A beautiful evening on an island.
The air is crisp and cool, that perfect damp chill that comes with the Fall.
This is when I come alive.
I performed tonight.
It was an unforgettable show, full of dancing and soft light.
That's a different story, though.
I'm waiting for the ferry to take me across the water and closer to home.
Just gotten off the phone with my father.
It's good to hear his voice.
Good to know he's ok.
Standing on the dock by my car. Ferry's nowhere in sight.
It's running late.
I'm leaning over the railing, looking down at light reflected on inky black.
A little lost in thought.
"I never usually ask a stranger this, but do you happen to have an extra cigarette?"
Very soft feminine voice behind me.
I forgot I was even smoking.
Turn around.
Lightning in the form of two emerald eyes.
Delicate features framed by dark, shoulder-length hair.
She's not much more than 5 feet tall.
About my age.
Graceful, yet in a slightly clumsy way.. adorable.
Exquisite.
I reach into my pocket, grab a cigarette, light it, and hand it to her.
She inhales deeply, thanks me.
We begin to chat. Seems natural.
A while later we are lying on the hood of my car staring at the few stars peeking out from the thick clouds above, and talking.
The engine is still warm, providing a cozy contrast to this chill in the air.
Still no ferry.
Fine by me.
Timing is everything.
We talk about so much in such a short time.
Personal things.
I try to be guarded. I don't know her.
It's not working.
She seems to be trying as well.
This is madness.
Sheer unexplainable attraction.
I want to shut down. She seems hesitant.
We keep looking into each other's eyes and smiling.
This makes no sense.
I'm scared.
She asks what I'm doing on the island.
I try to talk about my performance, and my music.
Feeling a little shy.
She looks at me, tells me I'm blushing.
I blush more.
She abruptly sits up, all smiles, almost slides off the car. Catches herself by grabbing my arm.
Now she's blushing a little.
She wants to hear my music. Can she check it out somewhere? She pulls out her phone.
I tell her about my little music app. She downloads it.
She loves the names of the songs,
Decides to listen to "Reminded of Light".
It ends. A tilt of a smile at the corners of her mouth.
She listens to "Beauty Undefined".
Looks up at me with the most intriguing look.
"You did this..." more of a statement than a question.
"Yeah."
She starts to say something, and then we notice that the car in front of us has started up, and is moving to board the ferry that we hadn’t noticed appear a few minutes before.
She looks directly into my eyes, quirky smile on her face.
"We have to go." Jumps off the car, runs back to hers somewhere behind me.
I have no idea what the hell just happened.
I park on the ferry.
Need some fresh air.
I head outside.
She finds me.
All smiles. Something else.
"Can I join you?"
"I would like that."
Gives me a hug.
She tells me that this is crazy. She doesn't know me, but feels that I might be the most fantastic person she has ever met.
My heart stirs.
Maybe it's time to try again,
See what happens.
We're watching the lights of the city come into view.
She looks over at me, eyes now a little wet.
"Why couldn't I have met you 6 months ago?"
I don't know what to say.
I don't say anything.
"I'm going back to New York on Monday."
Still quiet. I can tell she's not finished.
The air is feeling a little colder now.
"I'm... I'm getting married in two weeks."
My heart stops. I'm afraid to breathe.
"I'm getting married, and then I meet you... none of it makes any sense.."
She looks so lost.
She kisses my cheek, begins to brush her lips against mine.
Pulls away.
Says that she's sorry.
Runs inside crying.
Stunned.
Confused.
She got through my defenses, and I have no idea how.
My heart is beating fast.
A moment later I run inside. Searching and searching. Never found her.
I don’t think I’ll ever see her again.
Timing is everything.
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