Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice IV

7 years later (slight jump into the future)

~

As he slowly approached the bench overseeing the vast body of water, glittering over the moonlight, he noticed a slim figure standing closer to the edge of the coast. Facing away from him. Dressed in a thin blue, floral printed dress, stood a woman. Her long silky black hair blowing softly as the wind picked up, some loose black curls bouncing against her lower back. She crossed her arms across her chest, rubbing her delicate fingers over her upper arms which were barely covered by thin sleeves. A surge of lust rushed through him and he envisioned what it would feel like to have those fingers rub against his skin. And then another emotion erupted in his chest as he got a little closer, realizing that the girl was shaking. A sudden, all-consuming surge of protectiveness filled him as he watched her. A complete stranger.

He immediately stopped in his tracks, confused as to what was happening to him. Why was he so tormented at the sight of this stranger? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he thought of retracting back to his car. It was already late, and his Ana must be waiting for him at the hospital. He had left without telling her where he was going, his mind disturbed with scattered thoughts that he was unable to piece together. Worry consumed him ever since he had discovered the recent diagnosis of his Ana's deteriorating heart condition. Her doctor in Adana had recommended the Umut Hospital in Istanbul for her cardiac surgery. After spending their entire day yesterday conducting back to back tests, the doctors had decided to schedule a surgery at the end of this week. The surgery was high risk, with a 60% success rate even amongst the top cardiac surgeons in Istanbul. It pained him to see her suffering, his only surviving family. How much more would she have to endure. He felt so inadequate and helpless for not doing enough in his life to make her happy. For never giving her any happiness.

He looked around the place, noticing the eerie silence that consumed the gloomy atmosphere before his eyes made their way back to her. Again, his chest constricted at the sight of this stranger, making it hard to breath. He abruptly turned away, confused and annoyed. He was only able to take a step before he stopped. Concern and curiosity filled his mind and he looked back at her. Still standing, her back straight, hair blowing, hugging herself, silently weeping.

"F*** it" he whispered to himself, before approaching her.

He must have been too aggressive in his approach. The startled woman turned around abruptly to look behind. Eyes reflecting fear...then shock...and then recognition. She blinked and a whole new emotion emerged in her eyes. Pain. So much pain. Heart wrenching pain.

He stared back into her captivating black eyes, before tracing over her cheeks, her nose, and her soft pink lips. Coming back to her eyes, he felt his heart clench. She was devastatingly beautiful...yet extremely sad. He rubbed the region over his heart as he continued to stare into her emotive eyes. She shivered and he saw her eyes trace over his face, captivated by the scars that had forever been engraved all over his face. No wonder she was scared, he thought.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" his offered, his voice hoarse from the maelstrom of emotions rushing through his veins.

She didn't even flinch, her eyes still glued to him, boring into his own like she owned him. There was recognition there and he noticed that she no longer feared him. But that pain, it was still there, and he had no idea why that bothered him so much.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He was still a good 6 feet away from her, but he could see that she did not look okay at all. She looked hurt, broken, shattered... and lonely.

Her eyes were tracing over his scars and she shivered, from repulsion or from the wind, he couldn't guess. He took a step closer and she immediately took a step back, bringing her closer to the edge. Fear gripped him as he noticed that she was a couple steps away from falling into the water, the edge unguarded from any railings. He stopped in his tracks not wanting to scare her.