Touched

Touched *4*

The entire galaxy seemed to freeze, like a solid block of ice. Time, people...nothing mattered at all at that moment.

Sam's bones and muscles locked in place as he stared in the direction of the mysterious bells he'd heard.

Then...it happened.

Partygoers parted like the Red Sea, slowly revealing...a girl.

Sam narrowed his eyes, watching, waiting for her to turn around, so he could see her face.

This girl was wearing a gorgeous, aqua-blue strapless dress that was tight at the top and splayed smoothly like a fan at the bottom, with splashes of pink. Her long, thick hair flowed in luxurious waves to her waste.

Sam stared. And stared. And stared.

"Oh," he whispered.

All of a sudden, she gently turned to glance at him.

The sight of her caused Sam to stumble, and he clutched a chair for support. His vision was already hazy from the smoke, and it made her face appear slightly blurred, in a gentle, romantic way.

Her wide eyes were what caught him first. They were pools of chocolate, like his, and lined with kohl. Her full lips were painted a creamy pink, and a small diamond stud glinted in her nose.

She was so earth-shatteringly beautiful Sam couldn't breathe. It was as if he didn't control himself anymore...she did.

Slowly, she began to saunter towards him. With each step, her anklets jingled. Sam felt as if he were in a dream.

He watched her come closer and closer. A smile began to spread across his face as he turned up his Flirtitude factor. She would be totally FLAT in two seconds. He just...

"Dude."

...maybe compliment her hair, girls liked that...

"Dude, what are you looking at?"

When he released SHE was the one talking, he stumbled again.

"What's your problem?" she demanded in a clear voice that rang like the bells on her anklets in his head.

"Muh," he sputtered.

She raised an eyebrow sexily.

He quickly scrambled to reorganize his thoughts. "Uh..h-h-h..."

She waited patiently.

"...Hi?"

"Hello." she put her hands on her hips. "What are you staring at? You're making me self-conscious. I know I look like a total dweeb and all, but..."

"What? No! YOU LOOK FANTASTIC!" Sam screamed.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"I-I..." Sam scrambled to regain his cool. "I mean...yeah, you really do."

Delicated spots of pink blossomed across her cheeks.

Sam gazed at them, mesmerized.

"So...I'm Maya. You?"

"Huh? Oh. Sam. I'm Sam."

Wow. He sounded stupider than a peanut.

"Sam." He shivered at the way her voice caressed his name. "Cool. So, where are you from?"

As they talked, Fern returned to the party, hastily tossing her empty cigarette box into the nearest trash can. Her eyes searched desperately for Sam. Finally she spotted him by the buffet and made a beeline for him.

When she saw who he was talking to so animatedly, she screeched to a halt.

Oh, God.

Not her.