20. Hole

This woman dragged James out from the coffee shop. She brought him to her college, she thought that James studied there. It takes minutes till they got there, James had no idea why she brought him here.

They sat on the side of the main street, on the bench they watched the people who passed by. It's a new thing for James, he doesn't have enough memories of when he was in school. Listened to people laughing and talking just simply a moment.

James's truly amazed by that view, he never thought that college life looks this exciting. Maybe that's the reason why he's okay when she dragged him around here.

"So how do you feel?" she opened the conversation.

"What do you mean? I'm good," He nodded and was still amazed by the circumstances.

She laughed, "Nah, I'm just thought that you're a nerd and feels shocked about what happened in the coffee shop."

"What? Of course not, I'm just didn't know how to react to that situation." James sighed and looked at the sky, "So, what's your name?"

"Alice, nice to meet you," she smiled and shook his hand, "and you are?"

"James, nice to meet you too,"

"So you have a class today?" Alice asked it straight away, while she tied her hair.

James confused at the moment, 'What does she mean by attending a class? Does she think I study here?" He looked at her, she looks like an innocent girl. James was stunned at her because her look reminds him of someone. Her black beautiful hair and her strong personality make her gorgeous. It's felt like some feelings he always known for a while, beautiful just like the color of the night.

"What do you mean by a class?" James asked.

Alice confused by that question, "You know, a class. It's hard to explain it."

"Wait before you get it wrong, I'm not a student here,"

She shocked, "You're not!? Oh, I'm sorry for dragged you here, you look like our age. Why you're not told me before?"

James smiled and stretch his arm and back. Took a deep breath and think how to explain it. He doesn't have a plan at first, he just walks to clear his mind and ends up in the middle of the college people.

"I'm just passed and ended up here, I don't know why too. I don't blame you if you thought that I'm one of you, I'm 23 maybe we're at the same age here."

Alice can't believe what she just heard, "Damn! I feel shame at myself. So why you still here, are you at work or something? You don't look like an office man for me tho."

James looked at his outfit, he knows he looked like a college boy than a writer. "Yeah, I'm not an office person. I'm a writer, at least that's what I'm doing recently."

"What? You're a writer? How many books that you've written?"

James wrote few books and it went booming this last couple of years. 'I think she doesn't know my book, should I tell her that I write a bestseller?' He looks at her again, she looked like wanted to know more about him.

Alice looked at him with glassed eyes, she has a lot of curiosity. Her eyes showed that she hungry for information and she would explore the world and people that she doesn't know. Right now, James is brand new information that she hasn't known yet.

"Do you read a lot of books?" James wanted to make sure his guess.

"Nope," she answered shortly.

'Just like what I thought, she doesn't know me at all. And she doesn't have to know me right? I don't want to gives people hope that I'll make a new and wonderful story again.' James smirked and breathed relief.

"Hahaha, I don't write a lot of books. I tried to write a couple of books but it failed. I want to write more and the reason why ended up here because I want to sense a new experience and ambiance to enhance my story."

Alice listened into it, "Wow, you put a lot of work into it. What's your genre?"

"Actions, and some sci-fi."

"So you don't have an idea for your next book?"

James hesitated, "Something like that, I don't have images anymore,"

Alice's frown her head, "Hmmm, maybe you don't have some trouble or inspiration to make it."

"What do you mean by that?"

Alice stood and explained, "What I've wanted to say is, you don't have to write something by a genre. I haven't read a lot of books, but I think it easy to write something that comes from your heart. You know maybe if you wanted to express your problem through the story, it makes it easy. It's just my opinion, but some art and work it became fun when you do it with a smile on your face."

She smiled, again James feels like has seen that smile before. She gave a stunning opinion, James never thought it before. She just like Ed, they said something similar. 'Maybe, they're right.'

"I have a class right now, can I have your number? We can talks again later,"

James doesn't like to share his number with someone new. He doesn't want to expose his life and knows some unnecessary people. She pushed him to the edge, she kept asked with noise even yelled at him. James gives up, he can't deal with hyperactive people.

She walked away, left James sitting all alone. Enjoy his loneliness once again, but right now he's in the middle of college society. He wanted to know more about this world, he stood and step inside.

James observed everything inside. Some guy sitting at the corner, people kissing at the bathroom. Cafeteria filled with some youth joy around. It's something that James doesn't have, he wants to be there. Laugh and feels that kind of joy, it's been a while since he laughed hard and truly from his heart. That's what he genuinely wants.

'It's different from what I've image when I was in high school. It looks fun, looks the adrenalin and joy around. I wanted it, I want to laugh like people around here. I don't want to cry again, I wanted to be love. I wanted to be happy, I wanted to fill this hole in my heart.'