To Love is like Art

Chapter 2: The Lombardy Mist Encounter

"Miss?", I hear a voice call.

Wearily, I opened my eyes and tried to adjust my focus to the source of the voice. Out from the fog, a hand came into my field of vision. Then an arm. And finally him.

"Miss?", He called once more, "Are you okay?".

I tried to comprehend this encounter through my disorientation. He was fairly young. He had the potential to be in my classes at the college. Although, can I really say that? Spectacles covered his face but instead of making him look feeble, they seemed to fit him quite well. Especially after looking at the rest. The young man was unexpectedly muscular.

"I could ask you the same thing.", I responded mellowly. No sarcasm, just reason. Although in the groggy state I was, I did not want to be rude to a complete stranger.

He was completely soaked from the rain. That hoodie he had on proved to be useless. Upon closer examination, I saw that it had an odd insignia stitched in the upper left chest area. The dark wash jeans he had on were drenched and hugged his legs. Isn't that uncomfortable?

The stranger took a look at himself and discerned what was clearly ironic. "HA-HA-HA!!"

I jumped in my seat! That voice was so booming. I didn't exactly expect that from him. It felt like the earth shook as he continued to do so. I nervously looked around to make sure nobody I knew was potentially looking this way. Huuuu! Can't you quiet down a little bit...? (¬////¬)

Suddenly, I was greeted with a cold breeze. The temperature finally caught up to me. My body shivered a bit in my jacket. I tried to suppress it by wrapping myself tighter in my jacket. It's been a month since the move so why am I still not adjusted to the cold?! Never thought I'd be saying this but, "I miss the heat..."

The stranger looked at me as I said that. Crap! That was out loud?! 

"The heat?", he whimsically asked.

I tucked my red face a little bit into my jacket and gave a little nod. "I'm from the Philippines..."

"Uwaaaaa! The Philippines?!"

'That's what I said, isn't it?! Are you a parrot or something?!', I begrudgingly thought.

"Wow, so your body is probably going through hell right now. I visited once and the heat was almost unbearable at times."

What's with the way this guy talks... He then took the initiative to take a seat next to me. I tensed up a bit. He is, after all, somebody I just met. I turned to look at him as if to say "what the heck do you think you are doing?". He was surprisingly energetic in his seat. He acted like a little kid swinging his legs and humming a little tune. I exercised caution. 

'What if he's a criminal?! Perhaps a rapist?! I'm too pure!", thoughts swirled around in my head 

"My name's Kyouji.", he said turning to face me, "Kyouji Umebayashi."

So this guy's Japanese. I didn't exactly expect that with his appearance. He dressed like an American model. And his eyes were a bit bigger that the average Japanese people I met. I concluded that he must be half western of some sort. 

While I was trying to figure him out, he piped up again, "What's your's?"

Ah! I scrambled a bit and replied, "Haruka. Haruka Saruhashi."

"Eh?", He answered back in confusion.

"Your name is Japanese. Are you really Filipino or Japanese?"

"Well, my dad is from Tokyo, Japan, and my mother is from Manila, Philippines."

"Ah! That explains it.", he said, "So are you just visiting the states or...?"