We met in a coffee shop. Cliché, I know, but that's how it happened. He sat down in the chair across from me, not saying a word as he stared down at his phone and casually drank his coffee.
"Can I help you?" I had asked. He looked up at me, his deep amber eyes piercing into me. I held my gaze, and his faltered.
"Nope." He responded, looking back to his phone. No other words were spoken that day. This repeated every day, with him coming over to my table and sitting with me, no words passing between us. Some days he had a laptop, some days he had nothing at all as he just watched me. Whether I was reading, writing, drawing, or just staring out the window lost in my thoughts, he was always watching me. It bothered me at first but now it was part of my routine, a normal thing in my day of normal things.
There were a few time when he wasn't there, throwing me off balance for a bit, but he was always back the next day. His eyes tired and his jaw tense, but he was back. One day, he finally spoke to me.
"What are you reading?" His voice startled me as he had only spoken one word to me over the past month or so since he started watching me. I looked up at him over my book, lifting it up so he could see the cover while continuing to read. His hand reached over the edge of my book as he lowered it. "No," he started. "I want you to tell me what's it's about." His words were soft but I felt compelled to do what he said.
"Well," I started, he leant back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head as he watched me. His eyes were filled with curiosity and something else that I couldn't put my finger on. "It's about a girl who's a descendent of Alice Liddell and her mother has gone mad because of the heritage. She finds out that her mother isn't actually crazy though, and goes on an adventure through wonderland to save her mother." I looked him in the eyes the entire time I spoke, neither of our eyes faltering from each other.
He suddenly leaned forward, picking up his coffee from the table and standing up. He looked down at me, and for the first time I saw his smile. And I smiled back. His face twisted again into that emotion that I couldn't decipher after I smiled, and he leaned down. He lifted my book up again so he could see the cover of the book. "I'll have to pick that up, sounds like a good read." He mumbled before standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow." He finished, turning around and walking out of the coffee shop.
I did see him the next day, this time with the same book I was reading. He sat across from me as usual. This time I was the one watching him. After about an hour of watching him he closed the book and looked up at me. We spent another hour just watching each other. I didn't even know this man, but I couldn't look away from him. I think I had the same effect on him, he looked intrigued.
"I don't even know your name." He finally said, breaking the silence. I glanced down at my pocket watch necklace before looking back to him. I picked up my book and bag and stood up before looking at him. "No, you don't." I smiled at home before walking out. He watched me through the window until I was out of his view.