Sitting on the bench of the fountain, Jun soaked in the sun. It was fairly crowded on the Sunday afternoon as families, couples, and friends hung out around the city. He patted his messenger bag. He’d hand Remy the manga and then what? If he and Remy immediately parted ways, then it wasn’t meant to be---friends or otherwise.

Childish laughter filled Jun’s ears as children splashed in the water.

“Mai!” a mother called. “Not too close.” She scooped up her child from the edge of the fountain. “Let’s go get some doughnuts.”

“Doughnuts! Doughtnuts!” the little girl chanted. She and her mother met up with a man and the two adults held the girl’s hand as they walked off.

Jun smiled sadly to himself.

“Um, hi.”

Looking up, Jun realized Remy had arrived. “Oh, hey!” He stood up and reached for his messenger bag.

“I hope you didn’t wait long.”

“Oh, no. It’s not even one yet. So we’re both early.” Jun shuffled around in his bag, movements growing faster. The manga… wasn’t there. Jun closed his eyes and took a breath. “I promise I put it in here. This isn’t some way of tricking you.”

Remy giggled. “It’s okay… Um, since we’re out, why don’t we do something together?”

Jun blinked as his conversation with Ai from that morning resurfaced in his memory.

‘I wonder what you’re doing… How do I know if Remy is right for me?’

‘Don’t worry,’ Ai had replied. ‘He’s not a creep. And you can’t be sure if he’s right for you until you get to know him.’

Remy’s aura was copper and Jun also recalled that he didn’t truly have an aura because of his ability. Still, according to Ai, he’d be able to find someone compatible and achieve the love he’d always wanted.

Jun nodded and smiled. “Sure.”

The two strolled for a bit. Being around Remy was strange. There was a level of shy awkwardness between them but it wasn’t unpleasant. Remy appeared very mild mannered and the way his eyes turned to slits when he smiled bashfully was cute. Overall, it was comfortable.

“Oh, what about a movie?” Remy pointed to the theatre they happened to be standing in front of.

A movie was perfect. “Yeah!”

They went inside and up to the ticket counter. “Hm…” Remy stared at the marquee.

Jun’s eyes scanned the list of movies. “It looks like all the current showtimes are sold out.”

The staff member looked at her list. “Seats for Horror Zombie Apocalyptic Love Story are still available. You’ll just miss the first 5 minutes.”

Jun and Remy met eyes. “Two tickets, please,” Remy said.

Fidgting with his ticket stub as they walked towards theatre 3, Jun blushed. If Remy paid, then it really was a date. His first date. His cheeks warmed. Maybe their hands would accidentally touch when they both reached for popcorn.

As they sat down in their reserved seats, Jun realized they didn’t even have popcorn and was suddenly extremely embarrassed by his fantasy.

“Oh, good,” Remy whispered. “Looks like we didn’t miss anything important.”

The movie was about a woman who had lost her wife to a pandemic disease a month ago. She thought her wife was dead but in actuality, she and the other people who had died from the disease became killer zombies. There were also ghosts. During a scene where a woman was running, fell, and then was brutally eaten by a zombie, Remy chuckled.

Jun looked over to see the man smiling. Ai had said Remy wasn’t a creep, but wasn’t it creepy to laugh at this death scene?!

The movie ended with the main character catching the dieases and becoming a zombie as well and living forever with her zombie wife. Remy and Jun left the theatre with the crowd.

“The story really fit the title,” Remy said with his slit-eyed smile.

“Yeah. Um, why did you laugh at that one scene where a lady was eaten by a zombie?”

“Oh, the acting was really bad.”

Jun’s shoulders relaxed.

“I just realized, I might’ve seemed crazy to you.”

“No, no. I get it now. The trip was very exaggerated and wails unbelievable. Not to mention the zombie looked like he was eating a chicken dinner.”

Remy laughed. “Exactly.”

“Are you hungry?” Jun asked. “Well, I guess first I should ask if you have someplace else to be.”

“Hehe, yes, and no. I don’t mind getting lunch.” Remy blushed. “If that’s okay with you.”

Jun couldn’t help but turn red as well. “Y-yeah.”

They went to Jenny’s and chatted over pasta and salisbury steak.

“Yes,” Remy said. “It was my older brother and niece.”

“Do you meet up often? Are you close?” Jun tried to prevent the noodle he was eating from sliding along his chin.

“My brother was always the golden child. Growing up, I felt incompetent.” Remy looked off contemplatively. “But as I got older, I realized it took off some burden. Now I’m free to do what I like. What about your family?”

“I’m an only child. My parents divorced and my dad has a new family, but I still keep in contact with him. My stepmom is really nice and my half sister is cute.” He’d been lonely when he was a kid, after the divorce. The fact that his parents had different coloured hearts was always something Jun noticed, but it wasn’t until the divorce that he realized the significance. Anyone with a different coloured aura was destined to break up. They weren’t soulmates.

Jun gazed at Remy’s copper glow. What did that mean for Jun who had no colour? Would Ai set him up with someone he was destined to break up with?

“I had fun today,” Jun told Remy.

“Me too. And you might as well keep the manga for a bit longer. Read it, then maybe, we can talk about it next time.” Remy looked at the ground.

“Yeah,” Jun smiled.

He walked home, trying not to ponder too much over the unknown. He’d finish his homework. Then maybe play Maria Cart with Ai.

Jun unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside. “I’m h---”

“...up there?” Ai asked.

“You definitely don’t pay me enough for this!” a squeaky voice exclaimed.

“Why should I pay you? I don’t get paid. It’s your job.”

“It’s not my job to cover for you when you decide to go AWOL!”

Jun stepped out of the foyer and around the corner to see Ai lounging on the couch and talking to… a rabbit.