“Just continue showing him your photos together. Talk to him. That would really help him, Ma’am.”
On regular days, Hokuto wouldn’t eavesdrop. He always minded his own business. Listening to other people’s conversations is an invasion of their privacy. It felt so wrong. But today wasn’t a normal day. To start, he wasn’t supposed to be there. Yugo, one of his closest friends, could’ve chosen any of their other friends to accompany him. But, no. Everyone was busy on a Sunday morning. All of them.
Except for him.
He lowered the volume of the music that he’s been listening to through his earphones. Until he couldn’t hear anything but the voice of an old woman near where he had been sitting.
“Do you remember this?” the sweet old lady spoke, pointing her wrinkly fingers at a page in what seemed to be a photo album. “Our first date. You brought me to this sunflower field thinking that I liked them.”
Hokuto’s eyes traveled from the smiling lady to the old man sitting beside her. His body was the first thing he noticed. Protruding bones. Tired eyes. He also noticed the adhesive bandage on the back of his left hand. His face was blank. It could be because of medication that blurred his memory. Or perhaps he couldn’t remember anything at all.
But that didn’t stop the old lady from talking. She continued flipping through the pages of that old photo album, telling stories behind the pictures kept inside. The old man’s face remained blank.
“Oh, this one’s my favorite,” Hokuto continued to listen. Somehow, he found the couple interesting. Although, being in a hospital at their age was something to be worried about. Or maybe he was just thinking too much, so he had to listen to their stories to put him at ease. “I thought we were just having a simple dinner, but you were planning to propose. Oh, dear,” the lady giggled.
A car stopped at the entrance of the hospital, prompting the old lady to put away the photo album. As it occupied her attention, the old man slowly reached for his wife’s hand. Hokuto saw how that took the sweet old lady’s breath.
And a fucking oxygen tank came to his mind. What the fuck was wrong with him? He must never go to a hospital. Never.
Tightly closing his eyes, Hokuto dragged his attention back to his phone. As he was about to play the song that he was listening to previously, someone spoke.
“Aren’t they cute?” the person whispered to him, giggling. A warm breath touched the skin on his neck and he didn’t like it one bit. That was an invasion of his personal space.
Hokuto slowly tilted his head in the stranger’s direction, and he was in awe. The man was wearing a loose black shirt, an old pair of pants, and some black sandals. He must really like the color black. That, or the stranger didn’t have any other color in his wardrobe. But black looked good on him, in contrast to his pale white skin.
“Old couples, still in love after all those years that they’ve been together?” the stranger continued. “So cute.”
Hokuto cleared his throat, pulling himself from his admiration to the random stranger beside him. The old couple he was watching a little while ago were now walking slowly out of the hospital lobby, hand in hand, looking at each other with fondness.
Must be nice, Hokuto thought, still following the old couple as they got in the car.
“I don’t want to grow old. I mean, if given the chance, I want to die young. Not painful, just… a quick death,” Hokuto said mindlessly as the car drove away from the hospital. Silently hoping that the man wouldn’t start forgetting his wife soon enough, thinking how hard it must be for the sweet old lady.
He looked back at the stranger on his side. The beautiful stranger looked at him, straight into his eyes. His eyebrows furrowed, lips tight. Probably just a few seconds of staring at each other felt like an hour for him. Hokuto had to look away.
“That’s kinda heavy, mister,” the man said, followed by an awkward laugh, “to tell to a random person you met inside a hospital.”
“Oh, my bad,” Hokuto muttered. He planned to move along to ignore the person he made uncomfortable. Great.
“Hey, you don’t have to be sorry,” the man cooed. “That’s what you want. Though I hope you live a long and happy life. But I want what they have.”
He looked at the stranger in confusion. What did he want? Did he want to be with a person who would eventually forget everything they had been through? Did he want to watch the love of his life die in front of his eyes?
Hokuto knew he was exaggerating since he didn’t know the entire story about the said couple. But thinking about it, he wouldn’t want any of that, even as a trade for all the things he wanted in his life.
“A love that wouldn’t change for the worse, even after so many years. I want to be with someone who wouldn’t leave after any storm trying to break us apart. Even when your life is nearing its end. Especially that. ”
Hokuto stared at him. A small smile broke on his face, but his eyes were bearing an unfamiliar emotion. This man kind of reminded him of Yugo. A believer in love. A hopeless romantic. Whenever Yugo acted this way, he would quickly shut his ear and bother himself with something else. Not that he didn’t believe in love, but it wasn’t something he would put time into thinking about. Or be looking for.
“Don’t you want to find someone like that and get married?” the stranger continued. He looked at him again, and now a wide smile was on his face. “Cause I really want to get married, you know.”
Why was this stranger telling him all this?
“N-Not necessarily to you, of course. Oh gosh, that sounded like I was forcing you.” the stranger stuttered, forcing a laugh. Pink tinted his cheeks. Cute . “I just want to have someone to share this life with, to make it bearable, at least.”
It sounded really nice. To have someone. Remembering the famous wedding vow: for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.
Yeah, not for everyone. Till death do us part. Definitely not.
“Wouldn’t it hurt?” he asked the stranger. “To see the pain in their eyes when they fully know that you’re about to reach your end?”
“Of course, it would!” the man scowled at him like he had just asked the stupidest question. A part of him kinda agreed with him, though. “But why would we focus on the grim part? Death is already depressing as it is. Make the most of your remaining time together. There’s still time, you know. And I’m pretty sure that’s what the lady was doing.”
Hokuto scoffed, crossing his leg. He adjusted his body to face the stranger, to get a better look on his face.
Dammit, he really has a pretty face.
“Yeah, she’s strong. But I don't think everyone can bear it.”
The stranger stared at his face hard. Like he fascinated him. Though he quite didn’t understand why, Hokuto stared back. Then the stranger smirked, shaking his head.
“Yes, she’s strong for that. I admire her for that,” the stranger plopped his back on his seat, looking forward. “She could just leave her husband, right? After all, the years they’ve been together should’ve been enough. She doesn’t have to go through the pain of watching the person she loves deteriorate in front of her. But don’t you think leaving someone alone by himself is awful? Given their situation.”
“If I were in the old man’s position, I would totally understand if she left. It’s for their own good. It’s for them. She’s leaving them for their own sake.”
Given their hypothetical situation, Hokuto would definitely always choose to be left alone. Death was already a scary thing. Just thinking of his loved one getting anxious day by day if he could even make it the next day would just break him more.
“So they can already move on while you sulk in your own little dark corner?” The stranger raised his eyebrow at him. “I feel bad that we actually thought that Grandpa was already dying. He could have been just groggy from medication. Probably from anesthesia or something.”
“You started it,” Hokuto stated.
The stranger’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But it was you who said that you want to have a quick death.”
They cut their conversation short when Yugo arrived back in the lobby. His friend had to pay a quick visit to his brother. Not a patient, but a doctor in this hospital. He had been close to the Kochis ever since junior high, but he would never go deep inside a hospital just to see Yugo’s older brother. He refused to move even one step away from the main entrance. Not even when his bladder was full.
Hokuto found hospitals unsettling. Yes, he knew it wasn't all about bad news that would eventually lead to death. Hospitals bring life and second chances. Still, he just couldn’t find any safe comfort inside, not even a tiny bit.
“Who was that?” Yugo asked when they got inside the vehicle. His friend gave him a quick glance before maneuvering the car to the highway. Finally, he felt relieved. “A friend?”
Hokuto scoffed. “You’re expecting too much from me. I don’t have many friends. And most of them, you’ve met.”
Yugo chuckled. One hand was busy setting the air conditioning unit to his preference, while the other was holding the steering wheel. “I don’t know. Maybe you bumped your head somewhere and became friendly.”
“Please.” Hokuto adjusted his seat, flattening his back against the cushion of his seat. “Are you dropping me home now?”
“Eager to laze on your couch, aren’t you?”
“It’s a Sunday. I’m supposed to be lazing on my new couch,” he whined. His brows furrowed when the car turned in the opposite direction, driving away from their neighborhood. “Where are we going?”
“It’s Sunday, so we’re going to have brunch!” Yugo announced enthusiastically, and he didn’t find the idea impressive.
“No, no, no. Drop me off.” Hokuto groaned. “I want to go home.”
“Sure, I’ll drop you in the middle of this highway,” Yugo smirked as the car halted by the intersection. “Maybe spending your precious Sunday doing community service for jaywalking is better than spending it eating brunch with your friends.”
“Friends? Who else is coming?”
Gone was his plan of playing a newly released game on his new couch. Now, he was seated inside some restaurant called 'Sunday Mornings'. The Interior had a modern vibe and was almost surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass windows that allowed the sunlight to peek through. Not bad. He just needed to taste their food and he’d be okay spending his morning out. If their food was bland, he’d have Yugo pay for his meal.
“This place is cool! How did you find this place, Kochi?” Jesse asked, occupying the vacant seat just beside Yugo. Jesse just spent five minutes inside the restaurant taking photos on his phone, saying that this place was IG-worthy. He agreed and couldn’t wait to eat their food.
“Uh, someone.”
“Good taste, huh.”
“Uh huh,”
Jesse handed him one of the menus. He had already browsed through them. There were too many choices for him.
He was just waiting for Kochi to pick food from the menu. However, his friend was stealing glances at the counter. It was a simple one, just a cash register, a small display counter with various selections of desserts. He couldn’t see what was interesting behind the counter. Not until one of the staff, he supposed, walked out. How Yugo smiled instantly didn’t escape from Hokuto’s eyes.
“You’ll be paying for my food, Kochi Yugo.” Hokuto sighed, wishing that he was instead in the comfort of his own home.
"Hokuto! Hokuto! Hokuto!" A loud voice with too much enthusiasm for a Sunday morning jolted Hokuto awake. Well, he was already up and was trying to keep his mind awake with the help of a cup of coffee. However, the hot beverage wasn't doing a good job. But he’d have to thank the intruder for successfully pulling him away from dozing off. He already had an idea who it could be.
Hokuto groaned as he heard each excited footsteps nearing his kitchen. It was Morimoto Shintaro, a junior who joined the company a year after him. Their personalities were total opposites: Shintaro loved to be around people; he valued his peace. The younger one has a loud voice; he doesn't talk much. His junior parties hard during his day offs; he sleeps. In other words, Shintaro was the fun one, and he was the boring kind. Even so, they became friends. Hokuto kinda blamed it on himself. Of all the times he had tried to be approachable to his colleagues, it was the same day Shintaro became part of the company.
Shintaro was heading straight to his bedroom but stopped in his tracks when their eyes met. "Oh, you're awake."
"Yes." Hokuto put the cup near his lips, slowly titling it for the coffee to enter his mouth, gauging whether the said drink was already at the right temperature for his liking. Too bad, it wasn't yet. "Damn."
"Have you eaten breakfast?" His friend stood in front of him, with a bar counter between them. But before he could even make a sound, the younger one stopped him. "I know you haven’t yet so better not make any excuses. I found a new place, let's go!"
His face scrunched up at the idea of stepping away from the comfort of his home.
"No, thanks. I'd like to enjoy my coffee right here. In my kitchen. My own coffee. This coffee."
Shintaro rolled his eyes at him, grabbed his mug like it wasn’t hot, and poured its content down his kitchen sink. He could only gape, moving his gaze from Shintaro's triumphant face to his hand holding the now empty mug.
"What the fuck, Morimoto?"
"Yeah, what the fuck is with the instant coffee you always make for yourself?" Shintaro tapped his shoulder aggressively, pushing him off his bar stool. "Get your ass moving, I'm bringing you to this new place."
"How about I don't go today, and go with you another time?" Hokuto tried to bargain but Shintaro only tossed him his jacket.
"You said the same thing last Friday after work. This is now 'another time'." Shintaro even picked him a pair of shoes he'd use but it irked him thinking how it wouldn't go well with his pants. Instead he picked another pair. "Great, finally some enthusiasm."
The morning breeze wasn't as chilly anymore compared to the previous weeks, winter was ending soon anyway. The two of them walked, him not knowing where Shintaro would take him. "So you knew that your instant coffee sucks, right?" Shintaro teased, bumping his shoulder.
"It does. But it'd be a waste to throw it away."
"You'll love this new place, I swear." Shintaro beamed.
"How did it go last Friday?" Shintaro scowled, remembering the events that transpired after work. "Awful! I had so many drinks, I can't remember much. I was lucky I managed to even get home."
"Sounds to me you had a good time though."
"I had to drink the night away because of how boring your friends are!" Shintaro explained, his hands moving in their air animatedly to emphasize his story. "Leave them, Hokuto. They're boring. Your life is already boring as it is, don't add any more."
"Geez, thanks?" He scoffed. "And they're not my friends. They're just colleagues. I don't even know all of their names."
"Oh, wow, that's horrible. You see them every day."
"Still, not my friends," Hokuto murmured, putting his hands inside the pockets of his jacket.
"But you consider me as a friend, right?" Shintaro chirped. "Otherwise, you wouldn't give me the code to your door."
"Again, I didn't. You peeked while I was inputting it!'
"Potato, potato." Shintaro shrugged off. "Oh, look, we've arrived! Ta-dah!"
His colleague, who is his self-appointed friend, even gestured to the name of the restaurant just by the entrance. Written on the chalkboard in pretty calligraphy Sunday Mornings.
"Ohhh…"
"That's the expression I'm looking for! The surprised look then finally, a realization of how good I am. That's it."
He smirked at the guy, totally delighted to correct him. "That wasn't some realization. That was an excitement dying down. I was here just a couple of weeks ago."
"Oh my god, you have other friends."
The two of them entered the said restaurant. Unlike his first time there, more tables were now occupied. He also noticed the increase in the number of staff. The business was booming, good for them.
He previously ordered some pancakes with egg, bacon, and sausage plus hot brewed coffee. A safe choice for him. What could go wrong with pancakes, and some bacon, right? He was kind of considering picking the same food. However, Hokuto couldn't forget how enticing Jesse's order of grilled salmon with rice and Yugo's truffle cream pasta was. He almost asked for a taste of Yugo's pasta since his best friend was pretty much occupied looking at some guy manning the counter.
"Waffles, breaded chicken, and salad." Shintaro read the menu as he gave his order to one of the staff. "Oh, oh! I want to eat rice, too. Rice is life, right?"
The waitress laughed at him and carefully flipped the menu Shintaro was holding. "Then you may want to try our beef ribs. It's one of our best-sellers."
Shintaro looked pleased seeing the menu. "Then one order of that."
The waitress jotted down Shintaro's order before turning to him. He quickly said his order, "Pancakes with egg, bacon, and sausage. Black coffee. That's all."
Couldn't take the risk of getting something he wasn't familiar with. Unlike Shintaro, who was now browsing for desserts.
"Can you finish all of them?" He whispered after the waitress, who kept giggling at Shintaro's jokes, even the corny ones, left their table.
"Please," Shintaro shrugged it off. His phone laying on the table buzzed. "Excuse me, I'll take this outside. Don't even think of leaving."
He watched Shintaro leave the restaurant with a phone close to his ears. Hokuto looked around. More people had arrived. Some by themselves, some with another person, and some with probably their whole family. It was getting kinda noisy. Too bad, he was considering this place his go-to brunch place every Sunday. That would perfectly go well with their name anyway. Hokuto's eyes landed on the counter and saw the familiar man that Yugo couldn't take his eyes off. That man probably was a manager or something. Or could be the owner himself. Everyone was wearing their uniform, except for him. Casual clothes, a lot of jewelry, and an intimidating aura. He was putting on an apron with the restaurant's logo on it as he was speaking to someone.
Where did Yugo find this guy? A dating app? But the two didn’t have any interaction, not even the slightest. The man behind the counter looked like someone who would date around. Not that he was getting judgmental—well, maybe he was. If Yugo had a huge crush on him, then it shouldn’t be his problem. Yugo was already a grown man, he was aware his best friend was capable of making sound decisions. His only concern would be a gloomy Jesse.
Hokuto was still observing the ‘owner’ when someone came out of the backroom and put a hat on him. This new person was wearing the same uniform as the rest. It was the same man at the hospital!
Who would've thought he'd see him again? Hokuto recalled their last conversation. The man was very clear that he wanted to find himself a life partner just like the old couple back at the hospital lobby. With the face he has, plus he seemed smart and kind, it wouldn't be too hard.
And he really has a cute smile—oh fuck.
Their eyes met and he saw recognition on his face. Awkwardly, Hokuto turned his head away from him. Nothing from their long list of orders had arrived yet.
His hand reached into his pocket for his cellphone and immediately regretted going along with Shintaro's spontaneous need to eat at that very place. The phone in question was left alone, lying on his cold kitchen counter, enjoying a much-needed rest from his constant gaming. Must be nice not getting anxious sitting alone in some restaurant.
"Hi."
Hokuto jolted into his seat. The little sip of coffee he had taken at home had somehow managed to mess with his nerves.
The stranger back from the hospital was standing by their table, a tray in his hand, giggling at his reaction. "Two coffees."
Hokuto looked up, and a charming smile greeted him before the stranger walked away. He followed him with his gaze as the stranger from the hospital–named Taiga, according to the name tag stuck to his chest–made a beeline to the counter.
Taiga. The name kept on ringing inside Hokuto’s head. Would Taiga be back for the rest of their orders? Or someone else would bring it to their table? But Taiga was the one who initially served the cups of coffee. Wasn’t that how serving works? Although, a different staff had taken their orders.
He had no idea and Hokuto was getting unnecessarily anxious in his seat. Shintaro was taking a long time to answer that damn phone call. Hokuto was close to considering going out to pick Shintaro and have him sit with him.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee tickled his nostrils, so enticing. Maybe coffee would help clear the fog in his brain. With a sip, Hokuto knew that Shintaro was right: the instant coffee a colleague gave him sucked.
“Hey,” Shintaro got on his seat, a huge grin still on his face. Sometimes Hokuto wondered if Shintaro ever gets mad, sad, or any other emotion. Up until that moment, Hokuto had never met anyone so carefree like him. He wouldn’t count Yugo as his temper could flip, especially if Jesse was involved.
“Where the hell did you go? You’ve been gone for too long.” Hokuto complained, getting another taste of his coffee.
“But our food isn’t here yet,” Shintaro replied, pulling his cup of coffee near him. He watched him pour two packets of sugar before even tasting it.
Must be all that sugar.
“Hi.” That made Hokuto jolt in his seat once again, and this time, two people laughed at him. He didn’t like it one bit coming from Shintaro.
“Who ordered pancakes?” asked Taiga, a friendly smile on his face. With the face he has, Taiga must be killing this job.
“Oh, him!” Shintaro answered on his behalf, pointing in his direction with the cup he was holding. Taiga then placed his plate of pancakes in front of him. “Wow, it looks delicious. Give me some, would you?”
“Sure,” Hokuto answered absent-mindedly. Though his senses were heightened as Taiga placed each of their orders on the table. It was too awkward.
Sure enough, he wasn’t good when it came to socializing. The number of people he considered as friends concluded how good he was at connecting with others. Yugo and Jesse were his best friends from college, and Shintaro was a colleague. Even so, Hokuto would like to think of himself as a great friend: if his friend needed someone to talk to, he’d always be there. With not much effort, he could remember even the smallest detail of the people he encountered. He had so much irrelevant information in his head. Like the birthdates of his classmates from elementary up to high school. Those people wouldn’t even remember they had a classmate named Matsumura Hokuto anyway.
There were times he’d want to pity himself. His mind was focusing on the stranger from the hospital named Taiga, but there was a huge chance that months from now, he wouldn’t remember their conversation. His brain, however, had already imprinted Taiga's words. So he gave his brain a break and focused on what he currently has.
“Everything looks delicious,” said Shintaro. With the amount of food Shintaro ordered, which his friend intended for sharing, Hokuto found it hard to move and was afraid he might break a glass or two. If people were to pass by their table, one would think that they had company.
“Aren’t these too much?” Hokuto asked Shintaro, who was now taking a bite of each kind. The first bite of his pancake was even by Shintaro. “Can you finish them all?”
“Well, there’s two of us here.” Shintaro shrugged before taking a spoonful of the beef ribs he ordered. “Plus, I don’t think it would be a problem if we take too long eating all of these. After all, it looks like somebody has a crush on you.”
“What the heck are you talking about?” Hokuto took some of Shintaro’s beef ribs. “Are we in high school?”
“I’m talking about the guy who served our food.” Shintaro glanced up at him, tilting his head to point in the direction of the counter. There, he saw Taiga busy with the cash register. “He kept on looking at you.”
“Because he’s serving our food?” Hokuto countered dryly.
Shintaro didn’t say anything after that, making Hokuto glad he shut his mouth. With the given and much-needed silence, Hokuto turned to his pancakes. A relationship wasn't something he wanted at the moment. If there was a list, it would fall at the very end, which if all else above it were met, he wouldn’t need a relationship as he’d be content. What he needed was rest on his precious Sunday.
“Do you have plans for today?” Shintaro asked, now on his cup of ice cream.
“Nothing,” Hokuto answered, taking the last bite of his bacon. That was the worst answer to give Shintaro so he was quick to add. “There’s a new RPG released last night, so I might spend the day playing.”
Shintaro nodded and seemed to be thinking. They had talked about it during lunch at work a few days ago. Shintaro also loved playing games, there were days that his friend would stay overnight at his place playing. However, Shintaro was picky when it comes to video games. Hokuto still held on to his theory that the majority of the gamers were introverts who couldn’t find joy in the real world. That said, with Shintaro’s outgoing personality, it had not surprised him that some games bore Shintaro.
“I see,” Shintaro said, intently looking at his pancakes after getting another bite. “If it’s good, I’ll play with you.”
Hokuto sighed. “You want my pancakes?”
Shintaro beamed at him. He really was just a kid. The latter switched their plates–his pancakes now with Shintaro, and the truffle cream pasta was now his. On the bright side, Hokuto’s curiosity about the said pasta had been satisfied. It was good!
They spent another thirty minutes on Sunday Mornings, and Taiga was nowhere to be found. Hokuto just concluded that he was just some stranger, and would stay as one, totally ignoring Shintaro’s teasing remarks about crushes as if they were in high school. But there was still this growing curiosity as to why Taiga was in the hospital. Was he the one who needed some medical care? A chaperone to someone? Or like him, a visitor?
Hokuto decided to ignore it. What happened in the hospital, must stay and end in the hospital. His life wasn't like some movies after all.
Hokuto woke up drenched in sweat and out of breath. He felt suffocated, like something was pressing on his chest, and was trying to suck all the air out of his lungs. It took a few seconds for him to feel the cold air on his feet. Good, his AC was still working as expected.
Taking a long, deep breath, Hokuto tightly closed his eyes. He was in his room, he was already awake, he was okay. He kept repeating these words in his mind, calming his pounding heart. Aside from his AC running, he could hear his heart pumping blood in and out. He was already used to this–nightmares. It came from time to time, with no pattern, just a surprise he really didn't want in the first place.
He massaged the side of his head as his other hand blindly looked for his phone in his bed. It was still dark outside of his window. He was hoping that it was near dawn or he’d lose sleep.
Four-thirty in the morning, his phone screen almost blinded him. There was also a text message from his mother but he chose to ignore it and turn his screen off.
There were still a few hours before his usual routine. Having a bad dream definitely changed that, so Hokuto got up and readied for the day. If only he had the chance to tire his body out last night, he would have slept like a baby and a bad dream could have been averted.
Not too long after the headache-inducing nightmare, Hokuto found himself in his workout clothes, heading to the park for a morning jog. He was not the kind of person to exercise out in the open, he much preferred doing it inside the gym. Although it was not yet bright outside, the sun was already his main concern. The morning sun, of course, has health benefits but honestly, if he had the option to stay under the shade, he'd always choose that as he didn't want all his money spent on skincare to be put to waste. Speaking of, he had forgotten to put on some sunscreen before going out. Maybe he could jog a little before the sun even pricks his skin.
15,000 steps, that was his goal. The little screen of his smartwatch said he had already made 578 steps reaching the park. A part of him wanted to step back, maybe try to get back to sleep, but if he did that, he might just spend the day in bed. It wouldn't be a bad idea, however, his gym was closed for two weeks for some renovation and he really needed to get sweaty.
A lot of people were already running, walking, and biking around. He started running, passing through the arc. Some person was crouching down, holding a phone at the same level as a tiny dog that could pass as a giant rat. Cute. The dog seemed smiling, his tongue was out. He wished their family dog would behave like the giant rat.
Hokuto continued on his way. He kinda liked the cold wind touching his bare skin as he gained speed. Maybe he could go faster, but that would mean he'd be out of breath soon. Now that he was out of his home, probably it would be best if he enjoyed the view, especially now that the Cherry Blossom trees were in full bloom. Oh. Now that he thought about it, surely people would flock to the park soon. Maybe gaining speed was the best idea.
A little while later, he passed through the arc again. Quickly glancing at his smartwatch, he had already made almost three thousand steps. Damn it. What if he just walked instead?
Hokuto passed by a young couple sitting on the bench, sharing a drink. Next time, he must not forget to bring his own when he decides to run in the park.
Determined to reach his goal, Hokuto ran faster for a few seconds until he could feel his lungs would fall if he didn't slow down. Both of his legs were starting to feel hot from his vigorous running. Ah, now he was feeling the sweat coming out from the openings of his skin–his forehead, neck, back. He missed this feeling, and he had to bite his tongue to avoid smiling. Getting excited about sweat, sticky and visibly wet, must sound disgusting to others. But he was so excited and looking forward to some of it.
All his thoughts about sweat had to be violently pushed away when a tiny dog just ran past him. Hokuto had to abruptly stop as he was afraid of smashing a dog, who must be blamed should it happen.
"What the hell!" Hokuto said to the unruly animal as if it understood the human language. Well, some were smart enough to understand particular words. And human companions were to thank for their determination to teach.
And speaking of human companions, a careless one probably… Hokuto was about to look for its owner when a man ran after the dog. He watched the man scoop the tiny dog/rat, and the said animal looked even tinier. The tiny rat had the same face as the one earlier, it seemed smiling and proud of its little escapade.
"I'm sorry," the man said to a couple in front of him who almost fell just like him trying to avoid the unruly pet. Both of them just brushed him off and continued on their jogging.
Hokuto watched the man as he swiveled his body in his direction.
"Oh."
"Oh."
Both of them recognized each other. It was the stranger from the hospital lobby, the staff from Sunday Mornings named Taiga–according to the nameplate on his chest. The mere fact that Taiga knew him tickled his stomach, probably just glad that a dull person like him left an impression on a stranger.
"We met again," said Taiga . He watched him brush his hair back, and turn his head down to the animal in his arm. "Sorry about my dog."
Lost for words, Hokuto nodded. He could feel the sweat tickling his back as droplets of it slowly descended down the abyss. He stood there awkwardly, well both of them did, facing each other. A huge blockage to the growing wave of people running together, but not together.
Time felt agonizingly slow for Hokuto, as though the people passing by were running at 0.25x speed. Both him and Taiga were looking at each other and it felt to him that neither of them knew what to say. After all, they met in brief instances and they weren't really acquainted. Perhaps it was best if he moved along to run away from this awkward situation he got himself into.
"Move!" Some grumpy and buffed old man shouted directly at them as he passed by them.
Hokuto pulled Taiga to the side by his shoulder as the latter stood frozen, clearly taken back by the loud voice. The number of joggers who were running behind the old man looked at them and it was so embarrassing. Good thing Taiga let himself be pulled to the safe side.
"You don't want to get punched by some old grandpa, do you?"
"I would rather stay away from violence, thank you very much." Taiga giggled, following the old man with his eyes before looking back at him.
"Honestly, same," Hokuto responded.
"So… we meet again," said Taiga, a soft smile making its way to his face. "We've been bumping into each other. Should we call this fate?"
Hokuto coughed, he could feel the warmth in his cheeks, and he could only hope that his face bore no emotion. "Or maybe we live in the same neighborhood, that's why?"
"But this is kinda a big neighborhood."
"Or maybe I just happened to jog while you…" Hokuto paused and took a quick good look at Taiga, or maybe he did it for way too long as Taiga had to look away. "Are you just here to let your dog murder people?"
"How can this tiny rascal kill a huge person like you?" Taiga laughed, pushing his dog to Hokuto's face. "Just look how cute she is."
Hokuto flinched when the dog licked his cheek. There goes his toner and moisturizer.
"Yeah, she's cute," said Hokuto, slightly taking a step away from the tiny licking monster of a dog.
"Right, right?" Taiga beamed, pulling away his pet from Hokuto's face. His other hand went inside his pants and fished out a phone. "It's up again."
Hokuto stood there. The greater part of his brain wanted him to move his feet, go back to running and leave the man alone. It shouldn't be a big deal. But his conscience wanted him to stay and let Taiga be the one to leave him instead. In that case, leaving without a proper goodbye wouldn't bother him for days until he forgets it completely.
And his conscience won. Jogging because his gym was closed? Gone. Jogging before the sun goes up enough to harm his skin? Gone. Jogging to get his target of 15,000 steps? Gone. All gone because Hokuto just couldn't leave a person he didn't even know. So he stood there, no phone to fumble so he was left to watch the sweaty wave of people running, briskly walking, and some biking.
Taiga was still on his phone, his pet dog was unexpectedly behaving in his arms. He locked eyes with the said pet, its tongue hanging out. Hokut had to admit that it was really a cute dog. Just like its owner.
This time, curiosity got the best of him and Hokuto moved slowly to take a peak on his Taiga's phone.
It was Pokémon Go.
They were standing by the park's clock tower.
"Pokéstop?"
Taiga beamed, taking a quick look at him before his attention went back to his phone. "Yes, I'm out of Pokéballs."
Hokuto hummed in response, remembering the time when the game first launched. He had to convince himself that it was good exercise for him while he played until he couldn't lie to himself anymore because going out wasn't really his thing, and he much preferred to play inside the comfort of his home.
"Do you play it, too?" Taiga asked, his phone was already kept away. "I'm already at level 50!" He smiled proudly.
Hokuto felt his chest swell, in a good way though. "Is that the highest level? I don't have the game."
Taiga's eyes widened, now he looked embarrassed. "I thought you were playing it, too, since you kinda figured out we're in a Pokéstop."
"I played it for a few days."
"Why did you stop? You didn't like it?"
"I don't like going out just to catch some Pokémons."
"Because you can just do it on some other game, right?" Taiga grinned.
"Yes."
Taiga hummed, nodding his head. "Well, understandable." Hokuto thought he looked disappointed. "Aren't you going back to jogging? I'm sorry again if my little girl tried to murder you."
"Ah, right," said Hokuto, looking from the grinning Taiga to the dog in his arms. "Don't let her loose. I don't want to see you both in the news."
"What if I just see you around then?" Taiga teased.
Hokuto smirked. "Do you want to?"
From where Hokuto managed to pull that kind of courage to say that, he did not know. But he immediately regretted going out that day. Taiga only raised an eyebrow. He wanted to smack his head onto something—
"Maybe," said Taiga, winking at him before he gently dropped his dog on the ground and hooked a leash on its collar. "See you around."
Hokuto went back to jogging. According to his smartwatch, he was still no way near his goal. He couldn't care less. He was now feeling good anyway.
As he approached the arc again, Hokuto had to slowly decelerate, kind of hoping that he'd see Taiga again. He could feel it inside him, the building anticipation. However, the sane part of his brain had to push down his hopeful thoughts, because again, he was not part of some movies where the leads stumble onto each other again.
Taiga was not there. Even the tiny dog.
Almost an hour later, with rests in between, drenched in sweat and almost out of breath, Hokuto managed to reach his goal. 15,666 steps, the screen of his smartwatch said. Even though his knees and the back of his legs were aching, Hokuto was relieved that he finally managed to work out after a whole week of work-then-straight-home because of his gym renovation.
He decided to rest on the bench, wiping the sweat off his forehead, then his neck. He must hurry home as he felt his throat was parched.
"Hey,"
A little dog jumped onto his lap, and someone, named Taiga, was standing in front of him. Hokuto had to bite the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from smiling.
"You got enough Pokéballs to sustain your quest to be the very best?" Hokuto asked, stopping from wiping the disgusting sweat all over his bare skin. It felt embarrassing to be near Taiga with all the sweat coming out of his skin.
"Yes!" Taiga said, stretching a smile. "I don't know your name."
Was he waiting for him to say his name?
"Me neither." Lie . He knew his name. It was Taiga .
Then, realization hit him. It was true, they crossed paths multiple times but no one asked for each other's name. Maybe it did not occur to him because he saw the name tag on his chest back at Sunday Mornings.
"You didn't know your name?" Taiga's expression looked confused. Hokuto fumbled with words until Taiga broke into laughter. "I'm just kidding. My name is Taiga. Kyomoto Taiga." Taiga's hand was hanging in the air in front of him, waiting for him to take it.
Slowly, Hokuto raised his arm, inching his hand until their palms touched each other. Taiga slightly squeezed his hand.
"Matsumura Hokuto."
Nothing happened after that handshake. Taiga went on his way, and Hokuto hurried home as the sun started to prick his skin. However, the sun did not beat the warmth that was left on his palm when he shook hands with Taiga.