Chapter Six

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Leelah set on the park bench watching Josh and Jenny play with the dogs in the enclosed area of the dog park.  They had talked her into coming out to 'get fresh air" since she was working the night shift at the pun tonight and had the day off.

She glanced around.  For some reason, the city had decided to put the dog park right smack-dab center of downtown.  It was a beautiful park.  The city had went all out with the landscaping.  Sidewalks cross crossed and curved around leading through and around the park, going on to connect it to the bustling traffic of city life. 

Which was one of the reasons she had come along with them.  It made her nervous having the dogs out here like this.  The thought of one getting out and running into traffic was frightening.  Meechi had done just that when they had first moved here.  Supposedly with so much foot traffic, the street vehicles and traffic were extra watchful and careful around the area.

It still made her nervous. Accident happened after all. So there she set. She leaned back and sighed, ignoring the book she had laid beside her.  The sounds of the city were so different than the countryside she had grown up in.  She wished she was how she use to be.

She use to like exploring.  She use to think it was fun going into little shops in the cities.  She use to search out interesting thing.  The old her would have appreciated this park more. 

Now it was just dreary.  She closed her eyes for a moment.  She was doing a fine job making herself miserable.  She just couldn't seem to care enough to figure out how to fix herself.  So she just ignored it.

"Does it work?"

Her eyes snapped open.  A man had taken a seat next to her.  He looked vaguely familiar.  Maybe he wA a customer who had come into the pub before. Not often though.  She'd remember him. 

He hadn't done or said anything much, but just by looking at him, she could tell he was an intense person.  He had that kind of energy to him.
Not to mention, he was an attractive man.

Not in a typical way though.  He was tall.  Maybe 6'2 by her quick estimation. He wasn't super buff, but had the solid but lean build of a baseball player.  He had a sharp jaw line, and thick black hair that was a startling contrast to his fair complexion.  He was beautiful.  Without any loss to his masculinity, he was beautiful. 

Why he was sitting there, looking at her with his very dark eyes, and talking to her was the real question.

"I'm sorry?"

The corner of his lips tilted up. "Sitting in the park, sighing... does it help with whatever your troubles are?"

She glanced around, suspicous.  But she didn't see any hidden cameras and her brother and sister were paying them no attention at all.

"Who says I am troubled?"

He leveled his gaze on her.  "I do.  One only sighs that heavily when they are troubled.  I know from first hand experience.  So... Does it ever help?"

She watched him silently for a moment. 

"No."

He nodded, turning his gaze away from her.  "Me neither. Nice to know I'm just not doing it right."

They set in silence then.  Both looking straight ahead.  But she was very aware of him.  But not in a bad way.  She contemplated that in her head.  It was very easy for her to block out people.  To just ignore them.  They tended to just fade into the background around her.

Unless they were annoying.  But she didn't particularly find this man annoying.  It was absurd to think about considering she didn't know him at all.  But although he came off as an intense person, his presence beside her was almost...  calm? Peaceful? Not annoying?

She wasn't really sure she could actually put her finger on it.  It was unique.  But all of a sudden she wanted to get up and walk away.  She felt like her sense of being was threatened all of a sudden. 

She glanced at him again.  Was it because she almost curious about him? A stranger.  Curious when, for months, she found no interest or curiosity in anything going on around her. 

That made her pause.  Was she so comfortable in her misery that the thought of change scared her?  Hadn't she been wanting to get back to normal? To stop living like she was already dead?  He life sucked.  She wasn't happy.  Why was she afraid?

She glanced back at him, hesitating.

"What does work for you?"

He didn't look at her.  "I'm still trying to figure that out. I'll let you know."

He stood up then, looking eveey inch like a man use to being the boss in his expensive cut, charcoal gray business suit.  He looked down at her for a moment.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself.  Raiden Feng."

He held out a hand to her.  She pursed her lips for a moment before responding. 

"Leelah Belanger."

She shook his hand, but he he held on, frowning as he held her hand up higher.  His jaw tightened. 

He traced a finger over the bruises around her wrist.  "Anything to do with your 'troubles'?"

She tugged her hand free and he let it go gently.  "No.  Just an inconvenience to be honest."

He didn't relax, but nodded. 

"I have to take my leave here. Maybe we'll meet again.  We can exchange updates on what works for our troubles then."

She smiled a little and nodded.

"Sure."

She watched him as he walked away. Wondering if she should have invited him to the pub.  He was the first person to talk to her in this city that she had found... whatever she found him... still at a loss to explain it.

She shrugged.  Oh well.  She knew his name and they lived in the same city.  Chances were, they would probably meet again eventually. 

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