SHADOW

A New

I laid sprawled out in a pile of crunchy, dead leaves with my eyes closed and my hearing tuned into my surroundings. The birds chirped loudly, the flap of their wings following shortly after.

My palms laid face down against the damp sod. I felt at peace; one with nature.

I had been here for hours just...being.

I didn't have anywhere I wanted to be except here. My mind drifted everywhere and nowhere, settling on Jayde and then fluttering to Athena. Her eyes had burned a permanent image into my memory.

Eyes like that could never be forgotten— they were one of a kind.

I had been moving very slowly with this one and I wasn't sure why. There was no specific reason, I just hadn't made the effort.

I wanted her— I wanted her bad, but something was holding me back.

Even now I should be in the city again, implanting myself into her routine yet I was here, alone in the woods.

I sat up, fingering through the tangles in my hair.

Today was as good a day as ever to change that. I had never been one to be idle in my process and I wasn't going to so start now. I stood up from the cool earth and crunchy leaves, dusting my joggers off slowly and deliberately, making sure to rid myself completely of any dirt.

I walked back to my house, the pristine architecture greeting me. I passed through my house and entered my garage, the motion sensor lights flooding the room in bright fluorescent lights. The lights bounced off of the sleek, black paint job.

I hadn't used my car in almost a week and think it had missed me almost as much as I had missed it. This car was the perfect reflection of me; clean, quiet and efficient. I loved it.

I unlocked my car with the key fob nestled in my hand before I slid into my car. The garage door opened behind me allowing me to back out and speed off down the dirt path. I drove silently for a while before I reached paved roads.

Almost 45 minutes later I made it. I found street parking with relative ease which was always unprecedented especially before the crowd broke and dispersed. I stepped out of my car locking it behind me.

The bright sun greeted me again, soaking into my eternally icy skin.

The gentle hum of the people put a slight smile on my face. The city always greeted me with the monotony that humans referred to as life and I appreciated it. That's why I continuously came back. It wasn't just for the women that it harbored it was also for the humanity.

I strolled down the sidewalk, admiring my surrounding before I finally arrived at the bookstore.

I stepped inside my newly familiar surroundings, glancing around quickly before I slipped off into one of the sections to look at some of the selections.

She was here. I knew that much— I could smell her.

I made myself look busy, looking up every so often until my eyes met a flash of speckled turquoise irises. We held eye contact effortlessly before she walked over to me, a slight smile adorning her lips. I greeted her with the same smile, turning toward her fully once she came to a halt.

"Hi."

"Back again already?"

"It's been at least a week, hasn't it?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, I wasn't counting."

I hummed in skepticism, "Sure."

I had been nonchalant with Athena for too long. It was time. I plastered the most sincere and nervous expression on my face I could muster before clearing my throat, in faux unsureness. "I don't want to be too forward, but can I take you out sometime."