Their Parallel Universe ✓

Chapter 28

The yells of the running children blend with the excited barks of dogs. An old man, with his gray-and-white Siberian Husky, passes by the park bench he is sitting on. Just as the large pet turns its head toward him, it lets out a high-pitched bark as if to greet him good afternoon; the animal's cute behavior draws a huge smile from his face.

It's the second week of December, but the surroundings are still warm. A mixed scent of sweet florals and roasted meat permeates the air.

He picks up the long, yellow petals that have fallen next to him on the bench, before looking up at the canopy of ylang-ylang trees. No wonder the park smells like perfume.

And beef, he adds as an afterthought, turning at the food booth not far from where he is. He swallows when his eyes land on the shawarma stall next to a burger stand.

A soft growl comes out of his stomach, reminding him that he wasn't able to have a proper lunch and that it has been nearly three hours since that last meal. He has been too anxious since last night and has been having a hard time focusing on doing anything.

The message from Gaele a few days ago had certainly caught him on the hop. While he had always wanted to get to know his online friend personally, Poll never expected that Gaele would be the first to ask for a meet-up, much less that he would be so straightforward about it.

Poll was too shocked at that time, and he can't remember how he was able to type and send his agreement to the idea. He thought he couldn't get any more baffled then, but Gaele's surprises didn't stop right on his first text.

The next thing Poll knew, he was staring dumbly at the location that his internet friend had forwarded him, with the message, 'Are you okay with this place?'

When he had assented to see Gaele, he had overlooked the possibility that they might be living mountains apart from each other and that it might be hard for them to meet face to face.

But that didn't seem to be the case here, as Poll recognized that the location his friend had sent him was the nearest public park from SDV University.

Truth after truth dawned on him after that. First, the fact that Gaele had wanted them to meet in a particular place in their town only meant he might be residing around the area. And since Poll knew that they were of similar age and year in college, he assumed that Gaele might also be attending the same university.

That brought him to another realization—the biggest one yet. Gaele didn't seem to have any doubts that Ten-Ten would be able to make it to their meeting place. It was as if he were already aware that his online friend was living in the same town. And if that was the case, there was a big possibility that Gaele knew who Ten-Ten really was by now.

Normally, the revelation would have dismayed him. It would have upset him to learn that his online friend, whom he had trusted for a long time, had been hiding an important secret from him. But he didn't know why, instead of being disappointed, he was thrilled to discover that they were just closer than he had always imagined.

It wasn't like he wasn't confused, knowing his internet friend had withheld the truth from him all this time. But Poll wanted to believe him, trust that he had a good reason for doing it. After all, the Gaele he knew would not deliberately do anything that would hurt him.

With his knees jiggling in nervousness, Poll reads the last message he's sent to Gaele.

Ten2: i'm already here in the park wearing a red hoodie and black jeans.

He tightens his hand around his phone as he remembers the other thing that has been making him jittery for hours. It's all about the dream he had last night.