━━ prologue.
❝ of summer boys and girls. ❞
--

(The start of summer boy and girl. )

"YOU'RE LEAVING?" SHE ASKS.

"Yeah," he rubs the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "I plan on joining competitions abroad."

"How about college?"

He shrugs; he has that calm air around him almost as if the education she valued so much was nothing but an afterthought. And maybe it was. "I don't really see myself doing a desk job in five years."

"I see." She respected that. There were many paths in life and he had just ended up choosing this one. Now, she wouldn't deny that the reason she didn't want him to leave was because of the foreboding sense of loneliness. "So you're really leaving... is this goodbye then?"

He shakes his head and holds her palms. His smile is earnest as usual. Once, she thought that he had that smile only for her viewing, but years of spending time by his side had made her realize that he flashed those pearly whites at every girl he encountered. "Of course not," he says and his grip tightens. "Besides, I'm not leaving until next month."

"But after that..." she trails off, uncertain if she should let the next words escape the confines of her lips. She cannot and refuses to acknowledge a world without him, days of solitude without her only friend by her side.

"I won't be leaving you behind," he clarifies. "We'll always have summer."

She looks up and the wind howls against the trees. Flower petals zoom in the air as it blows stronger. There's carnation pink, tinges of blue, but most notably sunflower yellow. Her eyes are hopeful.

"Do you swear on that?" she asks and there is a sliver of hope in her throat. Between the two of them, she was the one unrestrained by sentiments, but his announcement felt like a slap in the face.

He nods and his eyes are looking at her with unbidden affection.

"Friends forever?" he asks and she glares at him for doing such a childish thing. "Come on, it's the end of our high school days."

She sighs and obliges. "Forever."

( And a tale that only existed in summer. )

━━ to be continued.
🌻 | the sunflowers that last forever.