist."
He smiles once more and nods. "Yeah, sounds good."
The both of you make your way to the nearby Chinese restaurant, the one you two always ate at when you were in high school. You lead him to an empty table and begin to order your favorite meals. Soon enough, the two of you are eating your favorite foods and talking about anything that comes to mind.
"How's college?" Jun asks while taking a bite of his food.
"Oh, it's okay," you say. "A little difficult to adjust to, but I'm doing good. I miss hanging out with you. It was way easier when we had so much free time when we were in high school. "
"I missed that too," he says, "But things are certainly way easier now."
"How so?"
"Well, for one thing, I'm a full-fledged pianist now, instead of just a struggling one. Also, the girl I was dating broke up with me."
"What?!" You almost slam your hand on the table. You quickly lower your voice. "Wasn't she heads over heels for you? What happened?"
"Eh, she just tired of waiting. You know how she is."
You nod slowly, but something about the story doesn't feel right. "Waiting for what?"
"Waiting for me to become a success, of course. She said she couldn't wait around forever for me to achieve my goals."
"That's weird..."
"What?"
You purse your lips. "I mean, you've always been famous around the school for being a good pianist, but it's not like you're going to earn money overnight."
"It was for the best anyway. It showed that she was really just after the fame and not... Me." He says sadly, running his spoon through his bowl of soup.
With a burst of energy and anger, you puff your chest. "Hey, don't get yourself down! What are you, huh? You're funny, friendly, a good pianist, handsome, and a pretty good guy! She doesn't know what she lost. Hey, if she ever comes back, don't say yes, alright?!"
"Hah, yeah. Don't worry, I'll hold out for the real thing."
"Yeah, you always do."
You laugh it off, but to be honest, you were a bit disappointed. You held feelings for Jun when you were younger, but let go of him when he found a girlfriend. Now that she broke up with him for a shallow reason, you were so mad. You knew how good of a guy Jun was, and how much he treasured the people that are close to him.
You wouldn't be able to forgive such an insult. Surely he would see that.
"I have to go, my piano teacher is calling," Jun says.
"Alright, take care on your way there."
"I will. Later."
The both of you give a little wave to each other. Jun then leaves you to your own thoughts, while you ponder why you had such a strange feeling about this.
You pay up at the counter before heading back to your dorm.
When you get into the building, you see Joshua hanging out in the dorm lobby. Along with Jun, he was one of your classmates in high school and ended up forming a close friendship as a trio. Joshua ended up going to the same university as you studying psychology, while Jun ended up in a different music university.
"Hey, Josh!"
He looks up at you with a smile, waving his phone at you. "Hey, how was the concert? It's sad that I couldn't go because of exams."
"It was good. I think Jun was really happy to hear that your results came out well." You quickly take a seat next to him, putting your bag on the table. "And you know what? He just broke up with his girlfriend. I didn't see that coming. "
"Really? What for?"
"Shallow reasons. It makes me upset."
"Hmmm." Joshua says, nodding and looking away. "What do you plan on doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, if he's broken up with his girlfriend, do you think you could possibly...?"
"What? No! Josh, I..." You unintentionally stutter at the thought. Although Jun was clueless, Joshua knew everything. When you first found out about Jun getting a girlfriend, you cried at his house for hours. You didn't want to admit it, but you knew you still had a bit of lingering feelings for Jun. "I mean, you know already, right? I let go of him years ago. I thought he'd be better off with you know... Someone better. "
"Someone better? That sounds very final!"
"I'm just saying, that it would be a better path for him."
"Let's hang out with him over the weekend. It wouldn't do good for him to keep thinking about it while he traps himself in practice." Joshua says, flipping through his phone to look for Jun's contact number.
"Trapping himself in practice? You really think so?"
"Yeah, I do. Just trust me on this one." Joshua says with a sigh.
Well, it's one way to look at it you suppose.
"Let's take him to an amusement park. It's about time we bring out his inner child again."
"An amusement park? I've wanted to go to an amusement park for so long! Alright, let's go!"
You trust Joshua to invite Jun to the amusement park. Although you weren't a fan of the fast rides, you knew that it would make Jun and Joshua happy. The next day, both of you get on a bus from the university to the nearby theme park. The both of you get down just in time for the park to open.
"So, have you been to this amusement park before?" you ask.
"I've been here multiple times, but this is Jun's first time." He says. Joshua looks around, looking for the familiar tall figure. "There he is."
You wave to Jun as he walks towards the two of you, a big smile across his face.
"Hey Jun, I'm glad you managed to get yourself some free time," Joshua says.
"Yeah, I could use a breather," Jun replies.
"Man, these rides really take it out of you, don't they?"
"That's why they're fun." Joshua replies as the three of you may your way to the line to buy entrance tickets. Although the two men are ecstatic, you feel a churning feeling in your core. You've never been a fan of heights, and of the three, you were the one that easily got seasick. You knew that this was going to be a long day, but you wanted to make it a good one to cheer up Jun.
Jun looks over at you, who seems to be looking pale at the sight of all the tall rollercoasters. "Are you going to be fine?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." You say. "Just... Never ridden a rollercoaster before. Not exactly the most confidence-inspiring rides. Besides, there's a first time for everything, right?"
"Yeah, there is." Jun replies, giving you a smile.
Your stomach starts doing flips as you remember that you need to get on that ride eventually. Eventually, the three of you get tickets for unlimited rides and head over to the first ride. The three of you get onto the roller coaster, which is about to begin boarding.
"Hold on to your butts!" the attendant jokes, and the two of them have a good laugh. You, on the other hand, simply smile awkwardly.
To be honest, you feel like you're taking the rollercoaster ride to your death.
The ride starts, and you scream the whole time. The roller coaster takes a wild turn through the inversion and while you're going at a pretty decent speed, you don't feel quite right. Over to your right, you see Jun and his large gummy smile.
"This is so fun! I wish I can do this all day!" he screams.
The rollercoaster takes a bunch of twists and turns, throwing you around left and right. You hold on to the restraints for dear life, your knuckles turning white at the effort. Eventually, you let out a deep, heavy sigh as the coaster finally comes to a stop, leaving you disheveled and nervous. Beside you, Jun vibrates in excitement. He's laughing like a kid as the restraints go up.
"Let's do it again!" he says.
You and your best friend laugh, then quickly sober up as you realize that you are at an amusement park after all.
"Let's get on a softer ride before we go back on this one."
"Alright!" Jun says excitedly.
Jun walks ahead of you and Joshua, excited to get on the next one.
Joshua leans closer to you. "If you feel sick, just let me know so I can help calm him down, alright?"
You nod, and follow after Jun.
There's a giant inflatable slide ahead of you that has a giant inflatable ball on it.
"I want to go on that!" Jun squeals.
"That's a lot of fun, huh?" You say back.
After a few minutes of waiting in line, you get onto the giant inflatable slide.
"Come on!" Jun excitedly takes your hand and pulls you to the slide.
You sit down in the middle of the slide, and let out a laugh as the inflatable ball inflates in front of you. As you and Jun glide down the slide, you look at your childhood friend. His bright, beautiful smile makes you feel at ease. Slowly, steadily, you let all your worries and concerns wash away. Compared to his pale face just after the concert, he seems happier now. That's enough to satisfy you.
As you both laugh and have an enjoyable time, the three of you ride the giant inflatable slide again and again. After about half an hour, you finish off the giant slide and get onto the next ride.
To those that don't know Jun, he may seem like a calm and cool pianist, but in reality, he's the most energetic man-child you know. He screams with joy with practically every ride he gets on.
You and Joshua manage to calm him down by convincing him to eat lunch and go on soft rides to prevent indigestion. You all sit together on the side of the park, munching on the lunch Joshua brought from home.
"After all these years, your mom's sandwiches are still the best, Josh." You say.
"Aren't they though?"
You smile and nod in reply. You take another bite of the sandwich, enjoying the stringy meat as it slides down your throat.
"I'll go buy some drinks." Joshua says. "Anything you guys want?"
"I'll have orange juice." You say.
"I'll have one of those drinks too, please." Jun says.
"Alright, I'll be back." Joshua says.
You and Jun continue to eat and chat as you wait for Joshua. You take a bite of the sandwich and start up the conversation. "Man, it feels like yesterday we all first met in music class. That was such a different time, you know?"
"Yeah..."
"Joshua and I were learning guitar for fun, and somehow we both ended up in majors completely unrelated to music.
"Yeah, I remember. Good old days." Jun says, his tone suddenly turning somber. "I just... Don't know what I'm going to do after college."
"What do you mean? You're going to be a professional pianist! I'll go to all your shows and buy all your releases!"
"Oh, you will?"
The two of you laugh as you take another bite of your sandwich. "Well I mean, if it gets expensive, I'll split the cost with Josh"
Moments later, Joshua comes back with the drinks.
"Here you are." He says, handing you each a small cup of orange juice.
"Thanks, Josh." You say, taking a sip from your cup.
The three of you finish your lunch and walk around before getting on the merry-go-round that's in the center of the park. As you slowly turn, you think about how much has happened since you first met. Your friendship with Joshua and Jun has strengthened and gotten closer to what it is now. You were happy to have these guys with you in your life. You pull out your phone and take a selfie with the three of you on the ride.
'Best friends.' You think to yourself with a smile.
You look up at the Ferris wheel. There are a few people still waiting to get on, along with a little girl and her mother.
"Let's get on the Ferris wheel later on during sunset." Joshua says. "The view of the city will be beautiful during that time."
"Yeah, a Ferris wheel sounds fun." You reply.
For the next few hours, you and your friends ride all the rides, eat all the food, and enjoy every moment you can. Even though you and Joshua are almost out of energy, Jun is as happy and energetic as ever.
He mainly uses his phone to take pictures and videos of himself. It came to a point where you could barely stand because of the dizziness, so you and Joshua had to stop him from riding any of the roller coasters.
Eventually, the sunset comes around, and you three fall in line for the Ferris wheel. Just as the three of you were about to step in, Joshua pulls out his phone as if to pick up a call.
"Oh man, wait I need to take this call." He says, even though you see no sign of a call on his screen. Joshua pushes the both of you in. "Go on without me."
You didn't have time to think before he closes the door and leaves you and Jun alone in the cart. The Ferris wheel turns, taking you and Jun higher at a slow pace. Somehow, being alone with him makes your heart beat faster. You look over at Jun, who's looking out to the city as the orange light hits his face. It's a new experience for you, being this close to him. The two of you don't say a word, just take in the view.
"Hey, I want to tell you something." Jun says quietly.
You turn your head to him, who seems to sit uncomfortably in his place.
Jun takes a deep breath in. "I'm afraid that if we stay friends, I'll lose you as we grow up. You're a really important person to me, and I don't want to lose you."
A lump forms in your throat. "Don't worry about that." You tell him. "We'll always be friends. No one is taking you away from me."
Jun looks down for a moment, and then looks back at you he stares at you for a moment, hesitating. "I love you." He blurts out.
You stare at him in shock while he quickly adds, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that! Just forget I said it!"
"No, don't--"
Before you can say anything further, Jun buries his face into his hands.
You say "Jun?"
"I can't take this anymore." He says in frustration. "We can still be friends if you want. I'll leave you alone if that's what you want."
"Wait, Jun, look at me."
Jun raises his face, refusing to look you in the eyes.
"Calm down, you haven't even heard my reply yet." You lean forward to put your hand on his knee. "You love me? In... That way? "
"I... I'm sorry, but yes."
"Oh..." You exhale. "Why are you apologizing?"
"I don't know!"
"Well, I'm glad you finally said it." You laugh. "All this time I've been holding back because I thought you would never like someone like me."
"That's not true! I do like you! I probably just held back saying it because I didn't want you to leave."
"Well, why would I leave, Jun?" You ask. "You're basically my best friend, and I'm happy spending time with you."
"But, what if I change?"
"You won't."
"What if something makes you so mad at me, that you won't want to be with me anymore?" He says softly, opening himself up to be vulnerable for the first time in years.
"We've had dozens of fights ever since we were kids. But I'm still here."
"What if it's worse than those?"
"Well, we'll deal with it then."
"But what if it's something you can't fix?"
"Then I guess we won't deal with it." You say. "We'll just accept it when it happens."
"Oh." He exhales. "That... That sounds a little bit easier than I thought it would be."
"Easier?" You laugh in disbelief. "Of course it's easier. If things get to a point where we can't deal with it, then we'll still accept each other."
"Yeah..."
"We'll get through it together."
"I know we will."
Jun links his legs with yours, gently playing around with his fingers.
"I was really scared that I would lose you to someone else." He says.
"Like who?" You laugh.
"Like, maybe even a boy you met at the park."
"That's not gonna happen, I promise." You assure him.
"I know."
"How are we going to explain this to Joshua when we get down?"
"He'll probably figure it out even if we don't say anything." Jun says. "He's pretty smart."
"True..."
Before you know it, the Ferris wheel stops and the two of you exit. When you get down, you see Joshua on his phone on one of the benches. He looks up at the both of you with a smile. You return his smile and walk over to him.
"Hey, guys." He says. "How did it go?"
"It was good!" You answer.
Joshua looks over at Jun, who seems to be pretending that nothing happened. "Say what, let me take a photo of you guys. It's both your first time at this park, we need to document this."
You look at both of your young faces and give each other a look. After a brief moment, when you understand that the other is going through with this, you nod. Joshua takes a photo of the both of you with the Ferris wheel in the background, a large grin on his face
"Perfect." He says, returning his phone to his pocket. "Let's go and take a break at the cafe."
Joshua walks ahead of you and Jun, and you both follow. Jun shyly links his pinky with yours, swinging his arms around happily.
"Thank you for coming with me, I really had a good time here." He says.
"Anytime." You smile.
- END -