Tay was strolling down the street when he noticed the flower bed nestled in a circle under the street tree. Snow was gently piled up on the ground a few weeks ago, but it has now all melted and green sprouts have grown. The upcoming spring still seemed unrealistic.
Tay disliked spring.
There was no specific reason. He didn't like the unique, lively season. The flower petals that light up the streets, the pleasant atmosphere that floats softly in the air, and the fish who, although not frogs, jump in the spring energy.
He didn't like spring's unique school atmosphere either. At the start of the new semester, students pretended to be close by determining who would fit in with them and what their reputation was like at the previous school as if they were beasts who looked out for each other. They examined each other, stared at each other, and split the sides. It wasn't only the students. The same may be said about schools.
Whenever they tried to do something, they used to make a fuss about taking a group photo or having an event.
However, he liked spring now.
Tay, who was moving slowly, raised his head. Pink cherry blossoms, like New's ankle, were blooming all over the street.
It wasn't just the cherry blossoms. Various flowers bloomed along the path New Thitipoom had walked, and green leaves began to hang from the snow-covered branches one by one.
In contrast to only a few days ago, Tay scratched the bridge of his nose because the warm air felt uncomfortable. New could sense him as he walked timidly, stroking his fingers from the side and glancing around.
He wanted to hold hands.
He had been thinking about it since the morning. As soon as he entered the sparsely populated alley leading to the school's back door he wanted to hold hands with New like 'Pavlov's dog'.
It was probably the same with New. After hesitating for a moment, he stopped and grabbed Tay's sleeve.
Even though his strength was weak, Tay stopped as if he had a break.
Tay lowered his gaze to New's round head. New bit his lower lip softly. The lips that had been bitten several times in the pavilion in front of the house were wet. Tay looked at his lips, then moved his gaze.
"Te."
Tay had already gotten used to the nickname. Although it irritated him initially, he loved the nickname now. "Yeah?" he asked.
"That- Are you busy studying these days?"
Because he kept looking to the side, he wasn't sure what he was asking.
"Yeah," Tay replied. He placed his palm on his head after a brief response. Tay, who always sticks to the same hairstyle, recently cut his hair shorter than usual. He frowned slightly and shook his hand away from the cross-section of his frizzy hair brushing the palm of his hand.
Tay began studying seriously in the new year. It wasn't like New forced him to memorize 200 words or solve questions from here to here; it was an engaging study.
The reason he studied was simple. He had a dream for the first time. It wasn't like a vague dream he had as a child, but a more specific and detailed dream.
"Oh... I see."
New was stuttering. Tay didn't know what happened. Tay stood up and looked at New's face. He had previously lived his life without noticing other people's eyes, but when he stood in front of New, he began to notice the whiskey-colored eyes. New did indeed lower his eyes for a moment before raising them and smiling nervously. He looked at the people around him and softly wrapped his fingers around Tay's finger before turning his gaze away.
