Things & Thoughts

Angel In An Empty Street

It was love at first sight. I knew she belonged to me the moment I saw her walking.

It was a Tuesday evening. The summer had just started and I was walking through the centre of the city with my hands in the pockets of my jeans. The streets were empty, the sky was getting darker and the street lights had just turned on. Although it was a warm evening, nobody seemed to be in the mood to go outside. 

Except her. 

I walked past the closed stores and turned left, where another empty street was to be seen. A few hours ago, this street had looked way different. Teenagers with shopping bags in their hands had walked here, chatting and laughing. Women had walked here, some of them followed by their children. Older people had spent their day sitting here, watching the variety of people that went to the centre. 

I had never liked to go to the centre during the day. People always judged me. Young girls gave me weird looks, others pulled their children close to them when they saw me and the eldery glanced at me. 

Why? I didn't know. I never did something wrong. I had always tried to help others, tried to do my best for them, but no one seemed to appreciate it. 

That's why I decided to go to the centre at night. Only empty streets, no people who gave me weird looks. Just me. Walking around with my hands in the pockets of my jeans. 

But that night, I wasn't the only one. While I was walking, I saw her there. An angel. Walking through an empty street, the same one I was walking through.

She looked young. She was wearing black jeans and a grey sweater that was way too big for her. Her hair was tied in a low bun and I noticed earphones in her ears. 

Walking there, she looked like she was in her own world. She seemed restless, looking at the ground with her shoulders bent down. 

At the moment we passed eachother, I could smell her rose perfume. I saw the blond locks that escaped the hair tie that was supposed to keep them together. I noticed her pale skin and the dark circles under her eyes that signed the lack of sleep she got. 

She looked up at me, gave me a quick smile and walked further. She didn't give me a weird look, but the eyes she at looked at me with had been full of pain. 

I immediately felt like I needed to help her. I didn't want this angel to be sad. I didn't want her to have to force her smile, to pretend she was doing fine. I had this strong feeling that I was the one who had to help her. It felt like we belonged together. 

I turned around. She had continued walking, but wasn't far away yet. I had reached her within a few steps. She turned her head and looked at me with a questioning face. Not saying anything, I smiled at her and then wrapped my arms around her chest from behind, holding her close. 

She asked me what I was doing with a stuttering voice. I didn't say anything. I put my face in her neck, pressed my lips against her soft skin and said it was alright and that I was going to make her happy again. 

She told me to get off her and tried to push my arms away. But I grabbed her tighter and she seemed to drown in my arms. Finally, it looked like she calmed down. She relaxed her shoulders and didn't try to push me away anymore. 

I felt relieved and smiled at her. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was the definition of an angel. She was small, she barely reached my shoulders and her bright green eyes made her look pure as crystal. 

I kissed her head and stroked her soft hair. She closed her eyes and I saw a little smile on her face. I let her lay her head against my chest and pressed her body against mine, one of my hands around her shoulders and the other one on her head. 

For a moment we were standing there, the angel in my arms, feeling peacefully. But then I felt a pain in my stomach. I let her go, pressed my arms against my stomach and kneeled down, letting out a scream of pain. I looked up. She was running away while looking back to see if I was following her. 

But I wasn't. I sat there on my knees, in the middle of an empty street.

My angel left me. What did I do wrong?