Ok, so he can't write either, or chooses not to; he seems to be able to read, but for some reason wouldn't answer any of my questions via pen and paper. I shrugged it off; it's not like it mattered much anyway. We were getting to know each other, or me him, as the days went on. Timing was passing by so fast, the days were blurring together. Being with this mystery man, it's like my world got turned up-side-down.
And I loved it.
He appeared in my life near the end of June, so there wasn't much school left for me. All the free time I did have, we spent together. This man was absolutely adorable- and confusing. We explored the city centre of New York together, and he was utterly astonished by everything he saw. Skyscrapers, the subway system, the amount of diverse food and people; he just couldn't get enough of it. Seriously, it's like he was born in another century and seeing all of this with fresh eyes. We did everything together, we ate everything together, and before I realized it, he had been staying at my place for over two weeks.
At first it was weird having someone else around all the time… but also so incredibly natural. He made it natural, effortless… We seemed to move very quickly, from the stage of my getting to know him, to us being friends, to close friends….. to perhaps something more. I know that he felt something more for me; that was evident from when I first met him. He was always kissing my forehead or cheek, stealing glances my way when he thought I wasn't looking, and making a valiant effort just to see me smile. I think he liked it when I smiled….
And I liked it when he smiled. This man, whoever he was, was the easiest person I've ever spent time with. We just gelled, meshed… and I'd never felt my heart beat so fast before, especially in those moments when he looked at me….. and smiled. True, he didn't speak to me, but he communicated so much in other ways- all good, all tender. It's like the perfect man just up and walked straight into my life, and I couldn't believe my luck. I just wish…
After another long day of urban exploration and entertainment, he and I found ourselves sitting at the pier, watching the small waves on the shore. It was such a picturesque scene that I couldn't help but sigh. He nodded his head in total agreement, and I flashed him a warm, sincere smile.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Sometimes I forget just how lovely this city can be," and again he nodded. My lips breathed another contented exhale. "Funny. When I'm with you, I feel like I'm seeing all this for the first time too. Maybe it just looks different….. when you're not alone." I said this, and he glanced over toward me. My eyes widened a tad as his arm proceeded to wrap around my shoulder, gently tugging me in so to lean on his shoulder. You might imagine that I had no objection to do so. There we sat, very close to one another with his arm draped around me and my head against his. Heh, it was almost like we were on a date…
"This is so nice…" I'm not sure if I meant to blurt that out or not, but I did after a while. He simply nodded, keeping his arm in place. That's when the wheels began to turn in my mind. I wondered if…
"I feel like I'm getting to know you more and more each day, and you already know so much about me….." I purposefully let a pause slip in here before continuing. "It's the strangest thing. It's as if we already know each other, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't remember you." Another pregnant pause fell, and I felt his fingers press into my skin a little; he didn't like hearing me say that.
I carried on. "Maybe that's because it's all in my head and we've never actually met before, or I've never met you. But I don't really care about that….. It doesn't matter to me." Yet another pause. This soft grin returned to my mouth on its own accord. "You're here now; that's all that matters." The man leaned back slightly to look at me for a second before mirroring my adoring expression. Our eyes locked, refusing to part from the other's.
My lips parted a sliver. "I just wish….. I only wish that I knew your name. C-Course it's not your fault you can't tell me! But I would like something to call you by….. and I'd like to get it right," yet another lull took place here as I thought up an idea. "Maybe I can guess what your name is?" He immediately shook his head like this wouldn't work, and I gazed downwards in defeat. "Oh…."
Watching me, he could really tell that I wanted to know. The man retracted his arm from around my shoulder and sighed, turning his head down like mine. He then sucked in a deep breath and looked me in the eye again. His expression was firm but genuine, earnest…. His mouth opened a tad in a way he hadn't done before. "Miles….." My eyes grew remarkably large as he told me this.
And the number on his wrist went from "9" to "8".