(UNEDITED)
(The Slices of Life, #2)
Nearly a year has passed since then.
Now, he's a junior on a summer break from the perils of school. One thing to add, he's also taking a temporary break from work, enabling him to rest completely at home. Fatigu...
Annoyance rushed through my veins as my gaze briefly came across Raphael's face. I felt myself stiffening up, as I balled both of my hands into fists. Although not as worse as anger, annoyance still built up an accumulation that must be kept low otherwise I will blow up, just like before. Mentally, I was throwing profanities at him, telling him to get the fuck out and stop bothering me.
The flute performance was great, I must admit. However, the effects from hearing the beautiful song were cancelled out by my annoyance of him.
I refused seeing Raphael, staring hard at the Ferris wheel in the distance as he walked towards me. He stopped next to me, placing his flute away in his bag. He didn't speak any word, surprisingly. Along with me, he observed the scenery. Meanwhile, the wind grew stronger as it blew; that was why my bangs got a bit crazier than before.
Regardless of the silence I sought, his presence started to get me more aggravated than ever. I had no other choice but to initiate a conversation.
"How did you know I'm here...?" I brusquely asked, not even looking at him. Hearing this question, Raphael started chuckling, which further vexed me out. Despite everything, I controlled myself and remained wordless.
"Where else do you go, Chris?" He said, between his laughs, gently slapping my shoulder. "I know you since you were young, obviously you'll always go here whenever you're upset or mad. I can guess even with my eyes closed!"
At the joke he inserted in the end, I rolled my own eye and folded my arms. I knew that he desperately tried to lighten up the mood, so that I will feel better or something like that. In reality, it was far from recovery, and the fact that Raphael made me worse was ironic.
I wanted to leave right now, but I knew that he would mindlessly follow me like an idiot. I didn't really want to talk to anyone, but I was left with no other choice.
"What do you want?" I demanded as he stopped laughing. I started tapping my finger to the railing that I had settled my arms on.
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"Well..." He paused and was quiet for a moment. He cleared his throat and started talking. "...I'm here to visit my grandparents that I haven't seen for four years, then I would return by August. Since my family moved out, we rarely contacted them, so we barely know about their condition. Thankfully, they're still healthy, although my grandmother is a bit ill."
Meanwhile, I picked up a random rock and threw it into the water. It bounced twice, before it sank.
"I have a lot of free time, so I thought that it would be a great opportunity to reconcile with old friends like Seb and you." Raphael faintly exhaled, before resuming. "The problem is that I don't have your contact numbers, so it's pretty difficult. Luckily, I met Seb yesterday, and he had told me so much about everyone, including you. Unfortunately, I got to hear the news that Adelynn died due to an accident, so I'm kinda sad because I wanna meet her."
