~ wdw imagines ~

35. stranger (jm)

i never imagined i'd fall in love with a stranger.

my sister used to tell me that any random yet handsome guy i saw on the street (that i wanted to fall in love with) would only break my heart in the end. and honestly, i believed her. after all, my sister's ex was a musician on youtube (that she met as a stranger in a coffee shop) and he totally broke her heart for the price of fame. now he tours the world and doesn't think twice about her.

"adah, they're all heartbreakers. don't waste your time, love."

"oh, adah, please promise me you'll never fall for a singing guy. they're horrible kissers!"

"adah, why would you ever want to date a guy you just met? they're probably going to be boring and horrible at small talk."

but now that my sister was in college, and i was getting ready to go to college, i had yearned for a chance to fall for someone, anyone, really.

strangely enough, as luck would have it, i did eventually have a chance. but there was a catch of course.

one day, i was walking in the city, with a poetry book in one hand. one finger on that hand had my mother's ruby red ring on it. that ring was my most prized possession, and i do say, if i had truly lost it that day, i would have never forgiven myself. but luckily, as it slipped off my finger gently without me even noticing, it rolled its way down to someone who would change my life.

"hey, i think you dropped this!" i hear a deep but calm voice call behind me. i turn around, as i look into the stormy eyes of a tall boy holding my ring, and my body instantly grows cold.

"my ring!" i rush towards him, until i stand face to face with this stranger. he looked at me with a gentle smile, like he had known me for years.

"you're lucky i found it, right?" the boy says as he drops the ring into my palm and closes my fingers around it. his touch is warm and gentle, softer than a rose petal, and i find myself smiling at the way his eyes look into mine.

"i'm adah," i say quietly, slipping the ring back onto a different finger (one that i know the ring won't fall off of).

"jonah marais. it's a pleasure to meet you, adah," he says in a hush.

"i have to go, but...um..."

i knew i had to say something to him so i could at least talk to him again. he was intriguing and attractive, and i was not going to waste this opportunity.

i open my poetry book and i grab the pencil i left in it as a bookmark. i rip out a poem from the back (i regret doing this immensely because i ruined my poetry book (even though technically it was for a good cause!)) and i scribble my number and name onto it.

"here," i say, placing it in his hand. he takes it up and reads the poem to himself, before looking at me sharply and replying, "lovely poem you tore out for me, adah." i crack a smile as he folds it into his pocket.

"i'll call you, i promise," he says, taking my hand in his. my heart melts at his warmth, but before i can cherish his touch, he is gone.

i didn't appreciate what had just happened to me that day, but my sister's warnings were expelled by jonah. he was a stranger, yes, but kind and gentle, and i wanted to get to know him better as much as he wanted to get to know me.

so, would you ever fall in love with a stranger?

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imagine requested by @adah111405