Runaway

Nora laughed loudly at the absurdity of his offer. She didn't even know him- sure she knew of him, but she certainly didn't know him. Still, even though she clearly thought him insane, he stared at her with those serious eyes. They were a lurid green- the kind of green a girl could lose themselves in after a couple of stiff drinks and a rough day sitting in front of the television watching sappy romance movies and happily-never-afters. Her own smile faltered.

"You're kidding, right?”

The young man shook his head. His shaggy brown hair fell over his eyes as he did so, reminding her of when they had been back in school. He looked the same- a mirror image of his former self. She didn't doubt she too resembled much of what she had back then but they weren't back then anymore. They would never be back then. Life wasn't so simple. You couldn't just shrug your shoulders on the world, light up a cigarette and say the hell with it.

“I am entirely serious, Nora,” he said, his tone unwavering.

She had first met Adrian Terry when they were seventeen. It had been a dull afternoon of history and mathematics until he walked in. He had been like a hurricane during a windless summer, twisting and turning everything in his path. He flipped social order in a matter of days and had acquired his own personal seat in the principle's office. Girls in her grade fell over their short skirts for him and boys followed after, trying to pick up stray scraps of his popularity. Nora didn't like him then and she was almost positive she didn't like him now.

“You're a piece of work, you know that right?” she said dryly.

Stuffing her cold fingers in the pockets of her winter jacket, she bounced on the balls of her feet, praying he would give up and leave her alone.

“You still haven't answered my question,” he commented quietly.

People in the street bustled by, jostling them on either side. Biting her lip, Nora debated ignoring him altogether and simply melting into the crowd but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Something about him kept her where she stood. Like a gravitational pull she found herself drawn to him.

Only weeks ago did he randomly stumble upon the coffee shop she worked at. It was a quaint, quiet place where she earned enough to pay her way through college. The tips were decent and the customers nice but even he knew she wasn't happy and he had said so after two or three visits. A couple of visits quickly turned into several and several slowly became more than she could handle. He was always pleasant and conversational, polite and entertaining- far different from when they were teenagers. It made her feel uncomfortable. In her mind, someone who you didn't like wasn't capable of turning into something remotely likeable over night. It just wasn't conceivable- or fair for that matter.

“I did give you my answer,” she huffed, annoyed. “The answer is no.”

The corners of his lips quirked, “No, you never said that.”

Rolling her eyes, Nora did all but stomp her foot, “Yes I did. I said no.”

Small white flakes of snow tumbled downwards from the dusty, grey sky. Gently he raised his hand to catch one. It landed on the tip of his bare finger and immediately liquefied. The droplet rolled across his nail and disappeared into his palm.

Smirking to himself, he eyed his hand before clenching it into a fist.

“No,” he said. “I do believe you asked me if I was kidding and then the conversation carried on from there. Not once did you outright answer my question.”

Nora felt her cheeks flush. He was right. She hadn't.

“Fine then,” she snapped angrily- her warm breath exhaling in a puff. “Ask me again so I can flat out tell you no.”

It was Adrian who laughed this time- his face bright, alive.

“Alright. Runaway with me. Runaway with me and never look back.”

'Yes' danced on the tip of her tongue. She wasn't sure why but she wanted so badly to say it. Maybe it was the fact that she had only ever lived a mundane life or because the thirst for adventure was overwhelming. In kindergarten she used protected scissors, her parents had cut up her meat for her and she always had lukewarm bathes. Junior high she had been a crossing guard and in High school, an honour student. Safe; she had always been the epitome of safe. Adrian was wild- a thorn to the budding rose that bloomed faithfully, without fail, every year- at the same time and in the same place.

“No!” she exclaimed stubbornly.

His eyes twinkled, snowflakes catching his lashes.

“You'll change your mind. You'll see,” he said, and with those as his parting words, he left her out front of the little coffee shop she worked at.

Not daring to watch his back as he walked away, she pulled back the sleeve of her coat to check the time. The old fashioned clock face told her she was till twenty minutes early- as always; safe.