Page 33 of Never Started
It’s laced with pain. I just wish I could see her face. I wish she’d look at me. Talk to me. Let me in, even just a little. Maybe we could talk it out, and I could help her feel better in this moment.
She sniffles, still unmoving. “That’s very kind of you. But, please, go away. I’ll be okay. I just need a minute.”
Ouch.
A stranger rejecting my help shouldn’t sting, but it does. I want to be stubborn and continue to sit with her, but I have a feeling that isn’t what she needs. So, I push to stand.
“I know it sucks right now. But it’ll get better.”
A simple “Thanks,” is all I get in return.
I’ll take it. Besides, her crying has seemed to calm down, so I feel a little better about walking inside and leaving her be.
I take her in once more before leaving. She wipes at her eyes, head still hung low and never looking up to see me, not even once.
All I can hope is that whatever she’s going through gets better for her. It sucks to feel low.
“Maverick,” my mother calls out from the back hallway, quickly making her way over to me and pulling me into a hug. “Hi, son, I’m so glad you came by.”
“I’m hungry, Mom. Feed me?” I joke with a laugh, and she returns it.
“Of course, go pick a table. Want your usual?”
“You know me so well,” I say with a smile, turning and walking over to a table that faces the door and windows… for no reason in particular.
Okay, I lied.
I’m totally creeping. But I can’t help it. And it’s irritating me that I don’t know why I’m so invested in a stranger. Living in a busy city, I’ve come across countless strangers in tough spots,and I’ve never feltthiscompelled to help them. Not like I do with her.
She stands now, dusting herself off. Facing away from the window, her back is to me. But I see it—the moment she pulls herself together and saysthat’s enough. Her shoulders straighten, and I can see she visibly takes a large inhale, as if bracing herself.
I’ve never felt so proud ofanyonebefore.I just witnessed her physically pull herself out of a dark moment.
Fully expecting her to take off down the street, she doesn’t.No. She turns, pulls the door open, and walks directly inside.
I’m stunned in place, entirely captured by her beauty.
She’s gorgeous.
Long blonde waves that frame her face perfectly, sea green eyes that I could get lost in, and a short, tiny frame. It’s not just her gorgeous face that enraptures me; it’s the way she’s holding herself.
It all draws me in.
I see her so clearly.In this moment, I see the strength she exudes—as if she wasn’t just outside falling apart into pieces, her courage to hold her head high, and her resilience to move forward.
She pushes through the restaurant, taking a seat on the other end of the room at a table with another girl who’s already seated.
There’s something about this mystery girl and the way she’s holding herself… I can already tell she’ll live rent-free in my head.
She never saw me, and never will.
We’ll both move on from this moment. She may remember the kind faceless stranger who creepily sat next to her while she cried. Or, she may not. But I, damn sure, won’t be forgetting her any time soon.
Chapter fifteen
Izzy
July 2017
