mental note to self | meteor garden [REVAMPING]

02 | 风

The weather had been absolutely wonderful the whole week. Tufts of fluffy white clouds ambled in front of a backdrop of baby blue, hindering any sweltering rays of sunlight from beating down and leaving only the pleasant warmth of the soon ending summer.

The beautiful clear skies had set Yuxin in an inspired mood; her entire being longed to paint something. Anything. It had been months since the last time she had so much as touched a paintbrush. Since then, her hands had traded signature colorful smears for the monochrome smudges of gel pen ink.

More than once she had caught herself staring out the window during lectures instead of paying attention, imagining soft bristles leaving trails of blue on crisp white paper.

By Wednesday, she decided that her grades were being threatened and enough was enough. On Thursday, her mauve messenger bag bore the additional weight of her art supplies.

As soon as the professor of her last class dismissed them, she all but dashed to the exit, throwing composure to the wind as excitement coursed through her veins.

Stepping out of the building, she scanned around for some sort of quiet place where she could stay uninterrupted. Unluckily for her, Ming De's large population seemed to be spread all over every possible area.

She was about ready to give up when she spotted the silhouette of a lonely figure on the rooftop of the next building. Hoping whoever it was wouldn't mind some extra company, she quickly thought out how to get there and headed inside.

Her faulty directional skills cost her a lot of time. Ming De was big, the hallways were a labyrinth, and the roof was not on any of the green directory boards plastered on the walls.

After a lot of wandering and intense mental visualization, her brain hurt and her shoulder ached from the weight of her bag, but she had found the door. It was gray and unassuming and she had probably walked past it a few times, but she had found it. The placard was clearly neglected, only spelling out " o ft p".

She cautiously stepped out onto the rooftop, immediately taking notice of the fact that there seemed to be nothingㅡand no one, anymoreㅡup there besides her and a couple of wooden crates.

Perfect.

As she took out her materials, she just had to appreciate the serenity of the secluded rooftop. Nearly four years in the university and she had no idea it existed. She recalled multiple instances when such a spot would have been so nice to have, but those were all in the past. She would definitely have to come back more often to make up for lost time.

‒∙◇❀◇∙‒

Yuxin mindlessly bobbed her head to the mellow tones of the music playing from her phone, her brush adding the finishing details to her third painting. The first two (rejected) attempts lay crumpled haphazardly beside her.

The airy voice of some indie artist ironically kept her grounded; she was so engrossed in her work that she didn't notice the soft footfalls of the newest presence on the rooftop. That is, until said newcomer noticed her as well, shoe scuffing against the concrete floor as they abruptly stopped walking.

The sound jolted her out of her art-induced trance, and her heart beat rapidly against her ribcage as she hurriedly checked to see if her hand had accidentally swept some brown onto her finished sky.

She sighed in relief after a quick once-over confirmed that her sky was (thankfully) not muddy, and looked up at whoever it was.

Her lips parted slightly from the shock of seeing the willowy frame of Huaze Lei in front of her.

Surprise flitted across his delicate features, but it disappeared just as quickly as it had come, replaced by his default emotionless expression.

Yuxin cautiously offered a timid smile in greeting, unsure of what to do.

The corners of his mouth lifted in answer. It wasn't quite a smile. He stayed rooted in his spot, studying her.

It was their first interaction since the day Jing had left for France.

They had shared a mutual understanding then, standing closer to each other than they normally would have, both experiencing the pain of watching someone special to them—in different ways, of course—leave.

They stayed behind longer than everyone else. He had lead her (or did she lead him? Both, maybe?) to an outer viewing deck. They had done handstands against a wall and silently watched planes land and take off with shining eyes.

They hadn't spoken a word to each other that day. They hadn't needed to.

But that was back then. Right now, the silence was almost stifling. Her eyes left his and fixated on a crack on the floor.

After a little internal conflict, Yuxin quietly asked, "Do you come here often?"

He nodded once and finally moved to sit down a couple crates away.

She looked back down at her painting, biting her lip as she deliberated if she should continue speaking or leave it at that.

"I...only found this place today. I love how peaceful it is up here." She paused, brush hovering over the buildings painted into the foreground.

Oddly enough, she was getting the distinct impression that she was a trespasser, of sorts. The school owned the rooftop, but she had to respect other people's "spots", right?

"...You wouldn't mind if I came up here again, would you?" she asked, fighting past the awkwardness bubbling in her chest to glance over at him.

His eyes were closed, face tilted towards the sky. The light highlighted some strands of his hair, making them appear golden. It was a warm picture, completely opposite to the frostiness of his next words. "What people choose to do is none of my business."

She shrugged and went back to painting.

They spent the rest of the afternoon bathed in a familiar silence.

Mental note to self: Come to the rooftop during free time. If Huaze Lei is around, do not talk about your day.