A Summer to Remember

..."Some summers don't last forever, but the memories they leave behind never really end."...

So, let's continue where the previous episode left off.

I stood there, frozen.

The last person I expected to see in my grandmother's neighborhood was the same boy I had convinced myself I'd never see outside school.

The one I once believed was my destiny—the one I'd lost contact with and thought was no longer meant to be in my life—was standing right in front of me.

Flower.

He looked just as surprised as I was.

Before I could even process what was happening, my grandmother smiled and continued the introduction.

"You two know each other?"

Flower answered before I could.

"Yes. She's my classmate."

I blinked.

He remembered me.

Not only that...

He remembered my name.

For some reason, that made my little heart race faster than it probably should have.

Trying my best to act calm, I smiled and asked,

"So... you live here?"

He nodded.

"Yeah."

"Then why aren't you going anywhere for summer vacation?"

Instead of answering immediately, he looked at me for a moment.

"How long are you staying here?"

"Maybe one or two weeks."

He smiled.

"Then I don't want to go anywhere anymore."

...

I know.

It sounds unbelievably cheesy now.

But to a little girl in UKG, those words felt like something straight out of a fairy tale.

I spent the rest of the day replaying that conversation in my head.

Even today, I remember those exact lines.

That's how much they meant to me.

That night, sleep completely abandoned me.

Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered his smile.

The next morning, I woke up earlier than everyone else.

Normally, my mother had to call me at least three times before I got out of bed.

That day...

I was already dressed before breakfast.

My sisters immediately noticed.

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"No reason."

There was definitely a reason.

As soon as breakfast was over, I practically dragged them outside.

Of course, I couldn't just go alone.

I needed an excuse.

And younger siblings always make the perfect excuse.

When we reached his house—right next to my grandmother's—he was sitting in front of his computer.

Back then, owning a computer already made someone seem incredibly cool.

He was playing chess.

The chess game looked amazing.

The pieces were animated and looked so cool that I couldn't stop staring at them.

I had absolutely no idea how chess worked.

To me, all the pieces looked exactly the same.

He noticed me standing at the door and smiled.

"Come."

Then, with all the patience in the world, he started teaching me.

"This is the king."

"This is the queen."

"The horse moves like this."

I didn't understand half of what he explained.

But I nodded anyway.

Not because I wanted to become a chess champion.

Because I simply enjoyed sitting there, listening to him.

Looking back now...

Maybe childhood wasn't about understanding everything.

Maybe it was simply about enjoying someone's company.

Or maybe...

just his company.

Hear me out—I think many of you can relate.

And just like that, time passed.

Of course...

Every story needs a villain.

Ours arrived sooner than expected.

A girl named Throne.

Why Throne?

Well, if my hero was named Flower, then my villain deserved an unusual name too.

Throne lived nearby and seemed to visit almost every day.

Oddly enough...

That didn't bother me.

At least, not yet.

The moment she saw me sitting there, she looked completely shocked.

Then she greeted Flower.

He barely looked at her.

Instead, he simply continued explaining chess to me as if no one else had entered the room.

I secretly smiled.

Interesting...

I thought.

Let's remember that.

Yes.

Even as a child, I noticed tiny details like that.

Soon, everyone gathered outside to play.

Those summer evenings felt magical.

There were nearly fifty houses lined up in two rows.

Between them flowed a narrow stream that looked more like a drainage canal.

Oddly enough...

We loved it.

We'd stand on the little bridge, watching tiny creatures swimming through the water.

Later, I learned they were actually tadpoles.

Children really do find happiness in the simplest things.

Every day felt like a new adventure.

Hide-and-seek became our favorite game.

Finding the perfect hiding place among dozens of houses felt like an impossible mission.

Sometimes we'd hide behind walls.

Sometimes on rooftops.

Sometimes inside unfinished buildings.

And somehow...

Someone always found us.

Then there was Ice-Water.

One person chased everyone else until they froze like statues.

If another friend touched you before the catcher did, you'd be free again.

It was complete chaos.

We ran.

We screamed.

We laughed until our stomachs hurt.

Whenever we got tired, we'd switch to Ghar-Ghar.

Every Indian kid probably knows that game.

Each of us pretended to be someone's mother, father, teacher, or doctor.

Looking back now...

It's funny how children practiced adulthood without realizing how complicated growing up actually is.

Every evening ended the same way.

All of us climbed onto the concrete slab built over the little stream.

We sat there with our legs swinging in the air, talking about absolutely everything and absolutely nothing.

Those conversations never made much sense.

But somehow...

They became some of my happiest memories.

Day after day, Flower and I kept spending time together.

Not alone.

Never alone.

There were always cousins, neighbors, or friends around us.

Yet somehow...

No matter how crowded it became...

I always noticed where he was.

Maybe he noticed where I was too.

Or maybe that was just my imagination.

One afternoon, I finally decided I couldn't keep my little secret anymore.

I wanted to tell my cousin sister that I liked him.

But before confessing anything, I casually asked,

"What do you think about Flower?"

She smiled.

"I like him."

I froze.

Somehow...

I already knew she would say that.

Still, hearing it out loud hurt a little.

Trying not to show my disappointment, I asked,

"What kind of person is he?"

She smiled as she praised him.

She said he was kind.

Helpful.

Friendly.

Everything I already believed.

Then...

She said one more thing.

"Oh... and he kisses Throne."

...

I laughed.

Because I thought she was joking.

She wasn't.

"They're always together," she continued.

"I've heard they've kissed each other many times."

The smile slowly disappeared from my face.

My heart suddenly felt heavier than it ever had before.

I didn't know whether to believe her.

But I did.

Because sometimes...

The lies we fear are easier to believe than the hopes we cherish.

That night, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling.

The prince I had quietly admired...

Was he already someone else's?

I closed my eyes.

For the first time that summer...

My heart hurt.

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