Your tranquility was disturbed when a frustrated grunt came from Chan's place on the couch, followed by the sound of a laptop being slammed shut and headphones clattering on the floor.
You looked his way with a frown to find him burying his face in his hands in despair. It's only when you heard the hushed sobs leaving his lips did you close your textbook in worry. "Hey, what's wrong?"
You rarely saw Chan cry. You did once, when his family surprised him with a visit. But those were tears of joy. This was different. He sounded so broken that your heart clenched. It hurt to see him that way.
"Chan," you called out to him gently as you moved the laptop from his lap and pulled his hands away from his face. He responded with a sniffle and lowered his head as if he didn't want you to see him in that state.
"Come on, let's get you out of here." He stood up hesitantly when you tugged at his hand, allowing you to lead him out of your shared apartment.
Your roommate was a music major and he loved his studies. However, the field would sometimes drain his creativity and leave him frustrated and disappointed.
Today was one of those days. Nothing of what he was trying to put together sounded good, and he almost felt as if he lost his ability to compose. His mind was uncharacteristically quiet and empty. He needed inspiration.
You took him to the campus park, which was conveniently empty at such a late hour of the night. Chan was quiet throughout the walk, and he remained so when you made him sit on a bench facing the lake.
Your hand didn't leave his, and he was glad for that small comfort. He sighed and looked at you, finding you gazing at the stars above and his breath hitched.
You always looked beautiful, but something about you hit him differently at that moment. Your hair was carelessly styled, and your eyes sparkled with the gleam of the many crystals in the sky. Moonlight kissed the delicate tip of your nose and the soft curve of your lips. You seemed to glow like an angelic being.
You felt his gaze and turned to face him with a smile, "Feeling any better?"
He shrugged, turning his attention to the placid body of water in front of him. "I don't know."
"If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen," you prompted softly, squeezing his hand in reassurance. Chan realized he liked the warmth of your hand in his. "Thank you."
Comfortable silence wrapped the two of you as you sat there, admiring the nature in the dark. Crickets sang in the background, and you could hear faint music coming from the dorms behind you. It was peaceful. It made you relax.
Chan found his gaze gravitating to you again and his heart danced a little. There was something so endearing about the setting — holding hands in silence as the moon gazed down at you. That mute comfort. He couldn't understand how, but you needed no words to make him feel better.
Then you smiled at something in the distance, and it was as if a hundred flowers bloomed at once in Chan's mind. An eruption of color and beauty. He was overwhelmed. Spellbound.
And in a cranny of his thoughts, he heard music again.
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