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“If you need me, just call out my name, Xiao… or my cell phone number, and I will be there when you call.”
How long had it been since he had made that promise to her? A rhetorical question, he knew it was three years ago, back when the two of them were barely teenagers, still in middle school and working through the ropes of balancing studies, puberty, and a social life.
The two of them had known each other for some time, meeting through mutuals, but at the time he barely knew anything about the girl named Lumine, other than the fact that she liked flowers and got along well with his, albeit not-so sizable, group of friends. She was a pleasant person, but not close enough to make any outlandish claims;
yet he couldn’t help himself, something wavering within him upon seeing her atop that tree branch, clutching onto a tiny white kitten with one arm and holding on for dear life, with her legs wrapped and tiny scratches on her skin already forming from the bark. It was clear as day to him that she was struggling to figure out the best way to get down.
Xiao can’t quite recall what his first thoughts were, but he knew it must’ve been somewhere along the lines of ‘how did that foolish girl get up there?’ and ‘what was this foolish girl planning on doing now?’
Looking back, the most logical solution would have been to get a nearby adult to help the blonde down or, he would admit begrudgingly, a taller student— she was popular enough to befriend several, but...
“Xiao!”
All thoughts of finding someone left his brain immediately, finding himself rooted to the spot as she called out to him. He would later accept that there was something charming about the way she shouted his name, crystal clear with delight, voice ringing with relief.
Towards him, someone she only ever interacted with in groups. He was surprised she even remembered his name, though he supposed that was one of the things that made her so likable to people.
“ Do you need help?” A stupid question, of course she did. She certainly didn’t look like she was intending to stay up there, not in that position at least.
Still she smiled at him, all sweet and soft like almond tofu— an embarrassing analogy — and extended an arm towards him, still clutching the kitten as carefully as she could, and he didn’t hesitate to reach out as much as he could, hoping the animal would be as cooperative as possible, hopefully not scratch him in the process.
Even with the fluffy being in his hands he couldn’t help but stare at her, listening to her words of gratitude for something so simple. She did all of the work, he didn’t deserve the praise she so gladly gifted him.
That was when he noticed, even with the kitten safe and sound, all with her purrs and meows, Lumine still wouldn’t get down.
The tree wasn’t that tall, but she didn’t have the ability to land on two feet like the cat she tried to rescue, so there was a chance she could injure something had she jumped. She could be reckless, but perhaps she didn’t want to do it while he was watching. The other logical answer was that she was waiting for him to go away so she could slowly climb down, but her skirt and ankle length socks barely did anything to cover her legs… he winced at the scrapes she could get.
“Xiao?” the nameless kitten would be fine staying on the ground now, right?
Silently, he reached two of his arms out upwards, waiting for her to move, and he could feel the heat creep up his ears and neck and ears as she stared at him with bewilderment. Did she think he was doing something weird? Did she need reassurance he’d catch her properly? He had his sports so he should have been strong enough.
“I’ll catch you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Her laughter sounded light and whimsical, like windchimes blown by the summer breeze, but she didn’t answer as she slowly let go of the wood, allowing herself to be caught by him. With their shortened distance, he could see her properly this time, eyes of gold staring into his own with something akin to amusement, her firefly yellow hair turning into a garden as stray leaves accompanied her signature flower hair clips.
When her feet touched the ground again he wondered how she still managed to look graceful despite her dishevelment, thanking him profusely and offering to buy him his favorite dessert as a treat— she really didn’t have to, but did she really pay enough attention to him to know he liked it? — and with all her babbling about the white kitten she unofficially adopted and how she climbed up the tree, he arrived at a realization.
Was it possible to already feel fondness within your first one-on-one conversation with someone?
The fated promise tumbled out of his lips, and looking back at his thirteen year old self it was obvious what was brewing, and if it were any other person he probably would have gotten an awkward laugh or even silence, yet Lumine giggled, not unkindly but genuinely .
“Hmm? Is that your way of saying you want my number?” he must have been flushed red by now, staring at the blonde who was a few inches taller than him— his mind unhelpfully supplying that he needed to catch up soon — before she pulled out a pen from her pocket, grabbing his surprisingly not sweaty palms and writing down a digit, then another, then another, and…
As cheesy and cliché as it sounded, if Xiao could pinpoint the moment he fell, it would have to be the moment she fell into his arms.
Sometimes he wondered if she took that promise seriously, or if she even remembered the words he said that day.
Of course, he would carry it out regardless— but if a part of his spirits felt uplifted at the thought that she remembered, he would never say. Still, it was okay if he was the only one that recalled that pleasant memory.
His phone vibrated once, and then twice before he pulled it out of his pocket, quietly coughing and excusing himself from a conversation with a teammate as soon as Lumine’s image lit up his screen.
“Lumine?” the two of them were more… texting over calling people. Xiao because he preferred replying whenever he felt like it, and Lumine because she had a fondness for sending reaction pictures and emojis that he didn’t always understand, but it was welcome because it was her.
“Xiao, could you help me?” why… why did she sound breathless?
Even without any details he found himself worrying immediately. She always did call him a worrywart, but when it came to Lumine who got into friendly fights with a certain upperclassman and was often running around the place as she and her brother did errand work for… well, everyone , it was difficult not to worry.
Could she have gotten injured somewhere? Did she need help running away from someone bothering her?
“Where are you now?”
“Where we usually eat lunch,” when it was just the two of them… and Paimon, the cat that roamed the school and got way too attached to the twins. Coincidentally, also the little kitten she rescued years ago.
Lumine sounded calm enough, but still he hastened his pace, not bothering to greet anyone he knew as he passed by through the hallways and went looking for her.
“On my way,” he finally added, realizing he just left her hanging without a response like that.
“I know, silly boy,” the girl said with a laugh, just as pleasant if not more so as when he first heard it. Okay, she was definitely okay, so what could this independent girl possibly need help with? “I can hear your footsteps through the phone. You don’t need to rush!”
“I’m not rushing,” he insisted right away, but he was lying and he had a feeling she knew that too, “should I hang-”
“Don’t hang up,” she interrupted him quickly, “and you so are, even if you try to deny it! I can see you fast-walking from way up here.”
What did she mean she could see him? From up where?
“Xiao, look up,” and so he did, his confusion evaporating as his eyes slowly roamed upwards, from the roots of the trees, to the trunk, to the branches where Lumine was found sitting rather comfortably, and this time definitely no kitten with her. For a moment he took the time to stare, how even with the vibrant oranges and yellows of the leaves it was still her that shone the brightest, for what could beat the way her hair seemed to glow and how her eyes twinkled and…
now that he thought about it, if he could see her eyes twinkle, she definitely wasn’t that high up.
“Lumine, what are you doing there?” again, he wanted to add.
The girl smiled at him, still talking through the phone pressed against her ear, “went to fetch Paimon. She got stuck up the tree again.”
He sighed, partially out of exasperation but mostly out of bemusement. What was this foolish girl up to now?
“She’s on the ground nibbling on the food you gave her.”
“Oops! I guess it’s just me that’s stuck up here!”
It was obvious to anyone that she was playing with him, and— “Lumine, stop dangling your legs, you’re wearing a skirt-”
“I’m wearing safety shorts!” he could laugh at how proud she sounded, too, “but that’s not the point! Don’t you remember what today is? Okay, no, based on your expression. How could you forget, should I kick you?”
“You’d have to get down from there to do that.”
“Help me down then? Please, Xiao? Will you rescue me again just like last time?”
Of course she just had to say that all pleading and pretty sounding, wavering his resolve to keep her up there just a little longer to question her, or convince her to go down by herself. Then again, with the way his name left her mouth, was there any other path he could have taken?
“I don’t have a choice,” because she already called out his name and he made a promise , “because how else would you get down from there?”
“Always the gentleman,” she joked, already reaching out to meet his outstretched arms. Ah, he was finally taller than her, he mused to himself silently, unable to help himself from feeling a little prideful.
“Xiao,” she said his name again, and he couldn’t help but listen, “this month and this day… was the day we first became friends, do you remember now?”
“You… silly girl,” that was all he could muster to say, unknowingly keeping her in his grasp as he held onto the girl’s waist.
All of that to recreate a scene? He went through 3 different stages of worry all because Lumine wanted to remind him of the day they formed a friendship, the day he often thought about, the day he said that line that half made him cringe at his younger self and half had him tingling.
… of course, Lumine was quite out there showing her affections for her friends, so this wasn’t exactly out of the question or unexpected, it just so happened that he might be more affected than she would anticipate.
So she, too, held that day dear to her?
“Xiao?” with a call of his name he snapped out of a trance, her looking at him with a tilt to her head, her amused lilt turning into something more concerned, “are you okay? I’m sorry if I wasted your time or-”
“No, that’s not it,” he pulled her a little closer, not enough for their faces to touch, but just enough so that he could feel the warmth she radiated, so that he could press his chin against her shoulder, enough that they wouldn’t be able to see each other’s faces, but enough that she could hear him.
“Foolish, silly, reckless girl,” if he could see her face, he would see the growing warmth spreading across her cheeks, carnation pink blooming with every word, “that’s what you are, Lumine.”
For now there are still things he cannot admit to her, but if it was with her, things would be alright. They could wait a little longer.
“You’re silly too, Xiao.”
Yeah, they would be alright.