With Ears to See

Today.

Out of all the holidays that exist, this one is really not my favorite.

I pulled the bed sheets over my head, shielding myself from the sunlight that was peering through the window.

I’ll just close my eyes and—

“HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, AUSTIN~!”

Fuck.

I forgot that Kellin stayed the night. I wasn’t used to sleeping in the bed when he’s around.
Actually, last night was our first time sleeping in the same bed together.

He jumped onto the empty side of the bed and felt for the sheet, lifting it off of my face.

“Go away, Kellin…”
“Why? You can’t just sleep in on a day like this!”

“Yes, I can. Just let me sleep.”
I was about to pull the sheet over my head again, but then I saw the pout on his face.

“I just thought…that we could spend the day together. I heard the weather is really nice, today.”

I sighed and placed my hand on top of his.

“What do you want to do today, Kells?”
He blushed a little at the familiar nickname.

“I was thinking a day in the park would be nice.”

“Okay. Let’s get ready then.”
He nodded with a huge smile on his face.

Just because I don’t like the holiday doesn’t give me an excuse to ruin it for him.

I’ll bear it this time, just for him.

x x x

“Austin?”
“Hm?”

We were on the swings, barely moving for a moment, conversing there.
At least not many kids were here today.

“If you don’t mind me asking…Why were you so adamant about staying in bed today?”
I bit down on my lip and swung back and forth a little.

I didn’t want to bring it up. Not while I’m still recovering.
But…I feel that he has a right to know.

“Austin…If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

“It’s okay…I can just get it off of my chest and move on.”
I took a moment to breathe before I spoke again.

“The reason that I don’t like this holiday, is because…it’s when I caught Gielle in the act of cheating on me.”

I stopped swinging and looked at him.

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have asked…”
He gripped hard at the chain.

I placed my hand on top of his, calming him down.

“There’s no use getting angry over it, Kellin. She’s probably done it before. I guess I’m glad I caught her before she could do anymore damage.”

He let go of the chain and intertwined our fingers.

Honestly, I love when he does that.
It’s comforting.

“I wish…I could help. Valentine’s Day isn’t a holiday that is supposed to be hated. It’s supposed to be a day that you spend together with loved ones. You engage in love: sharing chocolates, cheering and laughing together, providing embraces and kisses. It isn’t a holiday to hate.”

He squeezed my hand gently.

“Austin, I want to show you something. I don’t think anyone else knows about it.”
“Okay.”

x x x

“Kellin, are you sure about this? Do you need any help?”
He was running along the sidewalk, feeling for any sense of direction.

“I’m not exactly sure where this place is, so I can’t tell you certain directions. I have to rely on my senses and my memory.”
“Okay…!”

His hand brushed against the metal gate that was built along the sidewalk and froze.

“Austin. Are we near a crosswalk?”
“Y-Yeah.”

He took another second before he continued to dash down the sidewalk.
I followed closely behind him.

He stopped again when he felt a break in the gate.

“Through here…”

We both went through and walked through the woods before he stopped again.

“Austin. Do you see an opening near us?”

I looked around, seeing a large gap between two trees to our right.

“Yeah.”
“Let’s go through it.”

I grabbed a hold of his hand and led him to the opening.

“We’re here.”

It was the grassland that I saw when I first moved here.

He let go of my hand and walked into the middle of the field, falling back onto the grass.
I walked over to him and sat down next to him.

“I used to hate Valentine’s Day too.”
He brushed the grass with his fingertips and closed his eyes.

“I was beaten and chased into the forest by some class mates on a Valentine’s Day in middle school and I got lost.
That’s when I found this place. Of course, I was blind at the time, so it took a while for me to get home.”

He started to grip at the grass.

“My parents abandoned me on a Valentine’s Day. They obviously wanted a perfect child instead of one who became blind at thirteen.”

Abandoned?

“Of course, I was bitter about two horrible occurrences. But, at some point, I met Mei-Xing and she told me how I shouldn’t blame coincidental events on a single holiday. After spending Valentine’s Day with her and Haneul, I wasn’t so bitter about it anymore. I saw…well heard how much they loved each other, and I felt welcome as a member of their family. I learned what Valentine’s Day was really about.”

He sat up and felt for my hand, gently grabbing it.

“You shouldn’t dwell on the bad things that happened on a certain day, but rather try to make something better of it.”

He blushed a little.

“Like this Valentine’s Day. I got to be with you today.”

I smiled a little and squeezed his hand.

I enjoy being this close to him, physically and emotionally.

Why was I so afraid before?

In front of us, two blue butterflies flew together, dancing around in the air without a care.

“In Chinese culture, when you see two butterflies flying together, it’s a symbol of love. That’s what my mom used to tell me.”

“Two flew in front of us?”
“Yeah…They did.”

He looked up at me, his ocean blue eyes desperately trying to meet mine.
I leant in and pressed my lips to his, placing my hands on his hips.

I moved about an inch away so I could plant a kiss on his nose.

His blush grew along with his smile.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Kellin.”
“H-Happy Valentine’s Day.”

I stood up from the ground and helped him to his feet.

“It’s getting dark. We should head home.”
“Okay.”

We started to walk back the way we came, but of course not before we held hands.

Halfway home, it was quiet but then a small voice broke it.

“I love you, Austin…”

And in that moment, I couldn’t remember why I hated this holiday in the first place.