Past or Future?

Joville gave me a fishing pole with a bait. We were sitting on a pump boat, his dad busy checking the engines. Her mom didn't go with us because she wanted to prepare the needed utensils when we head back and cook what we caught. Joville's house had a homey vibe, just like my parent's house but of a different family. A lot of portraits surrounded their living room and Joville's mom didn't hesitate to tell the story of each one. Just like the last visit, her parents welcomed me warmly and expressed how delighted they were to see me again.

Eliezer, her younger brother looked much more like her than her parents. He is a handsome boy no doubt about that, at first he tried to hit me with a cheesy line but Joville looked at him in a way I didn't understand but both of them did. He's charming but the quiet type of guy how do you even mix them both?

"Just throw the line and wait for that floating thing there to submerge, once it does, immediately pull up the string and there you have it" Joville instructed me.

"All right, I'll give it a go" even though my cast was already removed, I'm still a bit afraid to move my left hand rapidly. The line went into the water, I waited for more or less three to five minutes then it moved, as she said I had to pull and so I did and I caught a fish!

Joville clapped "Not so bad for a newbie aren't you?"

I held the the pole blankly not knowing what to do next. I looked at Joville for help, she chuckled.

"Sorry, haha you look cute that way. Anyway, after you pulled what you caught, you need to guide it and put the fish in the bin. You need to be quick or otherwise your fish would go back in the water" Joville demonstrated explaining each step. Wow, I could get used to this.

"We can eat that?"

"Yeah, why? Are you allergic or something? Joville looked worriedly.

"No, not at all" I smiled reassuringly "Thank you for being patient in teaching me"

"Did I score some points?" Joville smirked.

"Are you serious right now?" I asked mockingly.

"A girl can dream Art, it's not everyday I see you so vulnerable and clueless about something"

"Hey! Not true. All right, I'll give you .5 points"

Joville faked shocked "That small? What about my time being your personal nurse?"

I rolled my eyes "No guilt trips and no that was not included because you never asked"

Joville laughed playfully. We spent the rest of the morning gathering some fish and talking about Joville's life growing up in here. She suggested we exchange asking questions answerable only with yes and no in which I agreed. I went first.

"Did you meet your first love here?"

"Yes, I did"

"Was Bella your first love?"

I haven't thought about her after she went away to who knows where, but hearing her name again makes me feel anxious. "Yes, she was" Joville's face was unreadable but I knew somethings whirring in her head. "Do you still have some sort communication with your ex?"

"Well, we have social media now but other than that, not really. I haven't seen him after I moved out here"

"Do you still love Bella like you used to?

"No."

"Do you enjoy being around me all the time?"

Joville's lips broke into a smile "Yes, all the time" I looked away.

"Are you in some way interested in Dan?"

I frowned "No, I don't see him that way"

Relief reflected her eyes, "Do you get jealous easily?"

"Only if that person's mine, then yes I get jealous easily" I swallowed.

"Do I make you feel uncomfortable?" Joville masked her fear.

"No, you don't. I just get squirmy and shy around you sometimes" Joville gave me a crooked smile and gestured to continue.

"Do you plan staying long in the shop?"

"It depends on the situation maybe yes, maybe no" something inside me sank.

"Did you regret knowing me for who I am?"

"No, I don't. What made you think that?"

Joville shrugged not saying anything. "Do you hate me when I'm being naive?"

"I don't have the guts to hate you so that's a no" Joville smiled knowingly. By then we were done and on our way back to their house. Mrs. C waving at the dock.

"Did you two have fun? Let me grab those so we can clean it up and start cooking"

"Oh, they had fun all right, get to know each other deeply game" Mr. Clark said teasing both of us. I didn't know he was listening, I turned my attention to Joville, she smiled innocently. We grabbed the buckets and handed them to Mrs. C and headed towards their house, she went to the kitchen and we cleaned up ourselves and decided to help her in which she declined.

"Just rest in Joville's room for now, I'll call both of you when food's ready. And Joville, make your guest comfortable"

"Aye, Aye captain" Joville saluted "What kind of comfortable would you like?" Joville seductively whispered in my ear, I smacked her shoulder playfully being awkward in the situation. We headed back into her room, as I sat on the floor I noticed a guitar lying under her bed, I pulled it out, dust and cobwebs covered the guitar but it was still in it's perfect condition.

"Do you have some kind of rag?"

Joville looked at me and the guitar then handed a cloth "Before you say anything, no I'm not playing and no I'm not singing"

I wiped the guitar gently feeling the strings in my fingers "So you do play and yes you sing, that's what I heard. Just let me clean this and then you can perform"

"Make me, Art"

I smirked inwardly "All right, sit down beside me"

She looked unsure but eventually sat down hugging her knees. I moved fast placing the guitar by the other side and both of my arms on either side of Joville trapping her in between, placing my knees on her toes preventing her to move. I inched my face closer to her, just a few meters apart, my eyes looking at her lips and eyes back and forth then I whispered softly "play for me Joville"

She closed her eyes and took a breath, opening it again she inched a bit more closer, just one move and our lips would be touching.

"Food's ready girls! Come out now" Mrs. C shouted from the door. Both of us jumped, too caught in the moment.

"Later. Art." she winked and opened the door.