Heartstrings || Joshua Hong

Rina POV

The end of the second semester of junior year meant enduring the busiest and most stressful testing season of your high school career. As final exams drew near, I found myself at my desk with my notes, computer, and usually a cup of half-eaten ramen, studying into the wee hours of the night. Sera and I held study sessions nearly every day and any sort of date that Joshua and I planned ended up becoming study dates as well. We were all just counting down the days until this hell of a year ended.  

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5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

RIIIIIIIING

"WHAT TIME IS IT? SUMMERTIMEEEE! IT'S OUR VACATION!!!" Everyone cheered, throwing the last of their test papers in the air and ran out of the school building as High School Musical played over the intercom. I smirked. Always a classic. 

I wandered around in the school's courtyard when I felt someone hug me from behind.

"Guess who??" I heard a familiar voice say. 

"Joshua, who else would it be?" I teased, turning around to bury my face in his chest.

"Hmph, you're no fun", Joshua said with a small pout before patting my head lightly. "Come on, we're going out to celebrate the start of summer." 

"Oh YES, I am so ready."

--

We spent the day doing anything and everything we wanted, from watching the latest blockbuster and stuffing our faces with junk food, to simply going out for a drive late in the afternoon jamming to our favorite songs. Before we knew it, the sun had set. 

"Alright, before I take you home, I wanna show you one more place that I've never gone to with anyone else," Joshua said. 

"Oh? Where's that?", I asked, feeling a small twinge of happiness at the thought of being the first. 

"You'll see," he replied, with a tiny smile on his lips. 

We drove along steadily and soon, I noticed that we had left the city behind, though it was too dark for me to see exactly where we were headed. Suddenly, Joshua turned and parked in a relatively vacant lot. He got out of the car and proceeded to hold the door on my side open for me.

"Wow, what a--shall I say--gentleman, Joshua Hong" I said, smirking up at him. 

"Shut up, you know you like it." I giggled in response. 

When I got out, he covered my eyes saying, "Alright, no peeking. Just trust me." Huh? My birthday already passed, why is he making this a surprise?  I just nodded and went along with it. 

We walked for a few seconds out from the lot and then I heard Joshua say, "Okay, you can look now." His hands uncovered my eyes and now I could see why he had wanted to keep this place secret.

"Woah" was all I could say as my eyes took in a landscape that looked like a snapshot out of a movie: a lake with a view of the city lights reflecting the infinite number of stars lighting up the vast night sky. 

"I know, right?" Joshua smiled, proud of his personal discovery. 

"This...is just so incredible, wow, I can't- Dang, Joshua", I said finally as he laughed at how flustered I was. "How did you find this place?" 

"Hmm...I just like stargazing, I guess. But, the rest is a secret." He put up a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture.

"Woahh, aren't you cool?" 

"Who do you think your boyfriend is?", Joshua said sticking out his tongue, and interlocked our fingers to lead us out to the lake.

We settled down on the soft sand. I cuddled into his arms and he took off his jacket to cover my shoulders. We sat like that for awhile, looking up at the stars and enjoying the cool summer breeze. 

"So", I began after a few moments, "What are you thinking about right now?" 

"Hm? Nothing really...I guess, just how I want these kind of moments to last for a long time", he replied, smiling warmly at me.

My heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, me too..." I paused. "Man, this really kills the mood, but I just wished that college apps were never a thing." 

Joshua laughed, saying, "Ugh, tell me about it. I have no idea what I even wanna do. You're probably doing something music or violin related, right?" 

"Mm, yeah probably...I don't know though." I sighed.  

"Go for it. I'm always here to support and love you," he said softly. My mouth went slightly agape. In those sweet and simple words, he somehow captured exactly what I needed to hear. 

"Joshua, I-" 

Before I could finish, I felt his warm lips crash onto mine. I was startled for a moment, but then closed my eyes and kissed him back. He gently cupped the side of my face with one hand and I ran my fingers up through his hair to bring us closer. Our kisses grew deeper and more passionate, and I knew that Joshua was all I wanted and needed now, and for the future, no matter how uncertain it seemed. 

After awhile we broke off, but held each other close, both of us glad that the dark could hide our blushing cheeks. 

Joshua cleared his throat. "Ah...you were saying?" 

"...I love you." His eyes flickered brightly in the starlight. 

"I love you, too, stupid." 

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A/N uwu :3

this might seem like an ending, but i'm excited for the next few chapters ! hehe