SOMETHING CALLED FATE

something called fate: chapter one

The first time I saw Harry, it was a Tuesday morning. It was mid- may in New York, and the air was as cold and dry as ever.

The clouds floating above me looked like nothing more than a big mess. I used to look up at those clouds, and instantly a smile would appear. I would imagine myself escaping from whatever was happening in the screwed up world I was stuck in, and flying up to the sky and through the clouds.

When I was younger, I always used to convince my parents to send me to my grandparents every summer. But truth was, I never cared much to see Grandma and Grandpa. I just loved that feeling of taking off. When the plane flies straight up into the sky and into the clouds. I could see all my dreams coming true every time I flew through that big, white wonderland.

But now, they really did look like nothing more than clouds.

As I lock the door to my Brooklyn apartment, I trip over my foot, and am forced to look down at my Converse tangled in it's own lace. I continue to walk down the hallway, and down into the lobby. Most of the kids my age took the elevator. I wasn't one of them.

Ever since I was little, I always took the stairs. Whether it was two flights, or twenty, I never liked the idea of skipping an opportunity to step down each one of those steps. With every step, you are getting closer to your destination. You are getting closer to where you truly belong. I always liked the idea of my life in those terms. With every step, I imagined myself in a whole new place in my life and in this world. Even now, every time I took a step, I felt something inside of me. I felt worth something.

I was in a rush to get to the coffee shop on the corner before class. I was already running late. Before I knew it, I was running down the street, my blonde hair flying behind me.

As I take a small step into the shop, I pull my sweater down a bit and inhale the fresh smell of cinnamon and peppermint. It was a cozy little place. I could tell you the names of everybody who sat there, but by this point, I didn't care enough to see anymore of them than their reading glasses and knitted scarves.

I order my coffee, and wait by the counter. As I pay for my coffee in quarters, and turn around to leave the shop, I run directly into somebody's shoulder and my coffee spills all over the dusty ground beneath us.

I look up to see these big green eyes staring directly into mine. I see his smile grow as my eyes begin to widen. I walk out of the shop before any words can escape my mouth, and slam the door behind me.

There was something in his eyes though. I can't explain it. It was as if some undeniable force was dragging me farther and farther into his reach without my control. They sparkled in this way I've never seen anything sparkle before.

The thing is, I didn't want to run away. I didn't want to escape. I didn't want to leave the guy behind.

Because, after all, who would run away from the first thing that made them smile in far too long? Who would run away from the first thing that made them happy?

Well, I suppose I would.

And I did.