That Summer

Chapter 1

I felt like I woke up from a very entertaining dream for once. I usually forget my dreams in the summer because they are so boring. It was the middle of the day again. My room was filled with light and my eyes were trying to adjust. I heard the chimes blowing again but it sounded much softer. I sat up on my bed and noticed a white chrysanthemum on top of my comforter. These flowers usually bloom in the fall so it's strange that it would be here in the summer.
"You should believe more in the unbelievable." I heard a voice I didn't want to hear.
"So, it wasn't a dream." My eyes finally adjusted and I realized that he had been staring at me this whole time.
"Nope. I'm part of your life now. Whether you like it or not." He was sitting right next to my bed.
"How bothersome." I put blankets back over my head.
"If you sleep again, I'll still be here when you wake up." He laughed.
"You're ruining my summer. I'm trying to relax before I go back to college." I stayed under the covers.
"That's not true. You secretly want me here, don't you? Because you know your summer won't be boring anymore." He tried to pull the cover off.
"Who in their right mind would want a random man to sneak into their room and stay there?" I couldn't tell if he had common sense or not.
"But I'm not a random man. I look the same age as you too. My name is Haru. You gave it to me. You should call my name more often. I'll always respond to it." He got excited again.
"Don't remind me." I was irritated and tired.
"But I have no one else to call me by my name. You're the only one. Say my name! Please!" It was like I was with a dog.
"Haru."
"Yes!"
"Go away."
"Can't do that." I turned around and his stupid smiling face was looking at me.
"Whatever. Just don't bother my dog too much." It was more like she bothered him.
"Don't you want to know more about me?" He pulled the covers back and forth trying to get my attention.
"I tried asking you the other day. But you dodged my questions and I ended up giving you a name instead. So I gave up." I wasn't interested.
"But you're actually interested." He laughed.
"Stop reading my mind, you freak."
"My name is Haru." He seemed more serious.
"You are really good at pissing people off." I was too irritated to fall back asleep.
"You'd be surprised," He laughed again.
I really didn't understand this person. It's like everything was a joke and he never took anything seriously. The fact that I couldn't see his eyes was also suspicious. That means he was hiding something. The more time I spent with him, the more trouble I could feel festering into my summer. He was strange. I walked around the house and he followed me like a puppy while my dog followed him. My mother and sister didn't notice him at all. Even when I talked to him, my family didn't pay attention. He stole my lunch and dinner just by making it disappear off my plate. And in a blink of an eye, the chimes were blowing in the dark.
"Hey, if you're hungry. Just tell me and I'll feed you. You don't have to steal food. Just because I don't want you here, doesn't mean that I'm going to deny you basic human rights." I was irritated by my empty stomach.
"Basic human rights?" He sounded confused.
"Even though you said you're my pet, you are a human first. So, I will take responsibility for you like a human." I explained.
"Wow, my owner is so kind. Please feed me from now on." He sounded excited.
"You're a weird one."
"Thank you!"
"That was not a compliment."
Haru stayed close to me for a whole week. When I woke up, he would be smiling at me and a white chrysanthemum would be on my bed. When he ate, he laughed and raved about the food that I thought was the usual. When I told him about my college experience, he was thrilled by all the stories I had. When I fell asleep, his smile was the last thing I saw. Even though we were together for that long, I felt like I knew nothing about him. It's like the days were repeating but he seemed happier as each day passed. I had a lot of questions for him by the time the week ended but I wasn't willing to ask because I felt like he would ignore them again. If he wanted to tell me about himself, then it would better if he said it on his own accord.
"Do you think I'm strange?" He asked me.
"Yeah. Was I not obvious enough?" He wasn't good at reading situations.
"Then why do you put up with me?"
"Because even if I tried to tell you to leave, you would still be here." I feel like we've been over this several times already.
"For someone who has their guard up all the time, you seem to be quite lenient towards me. Could it be that you like having me around?" He laughed.
"No, it's not that." He had a head full of hot air.
"Then what is it?"
"I've gotten used to you being here." I put sheets over my head.
"Well, I like it here. So, I'm glad you have accepted me. But, don't tell me. Are you going to take another nap? That's your second one today and it's almost time for dinner." He always pestered me for sleeping.
"But there's nothing else to do. Also, I don't wanna do anything else." I was irritated.
"You have an interesting life at home." He looked out the window.
"What do you mean by that?" I couldn't fall asleep with him talking so much.
"It's much more monotonous compared to the stories you tell me about college."