Chapter 7

“Baby you’re beautiful, Every moment I’m awake, Even the moments that I’m dreaming – My Day”

“Hey, you’re back!”

Momo was sitting on the floor near a door that was similar to his.

A mug in her hand.

“May I join you?”

“Of course, please, dozo,” she smiled. “You not sleeping yet?”

“No, I think I’ve got too much sleep already.”

He sat right beside her, both their backs resting on the wall in between their two sliding doors.

“You had dinner? I make you hot tea?”

“I had dinner, with Otosan. Don’t worry about the tea.”

With Momo to talk to, he did not need any tea.

“Dinner with Otosan?” she grinned.

Momo suddenly had a vision of Just Brian sitting at a table with her father, probably smiling uneasily through the ordeal.

Young K looked down at her grinning face.

Hiding some secret cheeky thought, he presumed.

She seemed a little subdued though, not as chirpy as she was in the morning.

She looked tired too, Young K thought worriedly.

“Where have you been all day? It was lonely without you.”

She looked up in surprise at his words and actually blushed, making him think if he was being too forward.

But the words just somehow came out naturally to Young K.

“I went to school.”

“School? You still go to school?”

Well, she does look the age, silly. How come I never thought of that?

“Hait, I am in my koukou year.”

“Koukou?”

“Uhmm…high school. Grade 12.”

“Aaah… I see,” Young K made himself more comfortable by leaning slightly sideways beside her, more to have a better view of her. “So, you are 17?”

She nodded, sipping on her tea.

Momo did not expect he would come out to the balcony, thinking he would still be tired from his earlier misadventure.

She came home at nearly 8pm that night, and after a quick dinner, she took a shower and finished up on some school work.

She was hoping she could catch him when she came home, but saw that his lights were already off.

So, not wanting to disturb him, she went on with her routine and finished up with her favourite nightly pastime of stargazing at the balcony.

Okasan has given him another yukata. Dark blue this time, which really contrasted with his fair skin.

The dark shadow under his eyes that was apparent two days ago were now gone, leaving him looking fresh and extra beautiful.

Beautiful.

Never did she think she would describe a man as that.

But he was.

With his long blond hair falling over his dark brows and his open smile.

A smile made slightly rugged with a hint of a 3-day old stubbles.

He doesn’t even need double eyelids most Asians crave for, she thought randomly, as his pure single lid focals contrasted with his aquiline nose and added character to his face.

Sigh… Momo thought, you are just too used to those red faced westerners that another Asian would look handsome to you.

She started to snigger under her breath.

Focus, focus.

Not at his face, but to what he’s saying, she told herself.

“17? Yes. This is my last school year.”

“Aah..,” he smiled.

Stohhppp…don’t smile like that, I can’t take it.

“School finishes so late in Japan?”

“No…” she grinned. “I go work after that. At the ski centre.”

“Ohh? The place where you found me.”

“Hait. My shift ends at 6pm normally. But today, we had extra things to do, so I come back late.”

At times, Momo’s English seemed flawless, only that she would take some time to choose the right words to use.

“Is it safe? To come back late at night like that?” he frowned, suddenly not liking the idea of Momo walking home from the ski centre at night time.

“It is safe, so far.”

“Ok,” Young K concurred but still looking doubtful. “You’ve had your dinner?”

“Yes, I have.”

“So… what are you doing out here? Is this your room?”

“Yes, this is my room,” Momo pointed to her sliding door. “What am I doing out here?”

“Uhuh,” he nodded, “apart from looking at this glorious scenery.”

So many questions, and they all just flow naturally from him.

“Yume…” she said.

With a slight tinge of wistfulness.

“Yume?”

“Dream? Dreaming?”

He wanted to ask her what she was dreaming of, but something stopped him.

Was it her sad smile?

Momo simply stared out the glass panes of the balcony.

A slight smile on her face.

She hated letting her imaginations run wild.

Dreaming of the impossible.

But if not in dreams, when else could she go where her flights of fancies will take her?