Year 1996: where it actually started

It was raining heavily in the neighbourhood. Sean stood under the small fruit stall’s rooftop. His face was bruised from fighting with boys who bullied him for being a “city kid.” He refused to go home—refused to listen to another money argument between his parents. So instead, he stayed there, waiting for the rain to stop… or for the sky to turn dark.

Just then, someone’s hand reached out to him, holding a plaster. His eyes widened slightly as he lifted his chin.

It was you.

“You should…” you muttered nervously, pointing at his bruises before quickly leaving.

He stood still, unsure what to say. Then he looked down at the plaster in his hands and muttered softly,

“…Thank you.”

Two years later, he moved permanently to the neighbourhood with his mother after their divorce—and that was where he decided to start a new chapter.

Year 1998: the second unrealised encounter

Girls were cheering around the basketball court as he kept scoring effortlessly. It was none other than Sean Sebastian—the new student: handsome, intelligent, yet cold. This attention wasn’t unfamiliar; even in his previous school, he had always drawn eyes.

Just as he scored again, his gaze accidentally drifted upward.

And he froze.

A girl stood by the classroom window on the second floor.

It was you.

For a few seconds, everything paused—then you quickly closed the window and hid. He remained still in disbelief, as if unable to process what he had just seen.

He never thought he would see you again. But fate had other plans…

Days passed, and he kept noticing you around. He’d steal glances when you weren’t looking, and when his friends mentioned you, he listened quietly, memorising every detail even while pretending not to care.

Then he found out your favourite song: Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden.

That evening, he played it for the first time while sitting at the back of the bus, waiting for his stop. And then he noticed you board.

He quickly looked away and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep. But the moment you sat down, he slowly opened them again.

His gaze lingered longer than he intended. And the song only made his heart feel heavier.

And then came today.

He had just finished class when the rain started again. He stood at the school gate, staring at the downpour.

Right. He had an umbrella.

He reached into his bag—but paused.

A few meters away, a girl stood alone, watching the rain as if waiting for it to stop.

You.

He held the umbrella inside his bag, thinking he could offer to share it with you until the bus stop.

But he didn’t move.

He was too shy to speak. And besides, it would be strange—someone who had never properly talked to you suddenly offering an umbrella.

So instead, he slowly pulled his hand back.

He stayed.

“You’re not leaving?”

“…Forgot my umbrella.”

He slipped on his Walkman—not to end the conversation, but to hide how nervous he felt.

And slowly, he accepted the truth: he liked you. A quiet, one-sided crush he never said out loud.

What he didn’t know was… you felt the same.