“Dear Joonie,” she began, a little breathlessly.
She paused before continuing as her heart exploded from her chest. What would he think of her thoughts? Would his heart absorb her words? Would they move him? The last time she’d been this umguarded with a guy, she’d had her heart shattered. That heart was pounding now, desiring to flee from this moment. Afraid that yet another guy would disappoint her. Worse yet, wound her. But this was Joonie, the light that had shone into her darkness. And to tell the truth, she’d never been this vulnerable with anyone before. That’s why she was so terrified.
“You are beautiful. You shine like a brilliant lighthouse on a beckoning shoreline. Guiding me safely home. Reminding me of all that is bright and beautiful in the world. Reminding me that there is a safe path to walk in life. Reminding me that there is someone who keeps me from dashing myself on all the rocks surrounding me. Reminding me that home is full of light. Thank you for that bright light, Joonie. It’s hidden in your face. It shines from your eyes. It reveals itself every single time you smile.”
It sends me.
Namjoon’s heart flipped over in his chest as she began to read to him. This girl was melting his heart. It was turning into a waterfall and pouring itself out upon her feet. What beautiful words she’d woven around him. He was beaming.
She gazed at his shining countenance. That beloved smile had reappeared even as he kept his eyes closed. Those dimples were peeking up at her, inviting her to swim in them.
“Please,” he whispered, as though reluctant to shatter the atmosphere her words had released around him. “Read me more.”
He opened his eyes for a moment and glanced her way, and the look in them shocked her, spiraling all the way into her heart. Shooting like a flaming arrow to imbed itself within her soul. She closed her eyes momentarily, and she could still see his eyes, now imprinted upon her mind. They had kissed her heart with a deep emotion she could not quite define, for it was made of many passionate sentiments all braided together to become the intertwined shaft of that burning bolt.
This meeting was nothing like her first experience with a guy. The man before her now couldn’t have been shallow if he’d tried. His waters ran far too deep for that. His life’s desires went so much further than playing with a girl’s heart and trying to win her body for himself. She thought of some of the sillier songs he’d written, like War of Hormone and Miss Right. On the surface, they seemed to be objectifying women, but they both ended in the sweetest way, glorifying girls, putting them on a pedestal higher than the boys. He’d written in War of Hormone that the girl wasn’t his, but that she was the best gift. Even that implied that he cherished her, despite his raging hormones and all they desired. The truth was Breeze found that song very amusing. Despite its ridiculous nature, she could see an underlying theme that described girls as something wonderful. Then there was Miss Right, a provocative song, to say the least. But the second half of the song described a man truly in love, looking to a future happiness that implied some sort of covenant had been made between him and the girl. It went on to portray a real love that valued the girl for her true self. It was clear to Breeze that Namjoon had been looking into a meaningful future and running towards it his entire life. He wanted something deep. Something precious. Just like she did.
He stared into her eyes. “Can you read me your first five words?”
She knew those by heart. “Dear Joonie,” she whispered. “I see you.”
She did. She truly did. How could a girl who lived an ocean away on a completely different continent be so connected to his heart and soul? He could see her, spinning around him, his red thread flowing from her fingers to entrap him.
“Dear Joonie, I see you.”
She had continued the letter a few hours later. She read it aloud to him now.
“I know that’s an impossibility, but it’s true, nonetheless. I see you. You’re more than five years older than I am, but I’m pretty sure our souls were born in the same moment. It was one soul, that divided into two before its birth, like identical twins, separated by half a decade.
“When I saw you, I recognized myself. Only. The me I saw in you, I loved. Why can’t I love the me I see in me? You’re so much more lovable.
“I see you. You saved my life. You broke through my night. You pulled me from an abyss that I was pitching forward into, no hope in sight. Then your words found me. They rescued me. They stopped my free fall and drew me back into the light. Oh, glorious light! You shine on me.”
Tears were streaming down Namjoon’s face, his eyes still squeezed tightly shut.
