London Has Your Eyes

Chapter 15. Alex

On my way out of the Shard, I stop. I'm all emotional and have no idea where I'm going. I don't want to go back to the hotel, I'm sure I'll go crazy there with the flow of my thoughts. What should I do? Walk through an unfamiliar city, at night, alone? But where to?

I look around and the answer comes itself. I see a glowing bridge in the night, its view is fascinating. So I don't hesitate and walk towards it. The closer I get, the slower my steps become. The inner feeling of meeting a huge historical legacy of an entire country is unforgettable. I stand in front of the bridge and just stare at it. It reaches into me with such power that my skin is covered in goosebumps. It's amazing!

The night city continues in the reflection of the water, creating an incredibly beautiful magical world. One of the world's greatest fairy tales could not have been born here - the whole city is saturated with magic and beauty.

You know, every city leads a double life. The daytime city is usually bustling with noise, high speeds and constant traffic. It can be grey and dreary, it can be bright and cheerful, with changing seasons and colours. But his night brother is something else entirely. The lantern light changes any city beyond recognition. The bustle fades, all unnecessary accents are hidden by darkness. And the city is filling up with man-made beauty. There's noise in this city too, but it's different: from island to island, door to door, behind each of which is a small life. As a child, I loved to look through the lighted windows and imagine what kind of life the people who live there have. I could see chandeliers, the edges of furniture, sometimes someone watching TV, someone looking out the window or cooking in the kitchen... Millions of parallel lives, each one so important, simultaneously similar and dissimilar to all the others.

Slowly, step by step, moving deeper into the bridge. Cars passing by with their lights on, people passing by, but it's as if I don't notice them. I don't notice anything at all, I'm too deep in my own thoughts. The sound of an incoming message brings me back to reality. From Janine. "You okay? Alex, I'm sorry. They realised how screwed up they were on their own. I'm sorry about what happened. After you left, things got a little crazy around here. Where are you?" I just send her a picture of the night bridge without any captions and moved on.

The wind begins to pick up, the sky lit up by flashes of lightning in the distance. An ominous, ideal picture. Well, it's perfect. That's all I need right now, the rain. A small rainfall monotonically beats out a rhythm, but I don't move from my place. I stand and stare into the blackness of the night, and all I can see in front of me are green eyes that penetrate my soul.

This is not the way I had imagined this holiday to be. One little meeting turned it upside down. Today was such a lovely day and how lousy it ended. They with their paranoia and this maximalism, rrr. Naughty children! And Daniel? How could I have been so wrong about him? He seemed very different to me during the day. However, how quickly he was thrown off course by his friends' unfounded suspicions... Who does that? Don't ask, don't find out, and already accuse a person? And most importantly in what? That he's not of the same year as you? It's a complete nonsense. I can't even get angry. I just want to walk away from this and continue my holiday on a positive note. A few people don't have to imprint themselves on the image of the city for me. Tomorrow we'll go for a walk with Janine and things will go back to normal. Sad moments in life should happen too, then you start to appreciate more what brings joy.

It's getting colder. The wind is getting stronger, making me freeze, but I don't want to leave. Flashes of lightning grew brighter, and the sky rumbled with the sound of thunder. This is my favourite weather... Suddenly I'm enveloped in warmth. Someone puts a jacket on my shoulders. He's standing just behind me, but I know exactly who it is. I've learned to detect his scent. He squeezes my shoulders with his palms and speaks softly in my ear:

- I'm sorry. Alex, please forgive me. - I turn to him, looking into his eyes.

- Why so, Daniel? Why didn't you ask me and just dump all your concerns on me? So many things have happened in those two days, but in none of them, not even the tiniest thing, was there any hint of me stabbing you in the back. You just needed to talk to me. Calmly and without attacking me. You shouldn't have let me make excuses for anything. I'm not going to do that,- mixed feelings, that i can't explain to myself, overwhelms me. I can't figure out if I need all this or not.

- I screwed up, Alex. I let my doubts get the better of me, and it was wrong. Please forgive me,- he steps a little closer.

- How did you find me? - I ask.

- Janine. She helped. When you left, we had a lot to think about and understand. I jumped out after you, but I had no idea where you might have gone. I wanted to drive to your hotel, but Janine sent a message with your photo just in time,- he blurted out.

The light rain turns into a downpour. I'm still standing in his arms. The raindrops have wet my hair and clothes, but we don't move, we stand and stare silently into each other's eyes.

- It looks like a scene from your movie,- I smile. - The one that Janine loves.

- I hope you believe me now, at least,- Daniel smiles back, and his sensual lips touch mine.

God, I've waited so long for this moment! It doesn't matter that he's very young, it doesn't matter that he lives halfway around the world, it doesn't matter that we might spend a few days together and never see each other again. Nothing matters... All that matters is what's happening between us now, this second. It's real. His soft sensual kisses are real. His ragged breath on my skin is real. And his hands pressing against me are real too. These moments will stay with me for the rest of my life. The bridge, the rain and Daniel.

I close my eyes and surrender to the feeling. I want to feel it with every cell of my body. There's something natural about it, like I've come to my own home. The boy suddenly becomes a man, a strong man, able to shelter me from all worries.

- Alex...- Daniel whispers, out of breath, - We have to go, you're already soaking wet. - I look at him askance. - I don't mean that,- he grinned, - though I'd be damned glad to have that effect on you. How long have you been standing in the rain? Do you want to be sick for the rest of your holiday? Come on, my car's parked nearby.

- I haven't had time to think about anything.vRight now, right this minute, my head is just drafty, - I say as he leads me to the car by the hand. Okay, he doesn't. He just grabs my hand and we run to the car because the rain is not going to stop. I'm so caught up in my emotions that I don't notice how cold I was on the bridge.