strangers.

c h a p t e r | 2

"Oh my god, I didn't know. Shit, I shouldn't have said that. I totally wasn't thinking, I mean I was, but I didn't think of that, and-" he rambled, trying to fumble out an excuse.

"It's ... alright. You didn't know." Sofia spoke quietly. She paused for a moment, then continued," Can I get your name, stranger ?"

"Ian, Ian Parker." he replied, not knowing why he did, but it felt necessary. He could at least give her that.

"Okay then, Ian, what brings you here to this place, at this hour, to this side of New York? Who are you?" She asked, looking down at the cup in her hands, playing with it.

She could see it on his face. But what gave it away was his eyes. His grey eyes looked as if their was this internal storm raging in him, and she could sense it right away. She was good at reading people, you could say.

"Wanna take a walk?" He offered, not knowing why he was acting this way. He wanted to talk to her. They had barely spoken,but she seemed to have this effect on him, where he just wanted to spend some time,get to know her. Maybe because he felt like he trusted her.

By now the pair had left, and Sofia stopped to grab her coat from the bartender, nodding a 'thank you' before slipping it on and leaving. She didn't know why she was leaving with him, or talking to him. She was not the kind to talk like this with a person she had just met. She knew better. Maybe she believed that talking to him will help her, and maybe, she could even help him. His dark eyes seemed troubled, almost as if he was dealing with some sort of inner turmoil.

They walked out, their breath fogging in the cold air. She put her small hands inside her jacket pockets, and repeated her question.

"So, what's your story?" she repeated, looking up to look at his face. She'd thought she'd heard a rumor or two about him in the streets before, about him and his supposed 'bad boy' antics. She couldn't remember much. With the amount of talking in this city, she really couldn't bring herself to care all that much. From what she'd heard, he was supposed to have this kind of 'no-nonsense' attitude. He thought a moment before answering, looking ahead as he answered her.

"I don't actually know what I'm doing here. I just felt like coming out here, clear my head a bit. Contemplate life and that shit." He noticed her wince for a split second, but it was gone faster than it appeared.

"Like what stuff?" she asked, wanting to help him in some way, his eyes almost saying it for him. She was hesitant, not wanting to push too hard, or seem too intrusive. She was half-surprised when he answered.

"I dunno. "

She half turned her face towards him, an eyebrow raised in question. 'Really ?'

A deep sigh left him, as he contemplated telling this stranger girl about himself. How much did she already hear? Seeing he would most probably never see this person again, he didn't know what to think. Ian wasn't exactly the type to sit down and discuss his 'feelings' with people. He went with his gut feeling.

"My reputation around here is more of a. . . 'bad' reputation," he started, taking his hands out of his pockets to make air quotes with his fingers," but recently, it's starting to bother me. Like, I guess what I'm trying to say, is that the me inside my head doesn't really match that me that people see. But then, when I try to act like myself, I can't. I just feel so ... exposed. I can't do it. So the I go back to acting this part that I've become so used to." His tan skin shone from the yellow glare of the lamp-lights as he talked.

"You think that your thoughts and your actions don't really line up, and so it makes you feel conflicted ?"

"Yeah. I mean I've tried to change it, to make it right, but then I feel like I'm letting everybody down. It's like they already have this certain version of me painted in their heads, and then I feel like I'm doing something wrong, like I'm letting them down.", he explained to her.

She went over his words in her head, before saying, "I get it, really, I do. I know what you mean when you were talking about the acting part. " She thought a moment before speaking up again. "Sometimes, I feel like we're all just these actors and actresses, who, when life throws circumstances at us, we play whichever role pays. Even if it goes against the what our hearts have to say."

He simply nodded his head in agreement. She had spoken what he was feeling so eloquently, as if she knew. The pair continued walking down the long alleyway, letting the time pass in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, rather it was just a time of basking in each others' presence, taking in each others company.

She observed the buildings pass by, taking in the chill of the night air. Well, at this point, there were actually a few strokes of the approaching dawn in the tips of the sky.

He had enjoyed this time with her, it gave him this satisfied feeling. By now, the two of them had reached the end of their path, and Sofia readied herself to leave.

"See ya later." She breathed out, her small nose slightly rosy from the cold. She had her reasons for not saying goodbye, not that Ian needed to know.

"Wait," he replied. He was aware that their little 'meeting' was coming to a close, and he felt bad, because he only talked about himself the entire time. He didn't want this to be a one time thing anymore. Both of them would agree the the world has already lost too many opportunities to those. Then, patted his hands on his jacket, and checking his pockets, as if looking for something.

"Is everything alright?" Are you looking for something?" she inquired, the concern evident in her sweet voice.

"Yeah, actually. It's just, I can't seem to find... your number?" he said, now looking up at her, a boyish grin on his face. She liked his smile, she thought to herself. He then held out his phone, asking her to put her number in.

"Smooth." she remarked as she saved her number into his phone. He chuckled, and proceeded to save his number into her phone.

"Thanks." he stated.

"Goodnight." She stated, a small smile now on her lips. She turned around, and started on her way.

"Goodnight."