A Stranger's Elegy

Verse 3

BRIGHT

"If you knew, you could've told me about it"

I couldn't help but smile. Win's red-tinted, plump cheeks are just too cute for me not to appreciate.

"How can I?" I grinned, cocking my head to the side, shrugging. "When you looked like you were enjoying the charade?"

I've been observing Win for awhile now and I knew immediately that he recognized me at first sight. But instead of saying 'hello' he chose to ignore me. So, what can I do but to do the same?

"I can't break off from character if the other player is playing, should I?"

I forced myself not to laugh when he annoyingly rolled his eyes back to pick his things up.

"W...whatever you say."

He says before walking to the exit.

He's shy.

"Wait."

I grabbed his wrist, smiling when he turned.

"Whenever you feel like talking again, feel free to, okay?"

I smiled as I quietly strummed my guitar, letting the tune echo inside my whole room. That guy, really.

The tune of a soft, slow, oldie echoed throughout the room as I continued strumming my guitar, and as the series of light flickered, so as the intensity of the sound. With different degree of loudness each time I strike the guitar string, I felt oddly satisfied as my thoughts drifted to my own past.

Actually, I immediately recognized Win on the very first day I saw him in the cafeteria a few years back. He never changed. He was still that aloof kid who likes to sit alone and be alone. The difference was ... he was smiling more frequently now.

His smile has always been his most striking asset. The way his eyes seemingly disappears when he smiles and the way his cheeks raises showing his perfectly white teeth was perfect. However, somehow it made me ask myself as to whom he was giving those smiles to.

Well, whoever she is, and then she's so lucky.

But he never changed. They way I see it he was still the same 'health-wise'. He still can't participate in any vigorous activities and such. Yeah, aside from his smile and features, he never changed.

Win had always been a sickly kid from the start. When we were kids, he was the type who was always grumpy and had his forehead crooked from here to there. He never played with the other kids and he just sat at a corner with a stuff toy in his hand. He looked like he was really unapproachable.

At first I didn't know why so I just sat there with him playing with those stuff toys in the room while others play outside. I thought he just didn't like to play rowdy with kids – I even thought he was well off just because of that. Well, no one can blame the kid-me. He always seemed so sad about something, always frowning or crooking his forehead. It's always like that. I even hesitated approaching him because of the same reasons.

But still, I went on and shook his hand, seating beside him. And that's when I saw it. It was so precious that I wanted to keep it for myself. His smile.

Aside from that, I watched everything happen in his point of view. That instance when he was left inside the room while others happily waltzed outside during afternoon play-time and how his bright, lit face turned gloomy while his eyes followed through the kids up until they were gone out of sight.