= Sarah POV =
After washing up and leaving the dishes to dry on the kitchen rack in the dorm kitchen, Chris and I took a walk down to the pond. It was a lovely sight late at night. There were fireflies dancing on the surface of the pond, and the light lit up the apple trees and the hydrangeas that framed the pond in a heavenly manner.
"Beautiful, right?" Chris said, her hands behind her back as we walked.
"Yeah, it is amazing that you suggested this place. The air here smells fresh and crisp, and this place looks amazing," I said, twirling around along the garden path.
"So, you mentioned earlier that you were looking forward to your college romance. What sort of person are you looking to have a college romance with?" Chris asked, her tone quiet and measured.
"Oh, you know, the regular Mr Tall-Dark-And-Handsome. My mom keeps telling me that doctors are pretty good, but I'd rather have someone in the arts like me! Maybe a fellow artist or a musician," I beamed, clasping my hands together.
"Oh, so someone who works with their hands, is it?" Chris asked quietly, her eyes firmly rooted to the ground.
"Yeah! Oh, in fact," I said and wrapped my hands around her forearm. "If you know any cute guys in your class who are single, do send some my way. I think having a partner who can cook would be ideal!" I giggled.
Chris stopped suddenly and looked at me. Although the path was well-lit, it was still a bit hard to read her expression.
"Ah, sorry, am I being too clingy?" I asked and stepped back.
"Oh no, I mean… I'm not very familiar with Japanese culture. I used to live abroad, so…do you often hold hands and link arms as friends?" Chris asked.
"I don't know about here in the city, but where I'm from, we do it all the time!" I said and linked arms with her. " Like this! I do this all the time with my girlfriends back in Hokkaido," I beamed.
Chris nodded; however, instead of linking her arm up as I did, she pulled me closer to her and linked our fingers together so that we were holding hands instead.
"So this is ok?" She asked curiously.
"Oh! Of course," I said and gave her hand a little squeeze, though, for some reason, my heart skipped a beat to be skin-to-skin with her.
We stood in silence for a little bit, and then I started walking forward again, trying to quell the sudden rush of emotions I was feeling over something as simple as holding hands.
"So you'd like to date someone who is tall, dark? What do you mean by dark?" Chris asked thoughtfully.
"Oh, like, you know, mysterious, cool, you know? The kind that makes me feel like I'm the only one in the world for them," I tried to explain.
"Ok, so tall, mysterious, good-looking, and can cook. Why don't you date me then?" Chris asked cheerfully, stopping again and pulling me to her side. This close, she clearly loomed over me as she held me close, looking down at my face.
I looked up at her and smiled. "No way, you're my friend; I wouldn't do that to you. Besides, you don't know anything about me; why would you wanna date a little tardy artist like me?" I laughed.
Chris nodded. "True, true; well, I guess if I come across any guys who fit your description, I'll be sure to pass them over to you," She said and started us down the path again, however, she pulled my hand behind her back so that I was forced to walk right next to her, barely any space between us.
"However, there are very few mysterious guys in the culinary arts; it's so obvious what they want: food!" Chris grinned, " You're better off with your mom's recommendation, doctors are always mysterious and elusive since they work so hard."
"Ah, but doctors are always so busy; I feel like I'll only see him for our wedding and then maybe during one of the holiday periods, which they may or may not take time off for," I sighed.
"But that means you'll have so much time to work on your art," Chris explained, and as the path looped back to the dorm, she pulled me up the stairs, gently guiding me along behind her as the steps were a little steep.
"Yeah, but I'd be sad if I was in a relationship where I couldn't see my partner often. I'd want to spend time with the person regularly. I want to eat with them, sleep next to them, and talk about our dreams and our goals, watch movies, play games, you know? I'd be sad if we couldn't bond over common interests, and I want to travel with them…" I explained, pouting a little at the thought of never being able to hang out with my hypothetical partner.
"Well, if that happens, you can just hang out with me. I'll always make time for you, Sarah," Chris said and grinned, patting me on the head.
"Awe, I wouldn't want to be a bother; I'm sure you'd have your own partner," I said, pushing her hand away.
"Awe, what are friends for?" Chris asked, pulling me in close and resting her head on my shoulder for a second.
For some reason, at that moment, I felt my heart beating rapidly. I bit my lip as Chris drew away and released my hand, searching in her pocket for her keys as we approached the dorm.
'Right…what a friends…for….' I thought to myself.