Sentience

22

The least everyone should have expected from the luxurious condominium was the top-tier facility. Ever since Belle resided in this building, she had always fallen in love with its pool on the top floor, where she could feel the closest to the sky, and she loved the adrenaline rush from looking down from a high place.

The view of the evening, especially when dusk was nearing, the sky was painted in orange hues, and the calm breeze hitting her skin every time she came out on the surface after a round of diving, had always been her favourite.

She always did that - sinking in the water for a while. She did that when she was in deep thought, claiming that it cleared her mind off when she felt suffocated to breathe.

Today, on her third round of diving, she heard a clicking as soon as she came back to the surface, gasping for the air. It most likely sounded like a camera. So, instinctively, Belle spun herself in the water, catching sight of the boy at the poolside.

"Candid always has the best outcome," Changmin said, nodding at the picture he had just snapped from his phone. "Or maybe, it depends on the person itself."

Belle wiped the water on her face off before she asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Changmin flashed his dimple smile, this time taking up a film camera and aligning it towards her. First click and he seemed to be satisfied. A soft ah escaped his lips.

"This is what I meant," he beckoned to the camera. "I'll let you see the outcome later."

Belle moved closer to the boy; she walked in the water. "I thought you said the camera is for the project. But, how come you use it for personal use?"

"No, I don't," his head shook. "I use it to take your pictures. And you... are my model."

He looked so serious when he said that. Like everyone needed to understand and that nobody should've questioned him.

Belle, however, just chuckled. She found his stance ridiculous. But she wouldn't say anything about it; she would just agree with anything he voiced out. Anything that made him stay. After all, that was why she wanted him here.

The girl then turned around facing the open view, engulfing her in a familiar emotion. Evening view had always made her feel so sad, so emotional that she hoped she could find any psychological theory about it. Maybe something like 'Orange hues are significant to make one feel sad'. Because right now, her chest felt so heavy, so suffocated that it made her want to cry out loud. Suddenly, voices were ringing, and some pictures flashed in her eyes like some sort of video played.

If the tears couldn't help to flow right now, she hoped she had a valid reason to tell Changmin why it fell. Though she knew way too well that the boy wouldn't believe her.

Her train of thought and the abrupt sadness engulfed then stopped when she felt a small wave from the water crash into her body; a soft plop was heard. Although Belle didn't glance around to see him, she knew he must have been dipping his feet into the pool, watching over the same scenery as her.

"I will pretend like I don't see," he suddenly said, which Belle pondered at the warm colour sky, still not looking at him.

"Don't see what?"

"You cry."

A stab in her heart, and it was so painful. The feeling of crying had come back, knocking on her door, ready to go out. Damn, she cursed to herself at the boy's intelligence catching her every little movement. How come he knew what was in her head without looking at her face? She thought Changmin could only feel someone's emotion when he looked into their eyes.