The Feeling Asks Why?

"Meeting you was the Best Thing to ever Happen to me." - Anton

     The clear glass door with a small glowing red open sign swinging on it opens and a light jingle plays above it as a smaller man with short dark hair walks in with a journal in hand. His eyes focused towards the ground as he clutches the side of his brown jacket with a black vest on under it,

"Welcome!"

I try to make conversation with the man,

"Hi."

     He says seemingly avoiding eye contact with me, I watch as he sits down at a table settled in the corner of the diner, instead of continuing trying to talk to him I just keep to myself and clean the countertops with a wet rag with a bit of lavender scented soap on it, as I wiped the counter the hint of lavender flowed through the shop.

     After wiping the counter for a while I look up, cause I hadn't heard anyone leave or the signature jingle of the door in some time, the man still sat silently in the corner so I just watched him write in his journal out of pure curiosity as to what he could be doing.

     As I'm staring like a creep unknowingly he looks up and we lock eyes for a moment and it feels like that exact moment lasts for an eternity, as if time never existed in the first place, his eyes were the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Suddenly I snapped back to reality and I hastily shifted my gaze away as my face felt a bit hot and the spark in the air coursed through my body like I'd been hit by lightning.

     I think to myself "What was that?" I feel confusion flood my mind and body as I awkwardly ring out the cloth I'd been using to wipe off the counter with, I turn the faucet on and rinse out all the suds from the cloth and place it back on the hanger to dry off.

     As I finish cleaning I look up at the time and notice it's about time for me to clock out cause my shift is over. "How long has he been sitting there for, now?" Normally I'd be able to figure someone out by the way they act and sit but for some reason this man is a complete mystery to me other than the fact he's just been writing in that strange journal with a leather strap tethered to the black leather covering the front and back.

"Hey I'm closing the diner now, you can't stay here."

     I say to him as a take my apron off and walk out from behind the freshly cleaned counter.

"Oh ok thanks for telling me."

     He says hurriedly as he gathers his things but he stops for a moment and just stares out the window, I look over to see what he's looking at but I can't see anything.

"What's your name?"

     I walk up to him and ask so maybe I could be friends with him, he seems lonely and sad. I know what that's like and I don't want him to have to experience that, not having a friend there for you is the worst thing anyone can go through.

"Oh, I'm Ben, what's yours?"

     He finally looks up at me and this sense of anticipation builds up as he looks at me, I love this feeling. For a moment I forget to respond as I examine his face now that I'm up close and can see him better.

"Sorry zoned out a bit there, I'm Anton! It's nice to meet you Ben."

     I extend my hand to shake his hand as a way to greet him, he reaches out and grabs my hand and as he does I notice how soft and delicate his hands are as if he'd never worked a day in his life.

"What do you do for work?"

     Curiously I ask Ben wondering if he could be a writer or a journalist but these are just guesses from what I've seen, no doubt it's something much cooler that I could never imagine.

"I'm unemployed at the moment haha."

     I notice how he nervously says that most likely hoping to not be judged, we release our grips on each other's hands.

"Ah alright well let's get out of here now before someone sees us in here after hours."

     I think about how my boss would kill me if I stayed any longer. As I say that I start to head towards the door that was behind me, I hear Ben walking a little behind me to the right and it feels very comforting as if I'd known him for years and he was an old friend. "That's weird feeling something like that especially feeling that for someone I just met." I continue out the door and hold it open for Ben, before I close the door and lock it I flip the open sign off and lock the door behind me.

"Hey, could I get your number?"

     I turn around suddenly as Ben is standing there asking for my number, "Does he really want to be friends? Maybe we could be something more? No that's stupid we just met." Thoughts flow through my head like a tsunami before I speak.

"Yeah of course! Here do you have a piece of paper I can use?"

     He opens his black leather journal which I notice looks really cool especially with all the little accessories on it that jingle around, he hands me a piece of paper after ripping it out of the journal. I write my number on it and hand it back to Ben, after that we exchange a glance and head our separate ways back home. I think to myself as I walk. "I feel like something amazing will come out of this, I think meeting you was the best thing to ever happen to me."