Melody of Love - Ai no merodī

Koi No Yokan

The moon shone the brightest on a breezy summer night, casting the silver grace all over the ocean that loomed beneath the star-studded sky. The waves kissed the rocky shore roughly and the water dribbled between the rocks sending a mellow sound to the ears, the sand behind the rocky border was as soft as silk but gritty enough to set off a ticklish feeling to your naked feet.

The C-shaped coast displayed the two ends of the city; one side had a dockyard that glistened with sharp yellow lights in addition to the infamous lighthouse which was a part of the town spirit, that welcomed and directed the floating vessels home and on the other side; resorts were scarcely scattered. The road that stretched along the curve was bustling with traffic. All in all, it was a set ready to make things happen for those who wished for an adventure in the eerie night.

A man in his early-twenties sat on an unlikely odd-shaped rock. He sat there resting one leg horizontally and the other leg pulled to his abdomen to support his right elbow. He stared far into the horizon, his bangs swayed over his forehead covering his eyes. The faint silver light brought about his slender features hidden beneath the thin t-shirt with horizontal thick light blue stripes and a seaweed coloured skin fit chinos, Haruto guessed the colour. At a glance, you would mistake him for a prince with a cloak of mystery surrounding him. This is what Haruto thought to himself when he first laid his eyes on Ayumu.

Haruto was taken in completely by this stranger and looking at him made him feel like he was in a dream and everything around felt lucid, befitting the features of the young stranger at a strange place where most of the crowd wouldn't go because of the small old cemetery nearby. Though sometimes the visitors did tour this part of the coast to feel the soft sands beyond the rocky area, no one hardly bothered to walk this far where there weren't any entertainment or food stalls. Haruto was wondering if he had come across a ghost but it didn't seem like it. There was a tinge of sadness lingering around the air around this stranger, especially the way he gripped his chest pulling his long-sleeved shirt tightly into his fist.

Haruto called out to him hesitantly "Hey! It's dangerous over there, get off the rock!" The stranger didn't move a muscle. Haruto called out to him again, a little louder the second time but was only met with silence. Haruto didn't want to pry over a stranger's business; however, he had an unknown urge to interfere given the other's demeanour, so he walked towards Ayumu and carefully climbed the rocky path to where the stranger was sitting and he tapped hesitantly on Ayumu's shoulder, Haruto could tell that the stranger shivered slightly under the wind, it was one of those days when the soothing wind eased the tiredness from sweaty summer days.

Startled by the sudden touch, Ayumu turned around to look at the person tapping on his shoulder. When Ayumu turned around, the tears followed the trail of those which had already left his cheeks, his puffed eyes still had a radiant shine in them and his face had the sharp features of a magazine model. His soft brown locks were messed up in a manner as though they were intentionally arranged by a hairdresser that beautifully complemented the thick eyebrows and the doe shaped brown eyes. His complexion was pale yet had a slight touch of pink and his nose was red due to all the crying, to simply put, Haruto found a Damoiseau in distress. When Ayumu looked at Haruto, time slowed down for the latter and he wanted to scrupulously observe the stranger who stirred some unknown feeling within him. Haruto, a young man in his early twenties, wore black cotton crop pants reaching his knees, a baggy linen brick red shirt covering a thin white-shirt along with a small colourful beaded necklace dangling on his wide chest.

"Ar-, are you ok? He questioned, searching for a tissue. Haruto never carried tissues in his pocket but he was unconsciously digging the pockets of his pants in an attempt to find them from his previous encounter at a hot dog stall.

The stranger spoke while instantly wiping his eyes and hiding his embarrassment he said: "I'm ok and I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to stay here after the authorized hours, am in trouble?" Ayumu asked, scrunching his nose.

Haruto was flustered for a moment, just for a second, he felt his chest tighten and then back to its relaxed state when Ayumu looked away dusting his pants and adjusting his clothes.

"Umm no, I happened to take a walk while looking at the sunset and I decided to walk for a while, my friends are waiting at that resort." Haruto pointed towards a nearby resort. "By the way, isn't it dangerous sitting here by yourself? You might get mobbed or bullied by a bad crowd. I called out to you but you were lost in a world of your own."

Haruto and Ayumu descended the rock and Ayumu said he would show Haruto a shortcut towards the road as it was better than walking all alone.

"Ah, I was just thinking about something that happened at work. Thanks for your concern and it's generous of you to walk me to the road." Ayumu matched his pace with that of Haruto's as he was pacing slowly. "I was just about to leave anyway, I just.." Ayumu stopped abruptly.

Haruto knew that this guy was lying and he wouldn't dig into the troubles of a man he had just met so he went along with whatever the other had to say and listened attentively. "Oh, I see. I hope that it settles down soon, don't worry about it too much".

"Thank you for your kind words," said Ayumu and he smiled to himself and the rest of the way they kept to themselves. They walked towards the small incline headed towards the road leaving behind the sandy beach. When they reached the top people and bustling noises were waiting to break their silence.

Ayumu gently bowed and before he called for a cab he moved his soft lips to say "That outfit looks good on you. Have a good day." and hurried off into the cab.

Haruto whispered under his breath and sighed 'Says you, aren't you the handsome one ?!' He covered his ears to hide a faint blush and rephrased his words. 'More like-, Cute.'

Haruto checked his phone only to find an array of missed calls and messages from his friends. He dialled Ikku, who immediately answered Haruto's call "Yo man, Where are you?! You disappeared on us! Your bathroom break is stretching too long. You didn't answer any of my calls."

"Ikku, shut up! Don't yell over the phone!! I'm fine, I just switched it to silent mode. I'm taking a walk."

"By yourself?! Fine," Ikku groaned. "Come over soon. We are waiting for you at the resort!"

"Ah yes, I'll be there."

Haruto looked at the glittering sea, he closed his eyes to feel the naughty wind swaying his hair. Ayumu's pleading, the helpless face came to his mind. 'He looked so shaken up. He looked like he was desperate for someone to hold him......hmmm.'

Haruto thought it was futile to dwell over this strange feeling, he shook his head and headed towards the resort.

KOI NO YOKAN: The extraordinary sense upon first meeting someone, that you will one day fall in love.

*The song used here belongs to Edwin McCain - I'll Be (Acoustic Version). It's really amazing, please give it a try. 😄

***Damoiseau  (plural damoiseaux) (archaic) young man. (historical) A young gentleman who was not yet a Knight and aspired to be one; young nobleman accompanying his lord or lady to hunt, walk, travel, etc. (ironic, dated) A handsome, charming young male who is courteous and/or amorous to women.