The Book Nook

34

When I turned up the sidewalk in front of Alexandria's apartment, something hit me. Not the intangible concept of an idea, but something actually hit me. I heard it softly hit the pavement after it had bounced right off my noggin.

I stopped and stood there a moment, my hand on my forehead where the object had bounced off, not so much out of pain but more out of shock. I had just been walking and then was hit in the head with an indiscernible object.

I opened my eyes just in time to see another one, this time landing near my feet and skittering past.

It was just a crumpled paper ball. I'd been hit in the head by a paper ball like I was in a fourth grade classroom after the teacher had left the room.

This time I looked around to see if I could spot the source of raining paper balls. Looking up at her apartment I couldn't see anyone visibly leaning over the side of their deck. Alexandria was up on the thirteenth floor anyhow. No way she could peg me off from that high; the precision needed would be absurd.

"Hey, Protagonist Boy! Over here, you doofus!"

I instinctively turned to where the voice came from, somewhere off to my right.

Alexandria was leaning against a tree in a way a model might use it for a photo shoot. Left leg bent, foot against the trunk; arms folded casually, steely gaze like she couldn't bother to be even slightly impressed by anything.

She kicked off the tree and came over to me.

I pointed it out right away. "You changed it up again," I said, pointing to her hair.

The blue streaks amongst the black apparently hadn't been enough, for she had now added some strands of a turquoise-aqua blend. The multitude of colors was something she could pull off well.

"How perceptive of you."

"Just saying it looks...striking."

She laughed at me, taking off walking in a direction away from her place. I guessed I would learn where we were going as it happened and not a moment sooner.

From the time we began walking, I debated with myself over telling Alexandria where I had gone that morning. What would her reaction be as to my decision to try to knock off another stop off her list of her grand tour? If that was even entirely the basis of my decision at all. And what would she say to me meeting Mister Kim. I wouldn't suspect it would anger her or anything of the sort; I did not think that would be the case if I told her the story of the adventure I'd taken.

I only strongly felt that the conversation between me and Mister Kim was private. Alexandria would obviously ask me what we had talked about. I wouldn't feel comfortable giving her the truthful answer - her.

So I kept it a secret between the elderly gentleman and me.

I think it was still the effects of the previous night, the mystery of it all, the did-we-or-didn't-we of the events of the night. I only had Alexandria's side of the story for what had taken place after my memory had left me. I think we - at least I did anyhow - still felt like teenagers that had escaped each other's houses out our windows and met up for a night of escapades, returning in the wee hours of the morning to shimmy up the side of the house back through our respective bedroom windows without ever getting caught by either mother or father.

Mostly, as we walked along the city's streets we just enjoyed the beauty of the late afternoon, the hustle and bustle of the downtown we had come to know so well. It was peaceful to me, I could walk like that for miles and miles. Storefronts, passing people on sidewalks, bicyclists riding by, waiting for the pedestrian lights to turn to WALK and moving along amongst the other foot traffic.