[Kazu's POV]
"Hey, …"
"Hey, … okay?"
"Can you … hear me?.."
She whispered, "I hope he's all right, Dad. Should we call an ambulance?"
"No, honey, I didn't hit him that hard."
"But Dad, he might have a concussion."
"Maybe…wait! He's waking up."
"Hey, are you feeling any pain? Are you in any discomfort?" the man asked me with concern in his voice.
I wondered what happened.
Oy, stop shaking me!
"Yes, yes. I'm fine! Please stop shaking me now."
"So, what do you remember?" the man asked me.
"Remember?" I repeated. What happened again?
"Where am I?" I asked, confused.
"You're at my clinic," he said.
"Clinic? Oh, right! I came here to give you something. Where is it? Huh?" I said, scanning the room, wondering where I had left it.
"That?" he asked. I followed his gaze. I saw a girl holding something.
"Yeah, right! I remember! And I already gave it to her," I exclaimed, as the girl's cheeks turned red. Did I say something wrong?
When I looked at her more closely, I was stunned by her beauty. She had incredibly fair skin that looked smooth.
Huh? Why did this feel familiar??
Before I could ponder further, I heard the clinic owner apologize. What was his name again? Dr. Don?
"I'm sorry I hit you. I didn't know someone could actually faint from a chop on the back of their neck," Dr. Don said. Then he added, "Anyway, it was all a misunderstanding. I thought you had come to rob my clinic."
He told me what had happened, revealing that his daughter, the girl, had fainted. And when I tried to help her, he mistook me for the culprit, so he attacked me.
I stood there, dumbfounded. I didn't know what to say.
All of a sudden, everyone went quiet. It was so awkward that I wouldn't be surprised if an angel walked in. Should I break the silence?
Just as I was about to say some nonsense, someone opened the door.
Could it be an angel? No, of course not!
He said, "Dr. Don, sorry, I'm a bit late." Dr. Don replied, "No, you're right on time. Come, I'll show you where Johny is."
And then it was quiet again.
It was only me and the girl left.
This was awkward.
I sighed.
"Hi, I'm Kazu," I said, extending my hand for a handshake.
"I'm Alex. Nice to meet you," she said. She bowed slightly, hiding her face.
"Yeah. Likewise." Crap, I needed to say something else or it would be awkward again.
"Do you know where the academy is?"
"Academy?" she echoed, looking at me. She was gorgeous. I would be lucky if I could marry someone like her.
"Oh, the school. Yes, I know where it is. I'm a student there, after all," she said.
"Can you show me the way?"
"Sure."
Suddenly, I heard a voice.
"Excuse us…"
Dr. Don and the man came over, carrying a huge aquarium. Was that a snake? Wasn't that heavy? Should I help?
Aw!!!
Something coiled around my arm. A snake? No, it was the girl. What was wrong with her? She looked pale. This girl sure had a lot of expressions.
"Hiiik! Dad, we're leaving!" she yelled. As soon as I heard that, she pulled my arm. Oy! Oy! My arm, my arm!
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[Alex's POV (slightly ahead of the future)]
My mom once told me something, "When you meet someone who is special in an unexpected way, hold on to him and don't let him go; that kind of person who makes you feel comfortable and free is hard to find."
I think I've met him.
I don't know. Just thinking about him makes me feel like I'm losing myself.
I was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions when I first met him. Our encounter was strange, shocking, and unforeseen. But that was not the only reason.
It's because I heard a voice inside me — saying, "It's him."
For that reason, I've decided to go back there. I'm going to save him, no matter what. I'm not going to let you go, even if it means going to the end of the world.
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[Alex's POV]
I ran out of the clinic, dragging Kazu with me. We dashed two blocks, when my stomach growled. How embarrassing! I hadn't eaten lunch yet; I had slept so long that I hadn't noticed.
"We should get something to eat here," Kazu suggested. I felt shy, but my hunger won over. We also had time because the school closed at 6 p.m.
We decided to eat at a family restaurant. He seemed to start the conversation. But I almost choked on what I was eating when he asked me about the item he had delivered to the clinic. He had a vague memory of the moment he gave it to me. But he would remember it soon. I guessed I should come clean now. Besides, he already knew what it was, and I didn't think he minded. He was very mature.
"Yeah, it's mine. Well, it's my mom's. Kinda, borrowed actually," I said. "Someone gave it to you, and I asked him to fix it."
Now that I think about it, where is Jake? He really knows my type. But, asking a stranger is too much.
"Fixed?" Kazu said.
"Yeah," I said, anxious. But he will remember it soon. Ha. Ha. I won't say what it is. My face is getting hot. Calm down, me. Relax.
We chatted about everything; I had never had such a long conversation with a guy before, except for Jake. The feeling that I could say whatever I wanted without being judged was liberating. He even showed me pictures from this morning, which made me laugh.
So that's why he was late!
He came here to teach. How was he a professor at his age?
I guessed this was his first year as a professor. Oh, he was single. He also seemed to be interested in me. This made me blush.
A professor and a student. Fu~ How did I end up fantasizing about such a thing? It was so embarrassing.
I didn't listen much to what he said after that. I was too busy imagining the romance between a professor and his student. If this went on, I was afraid I would drool.
After paying, we left. Oh, he paid for everything we ate. Wait, I ate a lot; wasn't it expensive? Well, he had a job, so I guess it was fine. He paid, so mature.
And that's how my love story began.