Reminiscence

Knight in shinning armour

She could feel the elation flooding her veins. She could feel it intoxicating her mind. And most of all, she could feel his eyes on her, his hand on hers, their fingers intertwined. She never believed she'd find someone as caring and gentle as him. Her knight in shining armour.  Her safe place.

It had been hard to talk to him the first time. She noticed after one of her friends pointed it out that he was reading a book intently at the park they always frequented, auburn hair hovering lightly over his eyes, which were scanning the page of the book intently. His thumb and forefinger were fumbling with the corner of the paper, ready to move on to the next one once he was ready to do so. She felt mesmerized by it for a significant while, once in a while taking a sneaky glance at him.

Next thing she knew, she fumbled with the corners of the pages herself.

She only saw him again two weeks after that, when eating at a curry place she found close to her home when she went to her sister's flat to pick up her birthday gift well after said date. She couldn't bother to do it sooner so one random day, when she received an angry call from her older sibling ranting about how it was about time she did so since she didn't enjoy anyone coming into her humble messy apartment, she decided it was best to do as said and went after her last class finished. It was around eight p.m. when she finally left her sister's, and she decided her begging stomach couldn't last until she got home. She heard the bell tinkling behind her and the bench at the counter being dragged just enough for someone to sit comfortably.

"The usual, please." a soft yet deep voice requested. 

At first, besides how calm and serene she found it to be, she didn't think much about it. Only when she heard the stool being dragged again did she notice who had been seated next to her. It was the same man from the park, the one who read elegantly, a genuine yet stoic expression plastered on his features. But now, she could also see how mature he looked, beard to shave but only to the point of being just being seen close up and, what she found surprisingly fascinating to her, his deep blue eyes.

"Can I see the kids?" he asked the restaurant owner, receiving a soft smile from him in confirmation. 

With that he went upstairs, leaving her unable to exchange words with him. Yet, the way his eyes softened as he asked the other man to see the kids, whoever they were, melted her heart.

Day after day, she unknowingly focused on his presence if he was in the same space as her. The park, the shop she part-timed at, the library once or twice. However, she never made a motion to approach him or observe him from afar, figuring it would be best if she just focused on her life when, while she found him always he never made a move of acknowledgement.

That was, until that fateful day. In a café, she heard something fall onto the floor and, without a second thought, she reached down to grab it and, when she turned to the owner, she faced him. The future love of her life she didn't know that was him. 

"Here." she extended her arm in his direction.

"Thank you." he answered, taking it from her hand swiftly but without being abrupt. Their pinkies lightly brushed against each other.

She smiled warmly. Her ability only assured her of what she had already constructed. He was sweet. And it was confirmed the more she got to know him.

She grinned at the memory fondly, squeezing her lover's hand slightly. He squeezed back, eyes focused on her.

"Is everything alright?"

Her heart fluttered at his words. He always worried about her well-being.

"Yes. Just going down the memory lane a bit." she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I love you, Oda."

"I love you too."

He was the gentlest person she ever met. He always protected her. And, as much as he was great at that role, she swore to herself to be his knight in shining armour whenever he needed as much as he was hers.