No Such Thing

Her

Lost in his thoughts. Grumbling about his life. Kicking stones from the side of the road into the wood. He didn’t hear her. Didn’t feel her slip up next to him. And if he thought about it, he couldn’t even say how long she’d been there.

“Hi.” a voice said, bringing Cayden out of his brooding. He looked to the direction the voice came from and was suddenly struck with a girl standing right NEXT to him. Out of nowhere! Or, was she? He was kind of zoning out. Did she materialize or simply walk up without him knowing? Shaking himself out of shock and his own thoughts he answered “Hi.” She smiled.

“Where did you come from?” He asked, looking around for a portal or sign of glittering magic.

“Just walked up. You weren’t exactly paying attention so I waited. It didn’t seem like you noticed me so I just said, Hi.” She smiled again as she kept pace with him. His face turned red.

“Sorry.” He responded “Lost in my own thoughts. Uh, my name is Cayden.” He stopped and put his hand out to shake hers.

“I’m Natasia. Nat for short.” She added, brushing her hair shyly behind her ear. “Nice to meet you.”

Cayden smiled and they walked a while without as much as a cough. Why was he so nervous? He had a girlfriend. He wasn’t on the market. He should just be able to speak to her, be kind. A good neighbor. Who knows, she may very well be his neighbor. He glanced at her without trying to look nervous. She was beautiful. Almost as tall as he was, long dark hair. Darker than a raven. Fair skin, not a blemish on it. Not too skinny. She looks to be athletic. And her eyes, he thought to himself. He’d never seen eyes so dark you could lose yourself in them. He looked away quickly, noticing he had been staring at her. So awkward.

“You live this way?” She finally asked him.

“Yes, just moved here.” He answered pointing up the direction they were walking.

“Me too.” She said, “Well, we’ve been here a few months now. But I still consider myself new. Really hard to fit in. Most families here have been here for a while. Outsiders stand out.” She sighed and turned to look around. “But, it is beautiful and I love to walk home in the afternoons. No matter the season, it is always beautiful on this road.” She took in the smells surrounding her and smiled.

He watched her closely as she drifted off into her own thoughts. ‘She’s breathtaking.’ He thought to himself and quickly looked away staring straight ahead. Very strangely. He wanted to die. Why was he acting this way?

“Do you, I mean. You must you’re walking this way but. Do you live this way too or just like to walk it?” She giggled at him.

“I live just up this way.” She pointed up the road they were approaching and they stopped at the entrance. “Not far from the school. Well, not far enough anyway.” she laughed sarcastically. ‘She’s perfect.’ Cayden thought as he watched her mouth move. Her lips were a perfect shade of red. Full. Inviting. Again he snapped out of it awkwardly and turned to walk away. “Hey, it was nice meeting you. I gotta run!” He told her as he clumsily started off.

“Do you walk in the mornings?” she called after him.

“I haven’t yet, but I can. Do you?”

“Yes, I leave around 7. In case you swing through.” She waved at him. He turned around as he walked and yelled back. “Maybe I’ll see you!” and he was up and over the hill.

“What in the world just happened!” He scolded himself as he cleared the top of the hill out of earshot from Natasia. “I’m such a dork!” he added and kicked a rock off into the woods.

‘She’s amazing and I only just met her!’ He thought in aggravation. “You have a girlfriend!” He scolded himself again. So much going on in his head he just shook it off and continued to walk. Thinking about her voice, her smile, her eyes. Those eyes. He could fall into them and never find his way out and never want to.