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Diner dates were nothing new for Irene and Annakiss. This was a usual place to congregate on a weekend. Days where there’s nothing else to do besides take a trip to various locations. Their destination today happened to be their favorite restaurant on a bustling morning.
Cars drove outside the window as they sat down in a booth. The seats a shade of mossy green. The table was red with a plaster that had sparkles painted into it.
A jukebox played a tune that caught the observant ear of Irene. It was a jazz record. “Hm,” She leaned her chin into her palm. A thoughtful smile on her face, a glistening sense of innocence in her eyes. The sound made her ponder. “My grandfather is a jazz musician.”
Annakiss stared at Irene as her eyes focused on the bright box of melodies. “A famous one?” He asked, genuinely curious.
“He thinks he is, but according to my dad, he’s just some wannabe hopping bar to bar with his sad little tunes,” Irene’s lip twitched slightly. She trusted her father’s word about this man. Even if she had never met him, he has seen letters from him. He was an old, egotistical man stuck in his fantasy of being a celebrity. “I’ve never met the guy,” She shook her head.
Hands on the table, Annakiss continued to gaze at Irene. “Is the sound bringing you back to your childhood?”
“I suppose so,” Irene glanced over at Annakiss. She smiled, the side of her face visible to him. They exchanged soft expressions directed towards one another. She rested her hand on the top of Annakiss’s. “My father used to listen to jazz CDs in the car occasionally. Never explained why, but I grew to understand the possible reasons. Usually it was when he went through long periods of time without seeing me due to work. I think it would remind him of his own father. Make him question his own abilities as a parent. For better or for worse, I’m not exactly sure.” She sighed quietly. Annakiss listened intently to her explanation.
He nodded. Sure, he might not be able to empathize with this situation. He could rarely ever. But he still understood what Irene was feeling. The underlying reasons behind her words. He nodded again, reassuring himself of his own thoughts.
Irene noticed him nod twice. She had picked up on this habit a few months ago. If he doesn’t speak after performing the gesture once, he usually repeats himself a few seconds later. “Why do you nod twice sometimes?” She grabbed his hand.
There was a moment of confusion that struck a pose on his face. Nobody has ever asked him that. Let alone, most people probably never even noticed. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but I do it because I’m confirming my own thoughts are valid. It’s to acknowledge their logic to myself.”
“Your confidence is charming.”
“Is that really an act of confidence?”
“I think so.”
The next song played. It was a familiar song to both of them. It was a jazz fusion song with a hint of hip hop. Why did this tune signal a sense of nostalgia for them? Their expressions grew more intense. Not negative but more emotional.
Triggered to respond that way, their gaze into each other’s eyes grew more intense. Annakiss smiled to himself, letting the brim of his sun hat cover his eyes.
Simultaneously, their hands clinged to each other tighter. Irene gasped, receiving a shy wink from Annakiss. She tilted his hat up with her free hand.
Leaning over the table, he gave her a light kiss on the cheek. A faint mark from his lipstick stained her skin. She swiped a finger over it, feeling the smooth texture. She removed her hand, not wanting to completely wipe it off.
A waitress holding a glass appeared in front of them. Inside the glass was a vanilla milkshake. Whipped cream coming out of the cup from the rim. The waitress placed two straws beside the bottom of the cup, flashing a welcoming smile to the customers.
They grabbed their straws, jabbing them into the surface of the tables. With his hand now free, Annakiss fidgeted with the band on his ring finger. He spun it around. The metal glided across his skin. “Where have I heard this song before?” Finally Annakiss spoke to the inquiry both hanging over their seemingly connected minds.
Irene shrugged before sticking her straw into their milkshake. “Not sure. But I recognize it as well.” She looked outside the window to the driveway. Their white car holding a Florida license plate on the front and back. She thought of Emporio. He was now attending highschool. Having been adopted by Irene’s parents.
“Maybe it played in a store,” Annakiss muttered, still playing with the jewelry.
Irene placed her hand on his wrist. “Hey, keep that around your finger. It could get lost.”
“Oh, you’re one to talk.”
“That was a one time thing.”
“It’s pretty hard to throw a ring out of a moving car window.”
“No it isn’t,” Irene pointed to him, taking a sip of their milkshake. Annakiss teasingly snatched the glass from her hands. It glided across the table, the condensation on the bottom making it slide easily. A noise of annoyance emanating from her mouth.
Annakiss took a large sip of the milkshake from the rim of the cup. Whipped cream getting on his nose. He wiped it away as Irene giggled watching him. She picked up his straw, waving it in front of him. “Are you some sort of caveman?” She bickered.
Annakiss placed the straw into the thick mixture. “No, I’m more like a werewolf.”
“Those have nothing to do with each other.”
“Sure they do… They’re both, uhm, hairy.”
“You have barely any body hair.”
“Oh, whatever,” Annakiss leaned forward again. He was asking for a kiss on his lips. He closed his eyes, pecking Irene’s lips as she gave him a quick kiss back. “Hm, I wonder if cavemen were really that hairy. Think about the way they’re depicted in drawings. We aren’t that hairy now. At least not compared to them in illustrations.” Way to kill their cute moment.
“They probably were. They lived in caves, right? Those would be way colder than our houses,” Irene answered his ridiculous tangent.
“That is true. Even a hundred or so years ago, barely any homes could stay warm,” Annakiss scooped whipped cream onto the end of the straw before licking it off. “Do you ever think we lived at those times? Y’know, when fireplaces kept people warm.” There was a distinct tone to his voice, now. On purpose or by accident. There was something deeper to that question.
Contemplating the question, a simple thought came to mind. A straight up, “No, probably not.” But then she thought deeper about his words.
Annakiss was always one to deconstruct things. Who was to say he could not deconstruct philosophies such as living past lives? If that was what he truly meant. “What do you mean?” Irene knew what he was implying. Still, she had the urge to confirm her analysis on his implications.
He responded with a chuckle. Well that input isn’t too helpful to Irene. A calm expression growing on his face. Complicated ideas clouding his mind. Seemingly snatching the most logical one from his brain. He answered, as if the words spoken were so simple, “Do you ever wonder if we have known each other in different universes?”
“Not really,” Irene paused. “If I’m being honest.”
Annakiss did not seem bothered nor pleased by her response. Sure, it would be satisfying to know that a thought that crossed his mind so frequently was shared amongst each other. But that is not always the way that people understand relationships. Even if that confused Annakiss. His eyebrows raised slightly once he processed her words completely. He nodded, raising his hand to rest under his chin.
There was a moment of silence shared between them. Irene took another sip of their milkshake, tilting the cup towards herself. Annakiss watched as he began to form new words to say. He never enjoyed chatter. Talking about his ideas was often tiring. Not because he had a hard time explaining them, but because others had a hard time understanding them.
It was no surprise when Irene did not fully comprehend or agree with his propositions about all of these ideas. Some occasionally spooked her, even.
Ever since his youth, Annakiss was confident in his intellect. Often hiding away in it. Shunning external stimulation in exchange for exploring the inner world of things. Taking items apart, dissecting whatever grazed his hands in order to understand it like nobody else. Except maybe the manufacturers.
Irene changed this behavior slightly. He was still self-assured, certain in his decisions and ideas. What Irene opened him up to was means of expression about these thoughts.
Nothing else could evoke such strong emotions from him except for the woman sitting across from him. That is what convinced him they had always known each other. No matter what life they lived, they would end up living it together.
How was Annakiss supposed to convey something so bizarre? This was a simple date, not a philosophy speech. He held his breath before going to speak.
Irene beat him to it. “It’s like in books. When people are soulmates… is that the word?”
Annakiss felt his heart skip a beat. She really did understand. He felt slight guilt for doubting her intelligence. He let out a sigh of relief. “Yes,” He leaned his head into his hand. “I have always believed us to be soulmates. Ever since we met Emporio at the gas station. Strange event to associate with it, I know. But something clicked.”
“I get where you’re coming from. Now that you mention that,” Irene shifted her head to the side. She felt herself blushing slightly at Annakiss’ words going so romantic suddenly. “It’s almost as if…” She was at a loss of words.
“We had seen that boy before,” Annakiss finished her thought. She nodded shyly. “Am I a mind reader?” He grabbed her hands from off the table. “Or is our love destiny?”
Irene laughed under her breath. Not in an insulting way. This moment was thrilling and it was making her nervous. Annakiss always had cheesy things to say. Always expressing his admiration through words and actions. “Both, I would say,” She replied.
“Wonderful!” Annakiss smiled dearly before kissing the top of her hands. Irene watched, still in a flustered trance. Rarely did Irene ever get worked up over his affection. She appreciated it always but was never one to give a dramatic response. Usually silently and respectfully embracing it.
Annakiss admired that about her. Such a mature individual, not blinded by romance. A strong and passionate personality willing to love but never too excessively. She was able to maintain balance in her life. Achieving her personal goals whilst always making time for her husband. Annakiss would rather never love than to love anyone different.
There was nobody different. The stars aligned them towards each other. “Hopefully we aren’t star crossed lovers, though,” Annakiss joked.
“Huh?” Irene looked concerned.
“It means that our love will not end tragically,” Annakiss assured. He pondered for a few seconds. “Maybe it has before.” His eyebrows furrowed.
“Even if it has, no point worrying about that now. Let’s concern ourselves with the present.”
“Of course… Of course.”
“Bright days have always carried us with them. And they will continue to.”
“Even if we have died once together, we are alive now.”
“Exactly."