Tug of Fate | When Stars Align Book one

James

James

Australia, Same day

I stand next to the table of refreshments. My heart hasn't stopped beating like a drum for the last week. Unlike most of these city folks, I know better than to ignore my body. So I keep myself rooted as my heart thrums a wild beat.

The hike starts tomorrow, and it will be my fourth time on this route. I don't know why I keep going on these hikes, God knows I don't need to. But there is a wild beat in my heart that makes me do these things. I fix my gaze on the sun. It looks like it's about to set in an hour's time And I focus on my heart, keeping in tune with its rhythm, looking forward to seeing what the Universe is gonna bring me this time.

A sweet Jasmine scent tickles my nostrils, and I smell a touch of Ylang-Ylang also. I take a deep breath and I'm assaulted by coconut and vanilla too. My heart is still doing its wild beating, and then all of a sudden, it jerks back to beta state – calm, deep, serene. As if it wasn't beating wildly a second ago. I frown, then I hear a sharp inhale behind me. My eyes snap open and I whirl around. And the sight takes my breath away. Literally. I can feel my heart laughing at me.

Standing before me is .... I don't know what to call her ... but I know that my heart, my emotions, my restlessness, it was all for this. To get me here. To her.

Her hair is a busy nest of curls, curls that go down to her butt. She is wearing blue shorts and a grey tank top, sports shoes, turquoise blue nail polish, a long chain hangs around her neck, and her athletic legs go on forever. My eyes make their way to her face. She has a pouty mouth, sharp, deep gray eyes, freckles on her nose and cheeks, and strands of her hair fare lying around her face. My hand moves to tuck that flyaway strand behind her ears, and fast as lightning she turns aside and pats my hand down.

My Firecracker. My lips turned up in a smile and even though I was dragged out of my reverie, I felt a sense of pride for this firecracker. Because I have no doubt that she came here for me too, following her heart. And even in the midst of all this, she knew not to have her guard down around a stranger.

"I am James. You are?" I ask.

"Becca. Umm... I will...." she starts looking around.

This time I didn't stop. There is no power or person powerful enough to stop me from doing what I do next. I go right up to her and take her hands in mine. She makes a move to snatch them away but one look in my eyes and she knows that she needs to listen to what I have to say.

"You felt an indescribable urge in my heart to head this way. No?" I ask her.

"Yes... how do you...," I place my thumb on her lips, silencing her, and enjoying the feel of her lips and the warm breaths on my thumb.

"You listened to the beat of your heart and followed it here? You might have taken another turn, but the beating got frantic and you felt you were having a heart attack, so you turned around, and headed this way. It's been a long time since you listened to your body so you decided to listen to it today. Right?" I know I am right, if the widening of her eyes are anything to go by. And this time she manages to snatch her hands away.

"Listen to your body. It will never lead you wrong. Never. We were meant to meet and you know it deep in your heart. You don't have to confirm it to me Becca. You know it yourself." I smile when I say this, and I know she is warring with herself – to agree with a stranger or to bash his head.. that thought has me smiling wider.