the fire | nishimura riki

Chapter 4

The ocean waved in the wind, quietly washing up grains of sand. The water rushed against my feed hanging off the edge of the wooden harbour, swinging above the reflection of two silhouettes. One of which belonged to me, and the other, to the still figure, quietly sat next to me. The air was crisp, reducing the feeling of my nose and ears, yet I somehow still felt warm. I looked down at my now wrapped leg which the unknown figure had dressed without any question as to what happened. Whilst he didn't speak a lot, his presence was comforting enough to make me forget about the fact we were stranded on this island all night.

"How come you're still here?" I blurted out. The silence wasn't uncomfortable but my unconscious mind was eager to know more about him.

For a moment he didn't reply, collecting his thoughts. "It's nice to be alone. In a place away from the dazzling lights of the city sometimes, it allows you to appreciate things you may not notice."

"Like what?" I looked over to him seeing his eyes sparkle in the moonlight. But he was already indicating what exactly he appreciated. I followed his gaze towards the stars twinkling thousands of light years away.

"In the city the lights block out the stars, even the streetlights in rural towns dim their glow." He muttered whilst admiring their brightness.

My heart began to pound. The stars? I stared blankly at the sky repeating the words in my head. The stars. The stars I would watch from my city bedroom window and found comfort in, were only shining weakly, the city below dimming their beauty.

"What about you?" His words broke my trail of thought and I took my eyes off the stars to meet the dark pupils of this stranger next to me.

"I missed the last boat" I laughed nervously. Embarrassing.

I heard a small laugh under the sound of crashing waves corresponding with the first smile I had seen from him. Small, but still a smile. If we were to be stuck on this island together all night I thought it would be right to at least introduce myself. "My name is Hyeona".

He laughed under his breath before replying "Riki" with another small smile. I nodded with a smile and began to refocus my gaze to the ocean before I heard my name.

"Hyeona." I felt blood rush to my cheeks and goosebumps arise on my arms. I slowly turned my head back to see him again staring at the night sky.

"Hyeona. When we weep, we glisten." He spoke gently. I knew he was defining my name, but the way he worded it left an imprint. Hearing those words from a gentle voice rather than a dictionary page in its solemn tone. Silence arose once again, but this time it was comforting, I looked down at my lap fiddling with my hands shamelessly smiling.

The wind was picking up, hairs stood up on my arms and overwhelming shivers were controlling my body. "Should we go inside? I have a key to a hut". I said between shivers. Riki smiled and nodded before standing up and offering a hand out. I took hold of the hand and jumped up on my good leg. Whilst my injured leg was better, the pressure still sent excruciating shocks through my bones. We laughed in sync before a hoodie was placed over my head.

"Wear this whilst we walk there and get on my back" he spoke whilst helping me navigate my arms through the hoodie and crouching in front of me. I climbed onto his back trying not to accidentally kick him with my numb, swaying, and quite possibly out of control leg knowing my body would mess up a nice gesture like this. I would've chosen to walk but the bitter air forced me to take the faster option before we both converted to icebergs.

The walk was quiet, arms dangling over his shoulders and light strands of our hairs blowing in the wind. I directed him towards our home for the night, laughing together at the little trips he would make every now and then.

When we finally reached the hut, I hopped down unlocking the door and walking into the warmth of the downstairs floor. I navigated towards the light switch illuminating the hut, followed by plugging in my phone at the plug below.

"There's a spare plug here if you need it" I whispered. The feeling of being inside at night had left me feeling as though I had to be quiet like when at home where I'd be complained at for making the slightest sound. Riki came over and plugged in his phone and only then did I realise we were no longer in darkness. I saw his pale hands plug in his phone and noticed a white bracelet hanging from his wrist. As my gaze followed his arms, he wore a pastel yellow shirt with a singular chain around his neck. He had a mole plastered on his chin with a smaller matching one on his cheek. His caramel eyes glowed through his dirty-blonde hair falling into his eyes. He brought his eyes up from charging his phone to meet mine.

Did my heart just skip a beat?