System Failure (An Adesa Fanfic) [Originally by Littlewolf65]

Chapter 8

Adam's POV
Even the most mundane things were interesting to Alesa. The park was empty of people when we arrived due to it being barely past 7am, which was a good thing. Alesa touched every bush, every tree, the wooden benches, all with a wide smile on her face. She especially liked the water fountain that was the centerpiece of the park and the moss that caked the rim.

I couldn't help but compare her to a loveable, excited puppy, bouncing around and sniffing at various objects. Finally, she simply stopped moving and spun around slowly in a circle.

"It's so beautiful," she said, looking at me.

"It's not as beautiful as you," I thought. Wait, what? I blushed and shoved my hands into my pockets, looked down at the cobbled path at my feet. I wanted to say something but any sounds I could have made seemed to be caught in my throat.

I felt her hand lightly touch my arm and I glanced up at her. "Can you show me the rest of the world?"

I nodded, glad for the distraction. I gently took her hand and pulled her out of the park. The city was still and quiet, but I knew from experience that in only a few minutes, the streets would fill with cars and people.

We strolled down the market street, the shops on either side opened and the various smells mixing together in the air to form a delicious fragrance. Alesa stopped, pulling my hand so that I would stop with her. She sniffed the air, her eyes bright.

"What is that smell?" she asked me quietly.

I sniffed as well and the scent of fresh bread made my stomach growl. I grinned and pulled her to the bakery shop a few steps away, buying us both a bread roll to eat. The virus practically inhaled it and I wasn't that much slower.

We wandered the city for almost the whole day. There were a few places that Alesa made a beeline for: The three-story library, the harbour, the Sky Tower which gave you a view of almost the entire city; even smaller things like a flower shop and a fruit shop fascinated her.

She dragged me into the cinemas and I bought us tickets to see a movie. The storyline was mediocre but I don't think Alesa even noticed. She was to busy looking around the cinema to watch the movie and whenever there was an especially loud noise, she would jump and occasionally grab my arm. I didn't mind it. Eventually, she just laid her head on my shoulder and I put my head on top of hers.

The sun had almost fully set when we left the cinema. My apartment was only a few streets away and we walked slowly as night descended, hand in hand. We took the stairs up but when we reached my level I kept going. I felt Alesa's hand loosen on mine momentarily.

"Isn't your house back there?" she asked.

I smiled back at her. "Yeah, but I want to show you something."

We took the stairs all the way up past the sixth floor to the door that led to the roof. It was probably supposed to be locked at all times but someone had propped it open with a street directory a while back and it had never been closed since. The hinges creaked as I pushed the heavy door open.

The roof was dark and the lights of the streets below were blocked by the half-metre tall concrete wall that went around the edges. Up above us, the stars shone bright and clear, dusted across the sky. I lay down on the cold ground and Alesa lay next to me.

"Wow," she breathed.

I pointed out the constellations I knew to her, drawing them in the air with my finger: The Southern Cross, Orion and his belt, Gemini and Perseus. I showed her the purple and blue dust band that most of the stars were caught up in, the Milky Way. Her arms were crossed lightly on her chest, her eyes gazing up at the night sky. I found myself staring into her left eye, where the stars seemed to reflect in her brown iris.