Freshly showered and dressed only in his boxers, Harold was eyeing his wardrobe in his closet. He wanted more from what he was seeing. It was a casual outing, but he felt he had to look perfect. After all, he was going with this Rayne. He wanted it to be memorable, even if this was not an actual date.
It was already Sunday, and Harold woke up a little too early than usual. He spent the morning jogging outside the building and then went to the gym to do some lifting, trying his best to burn the nervous energy he had felt when he woke up. Thankfully, he felt more relaxed after his exercise session.
Letting out a grunt, he plucked out whatever his hands could reach a dark blue shirt, acid wash jeans, a brown bomber jacket, and a pair of thick white socks, dumping them on his bed. He pulled out a pair of black sneakers from his shoe rack.
Minutes later, he was fully clothed and chewing on a granola bar. He was too excited to eat anything heavy. Besides, they could eat at the restaurants along the road if hungry.
Ensuring everything was off, including the stove, Harold took his wallet and left his place. It did not take long for him to reach Rayne's front door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.
The door opened, revealing Rayne in a black off-shoulder shirt, a pair of beige cargo pants, and black leather sandals. Beside her was Bubbles, who was looking at him closely. He let out a meow in greeting.
"Hey, cat." Harold greeted back to the feline giving him a brief pat on the head.
Satisfied with what he said, Bubbles returned to the apartment and climbed on the couch. "See you, bebe void." Rayne waved at him.
Bubbles slowly blinked at her.
Harold was surprised at the sight of his neighbor. Rayne's hair was loose for once. Usually, she would put her hair up in a messy bun or a low ponytail, and her clothes consisted of pajamas or very open shirts and shorts with a pair of slippers, or in some instances, she was barefoot. To see the typically messy-looking woman looking beautiful and sexy despite the casual outfit had him unconsciously tugging the collar of his shirt.
"You okay?" Rayne eyed him closely after she closed the door of her apartment.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
There was a companionable silence between them as they left the building. They managed to hail a cab, and inside the vehicle, they put on their facemask and face shields.
"Ugh. I hate putting these." She muttered. "I'm fine with the mask, but the shield is a little overkill. Do you wear a face shield during your classes?"
"Yeah. However, there are barriers installed in some classrooms. It's hybrid teaching on my part." He said. "What do you plan to buy once we get to Session?"
"I don't know yet, but I hope I get to find something interesting."
They got off at the post office and began their stroll along the closed off-road. A few people were present, and the stalls were six feet away from each other. Most of the stalls sold souvenirs and food.
They were currently at a booth that displayed live rabbits in cages. To their horror, they learned that the rabbits could be sold as either pets or food. The stall owners even showed them frozen rabbit meat vacuum-sealed in plastic. Harold refused to touch the package while Rayne looked at it in morbid fascination.
"How much is it?" She asked.
"Are you serious?!" Harold nearly screeched. Was she planning to buy rabbit meat?
"Five-hundred fifty pesos." The owner said.
"Hmm, what is a good dish you can make from a rabbit?"
"Anything."
"Okay. I'll buy that. I can look online for recipes."
Once Rayne paid, she waved goodbye to the stall owner and looked at her purchase.
"What are you planning to cook that with?" Harold asked.
"A stew? I'm not sure yet." Rayne said, looking thoughtful.
"You're not sure? You bought something you have no experience cooking. I got to admire your sense of adventure."
"It was a shock at first since rabbits are pets, not food. But I read books where they have it on the menu, so I got curious."
Harold shook her head. "Never knew you could be that open to trying new things."
"With food? Of course. Although I draw the line with companion pets as food."
"Of course. If we try to eat Bubbles, we're screwed."
Rayne laughed. "You know my cat so well. Oh, look! I didn't expect that they would be selling!" She said excitedly.
Harold frowned and then saw what she was looking at. A stall sells figures ranging from Japanese anime characters to superhero action figures. Rayne was briskly walking towards the booth. He followed her with a wry smile on his face. Her childlike excitement at the sight of plastic figures was amusing and adorable at the same time. In all the times, he had dated women who pushed themselves to be mature and sophisticated to the point of it becoming emotionally draining, so seeing Rayne like this was quite refreshing for him.
"Oh, okay, I'll get the Rei Ayanami one, the entire Shohoku team, and hmm, that Boa Hancock one," Rayne said as she brought out her wallet from her sling bag while holding her eco bag.
Harold sighed and took the eco bag from her hand. When she was about to argue with him, he gave her a look and shook his head nonverbally, telling her not to bother trying to push him away and reject his help. She nodded and paid for her figures.
She tried getting the bag back, but he refused to return it. Eventually, she gave up and used him as a mobile shopping bag. Anything she purchased, Harold would make it a point to get it from her and put it in the eco bag he was holding. She felt uneasy with what she was doing as she was used to shopping alone and carrying heavy things alone. To have someone take something for her had her feeling disoriented at the same time, relieved.
Rayne would try not to abuse Harold's kindness, so she limited her purchases to something light and edible.
Rayne also found Harold's company enjoyable, and she was having fun. It felt different when she was out with someone compared to being alone. She still values her solitude, and going out alone makes completing her errands much faster, but having company would be alright.
It was almost noon when they decided to find a place to eat and rest. They agreed on eating at a recently opened café called James Wright. The café was bright, and while it was not as spacious as other establishments, the place had a wide variety of bread, pastries, and cakes to choose from as well as sandwiches and pasta.
They were seated and went over the menu they were given. Harold peered over the menu he was holding, and he could not help but laugh at how Rayne was so focused on reading the menu. Most of his dates would briefly read the menu and order a salad or something dainty, saying they were on a diet or being health conscious. That was fine with him, but it would not be wrong if they also ordered something hearty.
When the waitress returned later to take their orders, Harold ordered a Sloppy Joe and house blend iced tea. When Rayne started to order, he could not help but gape at her. She was never shy when it came to food; he had seen that as much, but for her to order a full-course meal from Italian garlic soup to macha cheesecake left him astounded. This woman loved to eat.
And that was fine with him; it made him happy.
"You must be that hungry." He said.
Rayne stared at him for a second, then smiled sheepishly. "I guess I am."
"No worries; I like that you're not too self-conscious about eating."
"Meh, food is food, so why feel embarrassed about it? I hate people who order very little food but would complain later about hunger. Besides, my friends and I are heavy eaters."
"They sound like a fun bunch of people."
"They are. It's hard to schedule meet-ups with them since the pandemic began. Christie and Dean live in the city, but she just gave birth to her daughter, and he's busy with his sons and renovating his house. The only time we meet is during work via Messenger.
"Same with Jasper. We may be in the same building, but with our current workload, it's like we are in different dimensions."
"But at least we have each other."
Harold stared at her in shock, and he knew he was blushing furiously. Rayne stared back with a slight frown on her face. He cleared his throat. "That's true, even if you wanted to hurt me when we first met."
Rayne burst into loud peals of laughter. "Hah, I am not that strong, given your build. Screaming at you like a banshee is the only thing I could do. Of all the neighbors I have met, you're the only one I got close to."
"Well, I'm charming once you get to know me."
She rolled her eyes. "Sure you are."
Their food arrived, and their conversation was intermittent as they were eating. Harold was unconsciously looking at Rayne's food, making him wonder if she could eat all of it. He was eyeing the buffalo cauliflower.
Rayne noticed it and offered the plate to him. "You want some? Go ahead."
"But, I-!"
"Don't be shy."
Having no choice, he ate a piece of cauliflower. Without thinking, he offered his plate of sloppy joe. She took two pieces of fries. She then provided her plate of beef Bolognese that he accepted then he gave her a portion of his sandwich. She gave him half her pork meatball Bahn mi and a macha cheesecake.
The exchange of food continued until they finished each other's food. Rayne was now drinking a glass of blue lemonade and was calling the server's attention. Meanwhile, Harold was looking at her closely, his feelings in a jumble because they shared each other's food. He had never done that with any of his dates most of his dates were in a high-end restaurant, which meant he had to behave like some aristocrat.
With Rayne, he could relax and be himself. He was very comfortable around her and knew that whatever he said would not cause offense; if it did, she would call him out. She was willing to share almost anything with him, especially food; taking turns to feed each other felt even more intimate and personal than sex.
As they say, from the frying pan into the fire, there was no turning back.