A Moment With You

CHAPTER 4 | Irene

She was a mystery.
There was more to her gentle yet sad gaze,
including her curious mind....
but those were the qualities that made me gush inside,
especially whenever she would speak to me...
She was a mystery...
yet I've wanted to be in that moment of mystery
with her...

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Who would have thought that a single bus ride to a small town would make Ray end up where was now -- sitting in silence on the counter table, with a mug of coffee, a book in front of him, and the woman who thinks he's creepy-- as Alice had emphasized earlier that day. Irene was just standing at the other end of the counter. She was focused on the inventory as she listed and checked papers list of books and receipts.

It was undeniable, Irene had found him weird alright. He was a stranger after all who suddenly meddled with what she was doing last night. Ray can't help but remember a time he had met Amber. After all, they met after he had meddled in her troubles too...

Amber....

For Ray, Amber was a person who made life rather exciting for him. She wasn't just an executive or a partner or a marketing director at his company. She was the girl who opened his heart in the most surprising way. She was, as he would call it, the love of his life...until she ended it to push him to study abroad for their business. Nevertheless, she was the first woman who confronted him and even called him crazy.

Behind his principled actions, Amber found Ray to be weird. She was annoyed by his sense of justice. They had met surprisingly on several occasions, and in all those Ray would find her in a rather tight situation. He would always "meddle" and defend her, despite being a stranger, while she would get annoyed about the crazy guy that he was who would butt in on other people's business. Eventually that all changed.

Amber fell for him, confessed her love despite knowing she was young and he was not interested in her, Helped him build the company and cried for his past. She fought for him until eventually, after years, he realized he had been in love with her too for a long time.... They were happy -- he was happy.... Then it ended. Despite it, they stayed as friends.

What was she doing now? Ray thought as he looked at his coffee mug. Maybe Amber was mad at him after he took off without anyone accompanying him? Well, she was crazy too in her own way (or maybe a little more crazier for most people). Maybe that's why they understood each other well and stood by each other for the longest time, even after they broke up...

Yes, he should send her a message soon. Maybe after he finished his coffee. What mattered now was the fact he was there, stranded in the countryside with another differently-weird woman he met last night who also thought he was weird for meddling in other people's business -- Irene's business that is.

Ray stole glances at the woman on the opposite end of the counter table who was focused on taking inventories of books and organizing prices. It hadn't been long since Alice left, but somehow it felt like hours. Ray just sat there with his mug of coffee and a book he just grabbed to read from the bookstore while Irene busied herself.

Irene definitely thought he was weird. Maybe he should clarify? But Ray wasn't the type to clarify himself easily too. He was someone who let people think of him the way they wanted too and never cared much but this was different. Ray was surprised by his thoughts.

Should he apologize now?

In the old-house-turned bookstore, with the smell of book pages, wood and brewed coffee, and that cozy atmosphere that makes one feel secure, Ray sat silently, blankly looking at a page of the book in front of him while the girl with him wrote on ledgers. If this was a drama it was slow paced yet carefully building its way to that part where one of its characters would break the silence--except that Ray was clueless how....