My Imperfect You

Prologue

In a deserted playground, a boy was silently sitting in the swing as the raindrops and the billowing winds hit him. His head was downcast while his eyes were red from crying. There was a storm yet he refused to walk away from the swing, tightly clinging into it, as if his life depends on it.

The pelting raindrops were hitting him like a bullet and it hurts him. But the thing that hurts him the most is not the raindrops, nor the frigid coldness from the winds. It was the broken vow of his best friend. He waited...and waited...and waited...But his friend did not come. It has been 3 hours since he arrived there. He still went even when he read in the news that a heavy rainstorm was coming. And it broke his heart.

They were bestfriends. Him and her. They met there, exactly at the swing he was sitting at. They were both just 7 years old at that time. He still remembered how they met, even though it was 10 years ago. They only played for a few days but it felt like a whole lifetime. Although they still keep in touch by the use of internet, being with each other personally has a different feel. And they made a vow on the last day...they promised to fulfill it, no matter how hard it can be.

He remembered it...

10 years ago...

A boy was being led to come to the village's playground. It was Monday and he was urged by his parents to come out and play because he was playing with the computer too much. They said that he needs to play outdoors sometimes. He was pouting, but once he saw the kids playing, he had the urge to join them.

He asked for permission to play with the other kids in the playground from his parents and to his delight, they agreed. He skipped his way to the swing because he thought it was fun. He was about to sit on it when he touched the hand of someone.

The hand was soft and delicate. And it was smaller than his own. He looked at the owner of the hand and he was shocked to see a girl. The girl was red from embarrassment. He quickly took his hand back from the rope that was holding the swing. "U-uh..." he started. "Y-you can sit in the swing if you want. I-I'll just sit in the other swing," he stuttered and his face became red in an instant.

"T-thanks." the girl replied. "M-my name is Yuna by the way." she put out her hand for a handshake. The boy hesitated for a moment before accepting it. He just shook hands with her for a second then he quickly took back his hand.

"What about you? What's your name?" the girl asked. The boy stared at her before answering shyly.

"I-I'm Skyler," he shyly stated. Then they played all day. When the sun was about to set, his parents called for him. He told them that he'll follow. He looked for Yuna and found her in the swing.

"Let's play again tomorrow, Yuna!" he said and his friend smiled and answered a yes. When Skyler got back home, he can't stop thinking of Yuna. He just got a new friend and that made him smile. The next day, he went to the park again.

That day was when Skyler started to go to the village playground everyday. He would always ask his mother to let him go to the park. He and Yuna became very close on the following days. They would always play with each other all day. Until...

Skyler just arrived to the playground when he noticed Yuna sitting in their favourite swing .He went near her and then he saw the sad look on his friend's face. He asked her why and her answer almost made him cry.

She was gonna go back to South Korea the next day. And she won't come back for years because she needed to finish her studies there. When she was about to cry, he thought of an idea."Hey, Yuna. Let's make a promise," he said out of the blue, which startled Yuna. "I promise that we will meet again. In 10 years, let's meet here again. The same day at the same time. I'm gonna wait for you even if it takes an hour." he vowed.

She closed her eyes then said, "Then, I-I promise that I w-will do my best to meet you here. The same day at the same time. I won't let you wait for an hour because we will meet each other in this swing." after that she opened her eyes and she was smiling again.

"I'll wait for you, Yuna. Because you're my friend. My bestfriend."

At that time, he didn't know, but he already fell in love with the girl he met in the swing. They spent their entire day playing and not minding about anything. Such is the joy of friendship they have found. But...it was also where their love story started...

And then, when the time came to say goodbye at sunset, they parted ways. But before he can turn around to go home, Yuna suddenly jumped and cupped his cheeks then kissed him in his lips. It was both their first kiss. And he felt like his heart exploded from joy. His heart was beating erratically and he was happy at that moment.

He was woken from his stupor when he felt that the rain wasn't hitting him anymore. And there he saw his mother, with an umbrella in hand, shielding him from the rain. He felt tears streaming down his face as he hugged and found comfort from his mother's embrace. They stayed like that for about 5 minutes before they decided to go home.

Before leaving, he looked one last time at the swing. "I guess, this is goodbye for us Yuna. You didn't fulfill our vow. It really is true what people say...Promises are meant to be broken." he silently whispered before turning his back and following his mother home.

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(Re-published) :)