Virtually Real

Chapter- 9

Naomi

I'm unable to believe my own eyes... Mark Raymond is standing in front of me... Is he really... Marc Raymond?... my idol?  Yes... he is. Oh my God... What's he doing here, in our university? Maybe... some business meet? Tons of questions flood my mind, but all I focus on is to meet him... fulfil my lifelong dream of sharing a few words with him, maybe a conversation. He'll never have time to share a conversation with someone ordinary like me. Yeah, right.... I'm a common girl for him, but... what is he to me? I can not even explain, I've never been able to do that to anyone, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to tell him how much important he is to me. But, I just want to share a few words with him, just one word would also be enough to make me elated for a lifetime. 

I walk towards him with a pounding heart. What if it pops out of my chest? That's not even possible... I laugh at my inner thoughts, I feel more nervous than ever before. When I stand in front of him, I look down, at the floor. Why am I not looking in those eyes I've had dreams about? Silly me! I gather the courage to look at his face and he... smiles. What?

Why in the world would he give me a smile? I feel like the earth might swallow me any instant. But I have to speak something... this can't go like this. With shortness of breath and lack of words, I try to speak, "Mr... Raymond... I'm a huge... fan of you..." Why am I stammering so much? God... this will give him a horrible first impression. Would  he even make impression of a common girl... like me? To my amazement, he smiles,

"Thank you, young lady." I says gently.

Oh My God... my life's complete, now. I don't desire anything anymore... I feel so saturated! What if it's a dream? Well... if it is, then I don't ever want to wake up. 

"Can... can I... have an autograph?" I stammer.

"Yeah, sure." He smiles, "But why are you so nervous?" Shit! he can notice. Calm down! I look at the ground, full of shame. "I'll give you my autograph, though... you might not need one." He continues smiling.

What?... What does that mean?

I look up to meet his gaze, "Um... sorry, what?" I almost whisper.

"Because... I came here to see you." I'm almost about to faint as I hear those words coming out of his mouth. This is definitely a dream! My eyes widen.

"What?" I almost shout from shock. 

He gives me a calm smile, "Yes... we decided to meet today, right... Sabrina?"

Sabrina?... What's going on! I step back from out of shock. 

"Sabrina?" I ask him and he nods.

"You are... Sabrina, right?"

"How do you know that... name?" I ask him surprised. In return, he smiles but does not answer my question. I quickly think and meet his eyes with mine, "GravityGod?" I point my index finger at him and ask before even realising it. He smiles again and nods. 

What?

I stare at him with eyes almost exploding, " You are... Marc... Raymond?" I manage to speak. 

"Yes, that's me." How come his voice is so... calm and sophisticated?

"What?" I scream again.

He chuckles, "I thought you would be happy to see me, but instead you seem, terrified?"

I gulp. "I'm not... terrified, I'm... shocked!" I try to explain.

"Let's go somewhere better, I don't want to crowd to surround me." He gives me a knowing smile. Do we already know each other?  "Would you prefer a restaurant?" 

"We can't... go to a restaurant." I resist.

"Why?" 

"Because... everyone will think that... we're in a relationship."

He smiles, again! That calm... knowing smile. "Are we not... in a relationship?" He asks making me jump.

"What?" 

"We're dating, remember?" My eyes widen even more, can they even go any further? "Virtually." He adds before I can throw another 'What?' at him. 

"I... are you really...?-"

"Yes, I am, Sabrina. I know your username, Sabrina Wildfox Girl. How else would I be acquainted to it?" Right... how else? "I know... you're surprised, Sabrina. But it really is me. I know that I'm your idol, I know your real name is... Naomi Craft. You're studying business administration and you are in your final year." My face turns scarlet as I hear my information coming from his mouth. "We've been talking for a while, now. I am GravityGod... and Marc Raymond, at the same time." He smiles. 

"You even know my... name?"

"Yes, I know everything you told GravityGod, and..."

"And?"

"And... some other things." What other things does he know?

"So, all this time, I've been talking to... you?"

He looks into my eyes, "Yes." and for some reason, that affirmation seems the most reassuring of all. Wow... is this even... real? 

"I know you're all confused, don't worry, I'll tell you everything. First, let's go somewhere more... private." He says as he gazes at other students coming out of their classrooms. 

"Am... I... dreaming?" Words come out of my mouth before I know.

"No, you're not dreaming." He whispers and I keep looking at him, in his eyes. How come I have so much courage to look him into eyes. Suddenly, I feel something in my hand, his hand! Oh dear... Marc Raymond's hand... in mine? "Do you believe it now? You're not at all dreaming." He says warmly. I take a minute to appreciate how soft his hand feels. I slightly start believing it now, now that... he has... touched me. I look into his eyes again, ocean eyes. This is the first time I realise how beautifully blue his eyes are. Damn... and I feel like drowning in those eyes.