Just like every other common job in the world, my job, too, offered me a single day rest. But, unlike Sundays, the shop owner provided me with the liberty to enjoy my day's rest on Mondays.

Why? Don't ask me. I can never bring myself to question the old man's logic. But I didn't complain as long I got my free day.

But those days weren't exactly free to begin with; it was usually occupied with: boredom, existential crisis, and occasional house chores. On the other hand, my workdays, being more or less the same, was better than the monotonous thinking and staring out of the small panoramic window.

The antique shop had a small bookcase full of vintage books, and almost seventy percent of the time, I spent my day reading those Japanese novellas or poems, twenty-five percent chatting with Yoongi when he visited me, and the other five percent receiving customers which was rare.

One fine day though, Yoongi mused the idea of exploring the city on my free days. And I couldn't be anymore grateful with the idea. Thus, on the Monday prior to the week we set out on our mini stroll around the city by foot.

But Minato wasn't a small ward to begin with.

Twenty minutes into walking and both of us were heaving like two tired donkeys after a climb up hill. We literally had to support each other to make it to the stairs of Agato shrine steps.

"Walking was such a bad idea," I breathe out, plopping myself on the second step of the staircase.

"I know right!" Yoongi agreed, sitting a step above mine.

"I thought I had the stamina, but I guess I overestimated my walking capacity."

"More like dragging capacity." Yoongi snickered, rolling the sleeves of the black sweatshirt up to his elbows.

My eyes snapped to his. "You were not exactly doing great yourself Grandpa."

He grinned, raising his chin slightly in the air to let the soft breeze dry his already sweaty neck.

Yoongi looked so ethereal under the light of the afternoon sun. A thin layer of sweat covered his skin which seemed to glisten under the soft rays of sunshine. His dark hair which moved with the light summer breeze, made a few strands of his charcoal hair turn into patches of light brown under the faint sunlight. A small, languid smile crept up his features, one that made my body flush as he looked ahead, into nihility.

This particular Monday was sultry. The scanty on-and-off showers which were in season for the past few days were nowhere to be seen as the clouds were being swept away by the South wind, leading to a blasting heat. The brilliant green leaves of the cherry trees stirred in the air, splashing sunlight in all directions.

People carried their light jumpers and umbrellas in their arms. A few school girls were happily chatting in the distant bench. A few others took pictures of themselves with the mythological lion statues at the bottom of the staircase. An air of satisfaction was present. Everyone looked happy in their own private bubble, basking in the warm afternoon sun.

"Do you have water? I'm dehydrated."

"Nope." I said quickly, popping the 'p'.
"Wanna go somewhere after this?"

"I really can't. My legs are numb." Yoongi groaned, closing his eyes as he leaned his upper body on the shrine steps.

"No, I mean like somewhere to eat. I know it's early but I'm famished already." He cast me a quick side glance and shifted his gaze at the afternoon sky.

"We need to climb the stairs now. And the thought of it is tiring me already." Yoongi sighed, and closed his eyes yet again. "Let me catch my breath first and then we will set off."

"Sure."

After resting for about ten minutes we were back on our feet climbing the steep shrine steps, or 'stairs of success' as the legends call it, which turned out to be a little exhausting than expected, ever since I started to feel the burn in my legs.

The stairways are steep but it is manageable is what I repeated mentally like a mantra to convince my inner-self from giving up.

Atago shrine was surprisingly a calm and quiet place atop a hillock in the midst of a bustling Minato. Not too many people were around when we reached the temple. After paying our respects, we strolled around a bit, admiring the architectural beauty and greenery of the pleasant neighbourhood from top of the hill. We went to the nishikigoi pond, where we caught several giant and colourful koi jumping in the water while some glided effortlessly through the clear water.

After that brief moment of zen, we were back into the city, sauntering to find a good restaurant.

The sun was sinking and the sky blended into an enchanting mix of pink and orange with blotches of purple, far and wide.

We went to a small restaurant near Onarimon station. Feeling thirsty, we both ordered cans of beer, and Yoongi ordered an additional plate of maki rolls as an appetizer which, as it turns out, he wasn't a huge fan of since he spit it out as soon as he stuffed one into his mouth. I guffawed at the scene while he threw daggers at my direction. Trusting his taste, I concluded it would be a smart decision to not taste the rolls.

It was silent for the next few minutes, neither of us uttering a word, almost as if not to disrupt the peaceful moment. Yoongi seemed to be deep in thought as he stared out of the window, abandoning his chopsticks and cold maki rolls as he looked at the passing crowd with a quaint loneliness. For me, I was just tired from all the walking and did not make any attempt to start a conversation.

Since it was a Monday evening, the restaurant was almost vacant except for a few couples and two old men smoking at a distant table. A Japanese rock band was playing in the TV while mixed smell of a variety of foods blended into the air inside the restaurant. I fished out my phone from pocket of my shorts, checking the glut of notifications from the unused apps.

"We should do it again sometime." Yoongi murmured without breaking his gaze from the window.

"You mean the strolling thing? If yes, then let me tell you my legs are aching. Really aching." I gave him a straight 'I mean it' face before continuing, "this is probably the farthest I've ever walked since my birth," I rubbed the knot of muscle under the skin of my mid-thigh, trying to ease the pain.

"But it was fun." He finally broke his gaze from the window to switch his attention on me.

"It was okay-ish, I suppose."

"That's why I'm saying we should go out more often: see the city and explore what it has to give us. Don't you feel intrigued by Tokyo?"

"I don't know about the intriguing part because I did not come here to search for the intrigue," I answered, air quoting 'intrigue'. "Unlike you, my ambitions are a bit different."

"And what are your ambitions?" Yoongi tilted his head to the side as he scrutinized me. I averted my gaze, choosing not to answer because I was unsure of myself.

Our orders arrived at the perfect timing, saving us from the awkward moment. Yoongi gracefully started slurping his somen noodles while I silently munched on my okonomiyaki. The whole time it was silent except for the evident cutlery moving, eating sounds from our part, and the blaring sound of the TV.

The crowd outside the window moved with an impressive speed in front of our eyes. It was almost like watching a motion picture in fast forward, except it wasn't.

Life in Tokyo is busy, busy to the point where we don't have the urge to stop. The momentum is unstoppable and unshakeable, dragging us to places that we have no idea of, but a vision mixed with uncertainty.

"What did you mean earlier when you said feel intrigued by Tokyo?" Elbows on the table, I asked Yoongi. He gave me a curious glance before finishing his noodles.

"I don't know what I exactly tried to mean," he replied, wiping his face with the white napkin. "It just slipped out of my mouth."

"But you might have thought about it otherwise why would it slip out of your mouth?"

"It was a passing moment, forget about it."

"Tell me!"

"Okay, fine!" Came his slightly annoyed reply as he proceeded to discard the napkin beside the empty noodle bowl.

"You and I were strangers when we met and we still are, arent we?" Yoongi paused, as if expecting a reply from me so I nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"Before you, I've never met a woman as interesting as you."

"Wow, do I feel flattered!"

He glanced briefly at me before removing his black baseball cap from his head, keeping it on table while he ruffled his jet black hair with the other hand. "I don't think interesting would be the right word, maybe vibrant? But there's definately something about you that I feel intriguing, as if I'm being forced towards you by a paralysed force. Looking at you for the first time got something inside me whirling."

"So, I'm not interesting?"

"No, that's not what I meant! Actually, it's hard to put it in words. You see..." Yoongi thought for a moment before he let out a resigned sigh, "...never mind." He dismissed the topic with a small wave, leaning back on his chair with a soft sigh.

"Do you really think our fates are being intertwined?"

"If that's how you wish to put it." He mumbled, averting his eyes to the window and giving me a clear view of his sharp jawline. "But let me tell you I'm not a firm believer of fate, destiny, karma and red strings."

"You're strange, Min Yoongi." I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

"So I have been told," he beamed.

A deep silence seemed to have consumed us yet once again and my mind travelled back to the day when we met for the first time. His recent words implanting a deeper and stranger conviction inside of me like a heavy boulder on a wooden platform.

Like him, I did not believe in destiny as well; but to meet him at the most strange place on a strange day without actually exchanging words yet forming a connection was a bit unsettling.

I tried to shrug off the feeling for the moment, thinking it did not mean anything concrete as we both stood up from the table.

Yoongi insisted on paying the bill and after bickering for a few minutes like an old couple, we settled on him paying this time while I would pay for the food next time we go out.

"Do you wanna grab ice-cream?" Yoongi asked nonchalantly, stuffing his hands inside his pants pockets.

"No, I feel tired. Let's call it a night." I gave him a small smile, one that I was sure did not reach my eyes and averted my gaze to the street in front of us.

Yoongi helped me hail a cab, and as soon as the yellow cab appeared, I abruptly opened the door, stepping inside the small box.

Yoongi bended his upper body in front of the cab window, levelling his eyes to mine. "Will you be at the shop tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"See ya tomorrow then." Yoongi stepped back as soon as the driver hit the gas pedal, jerking the vehicle forward.

After telling the driver to drop me off at the Toranomon station, I leaned back in the seat, the events of the day playing on my mind on loop.

I can't deny that I did not feel something for him the first time I saw him. I mean, who wouldn't? Those eyes are excruciatingly beautiful. Anyone who wishes to venture will end up getting lost in them.

But, several trivial questions bothered me - was it really our fate to meet?

Or was it just a simple encounter with no significance?

Are we all fated to meet each other?

Was the person next to you in train your future husband?

Or is he the killer on whose hands you might die?

Or is he just a simple person who is predestined to sit next to you at that very moment?

Sometimes, I wonder why do I even get such thoughts?

Not every action is supposed to have a meaning, right?

I let out a deep sigh and watched the moving scenery outside the window. There's so much uncertainty in the air - among us. Perhaps, it would be correct to say we breathe in the uncertainty in the air looming large over us rather than the actual oxygen available to us in plenty.

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AN: Japanese words used in this chapter -

1. Nishikigoi (or Koi) are the common coloured varieties of Japanese carp (the fish).

2. Maki rolls or sushi comes from the word "maku", which means "to wrap/roll" for the obvious reason of wrapping it in seaweed (which is called "nori").

3. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese style savory pancake made with different ingredients.

4. Somen is actually a kind of white noodle made from wheat flour.

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