First Love [Chapter 3]

The hundred and fifty times we met, it was at the hallway.

*For the past few months, whenever I met you, I’ll try my best to avoid you. I scared that my fragile heart will break again. But this time it’s different.*

I was walking behind her. I try to avoid her as usual but my friends insist to use this way. I have no choice but to follow their wish. I walk quietly behind her so she won’t get notice of me. Suddenly, she slipped. I catch her but her folder hit hard on the corner of my mouth. It was painful. She quickly got up. I hold my mouth with my hands.

“I’m sorry. So sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you. I just slipped and…”

I show her a stop sign.

“It’s ok. I’m fine. No need to worry about it.”

“Are… Are you sure? But you look so in pain right now. What’s with your mouth? Why are you covering your mouth? Can you take away your hand and let me see?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Come on. Show me.” She tries to take away my hand that covers my mouth.

“No. It’s ok with me. Ouch!!”

“Oh my God!! It’s bleeding. It’s not ok.” She search tissue in her bag and help me wipe off the blood.

“It’s ok now. I need to go now. We are in a hurry.”

“No, it’s not ok. Your bleeding won’t stop. I think we need to go to the medical room.”

“No. That is not necessary. I’m really fine.”

“Jae Joong. We think you need to go to the medical room too. You need to do something to stop the bleeding. Don’t be so stubborn,” my friends persuade me.

Finally, I give up. Jeannie accompanies me to the medical room while my friends continue to go to watch movie. At the medical room, the doctor helps me to stop the bleeding. He put something cold on my wound.

“It’s not a deep cut. So we do not need to stitch it. Later, it will become blue-black bruise. If you want to make it better, you can use boiled egg and roll on it. The bruise will be more unobvious.”

“Ok doctor.” I said.

As soon as we are out of the room, Jeannie pulls my right arm to stop me from walking.

“Do you know how to boil the eggs?”

“No. What for?”

“To make your bruise less obvious.”

“No need to bother that.”

“Yes, you need. Since I’m the one who hurt you, I need to do something to repay you.”

“Nah, it’s ok. It stops bleeding now. The bruise will be gone after a few days.”

“But, I feel so regretful. Just let me do something for you. Okay?”

She look at me with her eyes in which to me it always been the most lovely eyes I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, this time the lovely pair of eyes was a bit teary and sad. I couldn’t resist it if she cries. So, I agreed with her.

“Ah. Ok. Where you wanna get the boiled eggs?”

“I don’t know. Your house maybe?”

My house??? She wants to go my house??? Why my heart is beating so fast???

“Er… my house. My house is quite far from here.”

“It’s ok. Better than my house which is very far from here. Let’s go to your house.”

I can’t do anything but to take her to my house.

When we reached my house, she was very amazed with my house. She looks kinda cute and funny at the same time as well when she turns round and round looking at my big house. I can’t help it and smirk.

“Wow, your house is big and beautiful. Your parents must be very rich.”

“Er… Yeah. It was big but what’s the use of it when I always left alone.” I said it in a very low voice. Similar to whispering.

“Huh??? What did you say? I can’t hear you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just say that my parents were not here always. They always busy with their own business and career. I live here with my butler and maids.”

“Don’t you have any siblings?”

I shook my head.

“Erm… Ok. Let’s make some boiled eggs. Shall we?”

We move to the kitchen. I sit at the chair watching Jeannie preparing some boiled eggs. She looks so captivating when she’s cooking. I can feel the warmth from her. I’ve never felt like that before.

When she touches the top of the pot cover, she quickly removes her fingers from there. I immediately run to her to see her condition.

“Are you ok?” I grab her hand and looks at her fingers. It’s red now and it’s the sign of burnt. I help her to blow her fingers. Then, our eyes meet each others. Both of us quickly pull our own hands away from each other and blush.

“Ah… The eggs are ready.” Jeannie carefully takes the hot boiled eggs out of the pot and put into a bowl.

I lead her to my room. She was amazed with my room. She even went to the glass cupboard where I keep all of the undelivered presents from me to her.

“Are all of these presents yours?”

“No. It’s for someone who I love. But she rejected me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok. I’ve already get over it.”

She smiles at me. But my heart feels so much in pain. Why she doesn’t know how I feel?

“Do you have any handkerchief or small towel?”

“Oh yeah.” I take out a handkerchief from my wardrobe and pass it to Jeannie. She takes an egg out of the bowl and rolls it awhile in between her palms. Then, she wraps the egg with the handkerchief and walk near to me.

“Can you sit down?”

I sit on my bed. She starts to roll the egg on the corner my mouth. It was pain at first. I try to avoid it but her other hand hold still of my face. Then, she blows on the bruise as the egg keep rolling. Truthfully, it does ease my pain. Our distance is just a few inches away. I look into her eyes. My lips are getting nearer and nearer to hers. She realized it and quickly pulls back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

She put her fingers on my lips.

“Let me do the talking this time. Ok?”

‘You do the talking? What do you mean?’ I think in my mind. Although I feel a bit confusing, but I want to know what she wants to say to me. So, I nod my head.

“From the first time I met you, I’ve already fell in love with you.”

I was shock with what she is saying. She didn’t realize it and continue with her confession.

“The next day, I accidentally saw you went into the tuition centre. I think it’s another chance that God gave me to stay nearer to you. Without hesitation, I ask my friend to accompany me to register with that particular tuition centre. I… I want to see you more often. The first day at the tuition centre, I was so nervous. When I stepped into the class, I saw you were in there. I was happy but I don’t have the guts to greet you. The only thing I can do is to stay near to you. Sit a place near to you. That’s why I always sit in front of you and chat with my friend. I purposely do all these things to capture your attention. But… but, you never seem to care.” Jeannie’s eyes are full of tear now. It looks like it will drop any time.

“I…”

She presses her fingers against my lips to make me hold on whatever I want to say.

“Although you never seem to care, I still put hopes on you. Hoping one day you will talk with me. You know what, that year holiday was so hard for me to get through. I miss you so much. I miss you night and day. Every second, every minute, every hour, and every day. Your face always appeared in my dream. It makes me feel so heart broken because you never noticed me. When we graduated our secondary school, it was the most heart broken moment for me. I know that we won’t meet again after secondary, so I give up on you and try to forget you. But, *sniff* I can’t. I just can’t get you out of my head. *sniff*”

“Jeannie, I…” I can see her tears start to roll down from her eyes.

“Let me finish this. When I see you in the ice breaking activity, I was so happy. I never thought that I would be able to see you again. I purposely step out of the finding process and look at you. I was surprised that you are doing the same. When you ask me to be your partner, I was so happy that I think my heart can fly out because of happiness. I was so happy with the ice breaking activity because it was the first time we introduce each other, first time we talk closely to each other and first time we having so much fun together. I think that the God is giving me a second chance to know you… *sniff*

During the ball night, I was waiting for you. When you ask me for dance, I was so happy until I’m speechless. Although you are wearing a mask, I know it was you all along. When you confess to me, I was so surprised that all this time you had the same feeling as me. When you asked me to be your girlfriend, I think that my dream finally came true. Just as when I want to answer your question, you spun me around and left… *sniff*

Do you know how hurt am I when you did that? It’s like… It’s like you bring me up so high and suddenly you drop me down to the ground. I’ve cried overnight for that. The next day, we met at the hallway. I was trying to tell you how I feel about you but you run away again.

(A short pause…)

How could you do this to me? My heart was so fragile to break twice. *sniff* But all this can’t compare with just now. You said that the girl you love have rejected you. How could you say this when you doesn’t even know the answer yourself? *sniff*”

I hold onto both of her wrist. I want to explain all this.

“Jeannie it’s not like that. I …”

“No. No… I don’t want to hear anymore. Kim Jae Joong. You really hurt my heart so badly. *sniff* I want to go now. Take your hands off me.”

“No. Not until you listen to me.”

“I don’t want to listen anymore. I had enough. Let go of me. Let me go.” She fought to break loose but I tighten my grip on her.

“You have to listen to me no matter what. I’m not going to miss this chance again. I can’t endure another pain if I lost you again. I think I will gone crazy if I lost you this time. This has been circulating in our lives for 2 whole years. I never meant to say you rejected me. I thought you never like me. But, now I know how you feel on me.”

I pull her close to me and hug her. She tries to break away. But, I’m too scared to let her go. I scare I will never ever see her again if I let go of her this time. I hug her tighter.

“Will you give me another chance to make up for what I did to you? To let me show how much I love you. Can you forgive me?”

She cries in my hug. Finally, she nods her head. Although I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I can feel it. I’m so happy.

“Will you let me love you and protect you? Will you give me the chance to give you all the best things in the world to you? Will you be my girlfriend?”

I pull a gap between us. My hands hold her shoulders. I want to see it myself, her answer to my question.

She nods her head and slowly looks up at me. Her tears wet her eyes and cheeks. But her sweet smile outshines her face. I smile so happily. I wipe off her tears with my fingers. I pull her close to me and hug her tightly. I lift her up and spin around my room.

It was the happiest day ever in my life. After all these years, all those misunderstandings finally solve. I can be with the love of my life who I accidentally met and work as hard as me to get our relationship started from the moment we saw each other. She’s more precious than any diamonds or pearls in the world to me. I would never let her go and always treasure her as my finest princess.