On a bright morning, the breeze carried a calm and refreshing atmosphere as I played tag with my friend Luis.
"Luis, you must be cheating. How is it that I never win against you?"
"Haha, you can't even do this? Weren't you the champion kite-catcher in our village? How come you can't catch me?"
Luis's eyes held a mocking expression, and his iconic laugh made me slightly annoyed.
I crossed my arms and turned my face away.
"Ugh! I don't wanna play with you anymore. You're so annoying."
Luis stood confidently in front of me, placing a hand on my shoulder before saying.
"You're giving up just like that? Where's the enthusiasm from earlier, huh?"
"If you give up so easily, you'll always feel left behind. Do you really want that?"
I stared at him with ambitious yet hesitant eyes.
"No, but..."
Luis noticed me fiddling with my hair a sign that I was starting to doubt myself, and it made him think of a way to keep me from giving up.
"If you can catch me, I'll treat you to ice cream."
The offer to buy me ice cream in the middle of this summer heat was tempting and gave me motivation.
"Really? You better not be lying."
"Why would I lie to someone who gives up so easily and has no chance of winning?"
I clenched my fists, feeling challenged. How could I give up when ice cream was at stake? I immediately started chasing him. "You're going to regret this!."
Luis ran ahead enthusiastically, dodging my attempts to catch him.
"Come and get me if you can, haha!"
We played until Luis was finally cornered. I took the chance to sprint toward him but lost control.
"WAAA, watch out, Luis!"
I crashed into Luis. My vision blurred, turning white until...
The sound of an alarm rang.
I jolted awake from my sleep, heart pounding. Luis's laughter and figure still lingered in my dream.
"Yawn~ What was I dreaming about just now? Rubs eyes, trying to remember Oh right… Luis, How many years has it been since I last saw him?"
The ticking of the wall clock filled the silent room. Suddenly, I glanced at the time.
"Eh, I'm gonna be late! Why didn't I set the alarm earlier? Ughh!"
Still half asleep, I rushed to the bathroom and prepared the things I needed for campus.
Since my house was quite far from the university, I decided to rent a place nearby. "My campus is strict with attendance. I don't wanna get expelled just for being late!"
Before leaving, I said goodbye to my parents.
But first, I had to stop by the house of my parents' acquaintance near the campus to drop off my luggage.
"Why does my house have to be so far from campus? Carrying stuff around is such a pain."
When I arrived in front of the minimalist, tidy house matching the address my mom gave, I pressed the doorbell by the gate.
The bell rang, and I heard a girl's voice calling from inside.
"Coming! Wait a sec!"
The door opened, revealing a friendly looking girl around my age. She had long blonde hair and a gentle, cheerful demeanor that made her seem approachable. She greeted me and opened the gate.
"Hi! You must be the girl Mom mentioned. Your name's Luna, right?"
At that moment, I remembered what my mom had said, that I'd be staying with her friend's daughter.
"Ah, yes, I'm Luna. Nice to meet you. You're Aira, right?"
Aira smiled brightly, like the morning sun, her eyes full of genuine enthusiasm.
"Yup, that's right! Here, let me help you with your stuff."
Effortlessly, Aira grabbed my heavy luggage and carried it inside.
"Eh, that's heavy, you know..."
Aira grinned at me as she set the luggage down.
"Relax… Oh, we go to the same university! I'm in Visual Communication Design. What about you?"
I sighed.
"I'm in Business Management. Hopefully, I can survive."
"Ooh, so you can help manage finances then." Aira smirked.
With a doubtful expression, I replied,
"Yeah… hopefully I can help."
"Eh! What time is it? Let's hurry to campus!" Aira grabbed my hand and ran toward the university, which wasn't far.
Along the way, Aira chatted about campus life, but my mind kept drifting back to my dream earlier...
Once we arrived, we parted ways since our classes were in different halls.
"See you later, okay? My class is in the west wing." Aira waved at me from a distance before we separated.
"Ah, yeah… see you later. She's such a lively girl."
I glanced around the campus as I walked to class, while lost in thought, I suddenly felt large hands covering my eyes.
"Guess who."
I recognized the voice though slightly deeper now, and I knew exactly who it was.
"Must be some pervert, right...?"
Luis laughed, delighted to see me after being separated since elementary school.
"Haha, did you really forget me? It's me, your childhood best friend!"
I actually recognized him, but… I was just a little shocked.
Luis removed his hands from my eyes.
"It's been so long. Did you miss me?"
I crossed my arms and turned away.
"Hmph, I don't even remember you."
Luis pretended to be hurt, dramatically clutching his chest before suddenly hugging me in the middle of the crowded hallway. The scent of his vanilla woody perfume made it hard to focus.
"Still as stubborn as ever, huh?"
He smiled the kind of smile that could make any girl blush.
I turned away, embarrassed at being watched by everyone in the hallway. Many girls were glaring at me jealously, considering Luis was undeniably handsome.
"Yeah, yeah, ugh, let go! Everyone's staring!"
Luis hugged me tighter and ruffled my hair.
This feeling… It's like we're back in childhood… But his touch is making my heart race weirdly.
My face flushed as I lowered my head so Luis wouldn't notice my embarrassment.
Luis always annoying me and pushing my buttons. After all these years apart, he suddenly appears out of nowhere.
My heart wasn't ready for this!...