The sun was rising as Josh was walking down the streets of Shibuya. His cell phone was heavy in his pocket. His fingers kept wandering towards it subconsciously but he pulled them away. He wanted to call Neku. Just to hear his voice. But he knew he couldn't do that because it wasn't time yet. The plan that he has spent the last week planning and saving up for was about to come to fruition. Josh had pulled some extra shifts at Mr. H's place to help pay for all this. Josh was outside Neku's apartment complex. He took at the phone and quickly dialed Neku's number. It rang and it rang and it went to voicemail. Josh sighed. He tried again. No answer. He called again and on the last possible ring, Neku picked up.
"What?" Neku said.
"is that anyway to greet me Neku?" Josh said.
"What do you want Josh?" Neku said.
"You should come down here." Josh said.
"Why?" Neku said.
"It's a surprise." Josh said.
"You know I don't like surprises." Neku said.
"And wait. Are you outside my house?"
"Yes I am." Josh said.
"Fine I'll be down in a second" Neku said.
Twenty minutes later Neku walked out the front door and spotted Josh leaning impatiently against the street lamp. His foot tapping on the ground.
"What took you so long?" Josh asked.
"Well… I had to do my hair…" Neku said.
"Of course you did, dear"
Neku gave Josh a look.
"What's the surprise?" Neku asked.
"I can't tell you yet. You have to follow me."
"Alright fine" Neku said.
Josh grabbed Neku by the hand and he started running up the street.
"Why are we running, this is a shitty surprise!" Neku said.
"Were running because someone spent twenty minutes on their hair." Josh replied.
They ran up the street. It was a Sunday and early in the morning so thankfully there weren't that many people in the streets. They finally made it to their destination. They made it to Shibuya Station. Josh was hurrying Neku along.
"Why are we in a hurry? There's always another train." Neku said.
"Yes If you're taking an inner city train." Josh said.
"What do you mean by that? Where are we going?"
"We are heading to the country." Josh announced.
"But don't we need tickets for those kinds of trains." Neku said.
Josh pulled two tickets out of his pocket and handed one to Neku.
"Where are we going?" Neku asked.
"And don't say the country." Neku said.
Josh sighed.
"Mr. H is letting us use his summer cottage." Josh said
"Can't you let me have some surprises?" Josh said.
"No" Neku said.
And the two of them got onto the train together. As they walked down the aisle, they both looked down at their tickets trying to decipher where their private car was. They finally found it; it was the second to last one on the right. Josh opened the door, above there was a luggage rack, below there were two comfortable looking benches with a table in between. They both sat on opposite sides.
"So" Josh started, "What do you want to do?"
"I dunno, Josh. We're on a train what is there to do?" Said neku.
"Well" Josh said, rolling up his sleeves.
"I don't know what you're thinking but no" Neku said.
Josh sighed.
"Get your mind out of the gutter Neku. I was going to suggest that we arm wrestle."
Neku burst into laughter.
"Have you been hanging out with Beat!?" Neku said through his laughter.
Joshua had kept a straight face throughout. Neku looked at him.
"You're not serious are you?" Neku asked.
"Of course not." Josua giggled.
"I just wanted to see your face." Josh said.
Neku ignored that color rushing to his cheeks.
"What do you actually want to do?" Neku asked.
"Well honestly."Josh said, "I thought you'd be asleep by now…. I was going to read this book about the decline of the Roman Empire."
"Why did you think I'd be asleep?" Neku asked.
"Well I woke you up pretty early." Josh said.
"So you have nothing planned for this two hour train ride because you thought I'd take a nap?" Neku asked.
"Pretty much" Josh said.
"Oh! I know" Josh exclaimed.
"What?" Neku said.
"Hold on and you'll see." Josh said.
Josh dug into bag and pulled out a sketch book, it was a pretty large sketch book, and handed it to Neku.
"What this?"
"Mr. H told me to give it to you. He said he saw you in the café sketching with a small sketchpad. So he wanted to get you a bigger one."
"T-thanks" Neku said.
He put it down on the table.
"Well aren't you going to draw something?
"Maybe later."
"Do you not like it when other people watch you draw?"
"No! That's not it."
"Well good. But Neku, I hope that I am not just 'other people'" Josh said.
Neku smiled and picked up the sketchbook. He flipped open the first page. And in the corner in was Mr. H's hand writing.
"Neku- Your canvas is only limited by the size of your imagination and your willingness of heart"
Neku shook his head. That would be something he would write. While Josh was clearly absorbed in his book, Neku was searching for some inspiration, something to draw. At first he looked outside as his window. He saw the landscape zoom past him, Trees, rivers and clouds, constantly morphing and blurring into new things. That was a little beyond his level right now. He started to look around the room. The person in the car across from them didn't have their shades down. In the car were two men in black suits, playing cards. They didn't move that much, so they were the perfect candidates.
Neku started sketching away. For the first half hour, he worked on the rough sketch, just working out how their bodies were shaped. After a while he felt good enough to start working on the finer details, really filling out every aspect of them. Making sure that, that eyebrow was arched just the right way. By the end Neku felt like he had a good representation of them. He was about to show it to Josh. When he noticed that he was asleep. His head was leaning back, and the book was over his face to keep the sun off of him. Neku wasn't sure when or how Josh ended up like that. But he spent the next hour sketching him. He finished just before the train pulled into their stop. Neku considered himself lucky, and before he woke Josh up, slipped the sketch into his back pocket.
When they left the train station, the sun ambushed them as they left the air conditioning behind. The heat was heavy and the air was humid. Outside the train station there was a dirt road, it went of endlessly in both directions, stretching on until the surrounding countryside obscured the view.
"Uh Josh." Neku said.
"Yeah Neku" Josh said.
"Do you know where you're going?"
"Of course, Mr. H said to go left and it would be down the road a little"
"That doesn't sound vague at all!" Neku said.
"You get so worked up, it's cute." Josh said,
"No I don't" Neku said.
"Uhuh come on" Josh said.
"Did he mention that it would be uphill?"
"uh…No he did not"
The two of them walked down the dirt path, the sun shining bright above them and the clouds were bouncing against the edges of the sky. They trudged up the hill, hot dirt and rocks falling down after them. They maintained the silence, just for a little while. There were no words; there were only the sounds of sneakers hitting the path and the buzzing heat. Joshua looked over at neku, and their eyes locked and Joshua just smiled.
They made it to the summer cottage; luckily it was just at the top of the hill. They both sighed a sigh of relief when they saw it. From the outside the cottage didn't look old exactly, it looked well used. Everything about the exterior seemed used; from the paint fading, to the worn shutters. But the most defining feature of the cottage was not the cottage, it was the view. The cottage was located on a cliff overlooking a lake. The back porch over looked the lake and there was a small path leading down to a beach.
"That looks beautiful" josh said.
"Yeah doesn't it" Neku said.
"Are you hungry?" Josh asked.
"Yeah I'm pretty hungry. Did you bring food?"
"Nope. Mr H. said that he has the cottage stocked with food."
"Oh good!" Neku said.
"Why don't you go down to the beach."
Joshua gestured toward the path.
" And I'll make the food and bring it down"
"Oh alright."
Neku walked down the path to the beach. When he got there, the sand was white and felt soft underneath his feet. The small lake waves were crashing on the shore. He spotted a very sit able rock underneath a tree. When he sat down he instantly wished he had grabbed his sketch book from Josh's bag. Because the way everything was setup, it was picture perfect. The sun was sliding down the sky and it was half obscured by the fluffiest clouds you've ever seen. The way the light played through the clouds and just reflected of the blue of the lake. It was mesmerizingly beautiful. Neku watched it all change as the sun slowly set into the clouds.
Neku didn't hear Josh come down the path. He simply sat down on the rock next to Neku. In his hand he held two steaming bowls of shio ramen. He handed Neku his.
"Isn't it too hot to be eating ramen?" Neku asked.
"I saw it and just had to make it" Josh said.
"I can understand that." Neku said.
"Can you taste what I did with it?" Josh said with a smile
"What did you put in it this time?" Neku said.
"Well I put in some chicken for you and some carrots and some other things that I'll just let you figure out on your own." Josh said.
They sat there for a while eating their ramen; talking to each other in between bites. By the time they had finished the sun had set. After they finished Josh grabbed the bowls and put them to the side. He scooted over toward Neku. Neku's side pressed completely against his.
"Hey Josh."
"Hey Neku"
"I'd love to stay here, but the bugs are eating me alive. Can we go up to the cottage and put some bug spray on?" Neku said.
"Sure" Josh said.
They both got up, Neku grabbed the bowls and he started up the path, Josh following behind.
As they were climbing Josh noticed the piece of paper in Neku's back pocket. He grabbed it. Neku turned around.
"Hey!" Neku said.
"What's this?" Josh said, unfolding the paper.
"Wait What? Where'd you get that?"
"I pulled it out of your back pocket."
"Oh Neku, this looks really good!" Josh said.
"Thanks" Neku said, his face turning a deep shade of red as he turned away.
"Aren't you embarrassed of the drawing?" Neku said.
"Embarrassed? Why would I be embarrassed its lovely" Josh said.
"Oh" Neku laughed "ok"
"Why'd you laugh? It is!" Josh said.
"I didn't think you'd be more passionate about my art then I am" Neku said.
"I'm just pushing you in the right direction" Josh said.
And with that the conversation was over. They got back to the cottage. Josh put away the dishes and Neku put on bug spray.
"Hey do you mind if we just stay on the porch and enjoy the view, I'm too tired to walk up that path again" Josh said.
"Alright" Neku said.
They sat down on the porch together. Mr. H had deck furniture, and Josh and Neku both decided to sit on the love seat together. Josh slowly inched closer to Neku and rested his head on Neku's shoulder. Josh's hand somehow found its way to Neku's. And Neku's head was slowly falling onto Joshua's. From the porch they could see everything. They could see the stars, and the bright moon up above, all casting their light down onto the peaceful lake down below. They could feel the heat weakening and a small summer evening breeze pick up. And the world was quiet, except for the sounds of their breathing.
"Neku, wouldn't this make a wonderful picture?" Josh asked
There was no response.
"You're asleep aren't you?" Josh said
"I guess it is my fault for waking you up early"
"And it's payback for earlier."
And they slept on that bench that night.