Rom's Love Story:

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

"Um… It's me" she said to the to the patient beyond the door.

"…" but she gets no response. Maybe he's out again? Maybe, this time, he's in the lounge.

"…Mhm" and just as she thought of that a response came.

She reaches for the doorknob, twists it and pushes the door open. The girl steps into the room, a familiar breeze brushes along her cheeks. She found the boy sitting on his bed, his blue hair swaying with the wind of the open window. The curtains dance along as well, as though it had been waiting for her arrival and is now overjoyed.

"…" the boy is not looking out through the window but is instead looking at her. As though he was expecting her, he still has his usual bored expression on his face.

"…Um…" for a moment the girl lost her words when his stare meets hers. Somehow… there is something different today. Rom shakes her head, trying not to think of such thoughts.

"…Um… I'm here to …read books again..." she said, unexpected nervousness swells up from inside her. It must be because of his stare.

"…Mhm" hearing that, the boy looks away from her and stares out through the window. Showing the same pose and look that he always shows to her.

Rom quietly heads to the bedside and pulls a chair. Sitting, she puts down the metal canister and she takes a peek in her bag. There are several books that are neatly tucked in till there is no space left, which are the main culprits as to why her bag is a tad heavy and bulky. Although it is probably her fault for too many books.

Without actually thinking, she pulls one book out of her bag and notices immediately what 'book', quickly stuffing it down.

"…?" the boy notices the rummaging noise she made, and she quickly shakes her head saying that it's nothing.

'It's really embarrassing…' she thought as she picks another book from her bag.

"…What kind of story are you going to read me?" he asked, returning his gaze somewhere else.

"…Um… it's about a tree… and a boy…" she answered, almost biting her tongue.

"…I see…" he said. Rom opens her the book.

"…I'm going to start reading now…"

"Mhm…"

And so, the girl began to speak. She reads the words of her storybook inside the empty room. The boy is quiet, listening attentively to her. The wind flies in, brushing their hair and faces, keeping them cool from the sun rays.

Rom's voice, gentle and unrushed, continues to fill the room with a constant stream of words. The boy's mind flies away from him, as though he was being slowly drowned. It is not a bad feeling, a numbness that he hasn't felt, but it was a something that he had forgotten or maybe something that he never had.

Time moves still for the both of them. As though they have been drifted off into a separate world. To the world where they are not grounded. A world where a girl is reading a book to a boy that she doesn't know, a world where the boy listens to a story from a girl that he doesn't know. A world that was made from an unexpected meeting that made something significant happen. A world where it is nothing but the two of them in it.


"The End…" Rom closes the book.

It's already lunch time when she finishes her third book. And throughout that time, the boy hasn't reacted to anything. It's not as though he's bored, at least that's what she feels. It looks like he is listening intently and at the same time not. Maybe something is bothering him, she thought. She wants to ask but decided against it. She takes her bag…

"…Are you going home already?" the boy asked.

"…Mm hm. I was… wondering if I could eat lunch here"

"…So you brought your own lunch…"

"…Um, do you want to…"

"…The hospital gives me lunch…"

"I see…" she said slightly saddened.

Rom takes the canister; it's still a little bit hot despite the time. She takes her handkerchief from her pocket spreads it on her lap and places the canister on her afterward. She pries open the lock, freeing it from its confines. Rom takes apart the canister, divider by divider.

"Hmm…!" she couldn't help but feel as though there are butterflies in her stomach.

From what it looks, there seems to be a variety of meat here. And as though all of them have been cooked differently. One seems like they were grilled, another seems like they were cooked on a pan, another seems like they were put in an oven and others that she doesn't know how it was cooked.

The next divider contents are white. White as paper, with steam coming out of it as though it was just freshly made. The dividers are small, but from the looks of things, it seems that the rice was forcefully stuffed inside.

The 3rd divider once it was separated from the bottom of the previous, it seems there's a lid on it. Thinking that it might be something that would spill, she sets it on top of the table and then opens up the lid.

"…!" a waffling smell fills her lungs once more. It's the smell of beef, in a form of soup. The light brown color and the smell almost makes her mouth water.

"…I think mister overdid it a little…" she mumbled. Although she was grateful for him.

*Knock!* *Knock!*

"…Ah, I wasn't expecting a visitor to be here…" a man in a white coat enters the room.

"…Ah, good afternoon" Rom greets the man.

"Good afternoon to you too. Are you about to have lunch?" the doctor said, picking up a foldable chair and sitting beside Rom's chair.

"…Mhm…"

"I see… Aren't you glad that your friend is visiting you?" he's voice is redirected to the boy.

"…"

"…*Sigh* Still as quiet as ever. Was he always like this?"

"…I… I don't know…" she answers quietly.

"…Hrmmm… Well, I'll leave it at that. Sorry, can you step out for a minute, I need to tell him about something. It'll be quick" the doctor asked giving her a soft smile.

"…Okay…" responding to that request, Rom walks away towards the doorway. Giving one last look before she leaves, she gives one last look at the boy who is staring at the sheets.

"…*Sigh*…" she sighed.


"…Ah…"

"…Oh..." once the doctor had stepped out of the room. He noticed the girl beside the doorway.

"Little miss, can I ask to do something as his friend"

"…Eh…But I'm not his…"

"...Hrm? You're not his friend…?"

The doctor asked, honestly, Rom doesn't know what kind of relationship she has with the boy. All she knows is that she can't leave him alone. And maybe that thought just spurred when she first talked to him, and the fact that she's on community service at the time. Now? She's not so sure anymore. But…

"…Somehow, it kinda hurts if I said I wasn't…" it's small but it's definitely there; a small pain in her chest.

"Hrmm..?"

"Ah… I'm her friend. So I…"

"I see. Well, just take care of him alright?" the doctor again asked her.

"Ah… Mhm!" she nods enthusiastically.

"Good. He's lucky to have such a cute friend with him. I've got to go then" the doctor said, leaving her with a wave as he walks away.

Rom went back inside; the boy is still looking blankly. An expression that she has seen many times already, but somehow different. The portions of the canister are still on the bedside table, heat still coming out of it. Rom takes the portion that is full of rice and with her spoon scoops some meat from the portion that is full of it. Then she takes a seat on her chair…

"…" she didn't start eating immediately. She looks at the boy, but he showed no sign of anything. She feels bad for going to eat first.

"…You're not going to eat…?" he asked, noticing the silence.

"…Mhm…" Rom said, scooping up a meat and rice.

The day moves on…