A stranger at the beach ( OS )

Mr.Stranger & Miss beautiful

A girl in her late twenties was sitting on the beachside when a stranger approached her.

"Hi," the stranger spoke.

"Sorry," she asked, baffled by the stranger's sudden greeting.

"Oh, I said hello," he repeated.

"Sorry, do I know you?" she asked.

"Umm, no, actually I come to this beach daily, and for the past 10-12 days, I have seen you coming here all alone," he replied, emphasizing the last words.

"So, is it not allowed for people to come to this beach alone?" she questioned in an irritated tone.

"Nothing as such. Even I have been coming to this beach alone for more than a year. It's just that I have seen tears in your eyes every day or two, so I just..." he spoke hesitantly.

She was taken aback by his words; a stranger saw her tears even when she didn't let them roll down her eyes, and a few close ones in her life failed to even understand her words.

"Today also you don't look fine. If you want to share, I am all ears," he continued, making himself comfortable sitting beside her with a good amount of distance between them.

"Are you stalking me or something? Why would I share anything with you, a mere stranger?" she spoke as the bells in her head rang, getting a sudden good gesture from someone in this not-so-good world.

"To your first question, by God's grace, I earn sufficiently so I don't need to be a stalker or kidnapper or anything as such. At least see my clothes and looks before judging," he replied, making a sad pout.

"Secondly, sometimes sharing with a stranger feels better than sharing with a loved one," he continued.

"No thank you, I have enough people to share my problems with. I don't need you," she spoke sarcastically.

"Ok, as you wish," he spoke, giving a small shrug of his shoulder, diverting his gaze towards the vast blue sea in front of them.

She waited for a few minutes, thinking he would leave now. However, when he kept on sitting there comfortably, she couldn't help but voice out her irritation, "Don't you have to go?"

"No," came the reply, which raised her anger even more. "Why are you sitting next to me? Go and sit somewhere else," she spoke with more irritation.

"Oo, sorry," he said, getting up and looking down at the ground he was sitting on, removing the sand with his hand as if searching for something.

"What are you searching for?" she questioned, irritation still palpable in her tone.

"Your name, it must be written here, no?" he spoke in a casual tone.

Hearing his words, the lines on her forehead relaxed, and the side of her lips curved up a little.

He grinned, looking at her smile. His attempt to make her smile was successful. "So, do I have the permission to sit here now?",

She didn't reply, instead, she moved her gaze towards the sea with a small smile.

He sat down beside her at a distance, watching the sea waves. No words were exchanged, but the silence was peaceful.

"Thank you," she spoke in a low voice.

He turned his gaze towards her, giving her a wide smile.

"May I ask why you were looking at me, and one more thing, I wasn't crying. I am not weak," she asked.

"I love observing people, how different everyone's way of enjoying life or finding peace is," he paused and continued, "and yes, you are not weak. It takes a lot of effort to stop your tears from flowing down."