How do you know you are in love? Is the fast thumping of your heart, when that persons smiles? Or how the silence is like a song in your ear when both of you are side by side, when no words are needed and that both can understand everything so clearly that no words are needed? But most of all, being in love is feeling alone when that person is not around.
For me, it's all of those and more. But how did I fell in love? Well, here is the story…
"Excuse me, miss, but as I was walking some of my drawings slipped from my hand and because of the wind, ended going in your state." I said with a clear voice with no shame, even if inside I was a little worried that the woman would laugh at my face and make go away.
While the woman turned and whispered to some of her friends, I think, I started to pay attention to the state. Extremely large, with expensive and rare plants and godlike houses, the so respected Sohma state lived to his name. The woman turned again and said I could go look at the state to see if I could find my drawings, but that I couldn't take too long.
With a respectful bow, I started my search trough the mansion's garden, all the time looking at the roof to see if I could see any white piece that contrasted with the lush green and red ruby of both grass and roof. The trees sure got my attention too, but as they were low, I didn't need to swing my head up and down a lot. I resumed my walking after seeing that the area that I was looking was clear. Walking for some more time, I stopped at a little pond with leafs and white pinkish flowers floating. If I had some time, I would draw this later. Looking a little to the side, I saw the pile of white I was looking for. Checking to see if I didn't miss any or if any drawing was still lost, I turned to again look at the pond.
A light wind made some leafs in the pond gently dance, giving me a startle. Putting my drawings in order inside the grey messenger bag I had over my shoulder, I tightened my grip in my grey and black checkered hoodie. It was opened showing my white t shirt with black swirls and leafs draw on. This was my usual outfit for the day, together with some regular washed slightly ripped jeans and some vans or converse. Nothing to Japanese, the place I was living right now due to a scholarship I got from an art school in Japan.
"It seems that the flowers are missing…" I said out loud as I noticed my flowers sketch wasn't anywhere in sight or at my hand.
After putting some more drawings inside my bag and verifying that it was safely closed, I once again let loose of the hold I had in my mind, letting the artist inside of my analyze all the flowers and plants, walking around searching for the best perspective, one that would show the world their beauty under the sun and enclosed by shadows, all of the small and graceful details, making the drawing breath and appear alive even in the whitish paper with its two dimension plane.
My mind was wandering, looking from orchids to bamboos, ponds with leaves floating on top of them, trying to let the scenery sink while searching and aiming for a picture that would make a sight come out of my mouth when such view finally came alive in the paper. I was in such a trance, looking to everything with determinate but sleepy eyes, like they were out of focus, that I didn't noticed that the sketch I was looking for came floating from a widow like tree and felt inside an open window. I would have felt without it if a voice, such delicious voice but at the same time so loud, hadn't had interrupted my scenery gazing.
"Is this yours?" the voice swirled around my, like the wind, bringing those words that should have startled me but didn't. They felt so good inside my air, like I already knew them from long ago not for the first time in my life.
Turning my head to the source of the voice, I saw a boy, if you can call a skinny man with a delicate kimono hanging loosely around his body, embracing it but falling from it, all at once and all to perfect. His face and body were hiding from complete view because of the tree that graced the window and the boy. Was it a dream? Such perfect scenery and my mind was too cloudy to even comprehend what he said. My only thoughts at the moment were that I needed to record this, this sensation and peace somewhere, so in the future I would be sure that once it happened and that once I found true harmony. I didn't said a thing to the boy, I couldn't even remember what his question was, I just opened my bag, took a 2b pencil together with a blank page and, pushing my sleeve of my hoodie a little bit up so I could draw, and began my work. Never in my life I made a drawing so fast, a drawing that when I finished I noticed that it portrayed exactly what I was thinking and seeing. Satisfied, I packed my things and once again raised my head to look at my model.
Raising a hand that was hidden from view, or at least at the point I was looking from, he showed a paper to me and turning it a bit, I noticed that the drawing was mine. I had forgotten why I was even there; the sensation of drawing was still making it impossible to think strait. With a feeling that my cheeks were burning slightly, I made my way to the window sill, directly in front of the boy to grab my drawing back. When it was in my hand reach, he turned the drawing to himself, as in to look for the first time at it. Being able to look at his features more closely, a smile started to pull his lips up, illuminating a face that was extremely handsome and perfect from any perspective to draw. His skin was pale like mine, with a sick look on it, showing he was too sick to go outside and appreciate the godlike garden that decorated the state. His black hair matched perfectly with his eyes, gracing his face with some darkness. His hand that held the drawing made its way to my body, giving me back the paper. Smiling softly, I accepted it and stuffed it in the bag, happy that my journey here was finished, more like happy that I had my sketches back, but feeling down for leaving such beautiful plants behind, together with the mysterious boy. I was turning to leave the place I was standing near the window sill when his fingers rapped themselves around my dark brown hair that sometimes looked black, caressing them while not letting me go.
"Stay" the wind brought once more his song like voice to my ears "show me more."
With a nod, I stepped closer to him, pulling my bag to show him the sketches I made that day. We didn't talk; we just stayed in that position, both of us leaning against the sill, looking at the drawings. Looking at the clouds, the orange pink glow showed the sun starting to go down. It was time for me to leave. If think he noticed that too, for he gave me all the drawings.
"I want to see more of them" was what he said. Was that an invitation to come back? He liked them and for that I would come back again.
A smile made its way to my face; I nodded and made my way to the rock path that crossed the garden. Remembering now, the wind was murmuring something. Akito, that is what it was. His name. Smiling, I could help but to whisper back my name, Raven. If he heard it or not, I wouldn't know until the next time I came.
