Put your lips close to mine,
As long as they don't touch.
Out of focus, eye to eye,
'Til the gravity's too much
He would sit down, he would be driving, he'd be falling asleep and his mind would always drift to her. She was beautiful, in his head. The same beauty she had freshman year off college, before she cut her long hair. She always had been beautiful. And her. Her. Her wild spirit in college created a more wild and elusive adult. Years later, e never knew exactly where she was, he prayed for the their paths to cross. And every so often, they did. She was Lauren Lopez, beautiful, wild, elusive, amazing Lauren Lopez. He was simply Joseph Walker.
His mind would every so often drift back to when she loved him.
He was living in Chicago now, sharing an apartment with Joey. The days he spent with her in New York were a memory. Julia said she was traveling through the Northeast these days. Moving from place to place. Just like she usually did.
It wasn't anything heinous that she did. She didn't cheat, she didn't harm him. She just was tired of the same day to day routine they had. She wanted adventure, and her adventure didn't include him.
He hadn't cried since.
He had moved on, using women to dull the pain. Everyone thought he was a womanizer, they all believed he had girls everywhere. He only needed someone to soften the wound Lauren had left when she left him those few years before. Joey rarely came back to their apartment during the weekends, choosing to stay with Jaime instead. All Joe though about was Lauren. The girl laughed, she sounded like Lauren. She was short like Lauren. She was feisty like Lauren.
Soon, it was the holidays. He decided for once he'd spend it with his parents. It'd be two years next month that she left. He boarded the plane to Logan airport and pressed his head against the window. Maybe she'd turn up again, they'd see each other. Finally reconnect. He tried not to set his mind on it. It'd never happen. When Julia said Northeast, she could very well be on a beach in Maine. Or up at the Ben and Jerry's factory. Or maybe she'd headed back to Michigan for the season.
He got off the plane and claimed his luggage, hailing a cab to get to Cambridge. On the drive, he spotted a small antique store. He should get something for his mother. He stopped the cab and ask for the cabbie to wait a few minutes. He walked in an began to browse. However, he didn't notice the small woman in the back of the store watching him. He didn't notice when she appeared behind him and tapped in his shoulder.
"Hiya, stranger."