"Are you alright? You seem a bit spooked." Alivia said.
I was not sure if I looked a bit dumbfounded right there. I'm sure I did. Everything in my head just halted at that moment. I couldn't think nor say a single word back. My hand felt stiff as it trembled slightly.
"Uhh-yeah, I'm fine. I just... lost my train of thought, I guess." I couldn't tell her I knew who she was. She would start to get suspicious. And if she knew who I was, she'd flip! I cannot let that happen.
"You sure? You're kind of shaking a bit." She points out my twitching hand.
"Oh, that? It's a bit cold. I'm just shivering a bit." I reasoned with her. I had to think of something fast and that was the first thing that came to mind.
She focused on me for a second before shrugging it off. "It is quite chilly out. We should probably hurry to my place now."
As she slowly packed up her clipboard back in her bag, I observed the surrounding area. The rain was slowing down as it began to drizzle slightly again. The wet roads and buildings felt awfully satisfying to see. Like a scene from a movie.
"So, why did you need to know my name?" She questions me. I would be sweating right now if it weren't for the cold breeze.
"Right! You just seemed so familiar, I thought I'd know your name from somewhere. It was nothing, you can forget about it." I needed to derail the conversation before she started to grow any more curious.
"Anyway, why'd you get interested in fashion design in the first place?" I quickly asked. She was looking up in the sky, mesmerized by the raindrops slowly pouring down.
"It didn't occur to me why I liked it until now. I guess it's just that feeling that comes with all hobbies, you know? That sense of drive that keeps you going, wanting for more. That feeling of-"
"Passion?" She looked at me with her eyes locked on mine. She gave a slight smile and chuckle.
"...Yeah, passion." She raises her hand towards the raindrops, letting it pour on her hand.
"You don't think my hobby is weird or terrible, right?" Alivia turned to me with worry on her face.
"What? Your hobby sounds awesome! Why even ask that?" Her head dropped slightly and stared at the floor, her eyes looking dreary.
"It's just that my family doesn't really think much of it. My dad thinks I should pick a "normal" job. My brother doesn't care either." Her tone sounded depressed. I noticed her hand was gripping tightly towards the straps of her bag. I wanted to at least cheer her up.
"Well I'm no expert on life or being an adult, but go for what you love, Alivia. Passion is what brings the best of ourselves out into the open. And you don't seem to be feeling down whenever you're designing, right?" I tried to give her a bit of motivation. She stopped walking and turned to me again.
"At least you like my stuff. Even if it is stupid and terrible, at least someone gave notice to my art." A slight smirk formed on her face. I couldn't help but smile with her. She then directed her attention towards her surroundings.
"Hey, we're almost there! Just a few houses ahead."
The neighborhood around her looked lovely. Urban houses that fit a sort of New York-ish style city. They weren't as tightly squeezed in as you'd usually see in NYC, but it felt close. Just enough space was in between them to fit greeneries like trees and bushes.
"Oh my, this is some neighborhood." I praised her.
"You like it? It's an old place. My grandfather used to be one of the original residents." She pointed to a small home that looked almost traditional. Large brown stones and cypress wood were decorated all around it. Small, rounded windows lit up the household. The roof was high and slanted on one side and is covered with black ceramic tiles. A chimney on the right side was puffing with smoke. As for the lawn, it was surrounded by grass with a large oak tree near the sidewalk.
"That used to be my grandfather's. He sold it after several damages from the war. Luckily, her sister moved to England at the time, so he moved into her house down the street." She explained. I was mesmerized by its cozy decor, it almost felt like a lodging house in the woods.
"I'd love to live in a place like that. That feeling of warmth and comfort is almost addicting in a way." I commented to her. Alivia laughed a bit from that remark.
"I'd say. Having spent my childhood here, it's kind of hard to let go of such beauty."
She continued walking until we came across a residence much like others. Only, this one was a lot bigger. It was a suburban-style house built with bricks that were covered with render. White pine wooden decor was all around the place and small, half-rounded windows added to its overall style. The second floor was bigger than the first, creating a bit of a stylish overhang on one side of the house. The roof was v-shaped and covered with dark brown tiles. The garden at the front was well kept, with a nice grass field and flower patches on the sides.
"Looks like we're here. Thank you so much for taking me here." She expressed her gratitude.
"It was nothing. I had the time and we landed at the same stop. I don't live that far from here, anyway." I assured her.
As we walked to the front door, the rain started to pick up again. We hurried towards the front porch to not get wet.
"Are you sure you're going to be fine? I'm not sure if you'll be alright with this heavy rain coming down." Alivia's voice sounded unsettled, almost worried about me.
I did not want to get wet. Sure I had the umbrella, but that could only do so much in this heavy pour. I would be soaked no matter what. I might want to wait for it to die down.
"I guess I need to take shelter for a bit. Do you mind if I sit here for a while?" I asked. She nodded at me.
"But, out here would be a bit chilly for you. Do you want to come inside?" She suggested. It was alright for me, but I wouldn't want someone I just met to be going inside my house. I guess she was cool about it.
"Yeah, if it's okay with you that is," I answered Alivia. She smiled.
"Great, follow me." As we proceeded to the door, I glanced around the porch. It was a small, with some white cedar benches for the guests. It would have been nice to see this in the sunlight, as the dimly lit rain was limiting me from seeing its true beauty. I suddenly heard the door creak open.
"Welcome to my humble abode." As I stepped in, I was in wonder by how well decorated the place was. The living room had two bronze-colored couches, both paralleling a 50" Samsung Smart TV. Between the couches was a spruce coffee table with magazines placed on top of it. To the side of the TV was a bookshelf filled with different novels. The place was well carpeted and the walls were nicely paneled with dado. It was also nicely lit with wall lamps that looked to be from IKEA. I wouldn't be surprised if her family was rich or something close to that.
"Now, this is a living room. I mean, I'd kill to have a place like this." I complimented. Alivia gave a little laugh at my praise.
"Why, thank you. My dad's at work, I think. He's a physician over at OHSU. He'll be home by around 8 PM, so you don't have to worry about him." She reassured me. It suddenly felt relieving to know that I do not have to explain to her dad that I was staying for a bit. That would be quite an awkward situation.
"You want any coffee? I can brew some if you want." Alivia said as she was walking towards the kitchen.
"That'd be nice, thanks." As she was making it, I decided to take a seat on the sofa.
If couches had a comfortability level, this had to be ninety percent. It was soft enough to sleep on, and from what I've been through today, I honestly needed a day's rest. Even so, I did not want to start dozing off in someone else's home. I needed to distract myself.
I directed my attention towards the bookshelf. There was a wide variety of novels there. Some that I was very familiar with like Clockwork Angel, Mortal Instruments, and a few of Dan Brown's. On the second to the top shelf was the other four Percy Jackson books, although they were different from the ones I owned. There were some that I couldn't recognize, too. They were on the bottom shelves and they seemed to be a bit beat up. I can barely make out the names, but one read "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra." They were french novels. Can she read and speak french? That sounded weirdly romantic.
"Interested, I see?" Alivia's voice said behind me. "They used to be my mom's before she passed. She used to travel to Paris a lot."
"Oh, is that so? That's interesting. Did she ever teach you any French?" I asked.
"I was only four before she died. Didn't get to know her that much..." She reasoned.
"Oh," I said depressingly. "I'm sorry for asking." Thinking she would be mad at me, I noticed she managed a smile.
"You don't need to be. Now, c'mon. Let's drink." I suddenly noticed the sweet smell of brewed lattes on the table.
I picked up the cup near me and took a sip. The warm taste of caffeine and milk was just what I needed. The brew was refreshing, almost like the ones I would buy in cafés.
"This tastes amazing!" I said. "How did you make this?"
Alivia chuckled. "My brother taught me. He's a barista working nearby."
I gazed out the window and examined the rain. It was already starting to slow down, but it still felt strong.
"By the way, you never really told me your name." She realized. "Since you're here and all, it'd be nice to know who you are."
All of a sudden, I tensed up. Not knowing what to do, I almost choked on my drink.
"Uhh, are you alright?" She worried.
"N-nothing, I just drank the latte too fast." I reasoned with her. "Anyway, it was nice staying here, but I forgot that I needed to buy something for my mom. Eggs, right! I was going to buy eggs."
I hurriedly picked up my bag and rushed towards the door. I grabbed my wet umbrella and opened it in the rain.
"But, wait!" Alivia yelled by the porch. "Aren't you at least going to tell me who you are before you leave?"
I thought that telling her would be a bad idea. Alivia will remember who I am and every stupid thing I have done up until graduation. Time will just repeat itself.
Then, I had a different thought. A thought that would change the course of my dull and boring life.
"Maybe next time. How about we meet next week? At the Starbucks near the campus?" I said calmly.
For a moment, Alivia did not move. Then, a smirk formed on her cute, little face. "It's a date. I'll meet you there by noon."
I smiled back at her. Turning myself towards the sidewalk, I proceeded to walk home.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
