Out for my every day walk
not sure where I’m going today
so, I wander….
And, here I am
at my favourite coffee shop
somewhat damp from the rain.
I love the rain
most people don’t,
they don’t see its simplicity,
the calm it can bring,
if you just listen to it as it lands on the pavement or licks the windowpane.
I order my coffee as I daydream,
my mind wandering ocean tides.
I sit at my usual table by the window in the corner.
He walks in
I’ve seen him before, but where?
The day is dull and grey
but I’m restless
I need to get out, but where?
I throw on my favourite leather jacket
and head outside, into the rain,
my head is clouded, full of static,
something lingers, but what?
Suddenly, I’m at the coffee shop
it shouldn’t surprise me,
I’m there every day for a cup of the finest in town.
Normally, I just grab it and run
not today.
She’s sitting in the corner, again
I feel compelled to stay,
her beauty captures me in a way no-one else ever has.
I sit on the other side and peer through my hair covered eyes,
I can’t help myself,
she’s so picturesk.
He’s sat himself down on the opposite corner from me
he makes me nervous, but not in a frightening way
he makes me curious
his facial features are so alluring to me,
they cause a pull from deep within me,
I still can’t place where I’ve seen him before
but I know I have.
I sneak long glances at him through my long hair
there’s something about him.
She’s looking at the window rather than out it,
what does she see?
the rain drops,
they are dancing on the glass,
she traces them with her finger and smiles slightly,
what is she thinking about?
There’s a beautiful but sad longing behind her eyes
I can only see them slightly
as she tilts her head
what is it
what is she thinking about?
I’ve caught him looking at me a couple of times
he has this longing inquisitive air bout him
I wonder what’s going through his mind,
is it me he sees
or someone outside
on the other side of the window?
He’s leaning his head on his knuckles
like he’s deep in thought,
tracing his fingertip around the rim of his cup
he takes out his phone and scrolls gently.
If she only knew, he thought to himself
scrolling through all the images of the pictures he’s taken
of her, over the past few months
he wasn’t a stalker
nor was he anything vile
he was simply emotionally scared
and terribly shy.
He spent so many nights alone
just sitting in the dark,
glaring at the ceiling, wishing, hoping,
for her.
He’d had an exceptionally busy life
until recently
he’d realized that bouncing from place to place
and having a crazy mad work schedule
just didn’t have its appeal any more.
At one time it was like a drug to a junkie
but now,
all the different women and places in the world
couldn’t satisfy what he lingered for
only she could.
If he only knew
how beautiful his features were to her
and then suddenly, she remembered
where she’d seen him before,
the train station,
they’d brushed past each other
and their hands touched for a moment
their eyes had locked for just a second
but she had felt something poetic stir inside her,
a feeling she would never forget.
Then she remembered the airport,
crazy, busy, noise-filled chaos on a hot summer day,
they’d reached for the same bag in the carousel in arrivals
they’re hands touched again,
she remembered his gentleness and his apology
so sincere
and soft.
All the chance encounters since
what was the universe trying to tell her?
She softly bit her lower lip as she stared out the window
only seeing those memories
of chance encounters,
she smiled.
As he put his phone away and finished the last of his coffee
he drank in the detailed features of her face
he longed to run his thumb along her jaw-line and taste her beautiful lips
run his hands through her long black hair
and glide his nose over her cheekbone
until they were locked in the deepest of embraces.
But, he was afraid,
in the end
all the others
found him difficult to be with,
his crazy schedule
the constant screams,
pushing, grabbing, shoving
everyone pulling him from all directions
causing him to lose tiny pieces of himself along the way.
He’d become so withdrawn
he’d stopped responding to his friends,
his family
and everyone in between.
In his darkness
he felt empty,
except when he thought about her.
One last longing, loving glance to etch her beautiful face on his mind,
he rose up from his seat
and their eyes locked,
he froze.
He was getting up to leave
she noticed,
she locked eyes with him,
but this time she didn’t shy away like she usually did,
this time she smiled at him,
he froze.
She panicked
but she couldn’t turn away,
save me, she said to herself,
in a voice no-one could hear.
Her heart raced,
she bit her lower lip again
she rose from her chair
they both just stood there
drinking each other in
wishing, hoping.
Oh god!
what do I do?
he panicked,
but he couldn’t move,
couldn’t breathe,
couldn’t look away.
She was just like an angel
in a rain-filled sky
all the inner turmoil he’d been hanging on to lately
suddenly vanished
all he could see,
was her, he tried to move,
suddenly his legs gave out and everything turned black.
Her insides sent off like fireworks
Oh god, what do I do?
All the small things that had trapped her emotionally
started to disappear
Okay girl, this is it,
time to take a chance,
She took one step forward
and he shuddered and dropped to the ground.
NO!
She ran to him
dropped to her knees
and cradled his head in her lap
stroked his face
please be okay, she whispered in his ear
tears streamed down her face.
He blinked,
everything was fuzzy,
there were all sorts of faces
looking at him, gasping
and then he felt someone cradle his head,
her hand was warm and shaking
she whispered in his ear
“please be okay”
he focused,
he knew,
her voice was as angelic as her features,
he could breathe again.
Hi, she said
Hi, he replied
glad you stayed, she said
I’m glad too, he said.
She hugged him
his heart melted.
As he wiped the tears from her eyes he realized something
this is what he was missing
a connection
not forced by others
or by restless attempts of not wanting to be alone
but one of natural happen-stance.
There,
right before each other,
in an awkward moment of double panic,
did a man drop
only to be caught by the angel of his dreams.
The sky didn’t fall
instead it opened up
the way all dreams of a happy ever after are supposed to.


by the Crimson Vaults
2016.
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Wonderful work, Jilly! So many quotable lines that lead to an engaging tale. Thank you so much for sharing.
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