The moment she enters the house, a delicate aroma of chocolate greets her along with subtle classical music. The temperature is much warmer than the streets outside, it’s just like an oasis for her.

 

“So, how was it?” he asks.

“Not much. Just your usual date with a stranger, nothing special.” She let go of her sighs when she hangs her warm coat on the wall and pulling her wet sleeves. “I should change the apps and trying to find other sensible guys.”

“In my opinion, maybe it’s you who need to change the method of meeting people. Try a different approach, doing volunteers work maybe?”

“Nah, too much effort. Why I should go through that to meet the love of my life?”

“You’re missing the point, actually.”

 

The steam coming from his warm chocolate, making his glasses foggy. Still, he doesn’t bother with it and glances through the cold window.

The rain is pouring down like a waterfall. It’s all good since there’s no windy storm outside, the glasses guy thought. He sips on his cup and not moving at all from his comfortable couch covered with a light blanket over his shoulder.

 

“Well, look at you. Getting cozy and whatnot. How’s your job hunting going?” the lady walks over going to her room, changing her clothes. A loose shirt would do for tonight, so she put that on and goes to the kitchen to make a warm tea.

“Just usual.”

“That means, you’re still jobless. Ha! Why you’re so unlucky about this stuff?”

“I wonder why…”

 

Looking at her companion, the lady can’t help but smile in pity. She pats his back for a few times before she sits on the settee in front of him. There’s a small brown table between them, so she put her cup there and looking at her phone.

 

“What’s that pat for?” he frowned, but in a friendly manner.

“Just cause. There’s no strange reason for me to make other people feel better about themselves. I’m a kind person, don’t you agree?”

“And yet you’re still struggling to find someone to date with.”

“Oh, shut up!” she put her phone down and glares on the guy. He just laughs it away instead.

 

The rain isn’t going to subside soon as the glasses guy know. He takes another sip on his cup and let go a tired sigh. The girl also doing the same, timidly holding her cup, her eyes fixated outside the window, looking at the people walking down on the streets with their own umbrella. It’s less busy than when it is not raining, and it’s beautiful on their own.

The cars are passing through each other with their flashlight shoving the rain away. Everyone and their own business, importance, and history on their own. When we noticed that, it’s not about us on this world who keep on living and doing their best.

 

“Ah,” the glasses guy noticed.

“Hmm?”

“Nah, it’s nothing. Just a random thought of mine.”

“Tell me about it.”

 

Both of them still looking on the rain, seemingly gazing for something which is far away from this world. The abstract thought was overlapping each other, but it can be as simple as wondering why the sky is blue.

Why the world is still moving and spinning around despite people is not doing any good for mother nature?

Why those company unable to see through the capability of this young glasses guy?

Why there is no man able to understand and appreciate the lady for her whole being?

 

“You see, I’ve been thinking about how we live in this complex world where everyone is also affiliated with many things. Friends, routines, business, ambition, history. All of it.”

He finally speaks up, followed by a quick glance from the woman before she looks back on the window.

 

“It’s not only me who always being troubled with this job-seeking thingy. It’s not only you who was troubled to find someone to date with. Everyone got their own problem and yet they still walking down their life. You see that guy here?”

 

He points a person wearing a neat work suit with an umbrella on his left hand, walking through the others while on the phone.

 

The glasses guy continues, “I don’t even know who he was or what he was doing, but we can assume that he’s talking through the phone about his work and business. Or maybe just checking on his daughter who’s living in another city because of her studies. I’m sure he must have an ambition deep inside his chest. God knows if he’s still able to do things to pursue his goal or just settling down with everything he already has.”

 

Another warm chocolate has been sipped. Its taste quickly smears on his tongue and mouth, giving away a warm feeling. The lady also doing the same, only a sound of slurping and faint breath could be heard from her. She’s making sure that her ears are ready to listen for another.

 

“Or perhaps you could look on the girl taking a shelter?” he asks and points on another direction, “she seems to enjoy her talk on the phone. Probably it’s from her boyfriend. Or maybe her grandpa is calling back since he’s getting discharged from the hospital soon. There’s no telling until we really ask her.”

She nods in response. “It’s like there’s a lot of invisible stories around us. And it still continues without us knowing. I get it, I get it.”

“Probably we can’t see them again tomorrow. Those people are just like a fleeting dream in the summer. Only appear once with their own complexity and disappeared right away from our sight.”

 

Eh, why we’re suddenly talking about deep stuff? But, this much is okay, I guess, she thinks. Not saying anything and takes another sip of her hot drink.

 

A car passes through, traffic lamps changing their color each minute under this rain, and the street is bustling with its people although it’s raining.

 

“Surely, everyone is worried about something. It’s not just only us,” said the glasses guy.

“Waah, you’re just someone who hits their quarter-life crisis.” She mocks.

“I am, tho.”

 

Suddenly, she laughs in an eerily way. The glasses guys glancing over his roommate with a lot of question in mind why she chuckles like that.

 

“Aah... sorry,” she quickly regains her sense, “but you know, there’s a word for that kind of feeling.”

“Really? I don’t know that.”

“Yep. It’s called sonder. Basically, a feeling when you realized the complexity around you, and they’ll go around with or without you to notice.”

“Hee, so there’s a word for that, huh.”

 

The woman recalling back through for what happened with her roommate. She knew how he earnestly prepared his documents for administrative purposes, getting dressed neatly almost every morning to go through the interview proses. And when she has arrived from work, he’s studying a lot to prepare the entry test material.

Somehow, the glasses guy also thinking the same thing. The glasses guy remembers how his roommate came back home late in the night, with her makeup getting messy and all because she was getting dumped. There’s another story about how the girl got rejected by one of her dates, telling her that he actually got a family so he can’t fool around anymore. She’s actually not that shady person. She has this routine workout, got excited by an Asian drama, following up some trends and being happy all by herself.

 

The two of them are going through a lot of hardship.

But that’s fine. As long as they keep moving.

 

“We gotta see through this, you and me.”

And the woman nods eagerly.

 

“Ah, I remember. Speaking of job hunting, it seems my HR division wants you to come to the office.” She sips her tea before glancing over her roommate with that wide-eye look. “Let’s just say that I’ve accidentally told someone I know about you and they’re interested.”

“Are you serious?”

“I don’t intend to lie. What merit could I gain doing that?”

“Sure! I must take the opportunity right away! What should I prepare?”

“Nothing much. They’ll just take some written test and inquiry. I think you’ll do fine since you’ve prepared all this time.” She retakes her phone. “I’ll let them know that you’ll come tomorrow.”

“Thank you very much!”

“Chill, boy. You’ll spill your chocolate if you’re that excited.”

 

He giggles and nods, changing his posture so it’ll get more comfortable under the blanket. To indulge in warm things during this cold heavy rain is surely a bliss.

The glasses guy trying to guess what kind of entry test he’s going to take. As he is busy with his mind, his phone got a short chat from someone.

 

“Hmm? This is interesting,” he grins as he read the word. The girl noticed that.

“Is it another funny meme?”

“Nope. But I think my friend is interested in you.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s just like I said. My friend is interested in you and probably gonna ask for a date soon. He’s asking me your contact person. Should I give him your number or let him contact you via your social media?”

“Well, uuhh… wait a bit...”

“I don’t know he’s any better than any guys you’ve met on that dating apps, but, as a friend, I can tell that he’s a nice guy.”

 

The woman staring outside the window, asking the rain should she take this chance or just let it slip by?

Decision, decision.

There’s nothing to lose, I guess.

 

“Give him my number.”

“Good choice. Better to snatch the opportunity while you can, right?”

“Damn right!”

 

Her roommate smiles with that answer and letting his friend know, along with the girl sips on her tea while on wonder and excited for the next date she will have.

 

The rain isn’t going to subside soon. At least, both of them doesn’t need to worry. Since there’s a warm atmosphere on their place, along with warm chocolate and tea on the cup.

 

This is fine, let’s keep walking on through this life with our own pace. Eventually, we’re going to make it.