The idea had Seth a little on edge. Walking home, against the moonlit air, seemed a little more daunting than a simple catch up on a train.
“Oh, I didn’t realise you lived around here?”
“My family moved to this suburb just a month ago,” Nina informed, which explained why he’s onlynowseeing her around the area. He’d lived here all his life and he never recalled seeing Nina on his way to school back then.
The chilly air brushed against Seth’s neck, making him shiver as they continued down the path.
Damn, I wish I wore a scarf.Just like the one Nina was wearing.
It looks nice on her, actually,he thought. In fact, the whole outfit she had was really pretty.
“How was your day?” Seth asked, filling the silence that had fallen over them.
Nina shrugged, “Not too bad. Classes were as per usual. I checked out a new Filipino restaurant that’d opened up in Surry Hills on the way back from uni. It isn’t too bad, I had an ensaymada and it was pretty yummy, but my sister, Elena, hasbaked better ones for my family before. An ensaymada is a sweet bun with cheese filling, by the way.”
She must’ve noticed Seth’s puzzled expression at the mention of theensaymada. Now, he was craving it.
He also realised that Nina talks a lot.Stilltalks a lot, actually, once she was on a roll.
He remembered, back in high school, her voice would carry across the classroom. Her conversations projected to everyone. She tended to use her hands a lot in gestures.
Seth’s lips tugged, involuntarily.
“ - but anyways. Enough about me. Do yo -” before Nina finished her sentence, her ringtone sounded. It was a familiar tune, something he’s heard before.
“Sorry,” she murmured, before answering it, “Hi Mum. Yeah, I’m walking home now. It’s okay, I’m actually with a - uh -”
Nina’s head glanced toward Seth, who kept his eyes trained on the ground.What am I?
“An old classmate. We live nearby, actually. I will. Love you.”
She pocketed the phone afterward.
“That ringtone before sounded familiar,” Seth said, remembering the mellow melody. It belonged to an animation, a popular one that he stumbled upon on Netflix.
It was a Studio something movie…It was…
“It’s from Spirited Away,” Nina chirped, and Seth noticed how her smile had widened, and her shoulders perked in interest, “From Studio Ghibli. Have you seen it?
Thatwas the name. He saw it for the first time a couple of months ago, when he was bored out of his mind and unsure of what to watch.
“A couple of months ago, yeah. It was really sweet, actually, I didn’t expect for the story to hit me as hard as it did.”
“Tellme about it. Hayao Miyazaki’s storytelling abilities are a work of absolute art, honestly. Have you seen any other movies?”
Her tone had brightened a little, as if his interest inherinterest was akin to a caffeine hit. It was infectious.
“I haven’t yet, but I really want to watch more.”
“Oh youshould.Check out Howl’s Moving Castle tonight. Or maybe Ponyo. Or maybe Castle in the Sky, actually, maybe you’ll like that more.”
How she held so much energy after the day, Seth didn’t know. A small chuckle escaped his lips.
“What’s your favourite Ghibli movie of all time?” he asked.
Her eyes widened at the query.
“Seth Roman Moore, donotsubject me to a question like that. It’ll take all night for me to answer you.”
