The train came to a slow halt. A soft chime rang out, and the doors slid open with a mechanical sigh.
Jie snapped out of his thoughts, like he'd just been pulled back from a memory far too distant. He looked out the window—passengers were already on the move. The display above the door blinked the name of their final stop.
"We're here," he murmured, though his voice carried a strange sense of urgency, like he had suddenly made up his mind about something.
Without warning, he grabbed Lan and Di by the hands and quickly hauled up all their luggage.
"Let's go!"
"Wait—go where?" Lan stumbled, nearly twisting her ankle.
"To the sea!" Jie shouted as he broke into a run, the kind of reckless energy only youth could justify.
"This isn't even where we're staying," Di muttered with a frown, but his feet followed all the same.
"I just... want to see the ocean," Jie replied with a grin. "No reason. I just want to."
This wasn't part of the itinerary. In fact, they didn't even know which exit to take. But Lan and Di, swept up in his momentum, didn't argue. They simply let him drag them along.
They dashed down the platform, through the main station, past yellow queue arrows on the floor—like they were escaping something, or maybe chasing something even faster.
"Are you sure it's this way?"
"I have no idea! Just run!"
"You've lost your mind—wait, look! That road curves toward something!"
"Don't fall behind! The sea's calling!"
Behind them, the train was still docked. But soon, it would depart again—on schedule, without delay.
Just like youth.
It doesn't wait. It never turns back.
The three of them ran, dragging their luggage behind them, uncaring of the stares they got or the schedules they were supposed to follow. The sunlight was harsh, and the station tiles were slick with humidity. Lan nearly slipped, but Di caught her arm just in time. Jie turned back, laughing like a fool.
They weren't running toward a plan.
They were just running toward the sea.
That was all.
By the time they finally reached the beach, they were drenched in sweat, panting hard, hair a mess and cheeks flushed. The ocean breeze hit them like a warm slap—salty, sticky, alive.
Jie was the first to stop. He stood atop a low ridge, threw his arms wide open, and shouted:
"We're going to stay together forever—until the world has no more shades!"
His voice was torn apart by the wind and stitched back together by the waves. It echoed faintly in Lan and Di's ears.
"What are you even saying?" Lan said, laughing as she tried to catch her breath.
"I mean it! Remember my words!" Jie insisted.
"Yeah right. You'll probably forget it tomorrow," Lan teased.
"You're not allowed to forget it! Neither of you!"
Di stood beside her, staring at Jie's back. And slowly, he smiled too.
Then, as if a switch flipped, the three of them started messing around again. Jie tried to steal Lan's water bottle, Lan squealed and ran, and Di trailed behind them, sighing.
"Seriously... you two are ridiculous."
But no one wanted to stop.
It was a moment too pure to ruin.
No confessions. No past mistakes.
Only sea breeze, sweat, and the kind of laughter that came straight from the lungs.
Di looked at them, his chest rising and falling, and suddenly thought:
If only what Jie said could come true. If only this moment could freeze in place.
Even just for a minute.
Even just for a second.