Yan Lan was getting restless as the evening sky sets in. Could he have missed out on any path he thought. He combed through the remaining path. While he did not think Kay would brave the steeper slope but as stood there helpless, he closed his eyes just trying to feel where Kay is while the cold wind blew past, his intuition tells him he should go down through the steeper path, as soon as he took the bend, he found what he thought panicked him. A pair of skis stranded by the side of the tracks and a familiar pair of gloves caught his eyes. The same that correspond with his - while his carried the initials of YL on his gloves, he was hoping this is just a coincidence of someone loosing a similar
pair of gloves. As he went nearer - it became more apparent, he looked at the gloves with his heart racing, where is he? He thought as he picked up those gloves that had on it KAY. His concerns are valid now. As his eyes searched around, all the thoughts came rushing through did Kay wonder around, why did he leave his skis here, where did he go? is he is lost or worst still captured and so on and so forth. He was fumbling to get his phone out when he stopped.
He eyes stared at the moving figure that emerges slowly from the frozen bushes off the path. The figure was just busy looking down at what was in his hands, totally occupied while walking...yet the smile that he saw on the face watching the hand held camera soothes his heart immediately. The snowflakes that fell steadied from the heavy pour and as the other figure emerges more, Yan Lan felt half angry and happy. He swore he would have thrown a massive snowball at this figure in front of him walking clumsily not paying attention to the surrounding safety and for making him worried ....yet happy because it's...him, the one that had him missing so much, the one he wanted to see for so long, the one that came back here to fill his hope and their promises. And before he could think further the figure in front trip and fall over the snow ...clumsy as he is, picking up his camera, flinging it clear of the snow and watching his camera still. It was a funny fall, yet the misses just overwhelmed Yan Lan watching him. And as
Kay stood up and looked up to see what's in front....time stood still from that moment onwards.
On this slope, under this cold conditions, two longing hearts that had been through pit and trough no others can imagine, separated not by their own doing, unable to express their deepest thoughts openly, when they believe always to be true to each other .... at this moment when time stop only to be witness by snowflakes that were blessings in the past whenever they came. It now melted ... into what seems like tears from above as though telling them "my child, we know in the scheme of things and universe you are in, things are unpredictable, we are sad, that time and circumstances kept both of you apart, we've been
waiting to preserve when the time allows and the path crosses again. And here today when time stop to pull all possibilities together to have two longing souls back on this slope which we have been preserving the beauty of this place, just waiting for the right timing... please cherish it"
The wind blew as the snow continue to pour as these two just stood unbelievable with questions in their mind....is this really another coincidence or someone above really praying hard for us, moving all the chess and clearing the path to let nature takes its course.
Kay step forward looking for his gloves as his hands were freezing cold. And he looked for it where he last dropped it but then turn his eyes onto the hands that held them instead.
Calmed and steadied he move forward digging his boots into the blanket snow slowly as he looked down on his steps.
And as he took each step forward, he felt the heavy stare that followed him, both had questions in their hearts.... Kay was the first to break the awkwardness of the hawked eye stare. They had both their ski goggles, pulled up rested on their forehead, leaving their eyes just revealing thoughts between themselves.
Kay tugged his freezing fingers inside his jacket as the wind picked up. And as he reached the position in front of Yan Lan he looked back up. There he broke a smile but his eyes could not correspond emotionally as he brought himself to play the more matured role in this situation.
"Hi, what a surprise to see you here Yan Lan!..." his sentence was left to sink in silence. The eyes that watched him had not moved an inch and that emotionless face in front of him had no reaction leaving Kay lost at what to do next. He walked nearer a little but the earlier trip and fall over on the snow had aggravated his ankle which left him limping which he tried to masked as he took the steps forward.
"How have you been... eeerm can I have my gloves back?" He said after dropping back his camera in his bag pack. His hands were freezing as he blew hot air into both his clasped palmed rubbing it together as Yan Lan held out one for him to put his hands in but he took it instead to put it on himself. Kay balance his weight more on his left feet and hurried up to put on his gloves before breaking another word of silence
"Great! My hands are warm now thank you, so... how have you been?" Still breaking the silence while Yan Lan hadn't spoken a word since.
"I've been back here waiting for you" he walked a step forward and hug Kay leaving him stunned for a little but the warmth of the hug under the falling snow just felt .... relieved, secured, comforted that they are still the same. It filled the gap and quiet down the hearts. Kay stood there with Yan Lan's arm wrap around him firmly. Kay's hands seem to automatically moved to embrace the hug in return.
"I...I miss you" that was the words that came out from Kay without him processing any of his thoughts in a soft whisper. Yan Lan overwhelmed still with this encounter tighten his squeeze on Kay bringing Kay to lean in on to Yan Lan in this long awaited embrace.
"Been waiting to hear that" Yan Lan replied