It was a
Tuesday afternoon, and it was raining. Lauren could hear it pounding against
the roof of her favorite coffee ship, in which she was sitting comfortably in a
plush chair in the corner, a long-cold cup of coffee in front of her, her hands
wrapped around the worn pages of a book. Each and every page had underlines
words, highlighted sentences and frayed edges from being turned a thousand
times with loving fingers. Her sparkling green eyes were transfixed on the page
as each word pulled her further and further into the magical story that never
seemed to get any less beautiful with each time it was read.
A sudden
sound, the tinkle from the door’s bell, signaled another person had entered the
small shop. Boots thudded against the thick mat to wipe away rain, and a
smiling face spoke its order to the lady at the counter. All went unnoticed by
Lauren, as her mind was in a far away world, battling dragons and falling in
love.
The one
who had entered was one by the name of Aaron, a handsome young man with
brilliant blue eyes that glittered when he smiled. He ran fingers through his
dark brown hair and let his gaze sweep the room for a spot that suited him. But
instead his eyes landed on a girl sitting in the corner, quite obviously in her
own world as her eyes remained fixed on the book held in her hands. Aaron gazed
at the girl, struck by something about her. Was it the small smile and played
on her lips, or the look in her eyes that gave the impression of a dreamer?
Aaron felt he could stare into those eyes and see whole different worlds,
worlds that never grew old.
He
slowly walked toward the girl as he noticed the empty chair across from her.
His heart was beating a little faster as if he were nervous, though why he was
he didn't know. He stopped at the table, his eyes still fixed on her face, but
she didn't even shift or acknowledge his presence. So he sat. She still didn't move. He swallowed and looked at the title of the book, something fancy;
something he didn't recognize.
He
quietly cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak. The girls green eyes
shot up from the words she was reading to zero in on his face. They sharpened
into a glare, though Aaron got the impression it had to seriousness behind it.
“Yes?”
Aaron’s
throat was suddenly dry, but he spoke anyway.
“What
are you reading?”
The girl’s
face morphed from a faintly annoyed expression back into the one that held the
small smile when he first saw her. She slowly lowered her book, easily giving
Aaron the impression it was done reluctantly, and smiled.
“It is a
story about a young woman travelling through her world, facing many dangers to
save her people.”
Aaron
could tell she wanted to say more, the look in her eyes said there was
so much more to tell, that the story could not be summed up in a simple
sentence, that it was almost insulting to have to.
“Who’s
the woman? Why does she have to save her world?”
Aaron
smiles as her faces lights up and her eyes take on a look that is almost
intoxicating. She lays the book down fully this time before launching into a
story filled with adventure, trial, danger, love and loyalty. With a soft voice
filled with passion she tells him of the battle the woman must fight to save
the people she loves, the danger she faces as she searches for a great warrior prophesied
to help her in her quest, and the bond of love that grew between them.
Aaron
listened without a word, his gaze never leaving her face. He smiled most of the
while, drinking in the passion that seeped from her words as she regaled him words
that painted the most colorful of stories. Suddenly she stopped and stared at
him, her eyes still shining and a small smile on her face,
”What?”
Aaron
was pulled from his trance by her question, with a slow blink he straightened
and tilted his head, his face clearly expression his confusion. The girl tilted
her own head, her eyes staring into his steadily,
“Why are
you still here?”
Aaron
let a smile spread across his face,
“Can’t I
sit and listen to a pretty girl tell me a story?”
The girl’s
smile grew slightly bigger, and Aaron felt strange as she studied him.
“Buy me
another coffee and I’ll tell you the rest.”
So he
did.
