Pure and Innocently Blissful

Unlike the dry, dusty air of Jakarta, summer in Hong Kong means waves of stifling humidity and dawns that blend into dusks. Shek Kip Mei Park was just a jog away from where I was staying and that scorching day found me sitting against a wall with two guys, while the long shadow of the wall barely gives any relief from the heat of the afternoon sun. The one in front of me is a person I'd given my heart to before I broke his completely and the one next to me is a stranger that's rapidly evolving into a kindred spirit.

I've been crying. I can feel the tears tracing a sticky trail down my chin; can taste the saltiness on the edges of my lips. I stare at the one in front of me to see the apologetic expression on his face as if he genuinely regrets what he has said as soon as the words left his mouth. The words that have been vomited out impulsively and carry no meaning but, nevertheless, have managed to hurt me to the point of tears. I'm not ready to forgive him so easily this time and there’s an urge to hurt him back.

The one next to me must be reading my mind, there's no other explanation as to why he would choose that exact moment to throw his left arm around my shoulder in such a fluid and effortless motion that I don't even think to question the gesture. Up to this point I've always considered him as a confidant or a younger brother, but as he pulls me closer I suddenly feel safe; which oddly enough is what his name means in my mother tongue. His hand gently, but firmly, pulls my head to his chest so that I'm lightly leaning on him, my ear detecting the steady deg-deg-deg of his heart. As my eyes widen in shock, he envelops me in his arms as if to protect me from any further pain; and even though all I can see now is his tan arm covering my face, the sharp intake of air from the person across from me suggests that I'm not the only one who's stunned by this turn of events.

I glance up to see him staring hard at the other person with a determined look on his ridiculously photogenic face. His gaze suddenly turns to me, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips; and as his expression soften I quickly realize what he's about to do. He gives me no time to react as he lowers his face towards mine and claims my lips with his own. My eyes close reflexively and despite myself, I get lost in the kiss, in his soft, warm lips, feeling his breath tickle my nose. Lost in a pure, innocently blissful moment that sets my brain on slow motion and my heart on fast forward.