Maybe Someday

At the age of twenty-five, I hadn't yet stumbled upon that one girl who was meant to have such a captivating aura, that I would've given her my heart willingly only for it to be shattered into a million pieces. This girl however, would've been so mind-blowingly amazing that even though she would've hurt me beyond repair, I would've searched the ends of the earth to find someone with similar qualities to her in order to feel complete again. At least that's what my father told me once when I was little.

Over the years, I'd put so much of my time and effort into college and university that I barely had time for family and friends, let alone a love life. To be honest, the only time I saw my parents was on Skype when I had free time which was very rare and as for my friends, we'd become so distant towards one another over the years that I wasn't even sure if friends was the right word to describe the relationship we had. Maybe a few years before, but certainly not then.

As I sat down in my seat on the plane and gazed out the window, I realized how alone I was and the longing for someone in my heart was too strong for me to ignore. I guess that without having to stress over the fact that I spent too much time studying and not enough relaxing, my eyes were finally opened and the realization hit me that with the exception of my parents, I was all alone in the world.

I tried to focus on the fact that after summer I'd find a job which would give me something new to focus on, but that only worsened my mood. The thought of dating surprisingly hadn't crossed my mind for I hadn't been on a date in years nor did I think that my life would've ever slowed down it's pace enough for me to start a relationship. But, all my doubts were pushed to the side when I met Léla.

The sound of a faint thud filled my ears. This caused me to look away from the window and to the aisle of the plane to see a girl with brown hair scurrying to gather some books from the floor which appeared to have fallen out of her backpack.

Without saying a word, I got up from my seat, squeezed past the one beside mine and began to help her put the books inside her backpack.

'Thank you so much.' She said as I placed the last book in her bag.

'No problem.' I smiled and she looked up at me.

One second looking into her eyes, that's how long it took for me to fall for her beauty. And as her lips curled up into a smile, I found myself falling even more. I then hoped that her beauty ran inside and out, and was glad to find that it did. 

My hand found hers and I helped her up into a standing position. Our eyes remained locked the entire time, and although I knew it was impossible, I felt as if she could hear the way that my heart was beating violently against my chest.

'And thank you for helping me up.' Her smile widened.

'Anytime.' I smiled.

'I'm Léla, by the way.' She said and stretched out her hand.

'I'm Tom, Tom Bryant.'

'It's nice to meet you, Tom.' She said.

I can't remember the exact topics of the things we talked about for the whole of the flight, but I do remember the way I got lost in her pale green eyes and the way her long brown hair fell over her narrow shoulders. I remember her beautiful laugh and her smile which was bright enough to make me feel like I'd never experience sadness again. I remember her gentle tone of voice and the way her eyes lit up as she explained to me why she loved books and the reasons why her favourite ones grasped her attention. But most of all, I remember the way I felt like I could go through hell for the rest of my life but as long as I had her by my side, there would be a smile on my face and joy overflowing in my heart and soul.

Unfortunately, my time spent with Léla came to an end. Side by side, we made our way to the exit of the airport in a silence which I wish I could describe as comfortable but, it wasn't. It was the kind of silence which said we had so much more to tell each-other but so little time to do it. I then decided to muster up some courage and get the conversation going again but, she beat me to it. Sadly, it wasn't to arrange a time for us to meet again but to say goodbye.

'I have to go.' She said.

She didn't seem sad nor did she seem happy and I tried to figure out what was going on in her mind, but, judging by the look on her face, she seemed as confused as I was.

'Before you do go...' I trailed off.

That was supposed to be it, the moment when I asked her to have go on a date with me, but, my fear of rejection outweighed my bravery and I didn't say what I had in mind.

'Yes?' She looked at me, a glint of hope in her eyes.

'What's your last name?'

'Madden.' She smiled and my heart hurt because I knew that the first girl I'd loved was slipping out of my reach.

Before I could say anything, a man who appeared to be in his late fifty's and had her pale green eyes walked up to us and tapped her on her shoulder. As she flung her arms around him and said: dad, that smile of hers that I loved so much formed on her lips and my heart yearned to have her be a part of my life forever.

They pulled away from the hug and she looked between her father and I with a distressed expression filling her eyes.

'It's alright, you can go.' I said truthfully and she bit her lip.

'Will I see you again, Léla Madden?' I asked and a hint of pink formed on her cheeks.

'Maybe Someday.' She said softly.

With those two words, Léla Madden left my life as quickly as she entered it. And as the months went by, those words replayed in my mind to the point where I felt like I would've gone insane. Thankfully, fate was on my side, and a year later, Léla Madden and I met again.