The noise in the KTV slowly faded into the background.
Di sat in the corner of the couch, eyes fixed on the screen as the next song title appeared.
Cyndi Wang — That Summer's Calm Sea.
The moment the intro began, something in his chest was gently struck, as if a hidden door had been pushed open.
"Too young to know, joy and sorrow both felt like acting… one touch could shake the world…"
—
It was the summer of eighth grade.
The three of them had gone to the beach. The sun was fierce, the sand scorching hot. Jie had charged into the waves first, kicking up water everywhere, laughing like a child let loose.
"You're gonna burn!" Lan shouted from the shore, waving a bottle of sunscreen at him.
"I'm naturally sun-resistant!" Jie joked back, hair dripping as he walked out of the water.
"Yeah right. Sit down," she ordered, already uncapping the bottle.
Jie plopped down beside her, still catching his breath, pretending to be casual. "You don't have to— I can do it myself—"
"Stop talking. Turn around."
The moment the cold lotion hit his shoulder, he flinched slightly but didn't move away. Lan's fingers rubbed the sunscreen across his neck and arms with practiced ease.
Jie faced the sea, pretending to be distracted. But the truth was, her fingers brushing lightly across his skin made his heart beat a little faster.
He wasn't sure what that feeling was.
She was a friend. That's all. They always teased each other like this.
Still… being taken care of like that felt… nice.
A little too nice.
That tiny sense of warmth—of being noticed—lingered longer than it should.
—
From a short distance away, Di sat on a large rock, watching them.
He didn't say a word.
Didn't even try to look away.
There was nothing unusual about the scene. Lan taking care of Jie, the way she always did. Jie laughing it off, pretending not to care.
But somehow, Di couldn't breathe right.
He didn't know who he was jealous of. Or if it was even jealousy.
All he knew was that the sun that day felt too bright. Bright enough to stretch his shadow so long, it felt like he no longer belonged in the picture.
—
Later that day, the sea grew quieter as the wind cooled.
They sat on the rocks in silence, watching the sky turn orange. Their sandals were off. Their toes dug into the soft sand, tired but content.
Lan was checking her phone. Di was tracing idle lines in the sand.
Jie sat between them, knees drawn to his chest, quietly staring at the horizon.
Di turned to look at him.
Jie's damp hair was tousled by the wind. The last bit of sunlight caught the edge of his cheekbone, casting a warm glow across half his face.
His expression had softened—no more jokes, no more pretending. Just calm. Honest. Almost tender.
Then, Jie said, in a voice so quiet it almost blended into the wind:
"If only time could stop right here."
Di froze.
That sentence.
So simple. So soft.
But it struck him harder than anything he'd ever felt.
He stared at Jie's side profile. At the way his eyelashes trembled slightly in the breeze. At the curve of his lips, the light in his eyes.
And in that moment—Di realized.
He was in love.
Not "I like being around him."
Not "We're close."
Not even "I want us three to always be together."
It was love.
The kind that rooted itself quietly in your chest.
The kind you don't plan for, but once it hits, it doesn't let go.
His fingers dug into the sand. He lowered his gaze, afraid of what might show in his eyes.
Afraid of the truth that just bloomed—so sudden, so clear it hurt.
Jie hadn't looked at him when he said it.
And yet… Di wished he had.
Because if Jie had looked at him in that exact moment—
He wouldn't have known what to do.
—
"Too young to know, joy and sorrow both felt like acting…"
The chorus kept playing in the KTV room.
Di leaned forward, resting his head against his arm.
That summer, he had truly fallen.
And the moment Jie said, "If only time could stop right here"—
That was the beginning of everything.
The beginning of a love he could never speak out loud.
The beginning of a story that only he would remember.