WET KISS ON HER CHEEK
[Recommended Music: When You Look At Me| Sara Kays ]
Getting down from the taxi, she thanked the driver and paid him. She turned around and breathed out loud with so many emotions, hope, being the most giddy-making of them all. He had mentioned that he'd be waiting for her at the Meridian Cinema entrance.
She had been so lost in constructing scenarios for the evening ahead that she was surprised to see how far she had come through not knowing his name nor who he is.
The theater was already in sight. It didn't look too crowded nor too deserted. Climbing up the flight of stairs, skittishly mustered herself.
Vilian didn't know what to feel about this guy but had a good feeling.
Finally stepping up from the last staircase, she could see a silhouette of a guy standing tall facing his back toward her. She could not get a glimpse of him. As if sensing her arrival he turned with a surprised look just when she was about to tap his shoulder with her shaky hand.
Just the first look he gave her, the saying 'Sometimes it is healthier to think of a future relationship as with a mystery man rather than with anyone you currently know' ran on her mind taking her to a daze. She was starstruck by the bewitching look he had but felt as if she had met him somewhere before.
She heard him clear his throat.
"Uhm... I'm sorry, are you the c-coffee guy?" she questioned the latter nearly to a whisper, feeling weird to label him that way.
Scratching his nape with a cute shy, he nodded his head. "I thought you wouldn't come to meet me today," he said, still with a surprised look.
"And what bought you the courage to wait for me?" she questioned him with a daring look, standing right in front of the entrance, giving way to the couple who came walking towards the theater entrance, but neither of them made a move to walk into the theater, nor did they walk away from the entrance.
"Just the small voice screaming at the back of my mind?" He said earning a small giggle from her lips as she tucked her hair behind her cold ears and they stared at each other for a while.
'Was this what they call love at first sight?' questioned her inner voice with awe at the cute guy.
A man cleared his throat from behind interrupting their moment.
"Now that she's here after all these waits, are you planning to shoo the customers?" questioned the man who she didn't see was there earlier.
Vilian gave a questioning look at Eric. He just winked at her, causing her to skip a heartbeat. Patting the shoulder of the guy, he led the way toward the theater to Vilian with a kind gesture.
"So... What if I would not have shown up, today? Would you still head to watch the movie or would you head back home?" She questioned walking side by his side.
He glanced at her and said, "I'd replace another coffee on your table."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?"
"No, no. I meant, why do you keep on buying me a coffee every single day?"
"Yep, why do you think so?"
"It might seem kinda awkward, but do you fancy me?" she said and she bit her tongue at the end, cursing her for not holding on to her tongue quite the way she had promised Lily.
"Be it the way you think," he said, glancing down at her with a smile, handing the tickets to the ticket counter.
They entered the theater room with a mega bucket of sweet popcorn and two iced colas.
She had come to know that the movie 'The Young Victoria (2009)' was the one that would be playing. A movie she had dropped on her bucket list to watch later. 'How wonderful isn't it to tick three wishes at once?' she questioned her mind.
1. Theater night.
2. Movie with a stranger (which she never thought would come true)
3. Watch The Young Victoria in a Theater.
The second she thought of the bucket list, a question ran to her mind. Was it a date? If it was, then it would be her first date at the theater and another wish come true. You might have heard of one stone, two birds, but this was one stone, four birds.
"How is it that you always look so great, even if you're in ratty pajamas?" He questioned out of nowhere. Vilian almost choked, sipping the ice cola. "Didn't mean to say this was a ratty pajama, but... if cartoon bluebirds were real, a couple of 'em would be sitting on your shoulders singing right now."
His compliment tainted her cheeks red. "If that's a compliment I see coming, why thank you!" said Vilian gazing straight at him.
The movie began to screen, catching her focus onto the screen. She could feel his gaze from time to time falling on her, but she ignored it, feeling awkward, but they would speak time and time in between the movie.
On the first few talk, it had been shy, almost becoming familiar, and then each of them backed away. Another few hours passed by, and they knew more about one another than many members of their family as the movie came to an end.
Walking out of the theater they paused for a while and looked at each other before bidding farewell for the day.
"It was nice to finally meet the Coffee giver, my secret admirer, but you never mentioned to me your name?"
"Expect it on our next dating strangers..." He said as he entered a black car, closing the door of it.
"Are you gonna stand there the whole night, Vili?" He questioned, sliding down the tinted windshield. Vilian frowned at his question.
"What are you waiting for? Com'on in!" he called her waving his hands. Vilian's feet padded on their own as if they had a mind for themselves.
In no time, she was in his vehicle, sitting on the shotgun seat while he drove the car into the street of Oxshade.
"Stop!" she exclaimed before he could drive further into the street. They were in the middle of Oxshade street, a little away from where she lived.
"You live here?" he asked comically, though he did not know the reason why they had to stop here.
"No, but a little away." She said as her hands curled on the door handle and her eyes glancing back at him.
"Then, why not I drop you there and not in the middle of this dark street?" He questioned inching a little closer to her as his eyes glanced nowhere but her amber eyes, "You snuck from your house, didn't yuh?"
He questioned the right one causing her to blink her eyes twice, but she didn't reply to him, instead, "I better get going. It's getting late," she said, not sure whether had he figured it out and swung the door open, getting down from the car, but he did not let her all alone. He ran behind her, half jogging. Vilian turned behind to see him trailing behind her, causing her to giggle, shaking her head as she walked backward front.
"Careful there, your gonna hit yourself," he warned her.
"No, I won't," she said so surely.
"How sure are you?" he questioned back, finding her talk interesting as he tucked his hands inside his pocket.
"As much as the strange coffee giver trailing me like a grateful puppy," She responded as she fastened her pace, taking long strides, daring him.
He shook his head, walking faster toward her, "You know what?" he questioned, closing the gap they were, and she fastened her pace, faster than she already was, causing her to trip on a stone.
Not soon, his large hands securely encircled her waist on time, closing the space in between them as if they were stuck to each other. Vilian's heart pounded louder enough for her ears to listen to it. If possible it would be audible enough to the guy who had his hand circled her waist.
They gazed for a long while, wordlessly at each other as their chest heaved up and down with sparkling chemistry. She felt like she had suddenly fallen into a photograph where the background was blurred, where the only part in focus was the person in front of her.
A vehicle honked and passed by them, breaking their trance as they awkwardly separated from each other. Vilian tucked her hair strands behind her ears and started walking, biting her lips which were challenging her to break into a smile.
She didn't dare turn to give him a back look knowing very well that he was still walking behind her. As she came nearing the back view of her house, she turned to him but didn't look into his eyes. "I... Um glad that we got to meet," she said, fiddling her fingers as he observed every movement of hers.
"And so am I?" he said, walking closer to her, and holding her shoulder firmly as he left a warm wet kiss on her cheek, catching her off guard with widened eyes and her mouth in an 'O' shape.