Riparian

Tallahassee II

Someone was watching me. I could feel it, but that shallow part of me didn't want to turn around and show my tear-stained face. Instead, I sat as still as I could, my shoulders still shaking like crazy, and set my blades in my lap. I hoped the back I had silently turned to my intruder would ward them off, but I had no such luck.

"What are you cutting for?" The owner of the young man's voice stepped slowly toward me. I still hadn't seen him, but I could hear his soft footsteps.

Why did he have to mock me? Why couldn't he just have acknowledged my unwelcoming presence and left?

But the most confusing question of all was: Why did I find comfort in his words?

Because no one had really cared before. But he probably didn't really care. He didn't even know me. He waited patiently for me to answer, however.

I shrugged, saying, "Wouldn't you like to know," almost inaudibly, but he still heard me.

"Well, I would," he replied. "It concerns me."

It concerned him. He could've walked away right then and never had to even think of me again.

But he didn't walk away. And I would soon be so grateful that he didn't.

But then and there, I almost laughed. "It concerns you. Sure."

He slowly walked towards me, coming to a stop on my right. I still refused to look at him. "It does. May I sit?"

I shrugged indifferently even though he captivated me and I absolutely, definitely wanted him to sit beside me.

And he did, so it was okay. I could feel his presence on my right side, and it tingled a little. No one had taken this much time out to acknowledge my existence since my Calculus teacher had taken me aside to tell me "how concerned he was about my newfound isolation." It felt good, like feeling the sun's warm rays wash over you for the first time since they'd abandoned you all winter.

Still, I wouldn't look at him. I felt as though looking at him was a violation of our code of conduct, which made about as much sense as his "concern" for me.

"I have plenty of reasons to cut," he said with a sigh, and I wondered just how shallow his "reasons" were. "But I don't, and you do. So what's the difference between you and me?"

Was he joking? The difference was that I had real reasons--and weak morals.

I scowled. "The difference is that everyone on this planet Earth with proper nutrition is stronger than me. That's just it."

The male beside me took a long pause as if speechless before asking me, "So, what's your name?" But he didn't sound like one of those kindergarten teachers asking for the name of a shy new student. He sounded mature and serious, and that was enough for me to give him the gift of satisfaction.

"Tallahassee."

I could almost hear his smile. Was he mocking me?

"Wow," he said almost reverently. "Like the capital city?"

I hesitated. The world contained good people? "Yes," I said a bit timidly.

"Well, then," he replied eventually, "you must be something special."

Was this guy taking a jab at me? If so, he was extremely talented in the art of sarcasm, and I wished he'd go find someone else to torture.

I looked up at the sky. "Are you kidding me?"

He sounded taken aback. "No."

And that's when I realized he was serious. He didn't have malicious intent or a sadistic sense of humour--he just had concern for me. But why?

I pivoted my head down a bit and dared a glance over at him. The main things I noticed were his intrigued stare and young age. He wasn't one of those odd men in their fifties who went around proclaiming that everything would be okay. No, he was a young man who could've been doing anything but talking to me, like studying or entertaining girls. He had actual goodness in his heart.

Nevertheless, my wall stayed up. It took a whole lot to break mine down seeing as it was up even around my parents. Those closest to me couldn't even get through to me.

I sighed, dragging my feet out of the water with a slow deliberation. I placed my bare feet on the grass and hugged my knees tight to my chest. "So, what do you want?" My voice was tinged with annoyance.

"Well, seeing as I come here almost every day, it's no surprise that I'm here. The surprise to me is that you're here."

What? I had been coming here almost every day and never seen this "Good Samaritan." Was he lying to me, just like everyone else?

Overwhelmed with emotion, my eyes brimmed with tears. I blinked them away. I was no master at masking my emotions, but I knew better than to cry in front of another. I especially wouldn't cry in front of a stranger. He would sense vulnerability and come in for the kill.

"I, umm...." So much for my plan. My voice came out as soft and weak as a feather in the wind. "I--I...come here almost every day." The demonstrative statement came out sounding like a question. I hated myself for being so weak. "Why have you never been here?"

I could sense his hesitation. Formulating a lie, I assumed. "I don't know," he said at last, seemingly genuine innocence in his voice. He must be an experienced liar. He was back to disgusting me; why did he have to lie about this? I couldn't believe I'd fallen for his cunning tricks and tone of mock consideration. "Coincidence?"

I scowled. "Yeah, right. I come here at least twice a week and you're telling me you're just here by coincidence?" I expressed a horrid thought. "Did Delilah send you? That insane embodiment of immaturity can't let one thing go!"

His tone expressed apprehensiveness and...concern? Just a tinge of concern, if any. "No one sent me! I just--" I shied away from him, transitioning a few feet to the left. He came after me, but he kept a safe distance. "I just wanted to...keep you company. You know, since it seems like you're having a bit of a hard time, right?"

And I did it. I looked up to meet his eyes. They were a light, mesmerizing hazel that greatly contrasted his deep brown hair. One glance and I was swallowed up. In his concern, in his eyes like countryside grass, and soon in even more.

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Author's Note

I feel things brewing! So exciting! However, this is not going to go down easily. I'm trying to write this as excruciatingly slowly as possible for maximum effect--and maximum excitement!

How do you guys feel about the dual perspective? Is it confusing? I tried to make them as unmistakable from each other as possible for minimal confusion.

Also, I have @JessicaRufus to thank for the lovely new cover! You did a great job, thanks so much!

I still don't know if you find this story good or not, but do you know how I can find out? You guessed it! Feedback!

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