Octo closed the door, a tired sigh escaping his lips as the restaurant door closed, a candidate leaving after an interview. It was only two weeks since Róðe Strípe's opening, but it felt like a month. Today, the restaurant was closed as he wanted to interview people to fill more positions. Kevin was right; with the workforce they had now, they were all so overworked.

Now, he wanted to change the schedule to two shifts, one from opening till afternoon and another from afternoon till closing. Six more staff would be enough, though he was already planning for more because so far, the reception for the restaurant had been overwhelmingly positive.

“There's one more." said Kevin beside him, sitting at a table. The wolf tidied up his documents before looking up to give him a smile.

Octo looked at the clock on his phone. “He's already late. It's now 16.07."

“Naw, let's give him a chance till 16.15." The wolf chuckled.

“It's unprofessional to show up late to a job interview." He clicked his tongue, tiredness on his face. “Especially without updating us."

Kevin poked his arm. “Hey, coming late is still better than not coming at all. Besides, maybe he was just caught up with something else."

Octo huffed and looked around, but he didn't have a chance to ponder. Kevin poked his arm again, this time standing, his hand outstretched. “Let's not talk about work, now." He grinned and bowed a little, hand still outstretched in an invitation to dance. “If you would."

Looking at the wolf, he couldn't hold back a smile. “Kevin, what?"

“Oh, right!" Kevin took his phone and played a song before bowing again. “If you would."

“Ridiculous." Octo shook his head, but he took the arm nonetheless.

The dance was slow and gentle, and filled with laughter as they tried to synchronise their steps. It was simple, really, but he couldn't concentrate as he looked at the wolf's dumb grin whose hands were on his waist and shoulder, leading the dance. Occasionally he stepped on the wolf's foot or the other way around, but they both paid no mind.

They were happy. Even something as simple as dancing dumbly in the middle of an empty restaurant brought warmth between them.

Then, the front door opened. A bison with one horn missing went inside, making himself presentable. “Excuse me, I'm here for the interview. I'm terribly sorry, the traffic was a lot worse than I expected."

Kevin laughed, and Octo was sure the wolf laughed because of the surprised look on his face. Pulling away, he cleared his throat, straightening up his shirt. “Ah, it's alright. Please come in." He smiled politely, gesturing at the table in front of him.

The bison smiled back at him as he walked inside.

“What's your name?" asked Octo as they sat back down at the table. He looked at the bison, and beside him, Kevin readied his pen and paper.

“Felipe." answered the bison. “Rodrigo Juan-Felipe Gonzales."

Afterword

Allow me to be honest, I do not know what to feel about Chasing the Sun.

At first glance, I'm sure you can tell that the first part of Chasing the Sun follows the almost same template as Reaching for the Stars, just with different scenes and plot. I know that I am to blame for that. I must admit that I rushed the planning stage, that I was hoping to continue a plot that has essentially ended. The chapters were rushed, the plot haphazard, and the characters didn't really know what to do.

It was only when I finally got a job did I have the chance to take another look at the unpublished chapters' draft as well as to reflect on my life till then. I discovered that I have been trying to recreate the memories I experienced when I was writing Reaching for the Stars. Reaching for the Stars was written when I was still attending university, when, despite my depression, I had stability and I could see and plan for the future. In contrast, Chasing the Sun was written when I was writing my thesis and after my graduation. I was alone, my friends were all busy and thanks to me losing my part-time job, I had little to no stability, only small pillars of excuse I managed to build to put up a fake appearance that I had my life under control.

Looking through that lens, Chasing the Sun makes a lot more sense. It reflects what I have longed for from the years past. Both Kevin's and Octo's experiences are what I experienced, growing up alone with so heavy of baggage to bear. You could say that this is a coming-of-age story, of finding oneself a place in the world whilst clinging to the memories of the old days when everything was simpler.

After I got a job and stability returned, I rewrote Chasing the Sun. I made a new plot, hoping that there was still time to salvage this story. I tried to weave the new theme of clinging to the past as much as I could. Thus, the result is this book that you've finished reading. This story has been rewritten around 60% from its original draft.

In a way, I am both proud and not proud of this book. Like Octo and Kevin's confession to each other, I was confused and lost, trying to make sense of the world in relation to myself before finding stability. I admit that Chasing the Sun is not my best attempt at writing a story, and I know it shall continue to be overshadowed by Reaching for the Stars. However, I'm also proud of this book because it reflects what I feel during its writing. How confused I was, how much I tried to find anything to anchor myself to, how much I yearned for a hand to hold.

Was I trying to chase the sun? Maybe I was.

With that said, I thank you very, very much for picking up this book! I'm tremendously happy that I managed to finish this book, and I'm eternally grateful for your support. I cherish every vote and comment, and I am humbled by your feedback, knowing that you are willing to help me to become a better version of myself. This book is not perfect, I thoroughly understand, and I am extremely grateful to you for picking up this book. Besides, perfection cannot exist without imperfection, can it? We can only strive for perfection, knowing full well that it is not attainable and, so to speak, we are chasing the sun.

What's to come next? I promised myself not to try prolonging this plot and instead focus on new ones. So, I am going to take a rest from publishing and explore new ideas and inspirations. For now, I'm planning to write another book about Lucas and another book also set in Barrowisle but focusing on different characters. I am also exploring the ideas to write another original story, particularly the idea that I had in high school. I want to take my time, to fully flesh out the plot before I decide to publish them. That might take a few years, but I hope that by then, I will be able to deliver a better story for you.

Finally, thank you very much for your support! For now, until we see each other again.

—Hashtse Apxan, 12 November 2024.

That's it, folks! Chasing the Sun ends here. What do you think? Feel free to comment below!