The evening air was crisp and cool, filled with the rich scent of fallen leaves and the faint sweetness of cherry blossoms that lingered from the spring.
I wandered into the park, my sanctuary after a grueling day at work, seeking solace in the pages of my favorite novel.
I took some deep breaths to feel the fresh air coming inside in my lungs.
"What a pleasant feeling…" i said to myself while savoring the air.
The park was a mosaic of autumn hues—golden, amber, and crimson leaves creating a carpet under the tall cherry trees.
As the sun began its descent, casting long, soft shadows, I found a quiet bench and settled in, letting the tranquility wash over me.
I had just lost myself in the words on the page when I saw her.
She stood beneath a cherry tree, seemingly untouched by the passage of time.
Her long, ebony hair danced lightly in the evening breeze, and her dark eyes, full of mystery and depth, stared into the distance.
It was as if she had stepped out of a dream, an ethereal presence that immediately captured my attention.
She was so beautiful, so perfect… so majestic to be unreal.
"I think I've seen her before…" i thought.
The girl was standing there, doing nothing.
It seemed like she was contemplating the place.
The only sight of her was enough to make my heart race.
"I have to know her…" i said, while clenching my fists.
I felt attached to this girl, like she had a magnet on her that was attracting me.
Drawn by an inexplicable force, I got up and approached her.
Or, at least, i tried.
It was the first time for me to do something like this, I've always been the shy type of person.
Each step seemed to echo louder in the stillness, the crunch of leaves underfoot a reminder of the real world I was momentarily leaving behind.
As I neared, I noticed a book lying at her feet, seemingly forgotten in her reverie.
That was the perfect chance to introduce myself to her.
"Excuse me," I said softly, bending to pick up the book. "You dropped this."
She turned towards me, and the world seemed to fade away.
Her smile was like the first ray of sunshine after a storm, warming me from the inside out.
"Oh, thank you," she said, her voice a melodic whisper that sent a shiver down my spine. "My name is Hina."
"Kai," I replied, struggling to keep my composure as my heart raced. "It's nice to meet you."
She introduced herself for first, without any particular reason.
I was surprised since i was not expecting that, especially from a beautiful girl like her.
Then, i gave the book to her and my eyes fell on the title of it.
"The tale of a vampire slayer" that was the title of the book.
I've already read this.
It is a famous novel which narrates the love story between Alex , the strongest slayer, and Maria, the queen of all vampires.
Hina gently took the book from my hands and smiled warmly at me.
Her expression was full of gratitude.
"You know… I've read this book too. It's beautiful." I said with a slightly embarrassed tone and a friendly smile.
Hina was surprised about what i said.
She probably didn't expect for someone she just met to have read the exact same book as her.
"For real!? That's amazing!!" She said in an enthusiastic. Maybe too much.
We stood there for a moment, the world around us a blur as we spoke about our favorite books.
I was amazed at how easily the conversation flowed, like two old friends catching up after a long time apart.
We kept speaking about the books and lots of other things like family, school etc.
She also asked a lot of questions about my friends, like it was the thing she wanted to know the most.
She had an air of serenity and grace that put me at ease, yet there was a flicker of something deeper in her eyes that intrigued me.
"Shall we go for a walk?" Hina asked with a slight blush on her face while playing with her hair a little.
I nodded at her.
"Yes, why not. I've got nothing to do now. I'm free." I said.
Hina's eyes started to sparkle like stars in the sky.
"Then, let's go!" She replied.
After that, we started to walk together.
A strange feeling of warmth was invading my heart.
It was really pleasant…
I didn't feel something like this since a long time…
The only thing I didn't understand was how I felt so at ease with someone i just met.
It seemed like i knew this girl since forever.
We kept walking and talking about various things, but stil, Hina kept asking lots of things about my friends.
She asked for their age, who they were, how many friends i had… a lot of things.
I thought it was normal for someone to ask these kind of things.
After some hours, we went back to the park we met.
As the sunset bathed the park in a golden glow, we moved to a nearby bench.
Hina's laughter was like music, filling the air with a joy I hadn't realized I was missing.
Each time she laughed, I felt a warmth spread through me, and I found myself hoping the evening would never end.
"It's been a wonderful evening," Hina said, her eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. "I hope to see you again soon, Kai."
"Yeah, me too," I said, feeling a surge of happiness and excitement. "Can I have your number?"
She nodded, handing me a piece of paper with her number on it, her smile lighting up the growing twilight.
Then, Hina smiled to me and said with a warm smile on her face:
"Thank you again, Kai-Kun. I've had a lot of fun today. I hope to see you soon!"
Then she gently bowed her head in a sign of gratitude, before turning back and going away.
She took a taxi to go home and , before entering the car, she gently waved at me with a warm smile.
I waved back at her, before seeing her figure going away in the taxi.
As we parted ways, a sense of longing settled over me, a feeling that a part of me had stayed with her.
Then, with a sigh, i finally decided to go home , my safe place.
Sadly, i live alone since my parents are working in another country.
I'm only here for studies.
"Maybe i won't be alone anymore" I said to myself with a little sense of hope in my words.
"Ah, wait…!" I gently gasped.
Before walking home, I decided to save Hina's contact in my phone and then i just sent a message to her.
"Hey, Hina! It's me, Kai! This is my number!!" That was the message.
It didn't even take an instant to have a reply.
"Hello, Kai! Thank you for contacting me. Just send a message when you arrived home, okay?😘" she texted.
"Wow… so fast…" I said to myself, surprised.
The thing that she immediately replied to me actually made my lips curve into a small smile.
"Yes..!" I said to myself in a victorious tone.
After that, I sent another message to Hina and I started to walk home.
Luckily, i lived very near to the park, so i always came here with my steps.
While walking home, with the city lights flickering on one by one, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.
Meeting Hina felt like the beginning of something magical, a chance encounter that could change everything.
The memory of her eyes, her laughter, her presence stayed with me, a constant companion as I made my way through the familiar streets.
"And i just met her…! How is that even possible ?!" I kept asking to myself.
"Maybe destiny is finally answering all my prayers?" I said.
Saying that i was only happy was reductive.
I was overjoyed.
For the first time in my life, i spoke with a beautiful girl and she even gave me her number.
Maybe i was too much overjoyed.
I kept feeling butterflies in my stomach the whole time of my walking home.
As soon as I arrived, i opened the door and went inside.
I took off my choices and i headed directly into the shower.
As soon as i took my first step into my house, i heard my phone ringing.
"What…?" I said.
I took the phone and saw a message from Hina.
"Are you safe at home , Kai-Kun?" The message said.
Then, i gently slapped my face.
"Ah, damn. I forgot to send her a message."
Then, i replied to her by saying that i was safe.
Not even the time to send the message that she replied immediately.
"Oh… thank goodness… what are you doing now?"
Hina was actually worried about me… i felt "happy" for some reason.
"Well, I'm about to take a shower…" i texted back.
"Oh! Okay. Send me a message when you're done." She texted back.
"Okay! See you in 10 minutes." I replied, while removing my clothes and going directly into the shower.
Then, i finally took some time relaxing into my sanctuary of time and spirit.
The shower was my favorite part of the day.
All the hot water flowing and touching my skin felt truly refreshing and relaxing.
Each drop of water gently caressing my skin…
I literally lose track of time while i take my shower.
While i was lost in my thoughts, thinking about my things and about today, i heard my phone ringing again , more than one time.
"Uh..?" I mumbled.
Then, while closing the water and getting out, I heard the phone ringing again.
"What the…" i said.
I rapidly put a towel around my waist and checked the phone.
I saw four messages from Hina.
"Oh… it's Hina." I mumbled in surprise.
I checked the time and noticed that i actually spent 30 minutes into the shower.
"Ah…" i said while slapping my face again.
I opened Hina's chat and saw her messages.
"Hey, are you done, Kai-Kun?"
"Mmh… i think that 10 minutes actually passed.."
"Are you here, Kai-Kun? It's been 20 minutes"
"Uhm… should i be worried?"
These were the messages.
I was happy that someone was worried about me so i replied back to her, with my hair still wet.
"I just got out, i get way too relaxed while i am in my shower… now im gonna dry my hair." I texted back.
Not even the time to put the phone back that Hina replied.
"Oh, okay! I'll wait here." She texted.
This time , I didn't reply, instead I went straight to dry my hair.
I was done in 10 minutes, and then i put my pajama on.
After that I texted to Hina.
"I'm here! I'm done with my stuff now." I said.
After 0,7 seconds, Hina replied.
"Oh, okay ! I think I'm going to sleep now. Thank you for today!! Goodnight, Kai-Kun! See you tomorrow!!" She texted.
The message was followed by a selfie pic of her in her pajama suit.
She was so cute and adorable.
I felt my heart flutter.
"Goodnight, Hina!! See you tomorrow!!" I replied.
This time, no reply from Hina.
She really went to sleep.
That night, as I lay in bed, thoughts of Hina filled my mind.
I replayed our conversation, her smile, the way she made me feel like the most important person in the world.
I imagined the future, filled with moments of joy and discovery, and I fell asleep with a sense of hope I hadn't felt in years.
Yet, somewhere deep within my subconscious, a faint whisper of unease lingered.
A warning, perhaps, that beneath the surface of this enchanting encounter lay shadows I could not yet see.
But for now, all I could think about was Hina and the possibilities that tomorrow might bring.
The funniest thing was that i just met this girl…