26 The ine I've been searching for (4)

Suddenly, as if her memory got refreshed and everything happened during that fateful day replayed in her mind. She recalled how Charles repeatedly asked her to memorize his eyes. She remembered Mrs. Marquez telling her the name of Charles' beneficiary. Yes! She recalls them now and as if everything was in then planned ahead of time by Charles.

"Yes babe. I've been trying to search for you since I've learned about you." he said with all his gentleness.

"Nero Carlson, that's the name I heard from Charles' mom. Could you be the one who got his eyes?" She loomed at him with full attention and inquisitive look.

"Yes babe, I am so blessed to have a second chance to live life with this pair of beautiful eyes. See?" He blinked his eyes several times and smiled lovingly. He already decided in his heart that if he found this lady, he will love her no matter what the circumstances may be.

She cannot hide her emotions as she stared at his eyes. "Charles...." she said as she unconsciously lifted her hands to touch the eyes of this foreign man beside her. Her eyes never blinking as she seemed to scan those pair of eyes even penetrating through them. She brushed her thumbs over those eyes as she closed hers to feel them in her mind

Nero was shocked that Daryle held his face as she gingerly brushed her thumbs on his eyes. He couldn't help but gasp big amounts of air through his nose. He just let her do her thing. She must have missed him so badly! He didn't mind being touched this way. In fact, he loved it!!! Yes, it was his first time to be touched this way !!! Her hands were nervous but was soft and full of love.

"Sorry ..." Daryle bowed her head as she withdrew her hand from his face. "I didn't mean to..." She looked at her empty hands now. Nero was staring at them too.

"Daryle babe, I'm so sorry that you lost him. It must have been so hard for you. Can I hug you for him?" He had the instinct need to offer a comforting hug.

"Thank you" She said as she hugged him back. Her face was against his broad chest. She sobbed for a while before coming again to her senses. "Sorry for being so emotional and thanks for the comfort." She said as she wiped her tears and her red nose.

"You are welcome. So now I've found you, no, you found me, what shall we do? I've learned that your Charles intentionally gave his will to donate these eyes to a single man like me. Did he tell you something more?" He asked.

"Who told you that? " Her eyes got wide and clear now.

"I met with Charles' parents few weeks ago. They told me about him and you. That's when I learned about you and started looking for you." He hugged her unconsciously.

"Charles.... he is very sweet and thoughtful man. He told me to memorize his eyes because whoever gets his eyes, he will ask God to send that man to me. I thought he was just merely saying empty words. I thought he was just being weird." she said as tears started to fall again from her eyes.

"Don't cry anymore. I am a single man, I have no commitment with anyone either. I want to fulfill his wish for you." He rubbed her back gently.

"What do you mean? " She wiped her eyes with the tissue she managed to get from her bag.

"It may sound sudden to you, but I had this strong attraction towards you the first time I saw you inside that booth. Just now when I bought my ticket, I cannot let it pass already so I passed to you my name and phone number hoping you'd contact me soon. I never thought it could this soon babe. I must say, I'm totally captivated by yo." His gaze was fixed on her tearful face.

"Oh! I didn't know about that. What can I say?" She said absent mindedly.

"Daryle... I can't believe we actually found each other right under our noses. What do you think?" he couldn't help but pinch her chin like she was already his.

She nodded. Her heart skipped with cheer for having found the one who took her love's eyes. She can now put things together in their right places. They were like pieces of jumbled puzzles she just ignored before. Now evething is clear. She is also delighted that this foreign man seems to have taken interest in her. Things ahead will just be depending on how they would handle things now.

"Cha... Nero, those eyes really are good. I loved them from the start! " She nearly said Charles again.

"Daryle babe.... " he whispered as he suddenly grabbed her into his arms and hugged her tight upon hearing her say his name. "I can't believe you called me by my name. Thank you!" He said not letting her go for a while.

Daryle by now has realized his manly scent. He had a faint smell of a perfume that makes her inhale deeper as she stayed against his broad chest.

After a while, he held her shoulders and distance her from him. He looked at her face as if to study her features again. His eyes flickered like he was seeing a star. He but his lips to control his urge to kiss her red cherry lips. He needed to know how she wants to take things between them.

"Ms. Daryle, I know this might be too sudden an encounter, but I don't want to beat around the bush. How do you call this thing between us now?" He asked.

"Wha...what do you mean Mr. Carlson?" she said softly.