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PULLING FORCE

Encounter part 2

ANDREE:

As I stepped outside the event room, whilst taking off my brown polo and just leaving the inner white shirt on, which I get used to wear during high school days, I noticed of the hotel garden in my perepheral view, making me looked towards its direction and to my surprise, it seemed more beautiful than it was when I first saw it.

I decided to have look inside the garden out of curiousity. I just informed my friends that I will stay in there for the meantime through text; they replied with a "thumbs up icon" a sign which says "go ahed, do whatever you want. You're a grown up adult already!"

After knowing that they were ok with it, and seemed like they were enjoying themselves, I hid my phone in my pocket and started walking.

It felt weird, I was feeling something of a mixed emotion, it felt like I was drawn to this place, the garden, to be specific.

What I felt that time while I was approaching it was comparable to what I felt back during the high school days where it was already my turn to come up the stage and perform my story telling act, unscripted and unprepared, but since I knew that I could give them a good act, I have also the feeling of excitement. I could not describe it in one word. I was anxious and at the same time, overwhelemed with positive vibes.

My heart was beating faster while heading towards the garden, I felt so much happiness within and it grew more and more while getting closer to it.

The moment my foot landed on the pavement, the excitement and gladness that I felt grew to a greater extent.

The feeling seemed familiar, this time it was not like I was on stage performing for the entire students with unmemorized script, that time I could not recall where or when I felt such kind of feeling before. It was an overpowering feeling that could make you forget your name.

I kept wqqlking through the pavememt, admiring the beauty of the garden, the welcoming ambiance of the place that made me just lay down on the bench I happen to find, At that very moment I couldn't resist to give in to the relaxing ambiance to the extent that I ignored the thought of people or any of the security staff seeing me loitering around and worse, lying around in a place not intended for it.

Captivated by its beauty, I closed my eyes and breathed the fresh air the nature was offering me.

Partly, the reason for that breath-in and breathe-out thing that I made was because I felt a bit of shortness in breathing, my heart seemed to be throbbing in gladness, It was just like knowing that your crush was sitting beside you because he or she was your science lab partner and that your crush was trying to have a conversation with you by discussing on what to write down on the conclusion part of your experiment paper. That was the feeling I felt that time!

So, I closed my eyes, I made myself comfortable on the bench, surprisingly, it was indeed a comfortable piece of wood. I was enjoying the moment. Then suddenly,

“Oh, I guess someone wants to be alone.” I heard somebody said.

I immediately opened my eyes and tried to get up, I was expecting to see one of my batchmates, but I saw a lady standing beside me and giving me a very sweet smile. She was stunning in her casual evening dress.

Afer seeing her, I kept quiet for a while on account of the fact that her beauty has struck me, but it felt odd, something seemed nostalgic and I felt like there was something familiar about her, at the same moment I am trying hard to recall her.

I felt the feeling of familiarity, but I was certain that we were not acquiantaces.

I tried to shake off the weird feeling and just assumed that she was one of the guests from another event being held in this location since she was on an evening dress.

I had the invitation of the class reunion inside my pocket, I took it and checked on the dress code indicated there, we were told to wear casual attire. So, by that moment I was sure she was not among the attendees of the event that I attended.

I looked towards her, and tried to be polite, and at the same time unsure why we were having a conversation,

I replied with "[chuckles awkwardly] Same with you. How do you find this place?”

“It’s, pretty right? She answered me back.

“You bet!” I said, hoping that It will end the small talk.

“Leaving the party so soon?” she asked “Why are you in the garden, Noir?” she added.

“Huh? Sorry?” I answered astonished. I felt that I was caught off guarded. I was trying my hardest not to let her know that I was surprised.

I was hiding the fact that I am in panic because of the name “Noir”.

After hearing her mention that name, I felt quite nervous because she addressed me using a name which holds a milion secret and was already burried in the past.

I tried to process what was happening right there, I was sure that all my classmates call me “En or Andree” the rest of the school called me by my last name and "Noir" was a pen name, a secret one and not used irresponsibly. The worst was, I cannot even recall having her as part of our exclusive school club.

During my high school days, I used to write short stories and poems for the school paper, but I was using "En or Andree" if I want them to know that the certain piece was mine and "Noir" was used only when my identity is needed to keep as a secret. I seldome use it, I was certain that this lady was not one of those who knows it. She was not even one of my club collogues nor one of the selected few who knew. She was not even a classmate.

I tried to act normal and answered her, “I don’t know, maybe because of the beauty of this place that I couldn’t resist admiring and just being here makes me somewhat happy.”

“You and your romantic nature,” she said, giving me a sweet smile.

I became more confused; a lot was going on in my mind at that moment.

“Was she a scam? phishing for information about me? She was too friendly for a stranger right?” I asked myself. “Was she trying to befriend me and eventually take my stuff and declare a holdup?” I added.

I totally do not know her, but I just acted normal and pretend that I waz not disturbed by tge fact that I sensed something off about her presence.

I tried to go with the flow of our conversation, but I was not letting my guard down, no matter how pretty she was and may appear as harmless maiden. At the back of my mind, there might be other accomplices hiding behind the bushes or the trees, but on a second thought the place was highly guarded, it seemed a fully secured place; you cannot even enter the gate without any tag or pass.

Who knows? there are bad people who were good at getting away with the security, on the other hand I realized I was not too important of a person to be kidnapped.

I tried to stay calm as I stood up to move farther from her. Although I already thought of just leaving her behind, I was held back by the fact that it is not a gentleman’s way. Anyway, I was just speculating that she was a holduper and you cannot blame me, I thought I should at least try to accompany her until she decided to go back to the event where she came from.

I took several steps away from her, I was planning to offer to walk her to her event area, but she already stood up as well and followed me. I made sure we were strolling along the pavements with lighted post, to avoid any harm to me or to her and to avoid mosquitos as well.

I tried to reach out to the light post that I happen to pass by earlier before we met. There was something odd, I noticed that I was 2 to 3 feet shorter than the light pole, earlier it was only a foot shorter. It seemed like I shrank.

I tried to go from one pole to another to make the measurement, just far enough for me to still be able to monitor her. I thought maybe it was the effect of the alcohol I took at the party. So, I just let it slide.