The last time we met

Crossing Paths

I walked along the bridge, the darkness swallowing me whole. It was 1am, and the city was quiet. I breathed in deeply, feeling the chill of the night air fill my lungs. This was it. My last moments. I stopped at the edge, looking out at the water below. I decided to look around for the last time and that’s when I saw him. A figure standing on the edge, his back to me.

I didn’t think twice. I rushed forward, grabbing his waist, trying to pull him down. But he slipped from my grasp, and we both stumbled backwards. He landed on top of me, his weight crushing me. I gasped for air, silent tears streaming down my face. His eyes, a deep brown, seemed to burn with fury as he glared at me. “What the hell’s wrong with you?” he growled, his voice low and rough.

I pushed against him, trying to wriggle free, but he didn’t budge. “Get off me” I whispered, my voice barely audible. He slowly got off me, his eyes never leaving mine. I scrambled to my feet, backing away from him. “You okay?” I asked, trying to catch my breath, my voice shaking.

He groaned, rubbing his back. “No, why the hell are you out here and why’d you pull me down” His gaze narrowed, his expression shuttering. “I-I was just on the way to the convenience store”, I wasn’t going to tell him my true intentions, “and thats when i saw you on the edge and my body started moving before i could think, why were you going to jump”

“It's none of your business “ he said with a straight face and annoyed look, “And why are you going to a convenience store at this time of night”. I stood there frozen not knowing how to respond, till i just blurted out “A late night snack, yeah a snack to fill my hunger, aren’t you hungry, I’m sure you must be hungry, lets go eat”

He raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanging. "I'm not hungry." His voice was flat, but I detected a hint of hesitation.

I stood there, unsure what to do next, the awkwardness hanging in the air. He looked at me, his eyes searching mine, like he was trying to figure me out. Finally, he sighed and rubbed his temples. “Look, I’m fine. You don’t have to babysit me.”

I shook my head, feeling a bit more confident. “I’m not babysitting you, I just...I don’t know, I thought we could grab a snack or something.” I trailed off, feeling silly.

He raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement on his face. “We just met on a bridge. You tried to pull me off the edge, and now you want to go have a snack with me?” His voice was skeptical, but there was a tiny spark of curiosity.

I felt my cheeks heat up, embarrassed. “Uh, well, when you put it like that...I guess it sounds weird.” I laughed awkwardly, trying to cover up my embarrassment.

He chuckled, a low, rough sound. “Yeah, it is weird.” But he didn’t say no. He just looked at me, his eyes crinking at the corners.

I shrugged, feeling a bit more at ease. “Okay, forget it then.” I turned to walk away, but he caught my arm. “Wait,” he said, his voice low. “I’m not saying no. I’m just saying...this is weird.” He smiled, a small, wrooked smile. “But I haven’t had a snack in a while.”

I looked up at him, feeling a spark of hope. “Yeah?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He nodded, his eyes locked on mine. “Yeah, but you’re paying.” He started walking, and I followed, feeling a sense of relief wash over me.

We walked in silence, the only sound the soft crunch of our footsteps on the pavement. As we walked, I couldn’t help but steal glances at him. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a strong jawline. His eyes, though, were what really got me - they were deep and sad, like they held a thousand secrets. Why would someone as handsome as him want to jump?

We arrived at the convenience store, and he pulled open the door, gesturing for me to go in. I smiled and walked in, feeling a sense of nervous excitement. What was I doing? I didn’t even know this guy, and before i saw him I was about to...I stopped myself. I wasn't going to think about that now. Something about him made me want to stay, maybe because I was scared he'd try jump again, maybe i felt a sene of similarity between us, or maybe I was just afraid of jumping myself and being alone