To No One

Ch.5 - Awkward Numbers

<B - We were walking slowly through the streets with Claire on the lead. As far as I know, Arthur and she were having a conversation about... something. I don't know, I wasn't paying attention. I was busy questioning my own decisions up to that point. Up until the last month I haven't done anything besides going to college or work. I barely tried to get to know people around me... so why did I agree to go with those two? I mean besides the "I have nothing better to do" excuse, I had no tangible reason to just go with a stalker and a self-invitor.

Sadly, my retrospective was interrupted by said people.>

C - So what is your favourite, Beth?

B - Uh... my what?

C - Y'know, your favourite food. Weren't you listening?

B - No.

C - Oh.

B - Food, huh... I guess I like sweets, but spicy stuff is fine too.

<B - Claire raised her eyebrows in surprise. What's so shocking about my tastes?>

C - Ah... so you've a sweet tooth.

B - Is that a joke for you?

C - Uh- sorry, didn't mean it like that.

A - I'm pretty sure that you barely looked at the menu back at the Honey Box.

B - I may like sweet things, but diabetes is not something I'm willing to have.

C - Welp, be glad you didn't choose anything else. I'll let you in on this: cooks sprinkle sugar on every dish.

B - Remind me to never eat in that place again.

C - Oh, c'mon. You can always go to just visit lil' old me.

B - I think we see each other more than enough during classes, thank you.

C - Aw...

<B - After an awkward walk we finally reached the park. It was a fairly generic park with a playground on the side where children could play safely. Even at that hour there were a still a lot of people walking around the place. Couples crowding the benches, students hanging around the nearby fountains, mothers chatting while they watched their children... Just the kind of people you expect to see in a place like that. Right across the park you could see a river dyed golden-orange by the afternoon, where kids were diving in from a bridge.>

C - So~ what do you guys think?

A - It looks really calm, at least.

C - I know, right? I always like to relax here after work.

A - What about you, Beth? What do you think about this place?

B - I've been here before.

C - You have? Then why I haven't seen you here?

B - It was a long time ago. My father used to bring me and my brother to a lot of parks.

<B - Though I only saw it from the corner of my eye, I'm sure I saw Arthur look away with a sad expression when I said that. I wonder what he was thinking at that moment...>

C - That sounds really nice. I wish my parents had done the same when I was a kid.

B - You've had problems with them?

C - No, nothing like that. They just used to work until late most of the time, still do, so I basically live alone now.

B - I suppose you still call them.

C - Of course! It's the least I can do now that I work, too. We were planning on having a dinner together to catch up, but it doesn't seem possible now.