"Who Is He?"

I glanced shyly at the man whose eyes I had felt fixated on me for a while now. I didn't look at him long enough to fully take in his features as I didn't want to make it obvious that his attention was making me curious. My eyes flicked straight back down to my book as his facial expression remained unchanged by the eye-contact we had made. I realised I had read the same paragraph a fair few times, my eyes looking at the words but not taking them in. He was getting to me. I was happy in the bubble I was in; I felt mentally violated as I received the unwanted attention. What got to me most was the fact that he wasn't occupying a particular activity, like he was as focused as possible on me and only me. Just as I was contemplating confronting the man, a familiar hand planted itself on my shoulder and squeezed it gently. I became aware that I had been returning the man's stare as I pulled my eyes away from him and looked up to the smiling face I'd been waiting for. I returned the smile, grateful for the company of someone who I actually knew.

"Hi, Lucas." I greeted him, putting my book down onto the bench and standing up to hug him, receiving the same heart felt embrace back. There weren't many people who I totally got on with and genuinely loved, but Lucas was someone who I trusted and I knew that he understood and cared for me. I was quite happy keeping myself to myself, which made the undivided attention of the stranger even more uncomfortable for me.

"How are you today then?" he asked, joining me on the bench. This started off the conversation as we sat there chatting for about half an hour, before I decided to look up. Lucas had taken the loneliness away from me and in the process had made me forget about the man. Lucas followed my gaze.

"What's his problem?" Lucas was fairly protective of me which I had always appreciated.

"I have no idea, he was doing the same before you arrived. For quite a while before you arrived."

"Who is he?"

"That's the thing, I have no idea." I replied, looking back at Lucas, his position had become less relaxed and more tense.

"Calm down, Lucas." I said this mainly to reassure him and to prevent his anger, but the command was more than slightly hypocritical as calm was definitely not what I was feeling.

"Hmmm," was all Lucas responded with, but he stood up and began to walk towards the man.

"For God's sake," I muttered, although I was intrigued to see what the man had to say for himself.

However, it became clear that I wasn't going to find out as the man stood up and walked away slowly, before Lucas had reached him. It was now that I fully studied the man. He was perhaps a couple of years older than myself and looked a lot more well-built when was upright, his muscles prominent but not in an unattractive or fierce way. His black, partially unbuttoned shirt clung to him in a way that flattered him and his black jeans and leather shoes made him look smart and well-groomed. He walked past me without even glancing at me which I found quite strange considering the previous hour he had spent keeping his eyes continually transfixed on me. I, however, could not help but explore his face with my eyes. His black hair was perfectly gelled, whilst still remaining its naturally fluffy look and his deep blue eyes contrasted brilliantly with his jet black hair. His appearance bothered me even more as there was a sense of authority about him, which made me question what made him so absorbed in me. Also, for such a striking man, I was undecided as to whether he was attractive as his look unnerved me and made me feel slightly vulnerable.

When he had passed me by, I saw Lucas standing a few metres away, legs apart, hands on hips, clearly trying to look intimidating in case the man decided to turn around. The truth was, though, that Lucas' loose fitting shorts and t-shirt made him look more like a boy than a man, compared to the powerful looking figure that was almost out of sight now.

"I don't like him," Lucas said simply, joining me on the bench once more.

"Don't worry, he's probably harmless, maybe he had a lot on his mind. Forget about it." Saying this to Lucas made me realise that I wouldn't be forgetting the man for a while to come. "How's the job going?" I asked, trying to change the subject, for both of our sake's.

"Well," he replied, relaxing into the conversation again, to my relief.

"And the girlfriend?" I prompted, he didn't talk about it unless I asked, and I myself hadn't met her yet, even though they'd been together for over six months now.

"She's fine, thanks. We're having a get together this weekend, so my friends can meet hers. You should come."

"I don't know," I said, fidgeting.

"You really need to socialise more, instead of staying cooped up in your flat all the time, you know. It's not healthy." I couldn't work out if he was teasing or being serious. I knew there was an element of truth in what he was saying though.

"Fine," I replied.

"Great!" he smiled with enthusiasm. I didn't think it would be great to be honest - it involved a lot of people, but I needed to take my mind off the crap job and life in general that I had been adopting for a while now.

I returned to my flat after spending a couple of hours with Lucas. Relief hit me as I remembered it was Friday night, a couple of days without work followed. I flicked some music on and prepared my tea, which was followed by a very uneventful evening as I flicked through channels on the TV. But the noise coming from it was a mere background hum as I was uninterested and hugged my knees to my chest, wanting to feel differently to how I was. Longing for things to be how they used to be. I wanted him back, not just a few photos and a grave. A tear escaped from my eye, leaving a warm wet path as it travelled down my face.