Classical music filled the halls, the sound of clinking glasses, laughter, foots tapping. It was a wedding reception.
Ryujin wasn't supposed to be here, she was just a proxy for her cousin's date. It was some couple's wedding that she didn't even know personally but still, she congratulated them. She wanted to leave. Her cousin already found someone to entertain him.
Geez why did he even bring me, if he was just gonna find someone to flirt with. Ryujin thought as she downed her last glass of Champagne, while sitting at the bar.
People were dancing, everybody had a partner and looked like they're having fun. But she just watched with an empty look on her face. It's not that Ryujin didn't enjoy dancing, the truth is she does, just not to this kind of music. And even if she wanted to she had no one to dance with.
"Let me guess, your date ditched you?" The barkeep in front of her asked.
Wow she's pretty "Uhm yeah, doesn't matter...I'm just a stand in."
The girl laughed quietly, but for some reason it's like all the sound in the room stopped and only her laugh echoed in her ears.
"We're the same then, I only took this gig cause my roommate basically begged me to be her reliever. I'm Lia." The girl flashed a smile.
"R-Ryujin." Her heart almost jumped out of her throat. What a sneak attack
"So Ryujin..since we're both at places we're not supposed to be..."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Let's sneak out."
Her brown eyes widened in response to the girl's suggestion. But Lia didn't wait for an actual response, she took her apron off and pulled Ryujin away before she could question anything.
Ryujin and Lia sat beside each other on an empty beach they found, after walking aimlessly talking about anything and everything.
Lia stood up, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to feel the night's ocean breeze.
Ryujin observes from below, watching her moonlit face, she couldn't believe how this beautiful stranger is making her heart beat so fast.
Feeling the stare from the brown eyed girl, her lips curved to a small grin.
"Wanna dance?"
"What?
"You looked lonely earlier..when you were looking at the dance floor."
Was I? How long was she observing me?
"There's no music" Ryujin raised her eyebrow at Lia's outstretched hand.
"The waves could be our music and the moon and stars will be our disco ball!" Lia's grin turns into a wide smile.
There it is again, her sudden smiles, beautiful and dangerous enough to make my heart race.
Ryujin takes her hand. Lia pulled her closer and placed her hand around the taller girls neck.
Getting a little confident Ryujin instinctively wraps her hand around Lia's waist.
They danced slowly to an unspoken rhythm of the ocean.
Ryujin was doing her best not to step on Lia's feet, she wasn't used to these kinds of dances, so she wanted to be careful, she didn't want to mess up, and her erratic heartbeat didn't help.
Lia buried her face against Ryujin's shoulder. For some unknown reason, it felt natural for her.
Looking back earlier, she was busy pouring drinks to strangers, when a blue haired girl with pretty brown eyes caught her attention, pretty but lonely, and she couldn't shake off this weird feeling. I feel like I already know you even before you told me your name.
Lia raised her head and watched Ryujin being so conscious, an idea popped in her head.
She falls backward on purpose, with her hands wrapped around Ryujin's neck, and she pulls Ryujin's lips to hers.
Ryujin's eyes widened, but when their lips touched it was a new yet familiar sensation.
It was like fate brought them together; and fate did, just not in the way they hoped.
It's been a month since Ryujin and Lia started dating.
Ryujin thought no words could describe how precious and fragile those past 30 days were. Lia came in like a storm and changed her life. Ryujin wanted nothing more than to be close to Lia.
Ryujin stared at the picture on her phone. There were three smiling faces in the shot, belonging to herself, Lia and her roommate, Yuna. She zoomed in until she could see only Lia and her crescent smile. No matter how many times she sees it, Ryujin's heart would race at the sight of that radiant smile.
She swipes the screen, and a video of that time she tried to prank Lia played. She smiles at the memory that she practically had to beg Lia to forgive her, but later realized that Lia was also messing with her. They both ended up laughing at each other.
Another video played automatically, this time it was at Lia's apartment. Ryujin was filming while Lia was at the kitchen cooking pancakes while singing with her spatula. She would put her phone on a shelf and join Lia, they'd sing their hearts out forgetting about their breakfast. This always annoys Yuna, as she gets awakened by the smoke detector, and in the end they would just order in.
The next photo was simply a happy Lia. Ryujin remembers how Lia would just flop on the bed laying on her stomach and sticking her tongue out. They'd put on music and dance in their underwear; that would later be thrown on the floor.
Ryujin takes another swipe, there's no video or photo. It was an audio recording of Lia saying "I love you, Ryujin. I love you so much." Ryujin was so thankful that she had this, so she'll never forget the sound of Lia saying she loves her.
Ryujin reached the end of the album, but she's still staring at her now dimmed phone. She only noticed she was already crying when her tears were falling on her phone screen.
Yuna looked at Ryujin and saw her crying. Tears bawling out of her eyes with the pain that she has bottled up since Lia flatlined at the hospital earlier. They were headed somewhere to celebrate their first monthsary, when they got into a car accident. Ryujin was only left with wounds, but Lia; left her.
It was a heartbreaking sight. But for Yuna, this wasn't her first time seeing this; not always in the same place but always the same scenario; Ryujin crying and Lia gone.
Ryujin looked at Yuna with her bloodshot eyes.
"Don't worry, I'll warn you next time." Was the only thing Yuna said before clock struck 12.
It was supposed to be the next day but it wasn't. Time immediately reversed back to the day Ryujin and Lia first met.
********
This isn't actually a new story,
just thought of putting it here so I'll be forced to write the sequel.
thoughts?
