33 Was This Really Her Reserved And Quiet Old Man?

[A/N: Try to read this chapter while listening to Shiny Star by KyoungSeo :3 The song and lyrics are really suitable for our couple!]

From a distance, the sound of the waves gently rolling to the shore blended with the blowing of the night breeze. Dots of stars twinkled in the dark sky, giving off an ethereal feeling when one was alone with her beloved during a quiet time of the night.

Hisaki and Heisuke entered the intersection that would bring them to the apartment yard. It would take another ten to fifteen minutes of walking before they reached the building. None of them spoke yet, the silence between them was not suffocating.

Squeak! Clang!

"Ah!"

Hisaki unintentionally screamed when something hairy bypassed her right leg. An object fell to the ground, echoing in the still air.

"What... what's that?"

Hisaki widened her eyes. She looked left and right a few times, her heart was still hanging in her throat. Because of the poorly lit area, it was hard for her to spot the assailant that suddenly shocked her.

"...I think it's a mouse. There are quite a few here," answered Heisuke with a cough.

"A mouse?!"

Hisaki shuddered in fright. Goosebumps spread all over her body. She couldn't imagine one would brush past her leg in the dark!

"What... Why couldn't they just sleep like anyone else? Don't disturb people ah. Urgh... I could still feel its furry body."

Hisaki wasn't particularly afraid of any mouse but, because the darkness gave her a disadvantage, she couldn't properly face the little one to counter an attack if needed.

"En, Hisaki?"

Hisaki looked up to her old man. She had just realized that their distance was too close. The shadows concealed his expression but, she thought she saw him pressing his lips and darting his eyes away from her before he stared at her again.

In the next second, she noticed there was a warm yet sturdy sensation coming from both of her hands.

"Ah! Sorry!"

Hisaki immediately jumped a step back. She flailed her arms aimlessly like a chick.

In her panic, she grabbed Heisuke's right hand without her realizing it! No wonder he seemed flustered.

"Cough! It's fine," Heisuke responded mutely.

The softness of her touch still lingered on his rough skin. He also faintly smelled a sweet floral scent coming from her when she stood too close to him earlier. The scent swirled to the tip of his nose, reminding him of a sea of flowers.

Hisaki smiled sheepishly. She clasped her hands together. Even though it was a mistake, she was actually happy to be able to hold her old man's hand.

If not for the darkness, Hisaki was certain her silly old man could see the blush blooming on her cheeks.

"En... If you're afraid, do you want to hold hands?"

Heisuke only realized how stupid the question was after he finished asking it. It was already too late even if he wanted to retrieve his words.

What was wrong with him?

Why did he suddenly suggest that?

Heisuke only had those dreams to blame. They frequently showed both of them strolling in the park while holdings hands. He was unconsciously driven by it.

At the same time, Hisaki was stunned.

Was this really her reserved and quiet old man? She really didn't expect this!

Really, what brought these kinds of changes in him?

But...

"Can I? It's scary..."

Hisaki pretended to be frightened as she swallowed her excitement. She decided to think about the consequences later.

If she answered too late, Heisuke might take back the offer. It would be so regretful!

Heisuke couldn't see her face clearly but, did he sense the anticipation in her voice?

"En... here."

Hisaki's eyes fell on the right hand he stretched out toward her. With a smile, she put her left one in his before he stiffly clasped them together.

The warmth was the same as she remembered. The rubbing of his calloused palm against her soft and smooth one sent trickles of elation to her heart.

Did he feel the same?

While Hisaki was being happy and all smiley, Heisuke was currently battling with his inner self.

As if someone repeatedly used a mallet to hit his heart, it kept pounding erratically, sending a buzzing sound to his mind. He really hoped that she couldn't hear it.

To be honest, Heisuke was shameful to admit that some of his behavior towards her stemmed from what he experienced in those dreams.

Ever since the blurriness of the woman's face gained clarity, showing Hisaki, he had an urge to treat her better despite only knowing her for only more than a month.

This was so crazy but, Heisuke didn't know how to resist it nor did he want to. Everything came naturally to him.

Like... the feeling when they held hands.

As if his reality and dreams overlapped each other, the warmth and softness of her hand were just as he remembered. The only different thing was the fluttering of his heart.

While the 'him' in those dreams was calm and poise, right now, he only felt nervous yet excited.

The two different people walked quietly with different thoughts brimming in their hearts and minds.

"Heisuke, thank you for your help tonight."

Hisaki thanked her old man once they reached the apartment. She regretfully lamented when Heisuke awkwardly took his hand back right after they stepped inside the yard.

"It's nothing... En, enter your apartment first. It's already late."

"En... okay, good night."

"Good night."

Both of them ascended the stairs; Hisaki used the right staircase while Heisuke climbed the left one. As he told her earlier, he waited outside his door, watching her unlocking her own. The corridor lights brightened the dark surrounding of the apartment.

Hisaki opened the door, smiled softly and waved at him before she vanished inside. Heisuke didn't enter his apartment unit until he saw lights coming from her initially dark one. Only after a few minutes did he open his own door.

Heisuke placed his shoes at the entryway. He switched on the light in the living room before he headed to the kitchen. His mother had gone to sleep at the time he went out of the house.

As Heisuke washed his face and hands at the sink, the sensation that came from their holding hands earlier returned. A flicker of shame glinted in his dark eyes.

'Aren't you embarrassed, Heisuke?'

He questioned himself again and again.

Wouldn't it be shameful because he let those dreams influence his consciousness? But, if he didn't follow what sprung from his heart and mind, a really uncomfortable feeling followed.

'Can I keep doing this?'

Heisuke roughly rubbed his own face. He returned to the living room. After changing his clothes to a sleeveless T-shirt and short pants, he switched off the living room light.

In the quietness of the night, Heisuke lay on his futon as he stared out of the window.

If he kept acting like this... as if he was so familiar with her... wouldn't she come to find him weird?

Heisuke closed his eyes. He forced himself to sleep as he couldn't understand himself.

It was really laughable.

At the last moment, before he drifted to sleep, another question crossed his mind.

Was she sleeping already?

Thus, he closed his eyes. Not long after, the sound of his steady and shallow breathing echoed faintly in the dark living room.

The dream enveloped his unconsciousness once again. He wouldn't expect that this new dream would add more embarrassment to him when facing her tomorrow.

Contrary to what Heisuke was expecting, Hisaki had yet to go to sleep as the excitement kept her awake. She was already lying on her futon but, her eyes were widely staring at the ceiling. At certain times, giggles flowed out of her mouth.

"Hehehe~"

Hisaki squirmed on the futon as she couldn't forget what had transpired tonight. She smiled, giggled, tossed and turned at the same time. The blanket had completely wrapped her into sushi.

Could she assume that their relationship had gotten even closer than before?

Hisaki had already forgotten how anxious she was when she first arrived here more than a month ago. She still remembered how she got so worried over the possibility of her old man having feelings for another young lady.

Now, Hisaki was so certain that Heisuke was really single and available. Not only that, he wasn't as cold and stiff as the first few times she interacted with him.

The changes began after the day he saw her crying in the inn's backyard. She was so sure of it!

"Hehe, he calls me by name now. We even held hands."

Hisaki covered her mouth. Her sparkly eyes bent into the crescent moon shapes as she couldn't contain the happiness that overflowed from her heart.

With the changes that be in her favor, Hisaki really hoped she could steal her old man's heart as soon as possible. She wouldn't be too anxious once they really got together in this life.

But, what actually prompted him to have those changes? Even in her previous life, it took Heisuke a long time before he could accept her as a friend at the very least.

Was it because the previous him was hardened by his torturous life experience thus, making it hard for him to open his heart to strangers?

Or, did something happen in this life without her knowing it?