Serendipity - a fortunate happenstance |✔

Chapter 01

(Jay Walker)

It was a living hell; my life.. And I have made sure each day passes by it remains the same. I was pathetic enough to ruin my life in every way possible along with the ones around me. There were no attachments, not even with my own blood. I have never loved anybody, not even myself. Apart from my Dad, no one dared to care about me. I have got no intentions to blame them because that was exactly what I preferred. Life...Love...Faith... those were just words in my vocabulary. How could I believe in such thing that never made sense to believe that they exist in the first place? There was no one to pull me out from my misery...no one to make me feel alive even for a second. That was what I believed in, what I was, until she came along....

It was 6th of May and I was jogging near the St. Fresco Park. I stopped for a second, catching my breath...and I saw her. She was sitting inconspicuously on a bench under the shade of a huge oak tree, her headphones on. I still don't know what made her special for me to stop and stare. I just did.

It was a nice sunny day. People were out absorbing the sun and enjoying a day out, yet she was alone. There was nothing new about her; from the looks I could say she's Asian. She was wearing a long printed black skirt with a white buttoned blouse. She was no beauty-queen, curly hair... super tanned skin... a girl... just an average girl... I thought so.

And there she saw me starring at her, she smiled. I smiled back. I felt my face burning. I have never got caught checking out a girl. Even in her smile, it was nothing new; it didn't even make it to the 'top 100'of mine. Her smile was common just as the rest of her. I thought I could make her run for a week at least. I've played many "super model-Barbie-like" chicks before. She was just a piece of cake. At least that was what I thought...

I walked to her without making eye-contact. I was soaked with sweat as I already ran more than three laps. I sat on the other end of the bench where she was seated. "Water?" I asked gesturing my thumb in to my mouth since she couldn't hear me.

She nodded and pulled out a water bottle from a rugged back-pack and tossed it to me. She smiled again. Then closed her eyes and leaned back. That was unexpected. Normally I didn't have to pull out my inbuilt charms; girls like her fall for guys like me way too easily.

I thought to run another lap and come again for her. I pushed the bottle toward her. I hit the road without a back glance at her. This time I covered the whole round in less than 2 minutes. As I got back to the bench where she was before, it was empty. Did she leave the bottle behind, I wondered. When I got near, I saw the note under it. 'For you' it said.

I sat back for a minute and gulped it all in seconds. She did notice me. But something was off, telling me I wouldn't meet her again. Not that I wanted to. I got back to the parking lot. My Audi was the only vehicle left in the lot. I tossed her water bottle in and it fell right on to the passenger's seat. I went home straight.

Two days later, I was again at the St. Fresco Park following my new year's resolution, daily fitness routine. Well the first half of the year was over, but better later than never right. As I just started my first lap, I didn't know why I bothered; I made a quick glance at the bench as I passed by, where the girl was the other day. Making me to a halt, there she was again, exactly the same place, headphones plugged on. She looked a little different in an old denim trouser along with a black t-shirt.

I ran back to my car. Her bottle was still on the passenger's seat where I left it the other day. I grabbed it and ran back to her. I got to her slowly and sat on the edge of the bench. She looked up. As soon as she recognized it was me, the same smile flashed up.