“Where are you coming from? I actually don’t know what your job is, considering your attire doesn’t seem like you’re coming from the office.”

I had to ask since it seemed like Skye was also returning from work, or at least from what I can tell. 

“Oh I’m actually a musician. I’m a pianist and I was just returning from my 1-on-1 session with one of my students.”

Well that was surprising. What were the chances of meeting another musician? Albeit I wasn’t doing it professionally. I played the violin and though it wasn’t paying my bills, it was more than a casual hobby as I had a music diploma. 

“Neat, I’m a violinist myself, but it’s not the one that pays the bills. I’m a financial analyst at Wish Corp.” 

Skye seemed surprised by my revelation that I, too, knew how to play an instrument, and started laughing.

“Well you have to let me see you perform next time! Maybe we could have a session together during one of the weekends.”

As much as I wasn’t a big fan of people watching me, I felt that Skye was genuine in wanting to play with me, so I nodded. 

“Sure, I can go to your place or you can come to mine, whichever works.”

“We’ll plan it during dinner later. Now, I know you said you will let me know about your answer today, so do you want to tell me now or later? Whatever the answer is, please remember that I still want to be your friend, and I still very much want to have dinner with you.”

That directness from Skye blindsided me for a bit. I wasn’t expecting them to bring that up so soon, but I also didn’t want to delay any longer. I didn’t mind telling them in front of other people, and I, too, wanted to have dinner with them no matter the answer.

“Okay, I can tell you now. I’m sorry, Skye, I don’t have any romantic feelings for you. We can still be friends though as you said.” 

If Skye was disappointed by my answer, they didn’t show it in their face. I was slightly surprised but at the same time, I figured that they knew it was coming. Instead, they gave me their signature smile and nodded.

“I expected this, don’t worry. Yes, let’s be friends and have a nice dinner together. The music session we were talking about earlier is still up, right?”

“Of course, just because we’re not dating, that doesn’t mean we can’t jam together. I actually really want to see you play the piano. I have a keyboard at home, so you don’t need to bring yours if you don’t want to.”

Though I played the violin, I also dabbled in the keyboard (or piano). I wasn’t as good at it, but I knew the basics and could play a simple tune on one hand. 

“Neat, I’ll take up on your offer. I have an upright piano at home, and my keyboard is a little old and too bulky, so I’m not as comfortable bringing a janky keyboard to your home.”

I nodded, and gestured to them to walk first as we reached the platform of our station. We continued to chat about various things, ranging from favorite composers (theirs was Chopin, believe it or not, while mine was Beethoven), to favorite artists (theirs was SZA, mine was The Weeknd), to favorite food (surprisingly, we both liked pasta - sushi was my other favorite).

The conversations continued as we reached the café when we realised it was closed due to a burst pipe in the premises. Well then, time for plan B. I looked around and saw that there was a Vietnamese shop nearby. I personally also enjoyed pho, or Vietnamese beef noodle soup. I pointed to the shop and asked them if the alternative was okay. It was then that they told me that they were vegetarian, so I checked the menu to see if they had vegetarian options, which they thankfully did. 

We went in and ordered our bowls of noodle soup, theirs being vegetarian so it was served with mushrooms instead, while mine was the traditional beef. As we were both hungry, we quickly devoured our pho and continued talking later.

“Lee, I really needed this. Thanks for suggesting this alternative. I’ve been wanting to try out pho but I was worried there weren’t any vegetarian options.”

“Of course, Skye. Thanks for letting me know you’re vegetarian. I will make sure that our future food choices contain vegetarian options.”

“That’s nice of you. Are you saying we’re expected to have more meetups involving food?”

Skye was teasing or flirting with me. Usually I would have felt very uncomfortable, but somehow their presence was a very welcomed one. I took the teasing or flirting in good nature, and basically gave a response that surprised them.

“Sure, as long as you’re paying half of the time. I expect you to do that anyway.”

Skye didn’t say anything, rather their eyes widened and started laughing. I, too, laughed along with them until we had to take a break from the laughter to breathe.

“Oh, Lee, yes, of course I’ll pay half of the time. Right, I have a few errands to do before I head home, but I’ll see you this Saturday at your place for our music session?”

I looked at the time. It was getting late, and they had places to be. 

“Yes, of course. Let me pay this time and you can pay the next time we have food together.”

“Too late, when you went to the restroom earlier, I’ve already settled the bill.”

I wanted to protest, but they didn’t allow me to do so, so instead I pouted.

“Fine, I’ll pay next time. See you this Saturday, Skye.”

Skye chuckled and nodded, then walked out of the shop.

I shook my head, collected my belongings, and then walked out of the shop as well. What a day indeed.