I walk alone

-The Older Boy and His Acoustic Guitar-

School work was swallowing me whole. Not only did I have a stack of reading assignments but I had three or so essays due in two weeks. I was so stressed out that I decided to just take a quick break for lunch.

Grabbing a jacket, my purse, and my keys I yelled out to Emily that I'd be back in an hour. As i walked outside I pulled my jacket closer to me the cool breeze nipping at my ears. As I neared my car I began to regret not bringing a hat too.

Driving into the parking lot of a little café named 'the little corner shop' I parked in an empty spot, getting out and walking into the café. I smelled fresh breads and soups. A selection of soups were layer out on the corner.

"I'd like the tomato basil, please." I said to the nice looking cashier

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After eating my weight in soup and cheeses I walked down the road by the café scoping out the city.

Suddenly I saw a vintage looking music shop. Practically skipping in joy down the road to it I walked through the shop doors and smiled. The walls were decorated with records and old guitars. The whole feeling this place gave off made me start to love New York.

Not many people were in the shop so I roamed up and down the aisles looking at CD's of bands I'd new heard of and Records of bands I love.

A soft guitar strumming erupted in the air coming from the corner playing a very familiar tune.

"You say sit down its just a talk, they smile politely back at you. You smile politely right on through." The very familiar voice sang.

Peeking out from behind a shelf I saw a face I'd never thought I'd see again.

He had changed.

His arms had recently been covered in ink and his black hair was shorter than the last time I'd seen him. His shoulders were broader and I could see some stubble marking his chin. He must have been about twenty two by now. I was in utter shock from how much he had changed.

But then again I had changed too. My bright red hair was bleached blond on the under half and I dressed as punk rock as ever. I wore bandannas and red lipstick. My feet were always covered in combat boots and I had collected a small collection of tattoos myself.

I looked almost the same but I lacked the charisma I once had. Once Christian was diagnosed with cancer I hadn't been able to do as much. I wanted to spend every moment with him but he couldn't go to concerts anymore. Or rock climb, or dance around the local park. And because of him I had turned into a worrying girlfriend.

I listened to him sing the rest of his song and then turned to leave. As I turned around I knocked off down a CD causing him to look at me.

"Katlyn?...." He whispered while looking me straight in the eye

"Alex...." I whispered back before running out the exit.

"Katlyn come back!" I could hear him yell but I just continued to run.

I ran past my fear of falling for him, I ran past all my doubts, and I ran past my thoughts of him being my next Christian.

Getting to my car I turned on the engine and began to doubt myself that I'd even just experienced that. Out of all the places Alex could have gone why would he choose New York? How in gods name did we meet again? Was it fate?

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As I rushed back into my dorm Emily looked at me in worry.

"Katlyn, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Oh if only she knew how accurate that statement was.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I just saw someone I used to know in a shop while I was out." I told her. She looked at me curiously as if waiting for an explanation.

So that's what she got. I told her about my secret friendship with that boy in the coffee shop. I told her how even though we'd never said a word to each other I had fallen in love with him. Every stolen glance was worth while. Every song he sang somehow had a meaning for me to discover. I had loved for him from afar.

But don't let that make you think that I hadn't loved Christian. After Alex left I had fully devoted myself to Christian. In some ways he was my rebound relationship from a relationship that never happened. Even still I loved him with all my heart.

You may think I'm crazy for falling for someone I'd never truly talked to but believe me silence is beautiful, silence makes all the small exchanges we had more intriguing. If we had talked all the time I would have probably become bored with him.

Maybe not though, because love demands to be felt.

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Sooooo! They met again ah!

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-Sam