To Mel, the only reason I'm still writing:
With half her face hiding beneath a blue cloth mask, he falls in love with her eyes first- two black pupils wearing golden crowns, reflecting glints of sunlight the same way a ruby sparkles in an effortless demand for attention.
She's staring too- those rich brown eyes, wide and wondrous- only looking away when the barista calls "next." Nathan Scott watches as she orders; wants to step forward to erase the six feet between them and pay for the beverage, but his knees lock. Unable to move or contemplate the jewels inside her eyes, Nathan pretends to be distracted by the surrounding cafe. His eyes bounce behind the counter, sweeping across the hurried workers, then back to the woman before him. She's dressed in a raincoat, though the forecast indicates no rain for the day.
He wonders where she's going; where she works. Businesses are beginning to open again after a long lockdown from the Coronavirus, though the mask mandate is still in effect across the country. It's the new norm, despite the foreign feeling of fabric scraping across his stubble-lined chin.
Nathan pulls at the face mask, almost nervously, as he strains to listen to the animated conversation between the woman and the cashier. He can't decipher the words, only muffled chuckles. Her laughter is a love letter written to his heart, wrapping it in a warm embrace. Based on the ease and natural flow of the conversation, she must be a regular here- whatever the name of the bohemian cafe was. Admittedly it was not his first choice, but still cozy and stocked with caffeine nonetheless.
Funny how just fifteen minutes earlier, Nathan was cursing the fact his favorite coffee shop was still closed. On his first day back to the office in almost a year, he was desperate for a shot or two of espresso and settled on the first place he'd seen with an open sign. Now, he's grateful for the disruption in his routine: he'd return everyday just for another glimpse into her eyes.
He feels like a walking cliche; a creep who stares at a beautiful woman for far too long- but when she turns and their gazes collide, it's like the walls of the cafe crumble between them. Stupidly, Nathan smirks. The mask, of course, shields his confident emblem.
The woman, he thinks, is smiling too. A collection of fine lines pinch the corners of her eyes like curtains. Nathan nearly winks, before deciding better of it. Wouldn't want to scare her.
Wordlessly, she leaves the cafe and disappears into the silent streets of North Carolina. The cafe feels smaller, emptier now. There's a line of three more people behind him; pretty dead for nine in the morning on a Monday. The seating area is still sanctioned off- chairs piled on top of wooden tables, which probably haven't been cleaned in months. He sighs, then steps to the counter to order his espresso to go. The cashier is the same college-aged girl who helped the woman in the raincoat. Her eyes are muddy and tired, duller than the golden gaze he'd been blinded by earlier. Prior to the pandemic, Nathan never noticed another person's eyes- now, it's all he sees. Every pair, an unnamed color; another story waiting to be read.
He wonders if there is a story written amidst his own irises- what emotion dominates, or dilutes, the color blue. It's unnerving to think about just how much power a pair of eyes can yield; a part of the body that can receive and deceive, all at once.
The barista hands him his espresso without the exchange of a smile, unless of course, it's hiding beneath her mask. Nathan blinks, unrooting himself from his tangled thoughts and knows he must go about his day somehow without spending every second thinking of the woman with the beautiful brown eyes.
….
Haley James stares at the time on her phone, wondering if the man with the blue eyes will be at the cafe again today. She arrives early, just to be sure. Really, she has no idea if he'll ever return- or, if he does, what time it will be. He could simply have been a passerby, rather than a regular customer like herself. Still, she hopes for the best… it's all any of us can ever do. Hope.
She pretends to stare at the menu on the wall above the coffee machines, which is quite ridiculous considering she orders the same non-fat latte with two swirls of caramel every morning. The barista, Katie, stares at her almost impatiently. There's a longer line today, though not one of the customers waiting is the man Haley hopes of seeing. She sighs and decides she can't stall for much longer, or she'd be late for work.
"Hey, Katie. The usual today, please."
The words are muffled beneath her mask, but Katie nods. "Blueberry muffin, too? They're fresh out of the oven."
"You know me so well," Haley laughs, "I'll take two."
She pays, then waits off to the side of the cafe while the barista prepares her drink. Like most people who are bored and alone in public, Haley's eyes are glued to the screen of her cellphone. Emails. Emails. Emails. They're endless.
After reading a particularly lengthy one from her boss and fighting the urge to reply with a middle-finger emoji, Haley notices her drink is waiting on the counter. As she moves to grab it, someone beats her to it.
"Excuse me, that's my drink," she says. There's a soft edge to her tone- not scathing, but impatient.
The words roll off Haley's tongue too late. Her eyes trail upwards, landing on the person who had taken her drink. She's immobile. It's not just any person, it's the man with eyes so blue, they look to be bottled straight from the clearest sky. She watches as he pulls his mask slightly aside to take a sip of her drink. His nose scrunches in a tight grimace.
"Ugh, you're right. Definitely not what I ordered."
She's struck silent. He keeps talking.
"Sorry about that, by the way. I was too distracted by your eyes, so I took your drink by mistake."
Haley's giggle penetrates the fabric of her mask, "that sounds like such a line."
"It's the truth," he shrugs, and now that he's even closer, she's pulled further into the depth of his eyes. They're a mystery she wishes to unravel. A pool she wishes to never emerge from. "You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen."
"Funny," Haley says softly, "I was just thinking the same."
"So you agree?" his voice is airy and jovial, "that you have the most beautiful eyes."
Another laugh. The background noise of the cafe dissipates. It's just the two of them now.
"My eyes are the color of shit," she quips, "no way are they as nice as yours."
"Agree to disagree, but I'll take the compliment."
Haley imagines what his smile looks like beneath the mask- surely, it would have the power to make her spill all her deepest secrets. Everything about this man was intoxicating, from his eyes, to the way his suit fit snugly around his lean, muscular body. His raven black hair serves as a dark contrast to those diamond eyes. There's a small brown freckle sitting high above the top of his mask. She wants to kiss it.
"I'm Nathan, by the way," he says confidently. Haley licks her lips and is glad the mask is shielding her drool. Even his name sounds sexy.
"Haley," she moves to extend her hand, then thinks better of it. They were in the middle of a Pandemic.
"How about I buy you another coffee, Haley?"
She's feeling particularly bold today. "Throw in dinner and you've got yourself a deal, Nathan."
His dark eyebrows raise in short, happy surprise. She almost laughs.
"Oh, I like the way you think. It would be my pleasure."
And that is how, two nights later, Nathan and Haley found themselves seated at an outdoor restaurant, maskless, on their first date. Under a blanket of stars, they stared into eachothers eyes, bashfully, finding the answer to every question they ever wondered.
Their eyes fell in love first. Then their hearts. Then their smiles. Then their bodies.
Their eyes would collide every day from then on, until they were closed forever.
And the rest, as with the end of every cliche, was history.
A happy history.
The end.
. . .
Not my best, I'll admit, but I had to write something... I lost inspiration in the middle of the story but forced myself to finish. I hope to find the joy in writing naley again one day soon. Thank you all for your continued support.