The Second Look
587 Words
It's the second day of school and Lena murmurs to herself,
"It's nothing, people bump into each other, it wasn't any so-called destiny, it was just an accident, nothing more". She proceeded to tie her shoelaces and pack her books, then she headed for school.
The hallway was as noisy as always, and as she walked down it, she felt something different... or maybe she was imagining it. Then, she met her best friend Sonia, and they walked to their lockers to drop off their books. Then the bell rang, it was time for the first period. They headed to their respective classes. Inside the classroom,
Adrian sat 3 rows behind her.
He never sat there before... Jasper noticed the sudden change.
"You're switching seats now?" he casually asked
Adrian didn't realize Jasper was talking to him... cause his gaze was already elsewhere.
And there's Lena, she could feel the strong gaze hitting her back.
As she slowly turned back, their eyes met, but this time, she didn't blink immediately, nor did he. For a split second, it felt like the hallway again-quiet, slow, unreal.
She looked away but her heart didn't.
Later in the afternoon, as students packed up to leave, she reached into her handbag and noticed one of her pens was missing.
" Looking for this",
Her breath paused for a moment as she turned to see Adrian standing beside her with her pen between his fingers.
"How did you-", she said angrily.
"You dropped it", Adrian replied, without letting her finish her sentence.
"I didn't", she said back at him
Adrian tilted his head, amused, and said, "You did".
Their eyes locked again.
For a second, it didn't feel like the first time,it felt like she had forgotten something.
" Lena Harper right" he asked simply.
Lena, looking confused cause she never told him her name, replied "yes", slowly.
He smiled faintly, a smile that almost captivated her soul, and said "See you tomorrow".
And just like that, he walked away smiling, while she stood there still, thinking of how he knew her name.
Later that evening, as she prepared to leave for home, she noticed that it had started to drizzle. Luckily for her, she had her umbrella with her.
She looks at the sky. Adrian watches her and says quietly,
"You love the rain"
She looks at him surprised,
"How do you know that?", she asked.
He didn't reply immediately.
Jasper notices something and pulls him aside.
"You've been staring at her all day, since when do you do that?", Jasper asked curiously.
"Drop it", Adrian said as he kept his gaze on Lena.
" No.... seriously, do you know her or something?, Jasper asked.
Adrian said in a low voice," Not anymore".
Lena took the longer route home. She didn't know why, she just felt she needed some fresh air.
As she walked down the road, she thought to herself,
"Why does he feel familiar? "
" Why do I feel nervous around him?".
As she got close to her house, she felt it again.....like someone was watching. She felt a chill down her spine, and she turned.... nothing.....just the cold wind.
Across the street, behind the shade of a mango tree, there stood Adrian, watching her silently, as she approached the gate to her house.
Only after did he ensured she got home safely did he turn away.
" I found you ", he whispered, like it was something he had been trying to do for a long time.
- Writer
