I know it's extreme, but I wanted to know if somebody was really trailing me or if it was all in my head. Something screamed inside of me that it was the latter, and I was determined to find out who it was.
Getting dressed in something I was ok with getting wet, I got changed into a light dress the next morning. Deliberately leaving my phone or anything of value- besides my house keys- at home, I headed off, acting totally normal. It worked, I think; I could sense his presence nearby, those deep eyes of his lingering on me as I walked. I tried to appear as casually and ordinary as possible, lest he suspect….
My legs didn't stop until the biggest, deepest water fountain in New York was in sight. Pausing right in front of it, I did a quick glance around to see if anyone was watching. Now, I knew that I was in no serious danger; I could swim- rather well actually. But I wanted whoever was stalking me to believe that I was in harm's way, just to lure him out. Discreetly removing my sandals, I drew in a long breath and gingerly closed my eyes. Well, here goes nothing. Before I had any more time to think about it, I tossed myself into the fountain very haphazardly- for effect, of course.
The water felt utterly gross; it was disgusting and I immediately regretted my decision. And what's more, nothing happened. My eyes opened, wincing at the sting of the chilly water. No one jumped in after me, or at least right away. Maybe he thinks I can swim, whoever he is. Just to test it a little more, I covered my mouth with my hand, holding my breath for as long as I could. I began counting in my head, waiting to see how long I was able to hold out.
One, two, three, four, five…..
The cold was too much for my eyes to take and I had to shut them again for a second. When they reopened, I was astonished and alarmed to see diving down after me. The instant I saw him, I let what remained of my breath out unconsciously.
Him! I knew it; it's the same stranger from before. He looked so sacred, reaching his right arm down like a shot to grab me. Our eyes locked for a moment, then I found myself being hoisted up toward the surface. The stranger grabbed me, pulled me up so he could coil his arm around my waist and back, and brought us both back so to take a breath of air. I felt his muscles quiver against mine; he was really worried back there, which again shocked me. He probably thought I couldn't swim and had the real possibility of drowning. His concern for me was so obviously poignant that I didn't know what to do with myself…..
Once both our heads were above the water, he swam to the side with me. He proceeded to push me out of the water first before getting out himself. We both sat there on the other side of the fountain on the ground, gasping a bit. He got on his hands and knees, keeping his head downward for a second. I wiped a few stray hairs off my face before glancing his way. This man….. I can't believe he's stuck around me this whole time. Why, I couldn't begin to imagine…. But he did, and it made my heart feel all sorts of conflicted ways.
"T-Thank you….. for saving me- again," I spoke in a low, soft tone. He didn't say anything, just tilted his head up towards me. To my surprise he crawled over to where I was sitting, causing my eyes to grow slightly alarmed. He gave me a once over for injury, placing his gorgeous hands on my shoulders the second time he did. Once I understood what he was doing, I lowered my head a bit. "I-I'm alright….. I'm not hurt." He eyed me a moment before letting out a relieved sigh, letting his head droop down.
This guy, whoever he was, was wearing the same exact attire from the other day; that 1920s getup. We were both soaked, but I think my clothes would dry faster and better than his. I was puzzled why he wouldn't have changed into something different. And even more perplexed as to why he's been following me all this time. My mouth opened to say more, to ask him questions, but he cut me off- physically.
My eyes were as gigantic as dinner plates when he glanced back up at my face a second time. His expression was sincere and firm at the same time, like he was upset but also unspeakably elated. One of his hands lifted off my shoulder up to my face, brushing some hairs off my cheek. Only then did he flash me that same smile from before; the one that made me the luckiest girl in the world. The edges of his eyes got moist, like he was on the verge of tears.
Then, without any warning, this man tugged me into a giant hug. He embraced so tight, so close; his body tensing up like a stone statue. My jaw dropped to the floor, I had no idea what was happening. No man had ever held me like that before…. It's like this was the best moment of his life, the instant he'd been so desperately waiting for… And he just wanted to keep me as near to him as humanly possible. He still stayed silent, instead nuzzling his nose into my neck and hair.
This is all very romantic course, but this guy was still a stranger to me. Not realizing what I was doing, I quickly shoved him away, leaning back a little. Just as before, he looked shocked and hurt by this negative response, but didn't say or do anything else. He just sat there with his arms down at his sides now, observing me in this dejected, longing sort of way. I shook my head, holding my hands up in front of me protectively.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold the phone! What are you doing?! I don't even know you!" Silence. Just more sadder looking at me. Taking in a much-needed breath, I attempted to calm myself down. "H-Have you been following me these last few days? Leaving bouquets outside my front door and window?" Still silence. "I know you can talk. You said my name back there when we first met." Mind-numbing silence. He looked as if he wanted to tell me something but stopped himself from actually opening his mouth. I decided to try a different strategy.
"How do you know my name? How do you know what my favourite flowers are, or even where I live? Did you follow me to my apartment?" You guessed it; more silence on his end. His expression was so sad by now, as if he was seconds away from crying. I didn't get why he was so unhappy all of a sudden; did he not want to get caught stalking me? Is he disappointed that I uncovered his secret? Or is it something more than that….? Either way, I really didn't like seeing him this upset. I have no clue why but it struck a heartstring- hard. My first instinct was to comfort him, reassure him… Despite what he was doing over the past few days probably being illegal.
"It's ok, I'm not mad….. Just confused. I've never had anyone take such a….. keen interest in me. Heh, and especially someone so attractive," I giggled and he grinned slightly again. Our eyes met and I mirrored his pleasant expression. "You can't talk, or you can but don't want to?" He shook his head miserably and pointed to the number on his left wrist. I scratched my head still lost but elected to let the "speaking" thing go for the moment. Perhaps there's another way for me to communicate with him. It was his turn to widen his eyes a tad when I scooted closer to where he was sitting.
"So am I correct in thinking that you know me?" He nodded, keeping his eyes glued firmly onto mine. "But I don't know you….." I said this, and his head dropped again in despair; I think he was having a mental breakdown. He brought his hands up to cover his eyes and quivering lips, alarming me. He's truly upset….. and I don't know how I can help him, what I can do for him. He's still a stranger to me as far as I'm concerned; though I wanted to rectify that.
"I-I'm sorry if we've met before and I don't remember! Believe me, I'd remember someone like you." He didn't react, keeping his head buried in his hands. Damn it, this isn't working! I literally have no idea what to say to him. This is so difficult; he won't or can't talk to me, and I don't know how to make him feel better. He appears to know me…. somehow; maybe I can work with that.
"Hey, don't cry! It's alright. I may not know who you are, but you seem to know a few things about me. You showed up at just the right time the other day; who knows what those creeps would have done to me if you hadn't come along. I'm really grateful….. really." His hands lowered a tiny bit here so he could see my face again; I made sure to give him the kindest smile.
"Look, I'm not mad about the stalking, heh though course I don't condone that sort of behaviour. But something tells me that you're special….. Important somehow." He lowered his arms down, revealing a still distraught but sensitive face. His small grin was beginning to return in full force, and I made sure that mine kept up.
"I just wish I knew how you know me. I'm pretty sure I'd remember us meeting somewhere before….. Did we meet here in New York?" He nodded, though with a touch of sadness still. "And you know that my name is Gwen?" My hand pointed to myself. He finally chuckled lowly, nodding yet again. My heartbeat started to surge, my lips parted an anxious sliver. "And….. correct me if I'm wrong, but do you have some regard for me?" I felt stupid and self-conscious asking him this. Course he had some regard for me, otherwise he wouldn't give me the time of day. He chuckled a bit louder, giving his head a very firm nod like this question amused him. My cheeks began to glow a crimson red; my heart was racing so fast now. So he's confirmed it….. He's confirmed my suspicions. I wanted to know more…..
I wanted to know why he looked at me that way.
My lips trembled back open once more; I held my breath for a quick moment. "W-What kind of regard?" Chuckling even gentler, he inched closer to me. My eyes got enormous when he placed both hands on the sides of my burning cheeks. His eyes were so low and calm compared to mine. Tenderly holding my head in place, he brought his face in nearer to mine; his lips were almost caressing my lips. Eyes still wide open the realization struck me like a lightning bolt.
He's going to kiss me! I'm about to experience my very first kiss, and with this strange, stalking, Adonis man! No! I don't want to! I mean, I want to- I'm not blind. But I'm not ready for this! I've never been kissed before, and this isn't how I envisioned it. I wouldn't mind kissing him- I'd rather like it, in fact- but that's after we get to know each other. Like really, I didn't even know his name yet!
He wasn't that shocked this time when I pushed his chest away, causing his lips to fall back from mine. He looked at me and I glanced everywhere but straight at him, acting like a frantic little girl. My head kept shaking from side to side in a wild fashion.
"N-No! No! I'm not ready yet! I mean, I don't know you yet, and I don't make it a habit of going around kissing strangers. Not that you're strange! I just…. I just need more time! This is all still so new to me, and I'm still a little freaked out. I'm sorry." Yeah, yeah; I know I shouldn't have apologized. It just came out.
The man didn't act deflated, instead watching me and letting himself smile after a moment; a sincere, real smile. He shook his head as if to punish himself for not knowing better. Then his hand lifted up to rest on the side of my cheek, pressing into it warmly. My whole face was on fire when our eyes met once more. His fingers cradled my skin with such tenderness, I thought my chest might burst. My mouth wouldn't stop quivering. "S-So, summary of what I know now: you know me and what my name is?" Chuckling, his head gave a nod, and he shut his eyes, bringing his forehead to press up against mine. "And we've met before…. I've just somehow forgotten it?" More gentle nodding. "A-And you like me, a little…..?"
He didn't nod this time. Instead he kept his eyes closed, lifting up his lips towards my forehead. I felt my throat go breathless- in the best way imaginable- when he kissed it so lovingly. His lips lingered on my forehead for some time, his arm wrapping around my shoulder as he did so. The whole time his eyes remained closed while mine were wide open in shock….. and delight. I guess technically it wasn't my first kiss, but it was close enough. The way his lips touched my skin was like he never wanted the moment to end, like we were moulded into one. I don't know where he ended and I began; the lines between us were getting hazy. I'd never experienced anything close to that sensation, that little slice of heaven before. There was no question about it- I was dear to him. So incredibly precious. And I had this sneaking suspicion that he'd quickly become dear to me too. Heh, especially if he kept on doing that.
He kissed me countless times on the forehead like that over the next four months, each time better than the last.