When it rains in the desert

Tour Guide

I didn't quite understand why I showed up at the subway station the next morning but something about this girl just made my heart skip a beat. So when Aaron saw me pick out my favorite shirt that morning, he whistled. "So.... Who is she ?" He quizzed like a 14 year old school girl.

"What? A guy isn't allowed to wear a nice shirt on a nice day to celebrate his new job?" I joked hoping he would take the hint and not make me feel as stupid as I probably looked. He saw right through me " I will make it my mission to find out who is making my best friend take out his third date the shirt."

I saw the humor in this too. I mean this girl had stolen my wallet, given me flowers and then asked me to meet her at the "train station" at 9 am and I couldn't for the life of me explain why I was putting on this shirt but I just did.

I looked into the mirror and saw myself staring back. I'd never been insecure but all of a sudden i reached my hand up to my clean shaven face and scanned over myself. I ran my hands through my hair, suddenly it was too long and the wrong color. i always thought brown hair was cool, in school the majority of the boys in my school had blonde hair and i walked in with "chocolate hair" as my mum used to call it. i had "chocolate eyes" to match too. I took a deep breath and shook off my insecurities

When I saw her I remembered why I'd put my third date shirt on. She was leaning against a Pillar on the subway waiting for me. She was wearing blue jeans and a knit sweater with some running shoes. Her hair was tied back in a bun that lay at the bottom of her head with a few strands purposely put there to frame her face. She looked so effortlessly beautiful. She looked up from her phone and she may as well have kicked me in the stomach because as soon as I met her eyes the wind was knocked out of me. I could fall over.

I walked over to her trying not to trip and with as much confidence as I could collect. And she smiled at me and did that two finger wave again. "Hello Jacob" she said with a smile. I like the way my name sounded when it came from her lips. I'd had this name for 23 years and no one ever made it sound like that. Shoot I had to respond.

" Hey Celia, " I smiled back, I couldn't say what I needed to say. I was going to tell her there was no need to apologise and her flowers were enough.

"So, I hope you don't have plans because I am going to make you take me everywhere." But I so wanted to stay and spend time with her so I decided strongly against it.

"You ... want me .... To take you on a tour around New York City?" I said. I mean I could be an axe murderer for all she knew.

" as long as you're not a serial killer, then yes, I'm new here and I need to learn my way around, and you're going to teach me." She said it with such confidence, it made me like her all that much more. It made me want to laugh.

"But I thought you were apologising to me." I joked, raising an eyebrow, not wanting to end this conversation. I wanted to capture every sweet word that came out of her mouth.

" I'm giving you the gift of my company for the whole day" she said grabbing her chest, pretending to be hurt.

"Mhhhmn" I said, amused.

"Many wouldn't be so lucky Mr....." she asked waiting for me to fill in my last name.

"Mendoza" I answered.

"You see Mr Mendoza, you'll be a reformed man by the time We're done."

"Right so, if we're doing this, where would you like to see Miss...." I asked, secretly wishing she was married and would correct me to Mrs.

I could feel that this woman would destroy me just by looking at her. I noticed how just looking at her sent shock waves down my body and maybe it would've been easier but my dear if I could go back 12 years to this very moment I know that I wouldn't change a thing about it because you were worth destroying myself over. But again, I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the story.

"Lockheart" she told me, "and everywhere" and with that she looped her arm through mine and pulled me onto the train.