A Youthful Crush
Lin liked to secretly watch his deskmate, Min. Every day in class, he would use his textbook to cover his face, blocking the teacher’s view, so he could focus on her—watching her every glance and smile, and her concentrated expression while studying.
Lin thought Min was quite oblivious, wondering how she hadn’t noticed his constant spying. In reality, Min was aware; the closeness of their desks had already stirred a special feeling in her sensitive heart. However, she didn’t dare to look at him, pretending to be fully absorbed in the lesson.
During breaks, Lin liked to hum songs, always singing “My Deskmate”. The notes of this song were like little devils creeping into Min’s heart, making her uneasy. Whenever she heard him sing, she would escape the classroom halfway through, finding a quiet corner to calm her racing heart.
Now, Lin and Min have both grown up, with their own families and careers. At a class reunion, they met again. Their eyes met, and it seemed as if something was igniting in their gaze.
After a few rounds of drinks, Min, slightly tipsy, went to the rooftop, looking at the twinkling stars that reminded her of Lin’s eyes. This time, Min didn’t avoid them; she bravely faced those stars, as if meeting Lin’s eyes.
“Min, how have you been?”
Startled, Min turned around to see Lin standing there with his hands in his pockets. “I… I’m… I’m good. Uh… how have you been?” Min’s stammering revealed her nervousness.
Lin smiled, “I’ve been okay.”
Min fell silent.
“Do you remember how, when we were in school, it was always dark when we got out? I was afraid something might happen to you, so I would secretly follow you home, but you never seemed to notice.” Lin said.
Min was taken aback and instinctively replied, “At first, I thought it was some bad guy following me. Later, I realized it was you, and that’s why I felt safe walking in front of you.”
There was another awkward silence.
Summoning his courage, Lin said, “Back then, I used to secretly watch you every day. Watching your face in the sunlight, so radiant, but you never once turned to look at me.”
Min, with her head down, softly said, “I knew, but I didn’t dare to look back. I was afraid that if I did, I would never be able to look away. But I also knew that we were too young for love then…”
They fell silent. After a long pause, Lin, feeling sorrowful, said, “In the end, we missed our chance. Sometimes I really regret it. If I had had the courage to confess to you after graduation, would our story have been different?”
Min smiled, a bit serenely, and said, “We didn’t miss our chance. In that naive age, we left each other with a youthful memory, a memory that can become the most beautiful part of our lonely lives. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Min’s words made Lin gaze at the night sky for a long time. In that sky, he saw two shining stars, distantly facing each other yet separated by a vast distance.
Some classmates noticed their absence and playfully dragged them back to the table. They returned to drinking and laughing until they were numb with alcohol.
Because they were drunk, they didn’t say goodbye properly; because they were drunk, they didn’t exchange contact information; because they were drunk, that day became a lasting memory in their hearts.
“Deskmate, you must be happy!”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
