An Ran
He was at the basketball court, placing the ball back in its rack.
I walked over to him. I knew he noticed me—he always did—but he didn't look up.
I stepped in front of him, blocking his view. "Did you miss me… all these years?" I asked softly.
He shifted his gaze away, brushing past my question. "What are you talking about?" he muttered.
A smile tugged at my lips, amused by his act. "Oh? Is that so?" I said, stepping back into his line of sight. "Because I missed you."
I watched his hand tighten around the ball. "I wondered if you were living well. If you found the happiness you deserve," I continued, my eyes drifting down to his fingers—still damp with sweat, trembling slightly.
"An Ran…" he said, voice flat, "I don't know what you mean."
I reached for his hand—it was warm, maybe from playing… or lying.
"An Ran?" I whispered, then slowly lifted his hand, intertwining our fingers. "That wasn't the name you gave me, was it? Wasn't it… AnAn?"
His breath caught.
Just then, a voice called out. "Lin!"
Suya.
He quickly pulled his hand away, turning toward her like I wasn't even there. "Suya," he said, walking to her.
I stood still, biting down on my bottom lip—swallowing everything I had almost said.