Rom's Love Story:

"…"

On the table, the girl sleeps soundly. An open bag full of books peeking out beside her. Her breathing is as gentle as an infant's. The space around her forms an impression of the sacred garden of Eden, undisturbed and sacred. The boy hesitates for a while before stepping closer to her.

The lounge was empty of people and with the lounge's air conditioning, the sun's rays warms up the room to a very comfortable degree. It was already the afternoon when he got back from the city's gate. No one actually noticed that he was gone for a few hours. Though he wasn't all that surprised of the lack of attention that he got from the staff, he is however quite surprised by the little girl's appearance right in front of her.

"..." the boy sits on the chair opposite of her as quietly as he could.

Slowly, he pulls the bag towards him, which is a tad heavy than it looks, and takes a peek at the contents inside. There so many books here that it's a wonder how it all fits inside. He grabs hold of one book and pulls it out discreetly. Pulling the book out, he puts the bag down on the floor, opens the book and reads the first paragraph.

"Every day after school…" he started reading it out aloud. To the little girl that is sleeping right in front of him.


"…?"

"...Hannah closed her eyes and took a deep breath" the boy finishes the story and closed the book.

And upon closing his book, he found a pair of blue eyes staring straight at him. They look as though they still in a daze, obviously because the girl in front of her had just woken up from her slumber. She blinks once and twice, her eyes adjusting its focus.

"…Eh?"

"…" the boy doesn't say anything, instead just looks at her.

"…Eh, Ah, Um…!" the girl gets flustered and sits erect, realizing that the boy is in front of her.

"…Mhm" the nods, as though he understands what the girl is trying to say. He places the book that he was reading back in the backpack. Then he pushed the bag to her side of the table and watches the city with the same pose as he did.

"…" the girl watched the series of actions that he did.

"…Was it boring?"

"…Not really" he answered.

"...I see" she replied, seemingly disheartened that he feels that way. Rom takes her bag and looks at its contents, confirming that all of her books are in here

"…!" and then she noticed something. Her books aren't arranged in the order that she remembered. And it's not as simple as just one book being placed anywhere. All of them are not in the order that she remembered.

The girl looks at the boy now. His face is still bored and detached. The same pose, the same stare towards the city. Did the boy read through all these books while she was asleep? But she did wake up to see him putting a book into her bag. And his answer to her question, was it an answer directed because he waited for her wake up. Or was it an answer directed to what he read?

"…" but either way, it makes her chest warm and makes her smile. What is this feeling? Even though she didn't do what she set out to do, it feels satisfying nonetheless.

"N-Next time for sure…"

"…"

"I'll read you a picture book…"

"…"

"..."

"…Mhm"

"Mhm!"

It was a genuine promise. Rom's chest is filled to fulfill that promise. It was feeling that is warm and familiar. Her heart swinging across like a pendulum between bliss and fulfilment. What is this feeling, she wondered. This feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment? The feeling of wanting to do something not for oneself. What was it called again?


"…I'm home" Rom announced when she stepped into the living/dining/study room.

"Welcome back, Rom. You're just in time for lunch" he sees the passerby peeking his head out from the kitchen.

"Um, where is everyone?"

"They went to do some errands. They're on their way home right about now" he answered as his head disappears into the kitchen.

"Ah…"

"Wash your hands and set up the table, I'm almost done here" he said.

"Mhm" Rom puts down her bag on the sofa and heads towards the sink in the kitchen to wash her hands.

"Did you have fun?"

"Mhm!" an instant reply.

"I see. That's good to know"


"Next time, huh…" the boy repeats the girl's words. It felt as though it was really important, that promise about reading to him some books. A simple, childish promise. But felt as though it was a significant one nonetheless.

"…!"

A sudden shock like an explosion from a volcano erupted. Something hurts, something hurts, but he doesn't know what's hurting. What matters is that it something immensely painful is hurting him, making him curl up like an infant on the bed. The suddenness practically made him blind.

"Kh…!"

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. And the pain doesn't seem to want to stop anytime soon. Holds his chest as though trying to stop it from making it anymore painful.

"…!"

But the pain's response is to make it even more painful for him. He opens his mouth, but to his ears he can't hear anything. He can't hear anything and he can't see anything. All of his senses are all concentrated on what his chest feels.

"Tch…!"

He rolls on all fours, his eyes trying to concentrate on the switch on the bedside. He's brain commands his body to crawl, but his body openly objected to that idea leaving stunned and paralyzed. He grits his teeth hard, so hard that his gums have started to bleed.

With one arm, he slowly pulls himself towards the switch. His chest pain pushing him back each time he does so. He's eyes are tearing up; his ears hear nothing but a single high note like those of a flat line on the ECG monitor. He can't feel anything, nor can he feel him gripping the sheets and him pulling himself towards his goal. He can't breathe properly, as though he's holding his breath underwater.

"…!" almost there, he said to himself. Almost there…!

*SQZZ!*

It was then that the world came spinning unexpectedly.

*THUD!*