In Hanoi Pt. 01

The rain had started pouring without warning, as was usual in the city. It was also his first time foraying out into the wild streets of Vietnam, and he hadn't brought an umbrella, as was also usual for a clueless tourist in Vietnam.

He had jumped into a nearby restaurant and taken their only empty seat in the corner, to the curious cursory gaze of the owner, who lost interest quickly, and went back to chopping up some meat by the entrance.

"Bahn goi? Nem chua ran? What the hell..." he muttered to himself, taking his phone out for a quick google search. He was beaten to the punch by a voice from behind him.

"Sour fried spring rolls. At least, according to Wikipedia."

He turned.

"I think I'm having a bahn goi right now, but I'm not sure which is which. Wanna try one?"

The girl said with a friendly grin, leaning over a little to the side so he could see her plate. They did look pretty damn good. Freshly served, slightly steaming, and untouched. Also, she was about as soaking wet as he was, so they had that going for them.

"Sure, why not?" He said, picking up his bag, then pausing for a second. "Mind if I..."

"Not at all," she said, using a foot to push out a stool for him across from her on the dingy plastic table.

They each picked a different dumpling and tried them. They were divine.

"Whatever it is, I'm getting more of that."

"This shrimp thingy's really good too. A little salty though," she said, chewing with a look of satisfaction, then taking a long swig of water. He called over the lady by the entrance, pointed to some food on her plate, then turned to his newfound acquaintance.

Brown hair tied in a bun, glasses, slightly freckled, youthful face, albeit a little tired, and a small frame, made all the more obvious by the shirt sticking to her skin, thanks to all the rain. He quickly turned his gaze back to the dumplings, forgetting what he meant to say. Halfway through a roll wrapped in what he assumed was uncut pho, he finally remembered to choke out a word of thanks.

"No problem. You seemed pretty lost, and it's always great to run into other tourists." She leaned in over the table, and whispered with a murky grin "I get off on sharing shitty travel tips I picked up on the internet with others."

"That's... nice," he said uneasily, shifting in his seat. She smelled nice, despite the rain, the pork and shrimp dumplings, and the general lack of hygiene in the store. If anything, her scent seemed to overpower all the other less savory olfactory stimuli.

"So what brings you here? And alone? You don't look the type."

He considered for a split second whether to ask what type he seemed, then decided against it.

"Oh, I just needed a break. From... things."

"No way! I needed a break from things too!" She said, then added. "Sorry, that was mean. Came out wrong."

"No, that's fine. I broke up with my girlfriend of six years recently." He then blurted, "I'm getting over it. Mostly."

"Sorry to hear that."

"No, it's fine, really. I'm mostly over her. I think I'm ready to start dating again."

"Is that what the trip is for?"

"Uh..."

"I'm just playing, loosen up!" She laughed, picking up another shrimp dumpling.

He looked out to the raining streets as she chewed on, completely at a loss as to what to say.

"If it helps, I'm also recently broken up. Five years."

"I'm..."

"Before you say you're sorry to hear that, I'm gonna jump in and say good riddance. This is more a yay me trip than a downer trip. No offense."

"None taken." He said, taking some offense.

He felt a warm hand wrap around his.

"It's going to be fine."

"Thanks."

"And you have every reason to believe me. After all, I'm that totally random stranger who you're bonding with over streetside dumplings in Hanoi."

"True enough."

"There's plenty of fish in the sea."

"Are you one of them?" He jumped in without a second thought, his heart pounding.

She sputtered a little, letting go of his hand, then cleared her throat.

"Recently broken up totally random stranger guy I just met, are you hitting on me?" She asked, a playful edge to her voice. He felt one of her fingers slide softly against his knuckles.

"Is that allowed?"

"Depends exclusively on how cute the guy is." She said, fixing her hair, leaning back, then taking off her glasses for a better look. "I don't know why I did that." She said, putting them back on. He laughed.

"Yup, you pass with flying colors. Extra points for the shirt," she said, referring to a cheap I heart Hanoi piece he had picked up that morning from a vendor next to his hotel.

"I'm gonna need a shower first though. Do you have a number I can call?"

They traded numbers, with her dialing him "to make sure." He grinned when he saw her temporary number pop up on his phone, with the +84 area code.

As they left the restaurant, he found out to his dismay that she was better acquainted with Vietnamese bills than he was, to which she simply said,

"Don't get uppity now, you're buying drinks later."

"You ready for this?"

She nodded grimly as they neared the entrance. The pitter patter of drizzling rain when they had arrived, had turned into a full blown maelstrom outside.

"Count of three?"

He nodded back.

"3."

"2."

"1!"

They jumped back into the street, each running off into opposite directions. It was raining harder than earlier on, but he felt more clarity than ever before. He slowed down to a skip, no longer giving a damn if he got wet. He thought about looking back, but then decided against it. He wondered if she thought the same.

This was going to be a good day.