On the sand of time

Chapter-2: Tearful reunion

Meanwhile in the canteen, "Is she really your Danielle?" Eunchae asked.
"She was never mine, Chae." Haerin replied.

"She's so pretty, Haerin. I'm sure she'll be really popular here. Beware! I'm warning you so you can't say nobody warns you.." Eunchae joked.

"But how come you don't know anything about her Hyein?" Hanni asked Hyein.

"I have never seen her in person. I believe Minji and they always have summer vacation together. Well not always but most of the time. I tagged along once but she wasn't there and Minji sulked the whole time. After we moved here, it was only Minji who went away for the summer vacation. Me, dad and mum always visited our grandma's guesthouse instead. And they referred to her as Mo Dani so i never considered Mo Dani and Danielle to be the same person." Hyein replied.

"Your crush and your Danielle are best friends! Oh my gosh! This can't be happening! What are you gonna do bro? How are you going to manage..?" Hanni joked.

Haerin chuckled, "I don't have a crush on Minji! I just said she reminded me of Danielle."

"Alright, alright, we get it. Now that Danielle is here, who even is Minji, huh?" Eunchae said wiggling with her eyebrows at Haerin.

"And what is it about Minji? She is the most annoying being in the world. She can't possibly be your type!?" Hyein questioned.

"I never said she is my type! But she's kind and caring, Hyein and she's also athletic.. she just reminded me of Danielle." Haerin defended herself.

"But don't you guys think she looked so umm.. " Hanni doesn't know how to finish her sentence so she glances at Haerin and then to Hyein and to Eunchae. But they were all silently waiting for her to finish her sentence.
"I mean she kinda looked cold before she smiled at Minji." Hanni rapped the last sentence.

"And she looked like she had seen a ghost when she saw you!" Eunchae said to Haerin.

"I disappeared on her... if i were her, i wouldn't even glance at me twice.." Haerin said, sadness laced in her voice. " I can understand if she became a totally different person now."

"Not glancing twice!? She've got eyes only for you! She can't literally take her eyes off of you!" Eunchae confidently said.

"Yo! she was staring at your back the whole time. Turn around lemme check if there's any hole pierced on your back." Hyein tried to uplift Haerin's mood.

"Girly frost in front of you but was about to caress your face when she thought you'd cry!" Hanni recalled, smiling at the memory of that moment.

Haerin gives her friends a smile and looks up trying to stop the tears that are threatening to fall. She is struggling to stop herself from crying as she doesn't want to cry infront of her friends. She wished she were alone in her room but at the same time felt glad for her friends presence at a time when she was feeling emotionally so vulnerable.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Haerin ah, you couldn't have done anything. She didn't come and you didn't know her number or her address. You just have to explain yourself and I'm sure that she'll understand." Hyein consoled her friend.

A single teardrop fell from Haerin's eye, then another and then they are free falling like a waterfall. Hyein wiped away the tears and pulled her into a hug. Hanni patted her back and Eunchae stroked her hair softly.

"Hush now what if they come and see you like this?" Hanni said.

"Right.. cheer up Haerin." Eunchae encouraged.

Haerin stopped crying and her friends helped her fix herself and then they got their lunch and sat down at their usual table. The girls started eating while Haerin played with her food. She had no appetite.