It was almost evening when Rayne and Harold decided to return home. Being the gentleman he was, Harold ensured that Rayne was at the front door of her condo.
"Not a bad haul." He said as he handed her an eco bag.
"Yeah, it's been a while since I went out and bought stuff. Thanks for taking me with you; I had fun." She said.
Why did it sound like they went on a romantic date instead of a shopping spree? Brushing it aside, Rayne opened the door of her place and saw Bubbles approaching them with loud consecutive meows as if the cat was nagging them for being late.
"Here's your mom, safe and sound." Harold extended his index finger to the cat in greeting. The cat sniffed it and let out a long meow that sounded like a scream.
Rayne scowled at the cat. "Sorry, we're late, okay? I will feed you in a bit."
Bubbles turned away from them and strolled back inside with his tail up and swishing. Rayne rolled her eyes at the departing animal and turned to Harold. "Time for me to go; the void demands his tribute."
Harold laughed. "Yes, he needs his offering, or he will transform into an eldritch god. Hey, I'm glad you had fun today. I did too. Maybe we should make this a weekly thing."
"Hmp, are you nuts? We'll end up broke if we do!"
"There are other things to do aside from shopping."
"I suck at chalk art and hate getting my hands dirty."
"So do I. We'll think of something creative. Good night, see you soon." Harold said as he gave her a brief kiss on her cheek.
Rayne stared at his departing figure in disbelief. What the heck was that for?! She thought. First, he bought her a shirt, and now he just kissed her on the cheek. What was up with him? She had friends that would never hesitate to give any form of physical affection, but with Harold, she could not help but think he was hardly being friendly. It was as if he was reaching the finish line in the form of herself.
"MEOW!" Bubbles' loud meow broke through her chaotic thoughts, and she nearly slammed the door close. No, that's not possible. We're neighbors and friends. Nothing will go beyond that.
"Someone is in a good mood," Jasper murmured as he entered the faculty room. He spotted Harold looking at his laptop, but he had a goofy smile. He swung an arm around his friend's shoulders, startling the other man.
"Dude, what the hell?! You're too old to goof around like some high school kid." Harold punched his arm.
"What were the chances that you never went beyond that abstract since you opened that article?"
Harold sighed. "You got me."
"So, what's up?"
"Rayne and I went out a few days ago at Session."
"Oho, progress!"
"You sound like I never made a move at all."
"You think? If I didn't push you in the right direction, you would remain to stare at her from afar like some dragon guarding a cave full of gold."
"And you're obsessed with dragons. Yeah, yeah, I finally took that step."
"So, how did it go?"
Harold shrugged. Jasper narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't act so nonchalant."
"Okay, it went well. I gave her a shirt."
"A shirt. You bought her a freaking shirt."
"It was a cat version of Cthulhu."
"What."
"She loved it."
"Of course, she would because she's not your typical woman. Oh yeah, I forgot; Rayne and I ended up in the same guild."
It was now Harold's turn to glare at Jasper. "Guild?"
"You know, a community of gamers who help each other in dungeons, raids, and leveling," Jasper said dryly.
Harold knew that his best friend was an avid gamer and that he played to relax. Rayne, as a gamer, on the other hand, was something he just knew recently. Maybe because he saw her as a hermit with a cat with no interest in anything outside her job, he remembered how she mentioned months ago how she occasionally plays games, resulting in Jasper monopolizing her.
"I know what a guild is. What I had no idea was the fact you two met online."
"It was by chance; she was struggling with a horde of zombies, so I helped her. We teamed up, and it turns out she was relatively new to the game I was playing, and I invited her to the guild I'm in. It's weird to meet her online when I first met her in person." Jasper was saying. "She's good in the game, quite the fast learned though she tends to engage in friendly fire. I lost track of how many times she accidentally shot me."
Harold burst into laughter. "That's a first."
"Ugh, she's one bloodthirsty woman. Tracy wouldn't shoot me by accident."
"That's because she is terrified of anything that has undead in it."
"Yet she plays as one in Dark Souls. That woman is such a masochist."
"Excuse me, a cursed undead is different from a zombie." A third voice butted in.
Both men looked up and saw Tracy staring down at them with one eyebrow raised.
"Hey," both men greeted her in unison.
Tracy leaned against the edge of Harold's table. "Sooo, what's this? I hear about you and Rayne being out on a date?"
Harold ran a hand through his hair. "It's not a date. We just went out at Session to shop and did some sightseeing."
"Well, it's a start." Tracy shrugged with one shoulder. "What's next?"
"That's a secret," Harold said, giving her a sly smile. She rolled her eyes.
Much later in the afternoon, Harold was resting on a couch in his living room, browsing on his phone. He was reviewing various restaurants in the city and looking at which to book a reservation. Harold wanted a place with a cozy and relaxing ambiance, intimacy, and privacy. He found one and was surprised it was still open despite a fire partially burning the business and the current pandemic.
Harold called the restaurant and was surprised that he did not have to make a reservation, and as long as the protocols were followed, there would be no problems dining in their restaurant. After the call, he was staring at the open balcony feeling contented.