Through Your Eyes

Six: Left. Right. Left. Right.

-Lochlan’s P.O.V.-

One week later…

“Aaah!!!”

I wake up beaded with cold sweat, gasping for air.

My nightmares haunt me every night. I get trapped in a paralyzed state. I can’t move, at all. Think of it as watching a severely twisted horror movie, the only catch is that you’re strapped to an operating table and you can’t close your eyes, wait for it until it’s over.

I ran to the bathroom sink and splashed multiple handfuls of water on my face. To calm myself down, I took a long, hard look at the mirror.

Tá sé ach aisling, a fháil níos mó ná é. Is é seo an taobh fíor (It’s just a dream, get over it. This is the real side) I could hear myself talkin my head.

I run my fingers through my hair and glanced at my watch, only to be stricken with panic, again.

“Shit!” I yelled, and made a beeline for the closet.

What to pack? What to pack? What to pack?

The most important thing, first.

My camera. Thank God I remembered to bring a loaded spare with me.

It took me an hour to suit-up and stuff all of the valuables into the bag. I grabbed my car keys and sped my way to the venue of the event I was going to cover.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 74th Eco-Summit” said a tall man.

Damn, I’m five minutes late. The president delivered a speech about the importance of including blah…blah…blah…

“Pictures in books have no use if one cannot perceive the real deal with one’s senses.”

That was the only line I could recall.

Pictures were made so that people don’t have to spend a huge amount just to experience the real deal.

On to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. I snapped shots of the speaker wielding a pair of huge scissors, the people cheering on, and a bunch of handshakes.

I take a few side glances to check if I missed any VIPs, before the wind blew hard, and I catch a familiar scent. It’s not the antiseptic foul odor of commercial perfume, but it’s somewhat the delicate aroma of French vanilla and hazelnuts.

A few more side glances, just to be sure, and I spot a familiar set of eyes.

Wait a minute… are my senses deceiving me?

Could it really be… no, it can’t be.

The butterflies in my stomach aren’t kidding me.

That’s her! The girl I met at the coffee shop, she’s here, but why? What is her business in such an event?

I’ve got to know.

Left. Right. Left. Right.

My feet involuntarily start to move.

Click. Snap.

I’ve taken two pictures of her.

Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right.

I move from station to station, taking shots of both her and the exhibit’s highlight: Everyday things made eco-friendly. Still, I manage to keep her in sight.

What’s her name again? Bri…

 Britanny?

Brice?

No, wait, that’s a guy’s name.

Left. Right. Left. Right. Click. Left. Right. Snap. Left. Right.

Bridgette?

Brietta?

I don’t really care, as long as I know it starts with a “Bri”, I’m alright.

Brenda?

Brina?

This odd motion continued until the very idea dawned on me.

I’m following a girl whose name I don’t even know of.

Dammit!

 Why am I even tailing her?

Oh, wait, good grief, no!

I’m not  tailing her, it just so happens that I find her in every station that I go to.

“Brielle!” another girl called out. Just a few steps away from me.

And, suddenly, the girl who I happen to encounter at every station, looks at me, straight in the eye.

Quick, Lochlan. Run before she notices you!

So I did.

Where to go? I don’t quite know, but I have to leave this, away from her, before she finds out.

Because my running around…

Crash!!!

I break some sort of eggshell-based pot.

“ I’m so sorry. I’ll—“

“ It’s alright, son, we have at least a dozen more of these stored. It breaks easy, you know.” Said a late-forty’s man who was in charge of the station.

Then, I realize something, but before I could do any more damage to property, I walked to the men’s room, trying to compose myself.

When I finally arrived through a sea of people, I shut the door and give myself another facepalm.

Of course she won’t notice you, she’s blind, you idiot!