Tenses | LRH

Nowhere

Luke's POV

EVERYTHING WAS blurry and my head was spinning. I struggled to stand up. Let's see, where am I? Children were running around, screaming and laughing at each other; teenagers were hanging out on the benches; several families were gathered in a picnic. I looked around, eager to ask anyone what date it was.

A tap on my shoulder caused me to immediately turn around. I looked down, only to see a girl expectantly looking at me. She stared at my face for the longest time, as if memorizing every single detail of my being. I looked away first. What the hell was she doing? That was pretty awkward.

She cleared her throat, causing me to look at her again. "Are you new here?"

It took me a moment to realize that she was talking to me. Embarrassed, I replied with a nod and walked away. I must find a way out of here. Somehow I felt suffocated.

"Hey!" She was suddenly beside me. I acted chill even though she was totally creeping me out. "Where did you come from? I mean, I was resting under that tree for a while and then suddenly you were there, too. I didn't feel you coming at all," she said with that confused look on her face. It was rather cute.

"Oh, am I creeping you out?" She probably sensed how tensed I was. She giggled. "I'm sorry. I'm just really curious most of the time. Anyway," she said, and then looked at me from head to toe. "You have a very nice outfit," she told me, smirking.

Confused, I looked down at my clothes; my striped sweater was rolled up on its sleeves and I was wearing a pair of cargo trousers. "Dang right, I look fine," I said to myself.

It was supposed to be a whisper, but I guess she heard it because she laughed. I looked at her with a dumb-founded expression. I asked her what was funny but she only shrugged. "That was sarcasm, you dumb shit," she says.

That only made my curiosity grow even more. Looking around, I guess my old style fashion really would stand out. I mean, even some guys were wearing skinny jeans – and they are ripped! I wondered if their legs could breathe at all.

I sighed and turned to the girl beside me. "What date is it today?"

"It's the sixth day of May," she says nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I mean, uh, the year, what is it?" I bit my lip, impatiently waiting for her answer.

She squinted her eyes at me. "What, do you have alzheimer's? Anyway, it's two thousand fifteen."

There was silence between us after that. I was hoping that I would travel to year three thousand or something. What a waste.

"Hey, uh, one more thing," I said, nervously tugging the bracelet on my left wrist. "Do you know a place that sells food? I – I'm starving," I told her, pointing to my stomach and smiling sheepishly.

She looked at me with an unreadable expression on her face. Perhaps I was being a bother. I was afraid that she would get irritated, but surprisingly, she nodded after a moment and told me to follow her. It was a long walk; I was so busy gazing around that I didn't notice that she led me inside a diner. It was warm inside, but not enough to make me feel at ease.

"What, you still haven't found a seat?"

I jumped at the voice behind me. She was already holding a tray of food. Was I spacing out for that long?

"Oi! Let's sit right here. Come on," the girl – I still do not know her name – called from the booth near the window. I hurriedly headed towards her and sat across her seat. "Go on and eat," she announced and gestured toward the food on the table. I smiled and thanked her before stuffing my mouth with food. It felt like I haven't eaten for so many weeks.

It was silent the whole time we were eating. It was really awkward; every time I would start a conversation, my tongue suddenly feels twisted. After eating, we exited the restaurant and started venturing down the endless road, not really knowing where to go. But I seemed to trust her – maybe she feels the same – for some reason I have yet to discover.

"I never really introduced myself," I finally said, chuckling nervously. "My name is Luke."

"I'm Andi. Nice to meet you," she said, nodding and looking down at the pavement. We continued to walk in silence, stuck in our own thoughts.

I cannot stop looking around. I was still taking in the newness and strangeness of it all. There were few trees now and more cars, and, well, the road feels smoother under my feet, too.

I stopped when Andi sat down on the pavement without any word. She probably decided to take a short rest. I looked at the colourful houses lined in front of me, wondering what the people inside them were doing at the moment. I noticed some teenagers walking on the sidewalk as well. I waved at them and grinned, but they only spared me a funny and curious glance. They probably thought that I was a stalker.

"Are you tired already?" I asked Andi, who was staring at the house in front of us, as if waiting for someone to walk out. I wondered what she was thinking about.

"Have you become mute?" I asked her again when she didn't answer, and maybe it was due to the desperation in my tone that she decided to look at me. She looked annoyed, though.

"First, yes, my feet are tired from all the walking I did today, so please leave me alone. Second, no, I have not become mute. I still have tongue," she replied and stuck out her tongue, making me laugh and feel relieved.

"It's already eight-oh-two in the evening," Andi told me as she stood up. "Aren't you going home?"

"I, uh," I muttered, thinking of a good excuse. What the hell, I couldn't just say that I time travelled because that's not a normal thing you hear everyday. "I actually don't live around here. Yeah, that's it," I told her, hoping I was convincing enough.

"Well, then, you'll go with me tonight," she announced and started running without waiting for me.

"Hey, wait!" I quickly stood up and jogged towards her. "Leaving me behind isn't really necessary, you know!"

"Does it even matter? See, you were able to catch up!" She had a small smile on her lips. I liked it when she smiles. "You and your stupid legs," she muttered, making me laugh.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I said, grinning from ear to ear. We were slowing down now.

"That's definitely an insult," she retorted, hitting my arm. I chuckled at her reaction. Laughing with her made me feel at ease.

"So where are we going?" I breathed in and out. Her messy hair looked pretty.

She looked at me and smiled, and her answer was instant and short. "Nowhere."

And the houses and lampposts lit up one by one, guiding us to our destination.