The place you left behind

The unknown place pt. I

Kumiko looked away the moment she caught herself staring at the man in front of her for too long. 

They stopped talking some minutes ago after introducing themselves by just saying their names. At first, it wasn't uncomfortable but now Kumiko didn't know what to do with all that silence and was fighting the urge to say something while, at the same time, didn't how to start. Umi, though, looked pretty calm and unbothered, just staring at the fire in front of him with his eyes reflecting the flames. The truth was, the impression he gave Kumiko since they met was of a calm guy, too calm, one who would know how to act or what to say at any situation without getting nervous.

"How old are you?"Kumiko interrumpted her own thoughts letting out a small voice.

Umi slightly turned his head at her.

"I'm something between 25 and a thousand years old".

His eyes closed curving and synching with his lips in a smile and, when they opened back, they caught Kumiko staring back with a confused face. 

She didn't see any joke coming, not from him, and her mind was left processing it for at almost half a minute.

"Hahaha", she faked a laugh and proceed to talk really fast without any pause to breathe. "So you're older than me. I'm 23. Nice to meet you".

She immediately extended her arm offering her hand as a greeting. Umi just stared at the hand and rolled his eyes back to her eyes, with that nonchalant look of his. His arms didn't move. "Maybe I'm too far for him to reach me", she tought. Then his mouth opened:

"We already introduced ourselves"

She got a little shocked by his response, but her arm was still up, firm, waiting to be reciprocated.

"We haven't shake hands, though", she answer with confident in her voice.

"Why would we?"

Kumiko was taken aback by the difference between his sharp words and his calm face.

"Do you not hold hands as a greeting here around this area?", she asked back.

"Where the hell do people do that?"

One of his eyebrows raised up while the other lowered. His lips grinned. Finally an expression any other than calm.

Her arm was starting to get heavy and sore but she wasn't giving up. She was convinced it would be too uncomfortable if she just let her arm down and she wouldn't know how to break the ice after that. It was now or never. 

"Well, give me your hand, we can share my culture that way. It's always good to try new things and share life the experience of each other cultures".

She shook her hand in the air, insisting, with a forced a smile.

"We can share "my" culture, by not shaking hands", he said changing the tone of his voice, still not moving his arm.

"Just give me your hand", she shook her whole arm.

"I don't want too", he replied in a cutting a way and added in a sarcastic tone, "My hands are sacred"

"Just once! How can I trust you if you can't even entrust me your hands?"

"Then don't trust me".

Kumiko got up out of nowhere and went directly to him taking him by surprise. She tried to reach one of his arms, trying to find his hand. The expression on his face suddenly changed to perplexion, as he stopped her in a quick reflex by holding both her wrists with his hands. He grabbed her tightly, strong enough for her to not get away, but also not to hurt her much. She tried to get free from his grip twisting her arms, while trying to keep her balance. They ended up in a fight of strength, where he was obviously looking as the winner, until her feet stumbled on one of his legs, falling over him and making him fall on his back.