Another First Love

s e v e n

                All of a sudden, the biggest lightning strike and loudest thunder are heard and seen. We shouted as she ran towards me, "Don't kill me!" She was startled and yelled out in fear.

               We were still trembling as we hugged each other. I was as startled as she must have been. We stayed in that embrace, frozen at the moment until something made me open my eyes, and from over her shoulder, I raised my hands to hug her but something stopped me cold. My hands flew back to my abdomen and I tried not to hope.

               Pulling away from me, she swept a hand down her body to make sure I understood her reference. "Ah, sorry. I-I didn't mean to do that. I-, we, no no no." I almost felt as if she was choking on her own words. She looked away from the window and at me. She was deeply embarrassed by her outburst.

               I laughed midway through her sentence, causing her to stop. Little did I realize I have never laughed this much for the past few years. I looked her up and down and reluctantly asked, "are you okay?"

               She stood, the rain pouring under her collar, her hair entirely wet, her blouse entirely wet and she looked down at herself and groaned. "Yeah, and um, really sorry for trudging into your coffee shop. I know it's closed now but I just don't know where else to go and I saw the light is still on and I assume there's someone's inside here."

                I don't know what happened to me at that time but I immediately knew that they did share the same face shape including their body type. So many questions ran through my mind and it took a moment to grasp one. She didn't even know who I was. Emily or whoever she was, she may have forgotten me, but I sure didn't forget her.

               She looked around, trying to come up with some ideas and after grunting and mumbling to herself, the woman asked, "why are you all alone at this late night?" She threw her hands up in the air, exasperated.

               I stared at her blankly and reached out an extended finger towards the window. "It's heavy rain outside and I couldn't make my way back home."

               I turned away from her and opened a cabinet door below the counter. There was a stack of fresh small towels which I took one from. I looked up and glanced down at her asked, "what about you?"

               She paced to my direction and her urgency of words matched her pace as she answered dryly, "my office is around the corner." A small smile formed upon her thin lips as she continued. "I guess I'm too busy editing authors book and didn't realize it was raining outside."

                I was momentarily stunned by what was she said. They both worked at the same department but my wife was the assistant director of book editorial session. I paused, collecting my thoughts and realized I needed to answer her.

               "I knew someone who worked at the same department as yours." I didn't smile, just handed her the towel to dry herself.

               Then she took the small towel from me, her eyes very bright in the lamplight. First, her hair was gently rubbed, she ran her fingers through her hair, and then looked up at me and smiled. And when she could not handle my gaze, she looked at the ground, her neck tilting down with strands of her beautiful hair falling in front of her face.

               "Have we met before?" This time she broke the silence.

               I looked down at her with an intense stare and I cannot bring myself to look away. My voice may have squeaked when I asked, "why?"

               A heavy silence fell, and she met my gaze finally. She held the small towels for a second, aware her hair was dried, then set them on the table to wipe her belongings. "Because you know my name." She responded.

               To my surprise, I found my heartbeat risen up that it was not higher than it was before. My breathing was becoming more ragged and I pulled slightly back, catching my breath. I began to shake and I could hear my breath grow fast. A wave of relaxation overcame me as I let out a deep breath. I inadvertently came across flashes from the rest of Emily's life.

               "But no one ever calls me that. You can call me, Kate. Emily is my first name," she added.

               Kate just looked at me smiling probably waiting for a reaction from me. "You okay?" she said looking at me very concerned, interrupting my long train of thoughts.

               "Yeah, I am. You must be cold. I can make you a cup of coffee if you want." I snapped.

               At last, it seemed the worst of the heavy rain had now stopped. We silently sat at the same table by the window that I sat earlier. A plate of food with doughnuts and biscuits from the leftover were placed on the table. She brought her lips to the cup and took a sip, her gaze darting to the various shops on the street.

                When we reached her house she told me that we should meet again because she needed to return back my small towels. At that moment, I realized I wanted to know everything about her.

                Like strangers, we stood to face each other in the coldness of the night on my skin and there was no one in sight. "And this will be the last time for me to meet you?" I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

                In return she smiled thinly, looking pleased, her hands clenched adjusting the strap of her slouchy handbag. She then looked at me with interest, her mouth curved in a proud smile and let out a giggly little laugh. "And what will be the reason for us to meet then?"

                Bringing my hands up, I gave her a piercing glare and muttered, "we can make one, you know."

                Her mouth worked nervously before she got the word out. "Thanks for the coffee." She turned her head towards her house but as she started down the steps she paused, looking straight up to me. "Good night."

                I finally realized that she didn't even ask for my name. Someone who didn't know my name any more than I knew hers. Maybe she didn't want to meet me again. My voice suddenly grew very loud as I shouted under the silence night, "don't you want to know my name, at least?"

                She stared at me for a moment, then tried to smile as a sexy smile curved her mouth. "No," she answered. "Let it be the reason for us to meet again." This peace probably felt like paradise. I couldn't remember why, but I could feel the uneasy feeling growing in my stomach. I could not resist a faint smile creeping over my face.