Miracle

Pt. 5

You could say Lily was, by nature, something of a loner. An only child, she'd always found solace and contentment in her own company, cherishing her quiet moments. Being around people for too long simply drained her, a tiresome chore of trying to please strangers, a hassle she genuinely preferred to avoid.

Today was her first day working at the planetarium, a dream finally realized. But before her shift started, she craved a few precious moments of peace. Book in hand, she strolled towards the neighborhood park, the pages of "It Started With Hello" a comforting weight. It was her current favorite, a testament to the fact that despite her introverted nature, she was a hopeless romantic at heart, utterly lost in the embrace of love stories.

She found her usual spot beneath a grand, ancient oak tree, its branches spreading a canopy of shade over the warm, dew-kissed grass.
She opened the book, trying to lose herself in its familiar narrative, but her mind kept drifting. The mysterious man in the striking white suit, the one she'd met just weeks ago at the coffee shop, stubbornly occupied her thoughts. "God, Lily, let it go," she muttered to herself, her voice barely a whisper in the quiet morning.

He had made it abundantly clear by his hasty retreat that he wanted nothing to do with her. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, his rejection stung. Normally, she wouldn't care, but his departure felt deeply personal, a pang of something akin to hurt. "Why would a guy who looks like him even be looking at a woman like me?" she groaned aloud, burying her face in her hands. "God, I was so dumb to walk up to him. I probably looked utterly stupid."
She slammed the book shut. It was pointless.

Her mind was too hopelessly tangled in thoughts of him to absorb a single chapter. Leaning back against the sturdy trunk of the oak, she sighed and surveyed the serene park: children laughing as they chased each other, graceful figures moving through yoga poses, an older couple quietly feeding pigeons by the pond.

And then she saw it. Far away, by the shimmering expanse of the pond, a familiar splash of white sat on a distant bench, his back to her. It looked like the same man from the cafe, but she couldn't be sure; he was so far away, almost a distant smudge. Perhaps her mind was simply playing tricks, conjuring him out of her preoccupation. Was it even possible to run into the same person twice in a city this vast?

Crossing her arms over her chest, she contemplated. What if it wasn't him? What if it was him, and she was about to embarrass herself a second time? After a few minutes of internal debate, a curious resolve settled over her. She stood, hugging her book tightly to her chest, and began to walk.
The closer she got, the more undeniably certain she became. It was him.

Alexander. The name she'd found scrawled on the abandoned coffee cup.
Alexander, who had felt her presence drawing nearer and nearer, remained utterly frozen on the bench, silently praying she would simply walk past. He could feel her approaching, like a subtle hum in the air around him, a sensation unique to her.

Lily reached the bench and, without a word, simply slid into the empty spot beside him, placing her book in the space between them. She turned to face him. He, in turn, subtly averted his face, closing his eyes for a fleeting second in a mix of frustration and anxiety.
"You know," Lily began, a playful shrug in her shoulders, "if you don't want to be noticed, I suggest not wearing a white suit in the middle of a park on a sunny day. Just a suggestion."

He finally glanced over, a flicker of amusement dancing in his impossibly blue eyes despite himself. "What makes you think I don't want to be seen?" he retorted, a hint of challenge in his voice.
Lily let out a soft laugh. "Dude, I saw your whole body stiffen when I sat down! Seriously, if you want to fly under the radar, try some casual clothes."
A genuine smile, slow and disarmingly handsome, finally spread across Alexander's face as he turned fully to face her. "Noted," he conceded, the corner of his lips still twitching.

"I'll keep that in mind. Even though I don't plan on running into you again." He knew, deep down, he was giving up on the mission to avoid her today. She had walked directly to him; it wasn't like he could just vanish or run away from her now.

Lily, her cheeks a delicate shade of pink, began to ramble. "Your name's Alexander, right? Um, I'm not stalking you or anything, I swear! I just saw the name on the cup you left the other day and remembered, so I thought... I... I would ask you since you're right here and we're actually talking..."
Alexander found her nervous flurry of words endearing, even adorable. "Stop... stop talking," he interrupted gently, a genuine smile in his eyes. "Yes, my name's Alexander. You can call me Alex, I guess. Even though we probably won't be meeting again." He extended a hand towards her, a polite gesture he immediately regretted.

Lily quickly shook his hand, and a distinct shock of electricity zinged through her entire body, making her quickly pull her hand away as if burned. She bit her lip, her gaze dropping, wondering if he had felt it too. Stuttering slightly, she whispered, "I'm Lily."
He smiled, finding her utterly charming despite his internal alarm bells. He had to keep reminding himself that he wasn't even supposed to be near her, let alone interacting with her like this. "Um, I have to get going now. I... I have to get to my new job at the planetarium soon, so..." She stood up, waving awkwardly, then turned and hurried away.

"Hey, Lily!" Alexander called out.
She stopped and turned back, looking at him, her expression a mix of confusion and expectation.
He gave her a charming smile and a deliberate wink. "I guess I won't be seeing you around."
Lily's face softened into a small, wistful smile. She simply nodded and turned back around, continuing her walk, melting into the distant crowd.

Once she was gone, Alexander's eyes fell upon the bench. She had left her book behind. He picked it up, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Well, it would be rude if I didn't return this," he murmured to himself, the leather-bound book a pleasant weight in his hand. "Guess I will be seeing her around again after all."