"I want to be your partner," she said.
I'm pretty sure I heard her correctly, but I have no clue what that means.
"What do you mean?" I asked,in apparent confusion.
"Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have said it like that. Aahh, hold on, did I really say that? That's embarrassing, God, how dumb…" she shouted, covering her face with both arms. I laughed.
"There you are, laughing at me again. Am I that funny?" she said, looking annoyed.
"I mean, you are," I replied.
"Ah, whatever. So, what I meant is your drawings are actually beautiful, especially the backgrounds and the way you drew the main character. I like the way you draw hair too, but it's like the other characters lack life if you know what I mean. My offer is to work with you on this: you can do the writing part, along with drawing the backgrounds, and I'll draw the characters for you."
"Yes, I get what you mean. It's actually impressive that you noticed all these details."
"You think so? I used to draw a lot. I have a lot of fashion and beauty magazines at home, so I drew all the models in them. I'm pretty familiar with drawing clothes, people, facial expressions, and things of the sort ."
"So, would you accept my request?" she asked.
I shouldn't rush to any conclusion without thinking this through. I need time to make such a decision. Should I tell her that I'll think about it? Or maybe working together would actually be better? I don't know what's the best thing to do right now.
"Sato-kun, you're there?" she waved.
Just think logically, think logically.
"What's taking you so long?"
"Yes." Ah, that wasn't logical at all.
"For real? I'm really excited about this, uhm, thanks!" she said with a bright smile, the brightest I've ever seen.
"Oh, you smiled! You have a beautiful smile. You should smile more often, you know," she said.
"Maybe you're right," I replied.
I'm glad I came here today. I wonder what would have happened if I stayed at home.
"Do you mind if I ask about something?" she inquired.
"What is it?"
"What makes you do what you do? I mean, writing and drawing. Were you always interested in it?" she asked, with a somewhat sad tone.
This girl, could it be that she's looking for something to hold onto like I was?
"I used to draw a lot since I was a kid, but I sorta gave up on it for a while and only started again this morning. And for writing, I discovered that I wanted to do it a few days ago. Before that, I spent each day waiting for the night time so I could sleep and forget about things for a while—a pathetic lifestyle," I said.
"Heh, that's pretty sad. But I saw you studying hard that day, and I think you've been doing it for quite some time. Wasn't that something that drove you?"
"I guess you can say that. But you're a student too, you know that not everyone who studies actually cares about it."
"You got a point," she replied before continuing.
"For me, I feel like going to college and getting a job somewhere afterward isn't the best way for me to live. I do want to do something worthwhile, but at the same time, I'm kinda scared. Thinking about the future is bothersome, yet standing still is worse."
"Yes, things get complicated once we realize that the far future is actually not that far. It is really a bothersome truth," I said.
"Right. Sato-kun, do you want to pursue an artist's career? Or is it just a hobby?"
"Right now, I'm nowhere near decent. Thinking about becoming a writer or an artist sounds like a pipe dream. But I don't find getting a normal job fulfilling either, so I'm trying to get better in order to make that dream a reality one day," I replied.
"What is the thing that you want to do?" I asked her.
That question was followed by an awkward silence. A few seconds afterward, she looked at me with the same "getting prepared to answer something serious" expression.
---
I didn't expect to see Sato-kun at all, but I'm happy to be here with him, and I'm enjoying this so far. Moreover, it seems that the little girl inside me that's been searching for something exciting, an "adventure" of some kind, is pretty satisfied.
"What is the thing that you want to do?" he asked.
I knew what I wanted, but I didn't know how to put it in words.
What I desire from the bottom of my heart is pursuing something really exciting, something adventurous for the rest of my life. For some people, it might be travelling the world, diving with sharks, jumping off planes, climbing mountains. But for me, it might just be creating stories through art and words with a friend from high school whom I just got to know a few days ago.
"I don't know exactly how to describe what I want in words, but I was bothered by this topic for longer than I can remember until I saw you studying that day alone at school after everyone else left, if that makes sense."
"It's like I can find the answers I wanted when I observe you doing whatever you do, and being able to work with you on such a project might give me the answers I need," I replied.
"I see," he said.
"Uhm, don't get me wrong. It's not like I'll join you just for my own selfish needs. I'm really glad to be part of what you're working on, and I'm ready to do my best," I said nervously.
"Don't worry, I get it, and I don't think you're the type to use someone or to not commit to what you started. At least, that's what I think," he said, which made me smile.
"Ah, anyway, that was a good conversation. I really enjoyed it, but I must go," he said.
"Can I get your number or a way to contact you now that we're coworkers? So we don't have to meet every time we need to discuss something. You know, I don't think it'll be convenient for either of us to meet to talk about every detail," he added.
"Yeah, definitely."