Under the Umbrella

Chapter 7

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[Name] huffed a breath as she sat on the bench, staring at the small view of the park. There weren't as many people during the weekdays. A few were seen with their dogs, others were strolling through the grass. She gripped the bag in her hands, wondering if Mikey would actually come.

Just as she was about to lose hope, a figure on her side caught her eye. He was wearing all black, hands tucked in the side pockets of his coat. She turned her head, wanting to see what the stranger wanted. Although, her eyes widened in surprise when she realized who it was.

Mikey stood there, staring at the girl before him who seemed to have been waiting a while. He was glad that he met her under such circumstances. However, his expression remained indifferent.

"Well, we did have a knack for meeting unexpectedly," she smiled, "Nice to see you again, Mikey-san!" She stood up, bag in hand, and bowed respectfully towards him.

It happened again. The sound of her voice calling out to his name gave him some sort of nervous and joyful feeling.

"You too, [surname]." His answer was short, she was afraid he'd be somewhat annoyed or uninterested. She then noticed his gaze shift from her towards the bag she was holding in her arms.

"Uh, here. It's the coat and gloves you lent me the other night, thank you." She extended the bag towards him which caught him off guard, his hands hesitantly grabbed onto the bag. Nodding in response to what she said.

In all honesty, Mikey hasn't exactly thought this through. He was ashamed but too prideful to admit. Has it always been like him to do things out of pure impulse without properly thinking things through? Well, maybe his old self would.

A quick silence filled the air. He noticed the girl shift her weight, staring at anything but himself. If anything, she wondered about what to say next. It was him who invited her along with him after all. He was just about to speak when she unotedly interrupted.

"Do you have any plans for today, Mikey-san?" she asked, her eyes sparkled under the sun during the cold weather. Light snowflakes spread out onto their coats. He stared at her for a moment before answering.

"No," he paused, avoiding eye contact, "Do you wanna... Take a walk?"

[Name] agreed to it with a nod and a gentle smile. They walked alongside each other through the almost empty park. It was already lunchtime and these two haven't exactly eaten either. Even so, they didn't know that.

She assumed that he was a man with a few words, so decided to take the lead. [Name] told him about herself. A few stories from work here and there. However, she knew not to disclose more personal information. Such as the name of the company she worked for, describing the area she lived in, etc.

Mikey, however, did not ask any questions. He listened attentively to what she said. One would assume he was annoyed or uninterested, but that wasn't the case. He just loved how her voice would go high when she got excited. He loved the sound of it as well as the way she would do some hand gestures when she was talking.

He then stopped in his tracks. The girl beside him noticed and stopped exactly a few steps away from him. She wondered what exactly was wrong. She didn't bore him too much, did she?

"[Surname], do you wanna get some lunch?" he asked, adjusting the top of his coat in order to look away. She noticed how nervous he was and chuckled at it.

"I would love to," she replied with a smile on her face. His heart skipped a beat at the high tone of her voice accompanied by the smile he didn't realize he was falling for.

A new chapter of growing friendship began writing its pages in each of their stories. It was during the cold day with the sun above, Mikey and [Name] felt warmth engulf their hearts as they enjoyed each other's company.