Paradise Found

Chapter 3

  Rose hated the cold. Chicago's weather was not forgiving, especially for the hardworking. Her fingers felt numb from the chill. Blasted weather, always ruining her mood.

She glanced at her watch. It was almost time to open and for Mystery Man to stop by again.

Since their weirdly charged interactions, Mystery Man always showed up around the same time. He never stayed for too long, but he always made an impact. She was pretty sure he wasn't human, considering how pretty he was. He looked like one of those Greek heroes that always died tragically. Achilles, maybe. Or Neptune.

Her father thought it was endearing how obsessed she was with planets, but when she made him buy a telescope, the endearment died.

I want to see the stars, Dad, she told him wistfully, I want to see Neptune.

She finally saw it in the eyes of a man. The coldest blue.

When Mystery Man showed up while she was crying at the Art Institute, her grief was a tangible presence. It had her lungs in a chokehold. Grief was more than just a feeling. It washed everything out; the dusty, cold part of the city turned into a cemetery. The dust reminds you of your mother's ashes on the kitchen table. If she went deeper into herself, she can feel the memory of her mother's touch, firm and sure.

Planets comforted her. They were absolute; their inevitable quality of their existence usually comforted her. Usually. Until the replay of her mother's death kept replaying in her head.

Natural causes. She died of natural causes, but it was still a surprise. How can she die of natural causes, but she died so suddenly?

At least she had someone to comfort her.

She has never met someone so beautiful before, not that she'll ever tell that to his face. Even the way he smelled was pretty: all white teeth and cute dimples. She saw him smoking once. His fingers were long and elegant around the cigarette, and she could've sworn that he knew she was watching him from his bakery window. A knowing smile told her to come closer. To stop hiding and come out of the dark.

Explore the ice planet with me, his eyes said.

She wouldn't do anything, of course. He was too arrogant. She never liked arrogant men, especially the pretty ones.

Your pride will be your downfall, Mystery Man.

He smiled then. It was sad and grim. His eyes were soft. It was like when Achilles heard about Patroclus's downfall. A story was in that smile.

I know.

Sometimes, when she was baking something, she felt his eyes watching her. It wasn't a leer or a creepy glare: it was a look full of confusion and curiosity. It was as if her simple life intrigued him.

What a strange man.

Again and again, he would show up, their banter making her feel lighter. She didn't have this much excitement in forever.

She checked her watch. 11:12.

He's probably busy, she told herself. Her shift passed in a daze, the day moving by quickly and slowly at the same time. She checked her watch again. 10:00 pm. Exhaustion gnawed at her body. Her father would kill if he saw how much she was pushing herself. She locked the door, the cold numbing her fingers.

Home. She wanted to go home. She walked towards her car, a beat up Honda her parents got her for her 16th birthday. If she was less lucid, she would've noticed a man sneaking behind her. If she was less tired, she would've seen the entitlement in his eyes. If, if, if.