I'll Love You Forever And Always

6. Hello Stranger

After their little conversation they went back in to the rest. They had order some food and just talked for a while. Athena was very quiet and Lorena picked up on it.

"Ey Athena you alreyt?" Lorena asked concerned

"Hmm, me? Yes, everything is fine" Athena answered

"Ye don't seem like it, come on talk to me" Lorena said while guiding her friend away from the rest.

"Did summat happen between you and the Alex guy, yer both awfully quiet. I saw ye two outside?" Lorena asked wondering what had happend.

"We just talked about last night, and said we were not gonna talk about it anymore, we're just strangers who won't meet again" Athena shrugged like it was nothing.

"I don't think yer that okey with it love. Oooh you've got the hots for him don't ya" Lorena smirked

"Me? The hots for him? Nooooo" Athena tried to convince her friend and herself

"Okeyyy, if you say so." Lorena said unconvinced

"I see ye really like Nick, don't ya?" Athena tried to change the subject

"Yeah I really like him, he is very nice" Lorena said blushing

After their quick catch up they headed back inside. It was almost midnight so everyone decided to leave. When everybody said their goodbyes they left outside and that's when Athena saw the black Cadillac that caught her attention the night before. It was Alex's.

Where Athena lived was about a 45 minute drive from Alex's place. When Lorena dropped her of it was quite late. So she quickly went up.

"Bye talk to ye soon! Text me when ye get home okey?" Athena shouted

"Bye, will do! See ya tomorrow!" Lorena yelled back as she started her car

It was now early in to the morning. The pale crescent moon shone like a silvery claw in the night sky. The city that never slept was not drifting away to shangri-la. The wet, desolate streets of the city rested in silence as the starry black sky wept over it. The water in the portholes shimmered by the glow of the bright, yellow street lamps. The small, green trees on the roadside swayed as the strong breeze hit them.

Once at her doorstep she quickly got inside, it's a habit of hers. Some things had happend that made her scared at such times. She had a nice apartment. It was not too small, spacious and ornate. It had two bedrooms, but she made one in to a bureau. On the walls were pictures of memories she still cherished. It was her dream place.

She threw her purse and keys on the kitchen table and quickly made her way to the bathroom were she got ready to doze of. Her shrinking figure staring at the at the blanket of stars that stretched to infinity.

Laying on her bed taking all that happend in. She was fatigued, but just couldn't sleep. All the postulations coming over her like a tsunami. "Will i ever meet him again? Would he even want to see me? Why do i need to see him again?" And it went on like that the whole night. Athena only got a couple hours of sleep before she had to get up and begin the day again.

Athena was a poet. She had already brought out a few books. In her spare time she liked to photograph people and places she would come. It was really her dream job and she couldn't be happier anymore. Travelling, writing and spending time with the once she enjoyed having company with.

This rainy day came with its own heavenly soundtrack to earth. The petrichor smell that the water dropplets had left. Small pecks of water climbed in her place as of the open windows. Athena put on a record to soundtrack the morning.

"Can I waste all your time here on the sidewalk?"

The sound of her favourite song filled up her morning. Whilst eating her first meal of the day.

Can I stand in your light just for a while?
I've waited around and oh no, you are not around
I made up more time watchin' you

This song made her feel euphoric. She would get a weird sense of dejavu while listening. It made her heart ache as she once had this kind of feeling.

The streets were almost completely empty, everyone ran for cover to hide. Umbrellas were opened as the clouds spat out their beads of water. The roofs of the cars danced with spray and you could hear the murmuring sound of the rain through the window. Athena needed something from a bookstore two streets away. So she walked, but quickly regretted it as the rain became heavier and heavier. The sounds of an upcoming storm became louder and louder by the second.

She was almost at the bookstore when the wind became to blow her in the direction. She was soaked because of the heavy rain. Finally she was there "The Bakery". It was a very small store, it had a blue facade. The bookstore solded not only books. It was her favourite shop. She already went there when she was still a small child. The owners were good friends with her parents.

As she went in she saw a very familiar figure, one that she would never forget about. It was Alex. But it was quite weird as if he didn't lived 45 minutes away. He was with ravelling deep in all the books and records. It was as if he knew that Athena was about come.

"Alex? What are ya doin here?" Athena couldn't believe her eyes

"Ey, Athena was it reyt?" Alex asked casually

"What are ya doin here?" Athena asked again

"Just lookin at some books, because were in a bookstore" Alex shrugged

"But you live so far away?" Athena asked still stunned

"Okey, okey, i just couldn't let ya pass by, you said that we would probably never meet again, but i needed to see you again. So I asked Nick to ask his bird, yer friend reyt? Where you would today be." Alex explained. Water dripping of Athena as she stood there stunned, she just couldn't believe what was happening. A guy like Alex standing in front of her saying that he needed to see her again, something that she could never imagine.

"I- i" she stammered
"I needed to see you again too, I couldn't sleep all night. I can't believe you put in all that effort just to see me. I like you Alex i really do." Athena said while her whole body was shaking.

"Ya got summat behind those eyes that makes we wanna feel every inch of ya. It's not like I'm falling in love, I just want ya to do me no good. And you look like you could"