A Series of Unfathomable Feelings

Koi No Yokan

Koi No Yokan (Japanese) is the feeling that arises when two people meet for the first time and know that they will inevitably fall in love.

Steve was sitting at the kitchen table. Lacing his fingers together, he rested his chin down on the bridge. He sighed, eyes locked on the screen of his laptop as he tried to find the right words. He wrote a sentence that he erased a few seconds later and with another defeated sigh, he decided he needed a break. Feet planted on the floor, he pushed away from the table. The legs of his chair scrapped the wooden floor as he stood up and returned to the open-plan kitchen to fill his mug with coffee.

He took the coffee pot, his eyes cast down, carefully avoiding looking at Bucky's half empty room at the other end of the flat. Bucky Barnes, his best friend since childhood, was now living with his college sweetheart, Dot. Steve took a quick sip of the steaming liquid before he sat in front of his laptop. It took him a while but he finally came up with something he liked.

Room for rent.

Looking for a responsible, mature graduate student or working professional to share a two bedroom and one bathroom apartment. Available by October 1st, located near St John's Recreation Center. Good number of groceries, restaurants, banks near the apartment within walking distance. 10 minutes' walk to Ultica Av, B46, B15 and B65. The rent is $750 per month due at the first of every month. The apartment is furnished but the room available is not. Washer and dryer located downstairs.

Satisfied with his ad, Steve was about to post it online when Bucky and Dot entered the apartment, their loud voices started him. He greeted his friends with a warm smile before he left his laptop on the kitchen table to join them on the sofa. Bucky set the pizza down on the coffee table as Dot looked for the napkins.

"Found my replacement yet? You're writing an ad, uh?" Bucky nodded towards the laptop before he crossed the room so he could read what was on the screen. "Responsible and mature? Jesus, you're gonna have so much fun." He scoffed, the guttural sound rumbled in his throat.

"There's nothing wrong with that." Steve shrugged. "I've lived with you for five years, I've done my time, now I want the peace and quiet I'm entitled to."

"You make it sound like we were cell mates." Bucky blinked slowly, chin pressed in the palm of his hand. "All I'm saying is that most guys would seek the opportunity to live with a hot babe, like..." He took some time to think and snapped his fingers. "Like a swimsuit model, she'd be walking around the apartment wearing nothing but bikinis all day," he finished with a suggestive lift of his eyebrows.

"Poor Stevie would melt into a puddle," Dot chuckled lightly, patting Steve's bicep when he rolled his eyes. "No, he needs a sweet girl."

"Here we go again," Steve sighed forcefully. "I don't want to live with a girl. I don't wanna feel nervous in my own apartment."

Steve closed his fingers around Bucky's wrist, pulling on Bucky's arm until he fell forward with a funny gasp. Steve sat in front of his computer and created a new ad on the website. He was nearly done when someone knocked on the door. He went to answer the door, thinking he had clicked on the send button but another window opened on the screen asking if he really wanted to send the ad.

Bucky noticed the warning on the screen and turned to look at Steve who was talking with his elderly neighbour Peggy Carter. Peggy was in her late seventies, and while she was still capable of taking care of herself, she needed a bit of help.

"I locked myself out," she said with an apologetic smile before Steve took the spare key she gave him a couple of months ago and followed her to her apartment.