January 20th. Class finally finished, and I was practically vibrating with excitement. Today was the Chinese New Year Festival, the event Teacher Wang had invited me to back in December. The venue was the most surprising—and wonderful—part: Gulshan Lake Park, the favorite spot of Sayma and me.
We spent so much time there. I clearly remembered one night: we decided to stay until it got late. Sayma knew I was terrified of ghosts, so as I was sliding down the slide, she started swinging. At night, the park lights were so dim that the whole place became a horror set. The noise of the swing and her flying hair made me scream that I would go home if she didn't stop. I got serious, she stopped, and then confessed she was scared too. That made me even more terrified.A light rain began to fall as we walked out. The silence was unnerving. I pulled out my phone and played our favorite song, "Still With You."
As the beautiful lyrics filled the quiet, damp night: ''저 달이 외로워 보여서
밤하늘에 환하게 울고 있는 것 같아서
언젠가 아침이 오는 걸 알면서도
별처럼 너의 하늘에 머물고 싶었어 (ah)～''
（The moon looks lonely.Like it's crying in the bright night sky.Even though I always know the morning will come.I want to stay in your sky like a star～）
The fear faded. We were just enjoying the music when something large ran past us.In the dim light, we couldn't tell what it was. Within a second we looked at each other and immediately burst into screams. Then, we realized a guy was just jogging past us. Since we thought we were the only ones there, we mistook the runner for a ghost and got scared.We started laughing so hard,I bent over and sat right down on the road. It was a hilarious. It was one of those moments I'll never forget.
Knowing the venue in advance, I had told Sayma. She was already waiting. My friend, Alif and I ran as soon as class was over, so fast I even forgot to say goodbye to my teacher.
When we reached the lake, we were stunned. We had never seen it like this. The whole area was draped in red lanterns, lights and many stalls, set up by other Chinese language institutes, lined the paths. It was packed with people and Chinese food vendors.We bought Chinese food and sat down to share it. As I was eating, I asked Sayma and Alif to check if I had smeared my lipstick. Alif leaned in to check, and in a flash, she tried to kiss my lips. My brain reacted instantly, pulling me back, but her lips just grazed my lower lip.
"I did it! I stole her first kiss!" she screamed with excitement.
Sayma became furious. Both of them launched into a dramatic argument about who was supposed to steal my first kiss before my potential boyfriend. Sayma argued, "Why did you do that? She is my best friend; her first kiss should be me!" Alif proudly denied her, boasting she got there first.
In the middle of their debate, I was shouting, "No, no, no! She didn't kiss me! It's my lips! I know it wasn't a kiss! My lower lip just touched, that's it!" Both of them denied my claim, with Sayma insisting, "I saw clearly, it was a kiss!" I screamed, "Nooo..."
The drama eventually stopped. We finished eating and started exploring the games. I tried jiànzi (shuttlecock kicking), but couldn't manage more than two kicks. The teacher running the game, whose skill was impressive, demonstrated for everyone.
Then, I heard the sound of a guitar and a beautiful Chinese song. The music immediately attracted me. I followed the sound, pushing through the crowd until I reached the source.
Standing there, playing the guitar and singing, was the Chinese boy I crashed into the other day.
I stood right in front of him, captivated. He was singing, "莫名我就喜欢你深深地爱上你从见到你的那一天起..."
The English lyrics floating on the screen confirmed the feeling surging inside me: "Inexplicably, I just like you, Deeply fall in love with you, From the day I met you..."