Strengthens the line between us

"Until fate meets us soon."

----------------------------------------

"Hello," we both said.

"How are you?" I said again, this time simultaneously.

The two of us look each other in the eyes and chuckle.

The melody of our laughter echoed throughout our own nostalgic space. It feels like we just met yesterday. All of the transient recalling events flow through me as I reflect on an episode that happened previously.

I examine his features: the same dimple when he laughs or smiles, the same brown eyes that light up when he's happy, and the same cup of coffee latte he bought. The same attractive face I had missed before, because I was too focused on his dimple. I guess he hasn't changed and still looks the same as the first time I saw him.

Why do I know how he looks? Because he takes off his own face mask. I know we have to wear masks when we leave the house. And why did he take off his face mask as soon as he noticed me? I'm not absolutely sure how he identified me even though I was wearing a mask.

In the excitement of our laughter, I remembered a scenario from the past in which "me" messaged him without receiving an answer; the sound of my laughter soon faded.

I drift my attention back through the book that attracted my first interest before this tall model makes appearance sitting in front of me. Without any explanation to him.

I read.

Adam grin widely, but his beaming grin soon fades and a look of worry comes on his face.

"Are you feeling okay?" Adam asks.

I continue to keep my mouth shut to prevent myself from responding to the bitter reply.

"Hey, are you okay?" Adam asks for the second time.

"You should ask yourself about it." I tell him firmly.

I studied at the view in front of me, confused tattoo his handsome face, while his eyes focused on me, trying to understand the hidden meaning behind my words.

I groan. "I try messaging you in the hope that you will respond, but I believe fate does not want us to stay in touch while I am still in high school. I believe it. So, please explain why you did not respond to any of my chats. I'm sorry, I simply want to be honest with myself and say that everything from our first encounter was not a scam."

"I'm sorry about that," Adam said, his face split to the concerned one. "I had lost my phone as I was getting into my car after our very first meeting. I have no idea who took it because all of my belongings go away once I've been knocked out by the burglar."

The skin on my cheeks began to flushed because I was embarrassed to accuse him of lying to me, - he was the unlucky one.

"I'm sincerely sorry," Adam continued.

"I'm deeply regretful because I wasn't careful enough to notice it. And I would like to apologize for forgetting about our meeting because everything that happened has messed up my emotional state. But it doesn't mean I didn't know who you were."

"I see you and I are the unlucky ones. You had been taken advantage of and completely forgot about me. And I'm the disadvantaged one, since I don't impress you enough to make you remember me." I replied coldly while caressing the book spine in both hands.

"No, it's not like that at all. You, I mean, you have to understand it from my perspective. After the mess was cleared up, I regretted not writing down your phone number on the paper and instead saving it on my phone. I sincerely apologize, Elly. Could you please forgive me?" Adam whispers quietly, his dimple and begging eyes prominently displayed.

Shit. It disturbs me. Those dimples are absolutely adorable. I can't.

My weakness.

"I understand," I sigh. "You should not need to apologize to me. I am assured that you are not wrong in person. It's the robber's fault who erased the lines between us. Things are different now that we meet again, right?"

His smile widening revealing the adorable hole on his left cheek. He moved his cup of coffee latte away from his side and muttered, "OK. First, I believe we should introduce ourselves. This is our second chance to rebuild our friendship."

When he said the words "friend," my heart trembled. It makes my heart flutter a little, I admit. With the enchanted word 'friend' from his mouth, the dark shading in my heart appears to fade gently.

"All right," I answered quickly. "However, you should put on your face mask. I'm scared about the new virus that has arisen on the earth right now. I'm concerned about you--no, I mean, I'm concerned about myself as well."

"OK," Adam says as he fixes his hair to look even better than before and puts on the face mask. "Hello, my name is Adam. I am twenty- three years old. My studies finished two months ago. Now I work for my company's family business." Adam smiles as he displays his flawless tooth.

I remove my face mask and take a sip of my ice chocolate with extra whipped cream before replacing the face mask back and introducing myself, "Sorry. I'm really thirsty. Okay, I'm ready. Elly is my name. I'm twenty-one years old. I am currently enrolled in the University International Science of Management. The last semester. That's all."

"Woah! Students of science. It's amazing. I'm glad you have grown well. " Adam exclaimed with satisfaction.

"I'm not all that amazing. Just a little bit of luck. " My shoulders shrugged.

"Wait a moment, what do you mean I grew up well? Do you mean I was just a child in your eyes that day?" I queried him, a little irritably.

Adam surrendered his hands and told me, "Nonono, it's just - you're in high school at that time, right? Of course you look like a child to me," Adam explained. "But I assume not now." Adam chuckles.

I pouted. Of course, that's exactly right. Considering the fact that I acknowledged his statements. But we are only three years apart.

"All right, Elly. I'm sorry. You're too cute." Adam chuckled gently.

"What the hell! You're cringe." I gasped annoyingly towards him.

I get goosebumps just thinking about that word. I was about to start reading again when he showed up near me and snatched the book from my grasp-

"What! Give it back! - " I struggle to take back my book.

"No, you should be focused on me." Adam remarked this while running around the circle-shaped, wood table, which we had been seated before taking action in running.

I chased him in order to take back my book. So we're now running in a circle until one of the staff tells us to put an end to.

"I'm sorry. We should not behave in this manner. Once again, I apologize." I kindly confess to the staff.

I slumped back in the chair that I sat before, took off the face mask, and sipped the ice chocolate vexingly.

"Alright, that was interesting." Adam chuckles.

"You sure that was interesting? We behave as though we were kindergarten children." I said this while circling my finger to illustrate our recent behavior.

"Our friendship will be cute for all time," he said with a glint in his eye. "With both of us becoming friends."

I snorted softly.

"Give me back my book." I point my index finger at the book he clutches tightly to his chest.

"No. As I have stated. You should keep your eyes on me - I mean us - to draw back our fate, build our friendship or become the last pieces for my puzzle."

My heart nearly burst when I heard the last word coming from him.

"Fine. What sort of information do you want to know about? " I asked, sighing.

Poetic by:

Roller coaster ride,

Travel in the lane.

Taking a deep breathe,

Voiceless, the future,

On the road to the finish line.

Poem by: shinxdaisy