Rain was something Sera both loved and hated at the same time. Rain had introduced her to a man whose presence still left her confused about the nature of their relationship. It brought warmth and comfort in the cold, yet it also delivered wounds she couldn't explain.
"Ah, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Sera immediately got up after stumbling and apologized to the person she had just bumped into. The rain blurred her vision.
"No… no… I should be the one apologizing."
The man bowed slightly before her.
Sera's steps faltered a little; the collision had scraped her knee against the asphalt, leaving it bleeding.
"Hey, are you okay? Let me help," the man said, not waiting for a response. He guided her to an empty bus stop bench.
He knelt down to examine Sera's scraped knee, pulling out whatever he could from his bag to wrap the wound. Eventually, a handkerchief became the makeshift bandage.
Immediately, Sera began to cry. Not because of the pain in her knee, but from the ache in her heart. Her heart screamed: Was it even right for me to feel this way? We don't even have a proper relationship. So why does it hurt so much?
"Hey… hmm, am I hurting you? Oh… I'm sorry. Why are you crying even more?" The man's voice was filled with worry, but Sera remained silent, still sobbing.
He stayed there with her, patient, as the rain finally eased, the last drops falling occasionally from the bus stop roof.
He glanced at her a few times, noticing her tears, yet it was different this time.
"Hmmm… are you okay?" Finally, Sera lifted her head and looked at him shyly. Her face must have been puffy, her eyes red.
"Y-yeah…" she whispered.
"I don't mean to intrude, but it looks like you're going through something heavy. I just want to say, stay strong. Don't give up. What's happening now might just be testing how strong you really are."
Sera forced a bitter smile at his words. They sounded sincere, but her heart resisted comfort.
"You know? Sometimes, the efforts we put in aren't always perfect. So it's okay to stop for a moment, rest, and then get back up. It's okay if you're late; the important thing is that you're willing to try again."
"That sounds wise. You must have gone through a lot of bitter experiences," she commented, and the man chuckled.
"Ahhh," he exhaled. "You're right. I've failed many times. Fallen and gotten back up again. Sometimes, I let go of things I thought were so painful and start something new. I once heard the saying, 'You will always be free to begin again.' So it's okay. I've learned a lot."
He sat back, stretching his legs forward, hands resting beside him on the bench, his head tilted upwards.
"Oh, I'm Ghio. G-H-I-O," he laughed softly, extending his hand.
"I'm Sera. Just Sera," she said, taking his hand and shaking it.
"Wow, your name is unique. In Japan, it means 'little flower.'" They both laughed quietly.
"I guess I should go home. My clothes are soaked, and you should get going too, or you'll get sick." Ghio nodded.
"Where do you live? Maybe we live nearby."
"I live near the shop intersection."
"Oh? I live around there too. But I've never seen you before."
"Maybe we're on different alleys."
"You're right. Well then, let's go. Maybe I can walk with you until your alley. Don't worry, I'm not a bad person."
Sera nodded, feeling no suspicion or fear. For a moment, she forgot Liam.
They walked side by side. Occasionally, Ghio would support her because her injured knee made walking difficult.
Ghio always had funny words and a cheerful attitude. His voice filled Sera's ears the entire walk. It wasn't annoying; his stories were entertaining.
"This is my alley. You can go on now," Ghio said, glancing toward the alley. It was well-lit, and people were still passing by. A simple gesture to ensure Sera's safety.
"Alright, see you later, Sera."
"See you, Ghio." Ghio waved as he walked into the alley opposite hers. Sera realized it was the same alley Liam would pass.
Sera sighed and continued toward her home. When she opened the door, her foot stopped at the handkerchief on her knee.
"I should've asked for his contact… I need to return this."
After cleaning up, Sera sat on a chair, staring at the dried lily in her diary. Her hand reached out for the fragile stem, staring at it for a long time.
Her mind wandered to the face of the one who gave her the flower, and then she quickly put it back and closed her diary. She lay down, hoping tonight she could sleep peacefully without those strange recurring dreams.
Sure enough, her eyes slowly closed, and she fell asleep—but throughout the night, the same dream haunted her.
"If there's truly a next life, would you come back to me?"
"I will find you."
"Wait for me."
"I will wait for you."
Sera's breath caught as she finally awoke. Her hands tangled in her hair in frustration while she wiped her face.
She glanced at her phone. Only two hours had passed since she fell asleep, and, annoyingly, she was no longer sleepy.
Sera got up and went to her diary, writing down the contents of her dream and ending it with a question: Why does it have to be me experiencing all of this? Is he going through the same thing too?