the sunshine gave a golden glow to your skin as you sat on the edge of the bed. sunlit hotel rooms always looked like this; the white curtains billowing slightly with a picturesque view of the city. what were you doing here? this was so unlike you--a gala, a drink, and then a hotel room. one night with a stranger, well could you call him that now? stranger...no the three-hour conversation at the gala bar diminished that title. or rather, it felt like it had, but that could've been the bourbon. you heard the faucet turn off and the bathroom door open. he walked out with a towel draped around his neck. he was, to say the least, handsome; he was overwhelmingly so. and he spoke with a charm you had been unfamiliar with. he seemed smart, clever, yet he was also quite boyish. that must have been it...that's what drew you to him. to this hotel room and to this morning.
"you ready to go?" his voice broke your cloud of thoughts. you stared at the chair near the window. your dress--black with complicated lacing on the back--was spread over the chair. your black heels sat on the floor next to it. "go where?" you turned around a little to face him. "breakfast, obviously. It's 10am and i figured you needed food too," he smiled and hung the towel on the bathroom door. "i only have my dress, i don't think i want to spend to long in public dressed in that," you tried to sound apologetic but it didn't work on him. he opened the closet and you heard a zipper open. a moment later he tossed a white shirt with a peace sign on it. then he closed the closet and handed you a black pair of denim shorts. why did he have girl's shorts in his suitcase? you held them up in front of you with a questioning look. "they are my cousin's, she left them at my house from a family reunion...don't worry. they aren't some random girl's," he said cheekily. "what happened last night, it's not too usual for me. don't get the wrong idea." his tone was suddenly serious, but not any less tempting. as you stood up, your legs hurt a little.
you came out of the bathroom wearing the borrowed clothes. the shirt was large on you, but you liked the feeling of baggy clothes sometimes. it did not help that it was his shirt, of course. you put on your heels, thank goodness they weren't too tall. "ok, can i come back to get my stuff later? and i can pay some of the--" he interrupted you by grabbing your hand. "don't worry about that now...let's go eat!!" he pulled you slightly towards the door, tucking sunglasses into his shirt collar. you followed him out the door and interlocked your fingers into his. the elevator was empty, and you looked down at your feet. maybe you did look sort of stupid in heel and men's t-shirts. "are you alright?" his voice surprised you. "y-yeah. i'm fine," you blushed a little and looked up as the doors opened to the hotel lobby. staring--people are probably staring at you. you looked around, and a few people were indeed looking. but not at you--thank goodness--they were all looking at him. as you knew, he was handsome as anything. you walked out of the front doors, trying to keep pace with him. something felt strange in the daylight; you wanted to hide a little bit. you wanted to go home and lie to your friends that nothing happened. your friends!! oh gosh, you had forgotten them at the gala. what were you thinking? they must be worried about you, where were you? your phone was almost dead...your mind was storming with thoughts. you pulled yourself closer--almost instinctively--to his arm. you felt like maybe, just maybe, he could calm you and protect you from...the morning sunlight. it shone down as you two rounded the corner. the buildings had beautiful architecture; they were intricate and sharp. but those tapering edges seemed softer in the morning, so different from the way they looked last night when you walked to the hotel. you looked at him, his eyes smiling as he squeezed your hand tighter. "there it is," he nodded to a small corner cafe. it looked a little vintage, people sat in wooden seats in the window. an empty table sat in the shade next to one of the windows. "can you wait at this seat while i go in? what do you want?" he let go of your hand and stepped towards the door. "just...um, just an iced coffee thanks," you wanted to offer him money to pay for it but he walked in before you could reach for your wallet--oh wait. of course, you left it in the hotel room.
you sat at the empty table, looking at the tree above you. the sky was bright blue, seldom any clouds could be seen. the street had few cars passing by. the sunlight made the corner glow a little more golden; it was warm like when you walk into your home after a long day. you looked in the window as he ordered at the counter. now you could really look at him properly. he stood out in the crowd, like someone out of a book. he had that air about him, mysterious and bewitching. he really was like that...or it seemed so from the short time you had been together.
he walked out of the cafe and set your iced coffee in front of you. he sat in the chair opposite you. unlike you, who sat up stiffly and hugged your arms onto your sides, he immediately relaxed in the chair. he spread his legs out a little and let his shoulders drop against the back of the seat. "t-thank you," you stammered a little. why were you suddenly so nervous? was it because you did not plan this far? what were you going to do...just up and leave at the break of dawn? it was just such a rare occurrence is all, what if it meant something. did breakfast, simple breakfast, mean something else? again your thoughts spiraled and again he smiled. he giggled a little bit at you. "you are so shy today, so different from the gala," he sat up a little more and rested his elbows on the table. "you were striking, i don't see many girls at those events who stand at the bar and candidly converse with guys. and you are so smart--you have a good sense of yourself i mean," you looked at him in the eyes, letting your shoulders drop. he had that way of making you relax; if only he knew that the reason you were so open with him is because he made you feel serene. his presence was like a wash of tranquility in the people-filled gala. "this morning, you are so much more soft and timid. but i hope that i didn't--well i hope that you are okay with everything." he looked almost apologetic. "i...i am sorry. i am okay, just still a little overwhelmed. i think i made a choice that was good...for me and you...in m-many ways," you stammered again. "i just cannot understand why i am still here, with you. normally these things go on until dawn and then it's up and leaving for one of us. i guess i just did not expect to get something i want, which is more...time. with you. right now." you let it go, you spoke freely again. was it the way he was staring at you and listening--really listening to you--and the way he smirked slightly when you stumbled on words.
"i understand, or rather, i can try to. everything that happened was out of character for me, but i think that's why we are here now. maybe there is something that is keeping me holding onto you today, maybe that is why i want to sit here with you for breakfast and just be in your presence for longer." he looked at you seriously waiting for a response. but your head was unfocused on formulating words...your heart was beating so fast. what was this? what were you two doing? you thought of his words, the tone of honesty he spoke with. the glimmer in his eyes was like looking into stars. you felt a rush of peace, a sense of rightness looking into them. was this...possibly...the start of something? maybe something brought you two together, and maybe something wanted to make it last. fate...is it possible? it is an uncommon circumstance for both of you, but that made it all the more provoking. you reached for his hand and held on tightly. he squeezed your hand and locked your fingers together. "so...shall we eat?" he pulled out a pastry from a brown paper bag he got in the cafe. you both started eating and you commented on the weather. he put on the sunglasses as you talked about the way the sun was making everything turn gold and from there the conversation flowed naturally.
a while passed as you both sat there talking and laughing. you sat back in your chair, sipping the iced coffee slowly. he relaxed as well and turned his head to the side to look at the street corner's scenery. you looked at that shot of him, head turned and sun peeking out onto his face. the buildings, the almost-empty street, and him sitting there was like a perfect moment. a perfect moment into a perfect morning. a perfect morning into a perfect day, and maybe from there that meant a perfect love.
