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Chapter 2 starts off Two years prior to Chapter 1.
From The Moment I First Saw You
All The Darkness Turned To Light
An Impressionistic Painting
Tiny Particles Of Light
It Seems To Me Is What You're Like
The "Look But Please Don't Touch Me" Type
And Honestly It Can't Be Fun
To Always Be The Chosen One
And I'm Right By You're Side
Like A Thief In The Night
I Stand In Front Of A Masterpiece
And I Can't Tell You Why
It Hurts So Much To Be In Love With A Masterpiece..
…Madonna (Masterpiece)
CHAPTER 2
Two Years ago….
She didn't need to be saved. She wasn't damaged. She wasn't anything like the daydreams he had of being the knight in shining armor to her damsel in distress. She was a dancer. A bartender. The first person he had ever met at that time that looked at him as more than the freak he felt like.
He remembered the night he snuck out without his father or brothers knowing. He was going to do what he wanted without the watchful eyes of Leonardo and his sensei. What he was taught to do whether they agreed with him or not. After taking out two petty street thugs he had snuck into a building he thought to be abandoned. Imagine his shock and surprise to hear music echoing down the empty halls. SAIL by AWOLNATION. He was familiar with it from Michelangelo's obsession with Youtube and music video's of all the current bands. It peeked his curiosity enough to follow it to a large mirrored room inhabited by a single occupant. That was the first time he saw her. The first time he saw her lean graceful body moving in time with the music The first time he saw her almond shaped chocolate eyes blazing with the passion inside her. He watched the layer of sweat gather on her brow and chest, causing her long black hair to stick to her in feathery waves. Raphael had sworn no woman he had ever seen had ever looked so sexy or so exotic. He didn't know they existed outside of magazines or the internet.
He hid up in the rafters that night and nearly every night after he heard music coming from the building. Like a siren song that beaconed him from down in the sewer night after night. That's what she became to him. A beautiful untouchable creature that he could only worship from afar. Until that fateful night.
"You might as well come down here and talk to me if you're going to keep coming in to watch. I think I should know who I'm dancing for."
Raph nearly fell off his perch from his usual spot in the rafters, thinking that maybe if he remained still she would feel foolish at the idea of talking to herself. Yet when those dark brown orbs landed right in his line of sight, he knew he had been caught. More so when she didn't look away and shrugged in frustration when he didn't answer.
"This ain't a free show pal."
Raphael's lips curled into a sneer. "Pal" He took a deep breath. There was no getting out of this now. He could just drop back farther into the shadows and exit through the roof, but the idea of not coming back left him feeling inexplicably anxious.
"Free country"
He winced. Not at his choice of words, but for the fact they came out of his mouth to begin with. Now there was no getting out of this.
"Guess I can't fault you for it" She shrugged "I'm technically not supposed to be here either. How did you get up there anyway?"
"I climbed"
She grinned up at him. Flashing a perfect smile he hadn't noticed in the past few weeks of coming to watch her.
"Oooh" She sung playfully "Well then you must be some type of spider monkey because I see no way for you to get up there."
No I'm actually a mutated turtle proficient in Ninjutsu that lives in the sewers with my three other brothers and my father who is a mutated rat. He audibly scoffed when the words ran through his head.
"Why don't you come down from there so I can meet you properly?" She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Forgetting himself in the moment, Raphael stood up and then quickly moved back to the next set of metal beams in one jump. He must have been within her vision when he noticed the smile slide off her face. She looked visibly taken aback when her beautifully formed lips parted in shock.
"What's your name?"
That was a lot easier to answer than "WHAT are you." Still, he hesitated in the moment. The awkward silence between them and the boom box sitting on the floor blaring some song by Mumford and Sons urged him to say something. Even if it wasn't the truth.
"Raphael"
Damn it.
"Raphael" She tested the name on her tongue "I like it. Now is that your real name or a fake one you just created?"
Raphael's brow crinkled "What's wrong with my name?"
"Nothing at all. It's actually really beautiful if it is your real name"
The way her lips curved in to a playful smirk made Raphael forget about his sudden irritation and send her back onto the pedestal he had placed her on.
"Well it is" He said in his cockiest inflection "Alright smartass, what's your name?"
"Eve. Eve Flores."
Of course it was. It was beautiful. Beautiful and fascinating. Just like her. He hadn't been expecting that. He tried to think of a snappy comeback and found himself astounded at the fact he had none. Thankfully she was already way ahead of him.
"So Raph. Do you mind if I call you Raph?" She glanced up over her shoulder to the beams above and got no response "Okay. I'll take that as a no. What are you doing out at four a.m. all week that you come here and watch me?"
"I like the night. I like the dark. Less people around."
"Yeah I hear that. I don't do mornings. Always been a night owl. Even when I was little." Eve turned away from him and sat down on the floor to stretch out "That's why I became a bartender. Perfect hours."
"Bartender?" Raph questioned "I thought you were some kind of fancy dancer."
Eve laughed. The first time he heard such a melodious alluring sound that actually made him grasp onto the column next to him.
"Dancing is what most would call my "Passion" She laughed, making quotes with her fingers "Bartending pays the bills." She inhaled deeply, raising her hands above her head "I guess like most people I moved out here with big dreams of Julliard and Broadway and figured out very quickly that I wasn't an ideal candidate."
"But you're beautiful"
He slapped a three fingered hand over his mouth and winced. Twenty eight years of self discipline and apparently he never mastered the art of silence. However, he was pleasantly surprised when she stopped stretching and looked up at him through the reflection of the mirror with a wide smile.
"Well thank you." She beamed " But that was never my problem. I think the final say at my last dance school review was difficult, challenging and hot tempered."
Raphael chuckled and it echoed through the empty studio "Yeah. I've heard that before. I think my brothers would say the same thing about me."
"Brothers huh? Must be nice to have siblings. I'm an only child. Are your brothers little nimble monkeys like you?" She laughed.
You have no idea. Raphael thought to himself "You could say that."
"Why don't you come down here so I could see you. I'd like to know who I'm talking to."
Raphael looked around nervously and stiffened his body. This would be his cue to disappear back to the lair. Besides, judging by the purple dusty shadowing moving slowing across the floor, he would bet the sun was starting to come up and along with it-Splinter.
"I have to go."
"Wait!" He heard her call "Will I see you agai….Talk to you again?" She corrected.
Her answer was a sudden blast of humid hot air drifting across her skin. Squinting through the soft moonlight, Eve realized one of the many skylights were open leading out onto the roof.
"What the hell?" She whispered.
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I thought you were some kind of fancy dancer. But You're beautiful. Raphael winced at his words again. Idiot. He must have been spending to much time with Michelangelo. He was beginning to pick up on his brothers awkward social graces. Why did he have to say anything to begin with? Why didn't he just sneak out through the roof the minute she caught sight of him?
So stupid
He mumbled softly to himself as he quietly slipped down the sewer tunnels. He was just going to have to not go there anymore. His need to see her would have to be silenced by some other activity. Maybe he should start spending more time in the Dojo and less time daydreaming about the world above. Daydreaming about her.
"Raph?"
Raphael nearly jumped out of his shell despite the barely audible voice behind him. Michelangelo. The orange clad turtle was nearly tossed back when his brothers hand slapped firmly over his mouth.
"SHH! Do you want Splinter to hear you? What the hell are you doing up anyway?" Raphael hissed.
"Geez, bro chill out. Dad's still asleep. You weren't in your hammock. I was worried."
Raph backed away from his baby brother and looked around cautiously one more time. He pushed Michelangelo farther back into the shadows "Did the guys see you leave?"
"No way. Leo was in the Dojo all day yesterday, he ain't waking up anytime soon. And Donny is passed out in his computer chair again."
"Up late watching the cameras again?"
Michelangelo stifled a laugh "Nah Dude! Looking up Zooey Deschanel pictures. Don's like total fatal attraction for her. Why were you out in the sewers?"
Raphael dropped his shoulders in defeat. He knew if he just didn't come clean now, Michelangelo would be relentless "I went topside."
"Aww! What the heck bro?! You could have brought me with! We could have hit up the clubs! Between your muscles and my phat beats, the babes would have been all over us dude! I mean McDonald's is doing breakfast now and I don't see any sausage biscuits in your…"
"Would you shut up!" Raph's palm collided again with Michelangelo's lips "I was just out…patrolling…that's all. But you can't tell anyone."
He hoped his lie would be enough to sway his brothers disappointment. The last few times all the brothers snuck out to go out on patrol, the youngest seemed to always have a hard time staying focused. He would rather have been checking out all the city sights than sitting on top buildings waiting for when they were needed. Being able to miss out on that didn't seem like a such a loss after all.
"Come on" Raph ordered, pushing his brother shell gently "Let's get back before everyone does wake up."
"Alright" Mikey sighed "I'm still disappointed about the McDonald's though."
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Eve sat on the floor and stared at the open skylight. She had watched the velvet blue night wash over into pink sunrise. She hoped maybe he would come back. This complete enigma of a man who had been watching her dance for weeks now. Tonight was the first time she could no longer hold in her curiosity. She had to know who he was. Had to know how he was able to get up into the rafters without her being able to see him. The abandoned dance studio wasn't tall but it also didn't have an upstairs or fire escape like most buildings in New York. She was incredibly perplexed in that knowledge but never scared. Surprised to admit it to herself, it made her feel safe knowing he was there. He was incredibly large, that she knew for sure but he moved with such gracefulness and agility she would have confused him with a dancer. Finally, there was that voice. Deep yet soothing. Steady and playful all at the same time.
So intrigued had Eve been with the stranger, she found herself looking forward to seeing his shadow perched on top the beams in the studio. She sighed in the realization he probably wasn't coming back. If he did she would be able to see him in the rays of the early sun and she was pretty certain he wasn't ready for that. If ever. She made up many fairytales in her head about the man in the shadows. Why he didn't want to be seen. None remotely logical or rational. Like maybe this was some sort of Beauty And The Beast scenario. She laughed out loud at the thought.
"Life isn't a fairytale Eve." She mumbled, while getting her things together.
Still she desperately hoped that their first "meeting" tonight hadn't scared him away. That the veil hadn't been lifted from his eyes once she had spoken to him. There would no longer be the lure of anonymity between them and they couldn't take it back. Eve hoisted her gym bag up onto her shoulder, her eyes skimming the empty dance studio before drifting back up to the skylight.
"Raphael"
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Please R&R thanks! XOXOXOX
