summertime soulmate | 夏天灵魂伴侣

♙

Thinking about my strange situation, it was all because of a jar of spicy chili oil that I was now standing in front of Shilin (士林區) station, waiting for a corporate CEO. It was bizarre to think about how much of my situation escalated from being a clumsy boi this afternoon.

You really don't know how life will turn out.

Still, it felt like a dream being at Shilin. Physically being at a famous location that I read from a Google Search of "Top Ten Places To Visit In Taipei" just a few days ago.

Being the first batch of the TTT government program, I was assigned to be at the forefront of this epic adventure. This meant surviving alone in Taipei, at least for the first two weeks. My fellow colleagues will come only after I settled in my internship. 

In other words, I had no one to rely on but myself in this foreign yet familiar country.

The idea of making new friends with strangers from different parts of the world sounded terrifying. I had no friends or relatives here in Taipei. Since I was a rather shy boi, I wondered how much I would "click" with others and if they would even like me in the first place. 

Still, I did not want to be alone for the next three months...

This was a unique experience — I did not want this opportunity to go to waste.

Maybe this is why I am doing something today I would never typically do...

Trying to be friends with a CEO.

Instead of scouting the area, my eyes remained focused on my phone. That was because I was trying to distract myself from the constant pounding anxiety residing in my heart. Of course, checking Snapchat stories and searching for nearby eateries on Yelp did no help.

After all, I was dining with Amae.

The CEO of Transcend Corp. 

A corporate boss managing over a thousand employees.

Someone who was miles above my social status.

There was no doubt about it — tonight's meeting was beyond my comfort zone.

What a scary thought.

I let out a deep sigh and leaned back on my bench, thinking of various possibilities on how tonight will play out. From fine feasting in a five-star restaurant to maybe even drinking in the night bars together, my mind was obviously living in some alternate fantasy world. 

Deep down, I knew those situations were unrealistic. And I was taking her status as CEO for granted. There was no way she would treat a stranger to something so extravagant.

At the very least, the worst-case scenario would be for Amae to take her offer back.

So act casual.

Don't be weird.

Crowds of students wearing their school uniform passed by, smiling in glee in their conversations. Another small group of young ladies giggled and talked about the upcoming karaoke and arcade. They were obviously enjoying their night off.

For some reason, I envied their youth.

Is this what it is like to grow up here?