“Anything else?”
He smiles and bumps his shoulder against me. “You.”
My heart flutters. It’s a shame none of those reasons are likely to keep him here long term.
“The owls are pretty cool too. One of my favourite school trips, when I was in primary school, was finding all the stone owls in the city centre.”
I’ve never taken the time to look at or for the owls. I know they exist, but that’s it.
“When I come home on the train, I know it’s time to get up and grab my bag when I see the huge owl mural on the side of the Platform building.”
“We should go on an owl hunt before you leave. Take photos in front of every owl in the city.”
He squeezes my knee. “That would be fun. Say when and where, and I’ll be there.”
The trouble is, I don’t know how long we have. Haru could get a call on Monday inviting him to a job interview, and then he’ll be gone, and we’ll be back to communicating solely via text. Funny how that doesn’t feel like enough anymore.
“Is there anything else you want to do while you’re here?” I ask.
“Not go crazy from being bored all day?”
I laugh. “Job-hunting isn’t keeping you busy?”
“It is. I’m also designing some clothes for fun, but it’s not the same as putting in a day’s work.”
“What are you designing?”
He rests his head on my chest. “A collection for the autumn/winter season, based around the concept of the urban wild.”
“Huh?”
He gestures at some dandelions that have sprouted through a crack in the pathway. As it’s dark, they’re closed tightly. “Clothes inspired by the wild things you can find in cities. So flowers that defy cultivated lawns, urban foxes, birds, that kind of thing. Those elements are giving me ideas for textures, colours, and shapes.”
“Wow.”
He laughs. “You can’t say that when you haven’t seen my designs.”
“I don’t need to see them to know they’ll be fantastic. The concept alone is mind-blowing. You’re amazing.” I kiss the top of his head.
“Thanks.”
“Will you show them?”
“Sure, if you’re interested.”
“I am. Do you design clothes for yourself?”
“To wear?”
“No, to hang on your wall and stare at. Of course to wear, gorgeous.”
“I have in the past. Most of the work I did for textiles GCSE and A level was designing and making clothes for myself. I designed my prom suit.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
“Wow. You continue to amaze me.”
