[https://i.postimg.cc/cCxYHKmN/The-Girl-who-could-taste-time.gif]

She scrutinised every detail of Eske's face: 'So unique.'; she whispered. Then, after a long pause in which the only sound was that made by her lips as they moved slowly and carefully over each word, she continued softly:' So like...'

Then came another silence. Nona looked at him with eyes half closed under their thick lashes. Her pupils were large but still discernible against the white lids above them: 'Have we met?'; she asked, walking behind the counter.

Eske felt the disappointment welling up within his chest and throat. 'I'm Eske.'

Nona smiled gently: 'Nona.'; she pointed to her name tag. The smile grew broader as she added: 'How may I help you?'

Eske didn't know what to say. He knew her notions of time were different from his. He knew, or at least he hoped, she hadn't forgotten about him. Her head right now was in a time-space where they didn't yet meet. He had absolutely no idea how to break the ice, and asking her to kiss her didn't seem a good idea. 'Would you like to go on a date?'; Eske had absolutely no game with Nona.

'Are you walking in every store asking girls on a date?'; Nona asked sarcastically. She then said more seriously: 'What can I do for you today? Movie wise.'

'Everyone is ignoring what I say today.'; Eske replied sadly. His voice cracked slightly when he spoke: 'Let's imagine we have already met, and let's imagine that I actually asked you on a date, but something happened, and we had to postpone it.'

'Why would I postpone it?'; Nona inquired curiously.

Eske shrugged: 'Who knows why anyone does anything?'; he laughed nervously: 'That's not really important anyway because here are my questions.'

'Okay,';

'How does time taste here? Is it still tomato-ish?'; Eske paused awkwardly before continuing: 'Are you still able to drink coffee? You said it tastes bitter no matter the timeline.'

Her eyes got wider at Eske's every word. It seemed like she understood everything he'd just said perfectly. She answered his first question easily enough: 'Time here tastes like bland paper mache. Everything tastes like paper.'; Nona answered.

'Does it allows you to eat?'; Eske queried next.

'Not really. But how do you know these things?'; Nona asked, leaning toward the counter.

'We met before.'; the words hung in the air between them.

'Were we..., hum, did we...?'; she asked, swinging her index finger between them.

'Why you ask? Is it because you think I'm handsome? Charming?'; he asked, smiling widely.

The girl nodded: 'You asked me on a date five minutes ago.'; she giggled.

'Oh, yeah. Well, the answer is not yet.'

Nona frowned deeply, and her brow wrinkled into an unreadable expression: 'Why not?'; she demanded.

Eske sighed: 'Because something came up.'; he didn't feel the need to remind her what happened exactly. How would she react to knowing he killed a man out of pure rage?

'But I said yes?'

Eske shook his head: 'You said okay. I take it as a yes.'

There was another long silence while both stared at one other across the countertop. Then Nona leaned forward again, this time putting her elbows down on the tabletop: 'Okay.'

'Okay?'

'Yes. Okay.'

'So we have a date?'

'If you want to call it that.'; she smiled: 'We have a date.'

A wide grin spread over Eske's face. He reached out and took hold of her hand: 'Great!'; as he pulled her hand, her sleeve went up, revealing black ink on her forearm. He looked intrigued. With his finger, he pushed her sleeve up: 'What is this?'

'Oh, that?'; she turned her forearm to show him: 'I have no idea.'

1-5-9-2-6-5-3-5-9 were inked meticulously on her skin, aligned symmetrically with clear lines. 'Why did you do that?'; Eske asked, pointing to the numbers.

'I don't know. I just know it is really, really, really important to me. It feels like an address or a phone number. Something I can't forget, but didn't work.'; Nona explained.

Eske removed his blazer and put it over the counter. He started to roll his sleeve and placed his forearm next to Nona's. His numbers were scribbled, unaligned, as if a toddler drew them. 'Could this be why?'

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

'Maybe.'; she thought aloud. 'Are you sure nothing happened between us?'; she asked.

'No. Nothing happened between us.'; Eske said. 'Yet.' He didn't realise their fingers were tangled around each other.

'Good.'; Nona replied, her face turning red. 'I guess.'

They stood there in silence, looking at their forearms inked until Eske broke it: 'I really fucking like you, Nona.'

Their first date, official date was in 1985, evening. Eske decided to take Nona to a drive-in movie. He had no particular film or programme in mind. He just wanted some excuse for driving out of town and spending time with her alone. None of them paid attention to the big screen. They laughed and talked about nothing and everything while eating popcorn.

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'Favourite dessert?'; he asked.

'Tiramisu.'

'That makes sense.'

'Yours?'

Eske smiled at this. 'My mum's Äppelklatzen.' He didn't realise he still had that lost memory of his mother somewhere in his mind.

'What is it?'

'Is like a sort of apple pie.' Eske remembered how she used to bake these pies on Friday before the weekend started.

'Do you miss them?'

He felt an unexpected twinge of loneliness over that question: 'I don't remember them. Just some vague, blurry little pieces of images in my head.'; and then he added quickly: 'What about you?'

Nona shook her head slowly, saying, 'I don't know. I have this feeling I do have people who care about me, and they are probably looking for me. But names, faces, I don't know. I must have had a family at some point. I wasn't born from thin air.'

'I'm sure they are.'; Eske said, brushing her hair behind her ear. The gesture made him feel strangely happy. It seemed so natural, so right. To touch her. Then suddenly, there came into his mind those words which were never spoken aloud by anyone else but himself yet somehow conveyed their meaning perfectly clearly: 'You're...' But he did not finish the sentence. Instead, he took Nona's hand and kissed it.

'So, you... hum, what else you like?'; she was stammering.

Eske chuckled, she looked embarrassed, and he found it adorable: 'I like to read. Movies too. I think I like stories mostly.'

She nodded slowly. 'Me too'.

'Am I making you feel uncomfortable?'; he asked.

'No', she replied. 'It feels nice.' She glanced down at their hands entwined.

Eske looked outside the window: 'How long did the movie end?'

'I have no ideas. There seems to be no car outside.'

The silence between them grew longer than usual as they sat in the darkness and started to laugh. None of them even knew what movie they were supposed to watch. Eventually, Eske broke the quiet: 'Did you enjoy yourself?'

'I did. You?'

'I was thinking about where I should take you next time. So yes, I really liked it.'

He turned the engine on and drove Nona back home. Arriving at her building, he parked his car and opened Nona's door: 'Well, this was fun.'; she said, looking at him.'

'It was.'; he said with a smile and his hands in his pocket.

'Well...'; she paused nervously.

'I'll see you tomorrow.'; he suggested.

'Oh...'; escaped from her disappointed lips: 'I guess so.'

'Have a good night.'; and Eske ran back inside the car, driving home.

When he finally parked his car in his street, he bumped his head against the wheel. 'You fucking idiot!'

Once more, he turned on his car, rear the wheel and drove back to Nona's place. He didn't know which floor to ring, so he rang them all until someone opened the door. When Nona, in her shirt and shorts, answered, he jumped up, smiling excitedly. 'Hi!'

'Hey! What happened? Why are you here?'

'Because I forgot...'

'And what is wrong with you? You said you had a good time. You even brushed my hair! Why? Am I not pretty? You don't feel attracted to me? Did you change your mind? Why would you say you take me on another date if you don't like me?' Her voice sounded angry. Eske tried to calm her down, but she continued without taking a breath: 'Did I say something wrong? Or..., what made you change your mind? I mean, why...'

Eske grabbed her face with his two hands, staring directly into her eyes. 'I love you.'

There was a moment of complete shock and disbelief. 'What?'; Nona gasped.

'I am deeply in love with you.'; he repeated firmly.

'So why did you...'

He didn't let her finish and leaned forward slowly until his lips touched hers. She stood frozen. He kissed her slower, tasting every inch of her soft mouth. His heart thumped hard when she began kissing him back. Suddenly she stopped and pulled away from him. 'Peppermint.'; she whispered.

'What?'.

'You taste like peppermint.'; she pulled him by his shirt and locked her lips on his once again. This kiss was different. More eager. It lasted as a short forever. Both of them were breathing heavily.

'Why?'; she demanded after a few seconds.

'You swipe the ground under my feet. You make my hands sweaty and make me feel like..., I don't know. I don't have butterflies in my stomach, Nona, but kangaroos.'; he explained. 'Can I stay?'; he asked shyly. 'I don't want to go home. I want to stay with you.'

'Yeah.'; she replied, pulling him closer.

[https://i.postimg.cc/Mpk9Kk26/The-kiss.png]

> Little light Can you not see that little light up there?

[https://i.postimg.cc/6q9LFb4w/The-Girl-who-could-taste-time-2.gif]