Elixir: [Track 4] Here Comes The Sun
Track 4 : Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles
Author : Maria Sekar | Editor : Brigitta Kalina
Alex Miller’s Point of View
“Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun
And I say, it's all right.”
***
“Drive safe!” I smiled at Logan, then I immediately headed inside the building. I ran to my apartment on the third floor, all the time trying to stifle my giggles. Only when I was already inside my apartment did I let it all out.
“Hehehehehehehehehe! Huff, huff—hehehehehe!” I was panting from all the running, but I still laughed. (I always ran when I was happy or excited, I needed to get my excess energy out of my system).
Dobby, my little bichon frise, stared at me. “Woof?”
“Oh, Dobby—huff, huff—I’m okay!” I patted his head, still panting a little. “I’m just happy, that’s all.”
I thought Dobby was still confused. “Woof! Woof!” he barked. He was probably saying, What are you so happy about? You were never this happy since we left Portland, as far as I remember.
I laughed again. “I met a new friend, Dobby. And I think he’s a good person.” I sat on the floor in front of the couch and gestured to my lap. “Come here, I’ll tell you all about him.”
Dobby obediently sat on my lap. Then I started talking. “He’s actually my coworker, but I just met him yesterday. His name is Logan … What was his last name again? I don’t remember. Or did he not tell me yet?”
I ruffled Dobby’s fur in excitement. “He’s from Australia, can you believe that? His accent is unrecognizable, though. Is it because he had been living here for years?”
“Woof!”
“He treated me to lunch today, we had some very good chinese food. Then he took me to Santa Cruz. I think he’s a very nice guy.” Then I chuckled when I remembered his awkward attempts at conversations. “He’s very nice—but also very awkward. Have you ever known a person so awkward it’s adorable? Logan’s like that. I could see he needed some extra effort to even start a conversation.”
“Woof! Woof!”
“It was nice talking to him, though. We talked a lot about many things. It seems like he’s the type of person who likes having long, meaningful conversations if he already feels comfortable talking to someone.” I laughed. “Maybe what made him trust me to have those talks was the fact that we’ve both lost someone at Christmas. Haha, what a coincidence! Who would’ve thought I’d meet someone who shares the same fate as mine?”
I thought for a while. “But when he talked about his past, about his ex-girlfriend and ex-crush, he seemed … a little sad? I think he still has some emotional baggage from his past relationships. I’m glad I can help him vent, and I’m glad he’s able to let go.”
“Woof? Woof!”
“Excuse me? I’m offended. I am completely able to let go of my past too, thank you very much.” I exhaled. “The results are not as good as Logan’s though.”
"Woof?" Dobby gently nudged my palm. "Woof woof."
"Aww, are you trying to comfort me?" I gave him a belly rub. "Who's a good boy?"
"Woof woof!"
"Yes, Dobby is!" I patted his head. "Thanks, Boy. I'll survive. Maybe now that I’m friends with Logan, I can pick up a thing or two from him."
Then I put Dobby down on the floor. "Now if you'd excuse me, I'd like to prepare for my Saturday night rites."
I took a quick, refreshing shower and changed into my pajamas. After I prepared Dobby’s dinner, I ordered a pepperoni pizza for myself. I used to be a big fan of healthier foods when I was younger, but since college I kinda ruined my old eating habits. I still eat a lot of veggies, but now I consume caffeine all the time and some junk foods too once in a while.
While waiting for the pizza to arrive, I scrolled through Netflix on my laptop, searching for movies to watch tonight. “What should I watch tonight, hmm? I’m in the mood for some thriller, so … Bird Box? What should I watch after it?”
My cursor hovered over the TV shows category. Then I remembered my conversations with Logan earlier, in which he revealed himself to be such a fan of Netflix shows. I was more of a movie person, because I didn’t really like having to wait for the ending. The only show I had binged was just Game of Thrones, and that was only because all my friends had recommended it. Logan seemed to love TV shows, though. Maybe he could recommend some shows with fewer episodes for me to start with?
I was just going to text Logan when I realized I didn’t have his number. I laughed. “Oh, well. Those series would have to wait until I could meet him next week, then.”
I did have to wait to get in touch with Logan again, but I was still happy that finally there was someone I looked forward to meeting. I mean, I looked forward to seeing Selena and the others too everyday, but it was different because I had already known them. I looked forward to meeting Logan because he was a new friend, and I wanted to know him better.
I smiled, then I turned off the lights and started watching Bird Box.
***
My decision to spend the weekend watching thriller movies was probably right because I became more alert and focused today on Monday morning, which was good for the presentation. Selena’s dysmenorrhea had stopped too, so we were both on our A game today. And we tackled the presentation really well. If I had to rate our performance, on the scale of one to ten, I’d give us an eleven.
Selena hugged me when we were packing our stuff after the clients left. “Yay, we’re finally done!” she exclaimed. “Happy summer, Alex!”
“Happy summer, Selena!” I hugged her back. “You do realize we only have a one-week break, right?”
“I do, but it’s still a break, right?” Selena laughed. “Anyway, what are your plans for one week ahead?”
“Probably exploring Silicon Valley? I spent the last three months only in San Jose—mostly in the office, my apartment, and The Busy Bean—and I think I need to get out more.”
“I can probably help you with that,” Selena said. “Do you remember my husband and I are planning to search for a house in the suburbs?”
“Ah, I remember! You guys are planning to have kids soon so you want to have a house with more space for your future kids to play in. But how does that—” I gasped. “You already found the house, didn’t you!?”
Selena beamed. “We did! In fact, we’ll use this short break for moving.”
“Oh my God Selena I’m so happy!!!” I hugged Selena again. “Where are you moving?”
“Los Gatos. We’re having a housewarming party this Saturday, and you are definitely invited. There, you got one town explored!”
“I can’t wait!” I exclaimed. “Can I help you move to your new house?”
“Oh, there’s no need, we’ve got it all covered. You just have fun at the party!” Selena hugged me once more. “See you on Saturday, Alex!”
“See you!” I gave her a small wave as she left the meeting room. I stayed behind for a bit to cross the presentation out of my to-do-list on my planner. Yes, I kept a physical planner and brought it everywhere with me. I knew it’s already the 21st century and there were so many digital planners available, but I still loved physical planners because they are highly customisable. Plus, you get the satisfaction of crossing every item from the to-do-list.
“Presentation, done.” I crossed it from the list. “What’s next?”
Under the presentation, I had written two short sentences: Have some summer fun! You deserve it. :)
“Summer fun? Hmm ….” I put the planner back into my bag. “I’m not really in the mood for beaches, so … ice cream, then.”
After a quick Googling, I went to Scoops n’ Smiles, the nearest ice cream shop from XDesign’s building. The shop was supposed to be one of the best in San Jose, but how come I had never heard about it before!?
It was my first time going to the shop, obviously, but I had already loved it—I didn’t know about the ice cream yet, but the building was pretty. The shop’s interior was bright, with clean walls and natural sunlight pouring from the enormous windows. I could see colorful ice cream being displayed next to the cashier, in contrast to the crisp white walls and furniture. Maybe the owner—or whoever designed this shop—did this on purpose to make the ice cream stand out from the rest of the room. But in my eyes, what stood out the most was not the ice cream—it was a man in his mid-twenties picking ice cream flavors in front of the display case.
“Logan!?”
He turned his head, surprised. Then he let out a laugh. “We really should stop meeting like this.”
“I know, right. It’s starting to get ridiculous.” I shook my head in disbelief. “You’re starting the break with ice cream too?”
“Yeah. Today was so hot, so I suppose I’d get something cold to eat.” Logan turned his head to the display case. “Have you ever tasted durian ice cream?”
“Durian? Nope. It’s some kind of tropical fruit, right?”
“Yeah, I think? I’ve never tried it before, but I’m feeling a little adventurous today.” He turned to the server. “I’ll have durian, mango, and coconut, please.”
I laughed. “Going for the tropical island vibe?”
“It does seem right for summer, no?” Logan smiled. “Since I couldn’t fly to Hawaii or Bali for the break, I suppose I’ll just eat something that makes me feel like I’m already there.”
“Haha, it’s a nice idea!” I asked the server, “Do you have any summer specials?”
“We do,” answered the server. “But before you order, I have to inform you that it contains nuts.”
“It’s okay, I don’t have any allergies. I’ll have one.”
While I was waiting for my ice cream, Logan asked me, “Do you maybe want to sit together?”
“I’m okay if you don’t mind,” I answered.
He smiled again. “I don’t mind at all! In fact, I was happy to see a familiar face here.”
We chose the table beside a window so that we could get a good view of the city. There was a small vase with some pretty marigolds on the table. We sat across from one another just like last Saturday, but this time it was a lot less awkward.
“So what is that?” Logan gestured to my ice cream.
I looked down to my ice cream. “The server said it was macadamia nut ice cream with pineapple compote and toasted coconut. I don’t have any clue on how it will taste, though.”
Logan said, “Same. But we’re being adventurous today, right?” Then he lifted his spoon. “Together?”
I nodded. “On the count of three.”
We counted, “One … two … three.” Then I took a spoonful of ice cream and my eyes widened in delight. “Oh, wow.”
“So? How does it taste?” Logan asked.
I thought for a while, choosing the right words to describe the flavor. “It tastes … exactly like summer. It was pretty good. I’ll give it 9 out of ten. And how’s yours?”
“The durian tastes weird.” Logan was sticking his tongue out. “But the mango and coconut are amazing, though.”
We laughed, then we talked a little. I was finally able to ask Logan for his recommendations on Netflix shows (yay!), and we also exchanged our numbers for even more recommendations on movies, TV shows, and where to eat. Then he asked me about my plans for the break.
“I’m planning to explore Silicon Valley as much as I can,” I said. “Your adventurer soul inspired me to follow in your steps, although on a far smaller scale.”
“Whoa, it’s actually not that great!” Logan blushed a little, I thought he was slightly embarrassed. “I just happen to love observing different landmarks and architectures in different places, and that was what made me fall in love with travelling and exploring new places.”
“Wow, now it gets even better!” I was wide-eyed. “Is that also the reason why you became an architect in the first place?”
“Yeah. I had known since I was little that I love pretty buildings, and I would like to create my own designs someday. I love designing buildings because I can literally change the earth with it.” Logan’s cerulean eyes warmed. “What about you, Alex?”
“Well, I believe that your environment affects your mood a lot, so I want to make pretty, comfortable environments for people to live and work in. That way I can take part in making people feel happy and comfortable.”
“That’s noble,” Logan commented. “Your clients are very lucky to have you designing for them.”
“Thanks, Logan.” I smiled. “Your clients are lucky too. Maybe someday I’ll be one of them when I finally have the money to build my own house.”
My own house. The phrase reminded me of Selenas’s upcoming housewarming party, and I suddenly had this idea ….
“By the way, Logan, are you free this Saturday?”
“This Saturday? Yeah, I’m free all day,” answered Logan. “Why?”
“You know Selena Wang from our office?”
“The pink haired lady who got married last month?”
“Yeah, she’s the one. She’s moving to Los Gatos and will be hosting a housewarming party on Saturday night.”
Logan’s eyes widened. “You’re asking me to come with you?”
“Yeah, I’m sure Selena won’t mind. She and her husband are both ‘the more the merrier’ type.” Then I suddenly remembered our past conversations about how he didn’t really like to socialize with people. Oh crap, I made a mistake!
I quickly added, “But it’s okay too if you don’t want to come, the place will probably be so full of people and—”
“No, no, it’s okay,” Logan cut. “I know how it feels to be alone at a party. Your friend is the host so she can’t be with you all the time, right? I’ll come with you next Saturday. I don’t have anything better to do, after all. You have my number now, right? Send me the address, I'll even pick you up.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. As long as you promise to do most of the talking since I will most likely just make some awkward jokes.”
“Haha, I promise!” I laughed. “Thanks, Logan.”
He gave me a bright smile. “That’s what friends are for, right?”
I smiled too. Jake had once also said the same words. I recalled that very moment clearly, but this time I didn’t feel empty like what I used to feel when I remembered something about Jake. This time, my heart felt so warm instead.
That’s what friends are for, right?
***
“Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun
And I say, it's all right.”
[Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles]
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