AFTER DARK

Chapter 9

What seemed like another dull outing with Daria, turned out to be one of the best days of my life.

Our plan was to take the Metro and check out the Atlantis, but right after we left the hotel, Daria received a call from her colleague friend. After the call ended, I learned that our plan had changed.

"Some of my office friends are meeting up at JBR ..." said Daria, putting her phone away.
"...it's alright, you go ... I'll go back to the hotel...I'm not feeling up to it any way."
"Non-sense!" She stated, flicking her front curls back. "You're coming with me."
"Hey, it's fine!" I said, tossing out my eye-balls in an attempt to convince her that I was alright.
"No, it's not -- you've dressed up so beautifully today ... it would be a shame if you stay back."
"Really ... doesn't matter ..."
"O' it does! And who knows ... maybe Mr. Somebody is there too."
"Ah' I didn't dress up for anyone, okay?"
"Okay, okay," she said, pulling back casually.
"Why would he be there anyway?" I asked, failing to hide my curiosity.
"O' so she wants to know?"
"No, I don't," I muttered, embarrassingly covering up.
"...sometimes he joins us," she said, somberly now. "He's a quiet man, who doesn't say much to anyone."

I listened, but kept my thoughts to myself. Deep in my heart, I knew; men who are silent, carry a mountain of thoughts inside them -- the only reason they appear so quiet is because they haven't found the right person to open up to.

The thought that our paths might cross so soon intimidated me a little. I realized this when I felt pain in the palms of both my hands. I knew this pain very well. This was the pain of my nails stabbing against the palm. Yes, I had unknowingly pressed my fist so tightly that it left a mark on my hands.

By the time we arrived at the scene - Jumeirah Beach Walk - the sun had slipped behind a large bank of clouds. And in that cloudy setting, I was easily able to spot the man on my mind - Rehan.

Dressed in casual Polo shirt and Giordano jeans, he sat a little further away from the rest of the lot, silently observing the tides of the sea.

While Daria greeted her friends, I kept my gaze fixed on him. There was something about him that was different from the rest of the people that were present in that scenic setting. And this was what baffled me -- out of all the people there, why were my eyes only only searching for him? What made him different from the rest?

"Sarah!" I heard Daria's voice ringing in my ears.

Quickly, I snapped out of my wonder world and plastered an arbitrary smile to the on-lookers (mostly Daria's colleagues). I greeted them warmly, though, the entire time, I was thinking about Rehan.

Once more, I glanced in his direction. I saw a sea wave crashing down on his feet.

If my heart had the courage, I'd have shaped myself like a sea wave, and crashed at the man sitting there by the sea.