After the Breakup

Another Day With You

I lied in bed at my BnB that evening, thinking about what happened that day. How things have taken a sudden turn that’s totally unexpected.  I don’t understand what happened today but I can’t say that I don’t like it.  It is a bit confusing.  I have never met someone like Khalil who had such power over me.  He is able to make me do what he wants me to do without any objection, though I must say that the things he made me do were actually fun. He made me feel daring and fearless, at the same time protected and cared for.  Or maybe I feel fearless because I know he’s by my side? But what made me trust him that much?  Is it his eyes?  Looking through his eyes, I felt like there’s so much inside him, so much to know, so much to learn, so much passion and honesty.

During lunch, we just talked about each other.  I learned that he is from a family of farmers, studied International Agriculture in University of California in Davis. He also travels a lot and had been to different countries already - from Europe to Asia. His grand dad owns a farm in Gassim and his dad now owns a farm in Alberta, Canada.  He seem passionate about agriculture that he even went to Europe for some workshops.  A well-travelled man - exactly how I wished my boyfriend would be before Mark came into my life.  I have always dreamed of having someone to travel with.  A boyfriend who will enjoy going on joyrides or long trips with me.  One who, on one lazy day, will tell me to pack my bags and drive with me somewhere.  Mark was not that person, but I loved him nonetheless. He may not be a traveller but he makes up for it with other things.

Khalil insisted that he brings me to my BnB so we took the train together to my stop. His hotel is just about 2 stops away from mine.  His arm was on my shoulder and he carried my shopping bags as we walked towards my accommodation. We had been eating quite a lot while walking around the theme park so we both decided to just rest and not have dinner anymore.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. I’ll be here by 8am” He said as we reached the door of my bnb.

He hugged me as we said goodnight and kiss me on my forehead.  For some reason, I wanted him to kiss me, really kiss me but I don’t have the courage to initiate that kiss. I have only been with one man in the entire 28 years of my existence, and definitely, kissing a stranger even if he is as good looking and nice as Khalil, is not something I have done before.

That forehead kiss though made me feel even more comfortable with him.  I felt that he respects me enough not to push for anything more than I am willing to give. What he did today to get to me may be a bit more aggressive than it should be, but I guess the time we have and the thought that we may never see each other again played a part on that.  We’re both tourists and we don’t have time to wait, next thing we know, this trip is over and we won’t see each other again.  If he didn’t approach me the way he did, then there’s really no chance we will be spending this day together and we would have missed the fun we just shared. Would I have wished for anything to be different?  Part of me tells me that it’s going too fast, but at the same time, I feel that I would not have wanted it any other way that I slept feeling relaxed and excited about seeing him again the next day.

I heard the bell of my bnb ring at 7:55am. I am almost ready to leave but just needed to blow dry my hair a bit more.  I opened the door and saw Khalil there, wearing a pair of dark jeans, white V-neck shirt and a black bomber jacket, black sneakers, and carrying a black backpack with some red accents. His deep set eyes are now covered with a classic aviator Rayban and his beard seem to have been trimmed. It’s not the typical long beards we see from the movies but more like designer stubble. I don’t really like beards since it can make some men look rather messy and dirty, but with him, it just accentuate his jawline. It definitely does not look messy, with him, it looks like it’s meant to be there - I guess, it’s really meant to be there considering he is a Muslim.  I like his style, classic and clean, complemented by his height and lean physique, he can actually be a model.  

“I’m almost done” I told him, unsure if I should let him in or ask him to wait outside. It’s a bit chilly at 18degrees that morning so I am hesitant to have him wait outside

“Ok, take your time. I saw a Lawson’s just a few meters from here. I will go get us coffee?  Anything else you want?”

“Coffee and some bread and pastries probably?” I’m a sucker for Japanese bread and pastries. Even the convenience store ones are really good.

“Ok, I’ll be back in a while”

I’m already done drying my hair and just waiting for him as I sit at the chair in the small dining room in the bnb when he rang the bell again.  With papercups of coffee and a bag of goodies, I let him enter the bnb so we can have our breakfast.  I don’t really eat much for breakfast but it’s a meal that I have always loved. I was brought up in a home where we were not allowed to leave the house without having breakfast first.  Whenever I am at my parents, we will have a hearty breakfast of rice, egg and a variation of either bacon, cornedbeef, longanisa, tapa or anything that my mom or someone is the family is craving for. When I’m in my condo though, breakfast will just be bread or pastry and definitely black coffee.

“I forgot to ask you how you want your coffee, so I also bought iced coffee and brought some creamer. Mine is just black though.”

“I love it black” I told him and smiled as I took a sip of my coffee.

He started bringing out the bread and pastries that he bought and I chose the coffee bun with custard while he got the red bean bun.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” I asked him, in between bites of the yummy bun

“Hmm… How about we go to Arashiyama then Fushimi Inari afterwards then dinner at Dotonbori?”

“Game” I said, as I finished the last bite of my bun and finished my coffee. Khalil is also done and just watching me as I finish my breakfast.

I checked the weather forecast for today and the coldest will be at around 11degrees towards the evening. I checked my outfit for the day and I think it’s suitable for our itinerary. I’m wearing a white pullover and faded denim jeans, white sneakers and an olive green oversized parka.  I still have the scarf in my bag, in case it gets colder, and I know that Khalil will also have his arms around me in case it gets too cold.  I also got my Cath Kidston crossbody bag and a pair of Oakleys frogskin for my sunglasses.

I did a last once over of my bnb and how I look in the full length mirror as we walked towards the door and start our little adventure.  

We walked to the train station with Khalil holding my hand and guiding me. We both got the unlimited pass so we don’t have to buy tickets everytime we ride the train.  The train ride is about 1 hour 20 minutes then another 15 minute walk to the bamboo grove. We sat together, with me sitting near the window and him next to me.

“It’s going to be a long trip. You can rest your head here” He said, as he placed his hand on my shoulder and made me lean on his chest. I stayed there, leaning on him, his arm wrapped around me, as we both looked out the window and silently enjoyed the view of Japan’s landscapes.

We arrived at the station Saga-Arashiyama station and walked towards the grove. Near the entrance of the grove, there’s a small store where they sell different Japanese street food. From there, we also saw some tourists riding a rickshaw. We looked at each other, and without words, it seems that we both understand that we’re not going to ride one.  

“I feel guilty having someone carry me that way” He claimed afterwards

“Me too” I said, gently smiling to myself, thinking about the guy beside me

There were some street sellers as we entered the grove area.  A old man selling handpainted postcards and another with what seem to be some wind toy. We decided to buy some on our way out, but first we need some free hand for our pictures.

Taking a picture in a place crowded with tourists is difficult but it’s fun.  We took turns in taking pictures of each other and some twofies as well. It did not take long to explore the place and with the crowd, there’s really not much we can do so we decided to go out already.  We dropped by the two vendors and bought some of their products.  I got a couple of postcards and one of the toys that I don’t quite understand, while Khalil bought about 5 toys for his nephews and nieces. His 2 sisters are both married with kids, and from his stories, it seems that he is quite close to them, to the point of bringing all of them to a resort with just him as their nanny/guardian.

As we walked out, we saw a picture of a temple nearby and decided to also check on it. There’s a fee of 500Yen, Khalil paid for both our tickets. The place looks peaceful. The temple, just like the other temples I visited has garden and a pond in front of it. The garden of Tenryu ji is called Sogenchi Garden, said to be one of the oldest in Japan that retained its design since the 14th century.  

We had a nice stroll inside while taking pictures of the area and each other every now and then. We sat at one of the benches that lined the side of the pond.  The area is covered with trees and there’s also the stairs going towards the other side of the temple garden. There were small fountains in some parts of the garden as well. As we sat, both our eyes were caught by a very realistic statue of a blue heron.

“That sculpture is amazing or is it real?” I asked, looking at him

“It’s not moving and has not been for a couple of minutes. Maybe a statue?”

We agreed that it’s a statue when it suddenly lifted its wings then we both started laughing.

“I guess, we both need glasses”  He said, laughing at our ignorance.  

“Agree, it must be the glasses. Want to go grab some food?”

He grabbed my hand and we both stood up. We already know where we’re going to eat.

We both excitedly looked at the food options at the store we found at the entrance.  We haven’t tried any of the food that they have so we both agreed to get two of everything except for those that are not halal or with pork in it. We ended with about 5 different street food and started randomly trying whichever looks more appetizing. We had the regular soda for our drinks.  After our food trip, we walked back towards the train station for our next stop.  Along the way, we passed by some stores selling handpainted japanese fans, oil blotting paper, and a lot of kawaii (Japanese for cute) stuff.

The chemistry between me and Khalil seem to be growing each moment we are together.  We both like trying and seeing new things that made it easy for us to get along and making the trip quite an exciting and fun experience for both of us.  He is also very easygoing but at the same time, he knows what he wants and goes for it. We both are decisive so once we decide on something, we just went with it, whatever it takes.  With the cost being set aside, we are free to explore everything and try anything we come across with that we find interesting. There had also been a few occasions when no words were necessary, we just understand each other. I am still uncertain of what this or what this should or will be, but I am certain that it’s never a bad thing.  

The trip to Fushimi Inari from Arashiyama is shorter, just about 35 minutes. From Sagaarashiyama station, we took the train to Kyoto station then switched from Sagano line to Nara line, then to the Inari station. It’s a couple of minutes walk towards the shrine. We dropped by the convenience store before the entrance to buy some water, then went inside and started walking through the long lines of torii gates.

We did not walk to the end of the gates as it seems that it’s going to be a long one. We stopped by the resting area, sat there for a while to enjoy the view then decided to walk back. We had been walking all day and we’re starting to feel a bit tired and in need of a good cup of coffee.

On our way back, we took the other side of the path with no torii gates lined up. It’s a pebbled road that we almost wondered if we’re on the right path. He asked me to stop and stand by the wooden fence to take a picture of me and joined me after. So we both leaned on the fence and just enjoy the view of the trees.

“Why are you here in Japan, by the way? Isn’t it a bit of a long way from home?” I asked him as I looked at one of the trees with some green and red leaves.  It is mid-May so it’s transitioning from spring to summer. The colors of the leaves are changing from red to green, making me think about Christmas and hallmark cards

“Well, it is a combination of business and leisure.  I am here for 2 weeks, 1 week for fun then 1 more for some business tours. I am planning to visit some farms and see what we can learn from them”

“Ah okay. You’re staying one more week after I leave then.”

“Hmmm….so what’s your next travel destination?” I asked again

“Maybe Russia?” He turned around and is now leaning at the fence, looking at the people passing by.

“Why Russia?”

“I just find it interesting. It seem so rich in culture and I haven’t been to that part of Europe. How about you?”

“Slovenia”

“That’s really nice. Maybe that’s going to be next on my list.  So why Slovenia?”

“It just looks fascinating.  You see, I watched this Korean drama and they shot some of the scenes in Slovenia. It also seems to be a very romantic place”

“Maybe we can go together?” He looked at me. Those eyes again. It really is making my heart melt and my knees weak.

“Maybe” I answered, smiling as I started walking towards the exit.

We took the train from Fushimi Inari to Dotonbori as planned. Dotonbori is the place for food lovers so there’s tons of food options to choose from, but first we need our coffee so we headed to Starbucks.