The footsteps of a seventeen year old boy were slow and sluggish as he made his way to the bus stop under the rain, holding an umbrella with his left hand and kept his other hand inside his pocket.
I can't believe they actually meant it when they said they'd force me to go if my screentime is more than ten hours. He thought to himself while snickering.
To make him even more irked, water splashed right onto his lower pants and shoes as the bus ran over a big puddle of water before stopping in front of him.
"Seriously?" He muttered through gritted teeth, not wanting to shout in annoyance in public. He carefully got on the bus, keeping in mind that it was not his day that day.
To his surprise, the bus didn't have much passengers despite how heavy it was raining and as it was about time for office workers to be heading home.
He sat alone at the back, keeping his umbrella beside him before resting his head on the window. It's been so long since the last time I got on a bus.
It took around fifteen minutes for the bus to arrive at his stop. He instantly put on his headphone and started playing his playlist before getting off the bus, his umbrella in hand.
After several wide steps, he stood in front of the library as he hesitated to walk in. He looked down at his pants and shoes to see that they were still soaking wet.
He formed his lips into a thin line and puffed his cheeks and eventually decided to step inside the library.
He had just stepped inside when a girl around her age walked passed him to leave. He paid no heed until he heard her releasing a sigh and whining to herself.
He turned his head to see that the girl was holding the door open while staring at the road as the rain continued to pour.
"The moment I don't bring my umbrella, it rains," she complained and closed the door to head back to her seat.
The boy, head over heels at first sight, grabbed his umbrella and handed it to her without speaking a word.
The girl stared, rather baffled, "What?"
"Oh, ah...take it," he dumbly spoke.
The girl frowned, "But how will you head back? It doesn't look like the rain's about to stop any soon."
"It's no problem, I was planning to stay here for a long time...anyway," he lied.
She looked at the umbrella he was holding towards her for a moment before taking it, "If you say so. How will I return it to you? Should we meet here again tomorrow?"
The boy slightly widened his eyes and processed her words before nodding, "That's no problem."
"At what time will you be free?"
"Uh...around 5:00 PM?"
"Okay, noted. What's your name by the way?"
"Nishimura Riki...what about you?"
"Kim Sunhye," she smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow, Riki. Thanks a lot!"
He was about to bid her goodbye but she had already left and was crossing the road with his umbrella. His eyes continued to follow her until she took a turn and disappeared, not looking back even once.
How he had wished she would at least turn around to flash a smile and wave at him. His cheeks were warm without his notice as he thought about it and stood there in awe.
"Um...mister, are you going to head in further?"
© 2022 -JAKISM
