Chapter 4 《Beneath the Red Streetlight》
The moment the pub door closed.
The world suddenly fell quiet.
The music that had been ringing in my ears just moments ago.
The sound of people's laughter, too.
Separated by a single door, everything felt far away.
The rain had stopped without me noticing.
Red streetlight spilled across the wet brick road in long streaks.
The night air was cold, but refreshing.
We walked side by side.
Just barely.
With about a shoulder's width between us.
After walking a few steps in silence.
He spoke first.
"So..."
"You okay?"
I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah."
"It was fun."
He smiled.
"Glad you had fun."
A brief silence.
The only sound was our footsteps on the wet road.
He walked slowly with both hands in his puffer jacket pockets.
I pulled my scarf a little tighter, too.
"You cold?"
"A little."
He grinned playfully.
"You'll get used to it."
"It's always like this?"
"Pretty much."
"Rain, clouds, rain again."
"That's Vancouver."
"I hope so." I laughed, too.
We both laughed.
It was a much more comfortable laugh than before.
As we walked through the quiet streets.
The conversation we hadn't been able to have at the pub naturally continued.
"So..."
"How long are you staying in Canada?"
I answered after a moment, as if calculating.
"Until February."
"My flight's already booked."
He slowed his steps for a moment.
"Oh."
"That's... sooner than I thought."
For some reason, those words stayed with me.
I asked him.
"What about you?"
"Are you staying here?"
He stared ahead for a long while before smiling.
"I don't really know."
"I've moved around my whole life."
"So I never know where I'll end up."
His voice was matter-of-fact.
As if he were talking about something he was used to.
I asked carefully.
"You've lived in a lot of places?"
"Yeah."
"I was born in Taiwan."
"Then Switzerland."
"Then China."
"And now Canada."
"Wow..."
"That's a lot."
He shrugged.
"I guess."
"But after a while..."
"Every place starts feeling the same."
I thought I could understand what he meant.
I was living in an unfamiliar city, too.
Finding a little courage every day.
We started walking slowly again.
Tiny bulbs twinkled on every street tree.
The wet brick road gleamed like a mirror.
The Steam Clock was faintly visible in the distance.
"It's beautiful."
I said it softly.
He nodded.
"Yeah."
"This is my favorite part of downtown."
"Especially after it rains."
I slowly looked around.
An unfamiliar city.
An unfamiliar person.
And yet, strangely.
I wasn't afraid.
After a moment.
He said with a smile.
"I'm really glad you came tonight."
I looked up at him and smiled.
"Me too."
It was a short answer.
But those two words were enough.
In front of the alley where my homestay was.
We stopped walking.
"Thanks for walking me home."
"Anytime."
After looking at each other for a moment.
He waved.
"Good night, Youjung."
"Good night, Ben."
He turned and walked away slowly.
I took a few steps toward the entrance, too.
For some reason, I turned around.
He happened to be turning around at the same time.
Our eyes met.
We both smiled.
We didn't say anything.
But that night.
I knew.
I wanted to talk to him.
A little more.
I went inside and quietly closed the door.
I took off my shoes.
Then I hung up my coat, damp from the drizzle.
I took a shower with warm water.
The cold night air of Vancouver slowly faded away.
I sat on the bed while drying my hair.
I pulled up the covers.
Then opened my phone.
There was a text waiting for me.
"Did you get home safe?"
It was Ben.
My heart sped up a little.
I smiled as I texted back.
"Yeah. Just got out of the shower."
"You?"
A few seconds later.
My phone buzzed.
"Yeah :)"
"Good."
"Sleep well, Youjung."
I stared at the screen for a moment.
Then smiled softly.
"You too, Ben."
I set my phone down beside my pillow.
I stared at the ceiling.
I couldn't help smiling.
At least that night.
Sleep didn't come easily.