Existentialism

Prologue: Love at First Sight

Louis stared at her quietly as she walked alone towards the office cafeteria. She shyly smiled at the canteen personnel as she took her orders and hummed as she walked towards an empty table. She was an ordinary lady but she was unique. She wasn't as fragile as any other girl could be. She has a heart for animals, she's tough, straightforward, and very smart. She is the type of girl that doesn't care if she gets dirty as long as she finishes a task.

The cafeteria was crowded and Louis hoped that he would be able to chat with the girl he has been eyeing at the animal rescue center. However, she is always with her two male colleagues and he never gets the chance to start a small talk with her. However, this day, she made eye contact with him which made him blush. She looked him in the eye and smiled. Her dimples showed and her eyes brightened as she waved at him. His jaw almost dropped as he waved back at her. He smiled widely and this made her giggle.

She stood up and left her colleagues at the table who were busy playing with their mobile phones. She headed towards the pantry and left her used utensils in the sink. Louis quickly walked towards her and he was able to catch up, "Hey! Uhm--hi!"

Her smile could melt anybody's heart, Louis thought to himsef. "Hey, what's up?" She asked him nicely. She was smiling all the time and Louis knew that his face was red all the time, "Where are you assigned today?" He came up with that question at the last minute not knowing how to keep the conversation flowing.

She took a notebook from her pocket and browsed through the pages, "looks like it's going to be the serpentarium today. What about you?" His eyes lit up and he wasn't able to hide his excitement when he realized that they are assigned on the same area today. He pretended to look at his phone to check his schedule, "looks like we're gonna be a team today." He slipped his phone back in his pocket and extended his right arm to gesture a handshake. "My name is Louis, by the way."

"Hi, Louis. I know you. I gave you the tour this morning." She took his hand and shook it, "I'm Arabella. It's nice to meet you again."

"Yes, it is indeed." He awkwardly took his hand away and scratched his head. He is clearly lost for words.

"I'll see you later, then?"

He nodded. He smiled at her and kept on staring as she walked away.

"Man, I never knew I could feel this way towards a human."