Asta.
I was not mistaken.
She looked more beautiful. Her hair got longer. She dyed it. It looks good on her .
But something seems different about her.
I decided to approach her.
She looked pleasantly surprised seeing me and she excitedly asked about me.
Unlike before, I'm more talkative now.
I told her where I'm living.
I told her all the books I read.
I told her all my new hobbies.
Until I noticed that although she's smiling, she looked.. sad.
I stopped and asked her what's wrong.
She smiled sadly and told me that she can't stay too long to chat since she had to go somewhere.
But she'll be here daily at my workplace. She told me she wanted to hear more about my stories and whenever I have time, to meet her here during this time since she'll be here.
....
I met her up the following day after our reunion.
I invited her to the cafe and told her to order whatever she wanted. She smiled and told me that she doesn't eat much unlike before.
She would like some ginger tea instead.
She told me to resume my stories. Before, I used to listen to her talk a lot.
So I talked a lot this time to make up for the lost time.
I told her all about my work, on how I finally fulfilled one of my dreams. She smiled and told me that she was so proud of me.
I talked, she listened.
I told her about the places I travelled,
The friends I've met along the way ,
The groups I belonged to,
The lessons I learned along the way.
Then I noticed her getting sleepy and apologized for talking too much . She laughed and told me that although she enjoyed hearing me talk, she needs to rest for awhile.
We agreed to meet the next day.
....
We didn't meet.
I was too busy with surgery that by the time I've finished, it was almost midnight.
I forgot to asked her cellphone number .
....
She was wearing a hoodie this time. She looked pale, but otherwise, seemed cheerful when she saw me.
We went to the park this time and I bought some books which I know she would love.
Her eyes lightened up and she thanked me. She haven't had a new book for a long time and she was longing for something new to read.
We sat there for a long time while she's browsing the books.
I told her about the countries I've visited and invited her to come with me the next time she's available. She excitedly told me about the countries she wanted to visit, as well as what she was planning to buy and eat.
But I didn't recall her accepting the invitation.
I told her that I became a member at the local astronomy club and invited her to the planetarium where there was an event. She accepted my invitation this time and we agreed to meet up on the event day.
While I was excited to talk to her, I forgot to ask her where she was staying.