29. Out of the blue

James walked through the crowded streets. He looked around when the florist sweeping her store, that lady looked at James too. She smiled at him, and that makes James wondered. What the meaning of her smile? Just hospitality or it meant something deeper than that.

He walked through some other store. He could saw the beauty from this city. When some stores closed and some of them are open, light on the sidewalk has come. This is when the city became prettier than before. 

He walked 30 minutes from where he was, it's still too early. He got there at 6 but Alice told him to be at 8. Still got 2 hours spare but James didn't know where to go anymore. He decided to walk around a little longer, considering his thought.

"James! Over here!" Alice shouted his name right before he went somewhere else. "It still 6 p.m. What the hell took you so fast?" 

Alice yelled from the rooftop. James felt embarrassed because people around the streets looked at him. She shouted it out loud so people could hear her, he actually heard people laughed at him.

"Just shut it out! I'll come up!" 

He decided to help her rather than walked without any purpose. James still thought if this was a good idea to came early. He didn't want to seem too excited about this. He thought that it would appear some misunderstanding. Of course it just his nonsense thought.

"Hahaha, I couldn't believe that you came 2 hours early." Alice laughed at him.

James blushed with no word, "Yeah, umm I was at the neighborhood and I don't know where to go so I decided to come here."

He lied, he can't tell her that he's desperate and doesn't know where to go. James thought it would take a little bit longer from where he was. But turned out he only need 30 minutes, so here he is. Alone with Alice on top of her apartment. 

"That's good, you can help me here," Alice prepared some ingredients at the table.

"Sure, I'll help." He helped her make a fire to grills the beef, "It's just you here? Where the others?"

"I told them to go at 7 and some people at 8 like you, but I have a lot of free time so I decided to do this,"

James paused his activity for a second. He tried to figure what inside this girl's head. She worked so hard for what? That is the question right now, James continued his arm to take out the charcoal and make a fire.

Still, his head thinks about her, with her abstract mind and behavior. James was truly amazed by her. Her spirit brings a good mood and fabulous vibes. He smiled unconsciously by thinking how fun it is being with her. 

"What's so funny?" Alice glanced at him, "Why are you smiling?"

His smile got wider and ended up with a laugh, "Nothing,"

"What you liar, what it is?" Alice keep asked him and pocked him.

"Nothing, I swear. Stop pocking me,"

They pocked each other and made a joke with one and another. It went on for a minute till one of them gave up. They stopped for gasping some air after laughed so hard. They put their back on the wall, lean back to rest a little bit after a war of pocking.

James stood up, grabbed a bottle of beer, and handed it to her. "Here, I know you're tired."

"Yeah, thank you." 

Alice takes it and drinks it straight away just like drink fresh water. She smiled and looked at her. Through her eyes she saw a different picture of a man, it different from a man that she met in the first place. She felt happy when being him, and she felt happy when he happy. Feels like she wanted to give him endless happiness because she was happy with that.

She glued at him, and it new to her. She didn't know this is a love or just a crush. All she could tell is right now, she's obsessed with this man. Alice gave everyone good feelings when they came near her. But, right now she couldn't feel the same way. She wondered was that just intoxication or pure from her feeling, she didn't sure.

"James…" 

Alice calls his name. She moves closer to the man who sat next to her. James turned his head around and now their eyes meet at each other. James was shocked when Alice moves closer and closer to him. Her head slowly moves towards him and her eyes close simultaneously. It can be mean one thing, and James's not ready for it.

'What the fuck is going on here? Fuck! What should I do? I can't just kiss her.' James panicked but it's too late for him to react because her lips just one inch apart from him. He starts felt her breath on his skin, along with her beautiful face move closer to him.

"Alice, you here?" Somebody yelled at her from the hallway.

Alice was shocked and suddenly opened her eyes, and cancel his intention to kiss him. She looked at James's expression and she knew that he's not ready for it. Shamed, that's the word that could describe her right now. Her faces turn into a red strawberry and cover her mouth with his hand embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, that was…" Alice stammered, a lot of words came to her brain but it's hard to get them out from her mouth. "That was… um… sorry…"

"That's fine, you're friend looking for you." James nodded and trying to turn the conversation away from this incident. 

Alice nodded and ran towards the door. Greet her friend and pretend like there's nothing happened between them. She still unsatisfied with her apology word, she wanted to make sure everything fine between them. She didn't want him to go away because of her stupidity.

James still did not move from his position, he couldn't believe what happened between them. His head filled with a lot of questions within seconds. 'What just happened? I didn't see that coming, she really took me out of the blue. Thank god that's failed, it will be awkward as hell.'

Before he realized that things became more awkward than he thought. Everything feels different during the party. People come over and it getting noisy and loud, they haven't talked since then. Alice too busy with her guest and her eyes couldn't even look at him.

Meanwhile, James sits alone enjoyed his beer and skies that turned darker. He just knew 4 people here and they aren't around. Like it or not, he just has to accept it. Everyone was busy talking dancing and singing at the same time. It gives James no other choice than smokes all alone with a beer in his hand.

He didn't think about what Alice did today, he can understand it and that's not a big deal for him. Alice didn't think the same way, she took this seriously. She couldn't look at his eyes or his face, but on other hand, she wanted to talk to him. James knows it and wanted to figure it out with her but he doesn't think this is the right time to discuss a personal problem during the party.

James waited until the party over to make everything straight and tell Alice that nothing to be worried about. Even though he didn't want to kiss her but he knows that feelings came suddenly and you can't blame it. Sometimes it came like a lightning, it gives a huge impact but disappears so fast. He wanted to know what kind of feelings that she had for him.