A Distant Dream

~~~Obsession~~~

Past:

Matthew Tuddle peeked through his semi-closed blinds. As the sun was setting, spreading a rosy hue across the sky; the perfect evening, the perfect time. He wished he could replay this moment infinite times: her smile, her cute silly dance, her gorgeous face, her.

He knew he was in love. Love at first sight. That fateful day when she first came here gracing her lovely presence lighting the dull neighborhood, when she opened her car door and slowly locked eyes with him as he was watering his lawn. The gleaming eyes and beaming smile. It felt like an arrow pierced his heart, he didn't believe in love until he saw her.

"Hi, I'm Mona," she said and held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

Matthew was so enamored that he didn't notice her hand hanging there for seconds. A Goddess descended from heaven and said 'hi'.

"Hello, Earth to stranger, are you here?" She waved her hand in front of his face.

"Matt--- Matthew Tuddle", he replied snapping out of his daydream.

"Tuddle....um... quite an odd name. Hope we'll get along well," She tapped his shoulder and waved goodbye as she made her way to her new humble abode.

Little did she know that such a small act had sparked a disturbing interest in a naive young man who will have nothing to do but watch her every move from then on.

He studied her like she was a subject in school. Her everyday routine was carefully memorized and day by day, he was becoming more like her stalker. He too realized that and hated himself for it. But it was too late since he couldn't stop....... couldn't stop his strong feelings for her. He just wanted to get close, get to know her.

He attended many of her lawn parties. But it was so hard catching a glimpse of her as she was always in the center of attention, the people around her were like insects attracted to light. He was one too.... but he wanted the light all to himself. No matter how much it burns him.

"Hey Tuddle right?", it was his 8th party there and finally she noticed him. "Enjoying yourself?," she asked holding out a glass of red wine for him. He gladly accepted and followed her shimmering silhouette to the balcony.

"So, why are you always looking at me like that?" She questioned the quite startled Matt.

"Like what," he gulped.

"Like... you know, like you see only me and no one else. Like I'm the last person on this planet, like your trying to paint me with eyes," she grinned mischievously as Matt's face slowly turned pink.

So she knows. She knows. Oh my God.

"I..... I-- "

"I like it. No one looked at me like that before. I was never anyone's concern. But here, I'm treated like a movie star. No judging looks, no dirty gossips, no pa--..... I guess I was carried away. I seem like I'm boring you," she looked intently.

"No , the party just became interesting," he teased back.

She smiled and looked at the moon. "You know what, I wasn't popular back in my hometown. It was dark there, like medieval. People were always moody, just minding their own businesses, never trying to socialize. I'm glad I left that hell hole."

"Where did you come from?" His inquisitive tone amused her more.

"Do you really wanna know? .....Later..... sometime," she smirked and stepped close to him.

He held his breath. His heart was about to burst. Her sweet scent luring him into madness. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and moved her face close to his. So close that he could feel her hot breath.

"Don't ever fall out of love with me, Matt. You never should," she whispered in his ear and unwrapped her hands, pulling away from a seemingly perplexed hot mess of a man.

She walked back to being the life of the party after sucking the life out of her admirer.

It was more like a rebirth for Matt. A birth just for Mona. He decided then and there that he would devote all of his life to her. Because she asked him to.