Come Love A Stranger

Fourteen

“Is something wrong?” Mariah was forced to ask when she saw the burning flair in his eyes, she was moved by her emotion that she didn’t know when she cupped his cheek in her palm just as he was holding her when he first arrived. His skin was ice cold and she immediately withdrew her hand, looking up at him in worry, wondering why his body was so cold, and if he was sick.
He closed his eyes and breathed heavily and when he opened them, the colors have returned back to normal, “I am sorry, I did not mean to freeze you,” saying that, he took her hand and placed it back on his cheek and Mariah couldn’t believe that the very skin that was ice cold a moment ago was now warm like a normal temperature. She looked up into his eyes with unanswered questions and he smiled faintly. “They are so many things you do not know about me and I would love to tell you about them but now is not the right time.”
“When will you tell me?” She whispered.
“When the time is right,” he smiled, “right now, you are troubled and I shall never rest well if there is a frown on your face, and worry in your heart,” his hand reached to her face and he traced her skin with his fingertips, “do you want to go away? Go somewhere and calm yourself?”
Her eyes never left his gaze and briefly she remembered the stranger’s words but she shook it away when she saw him frowning, “yes. I will be returning tonight, yes?”
“Aye, I shall bring you back before anybody shall notice you were gone. I cross my heart,” he tucked a lock of hair long black hair behind her ear, “I am a man of my words.”
Mariah smiled, only to frown soon after, “but…how shall we leave without being seen?”
This time, he grinned, “close your eyes.” She was doubtful for only a few seconds but closed her eyes. Soon, she felt breeze enveloped her and it almost felt like she was lifted off the earth. She tried to open her eyes and see what was happening but he covered her eyes with his hand, whispering, “you are to keep them close, my lady.” She chuckled and relaxed, feeling the stroke of the breeze all around her. Just as quickly it has enveloped her, it left her and she could feel the earth beneath her feet again. “Open your eyes now,” he rasped.
Mariah opened her eyes and was surprised by what she saw, they were at a cliff but all around her were different types of flowers. She looked around, not able to take in her surroundings, her hands went up to cover her mouth, how did they get there without her moving? How was it possible?
“Come,” he said and took her hand, he started leading her out of the cliff and she wasn’t unaware of what was happening beneath her. With each step she took, lilies bloomed under her feet and she loved the soft feeling of their petals tickling her ankles. She looked at her companion to discover that he belongs with their surroundings. With his slivery white hair flowing gently in the breeze that was all around them, he looked like he was carved and placed there by the gods.
As if noticing she was admiring him, he looked at her and flashed her, a sweet smile, the moonlight illuminating his face, giving him a godly look that was out of this world. Not able to handle his beauty anymore, she looked away shyly and let him lead her into a beautiful field. He took her to the center and made her sit down on the flowers and it was only then that she recognized the place as the meadow she had first seen him in. But there was a difference, there were extra flowers compared to the first time she was there.
He sat down beside her and closed his eyes, breathing and connecting himself with the serenity and tranquility of the place. Mariah watched him with infatuation, yet again, she had a déjà vu, he was sitting beside her like he was doing at that moment, with his eyes closed, everything was just the same as it was now, only that in her memory she saw herself wrapping her arms round his and placing her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were also closed as she breathes in the scent of both the flowers and his that smells exactly like the forest. The memory caused her a throbbing in her head and she quickly shut her eyes and placed her hand on her temple.
“Mariah,” she heard his voice, it was gentle and serene, but there was also a tiny lace of worry, coating the gentleness that she heard. She felt his hand on her shoulder and then a cold yet warm feeling on her forehead and her headache seemed to drift away with the simple contact. She opened her eyes to look deep into his, and there was something there that she had never seen before: Longing, as well as pain.
The pain in his strange but beautiful eyes shocked her and her heart went out to him, she cupped his cheek once more, “what is it? Why are you in pain?”
At her question, he closed his eyes and shifted away from her touch, “ts nothing. Do not worry yourself about it.”
“No,” she insisted, “I can’t. I can feel it, right here,” she placed her hand on her chest as she was immediately gripped by a sudden heartache. The intensity of the pain shocked her even, she looked at him, he was looking at her. For once she saw confusion in his eyes, “I can feel your pain, I can…sense it.”
He stood up and in the blink of an eye, he was far from her. She gasped, seeing him hidden in the shadows created by the trees. She stood up as well and watched him, she wanted to call out to him but she remembered she doesn’t even know his name. She just stood, watching him, knowing he was there for she could still feel him. Her heart was beating faster than normal and she had to place her hand on her chest to ease the pain. She could feel her breath catching up and she had to wonder how a living being could live with so much pain. Tears clouded her vision and soon, there were cascading down her cheeks. A memory flashed in her mind, she saw him, holding what looks like a person, he was wailing, his body shaking violently in pain. She wanted to see the face, she tried to see the face of the person but then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She snapped out of the memory and looked up at him, his eyes showed his pain, even his aura portrays his sorrow.
“Stop,” he whispered, “that is enough,” his voice was cracking.
“What is that? What am I seeing, is it your memory?” she asked, her heart still throbbing in pain, “are you going through this? What happened? What happened to you?” She still tried to go back to the memory and see the face of the person.
“Enough, Mariah!” he shouted, surprising her. She flinched at the tone of his voice and from her peripheral vision, she saw sleeping birds leap into the air. The flowers surrounding them started dying and soon, what was left of the heavenly place was nothing but death of the flowers and the scent of sadness in the air.
Even though he just shouted at her, the pain on his face made her not afraid of him; she reached up to him and cupped his face in her hands. He closed his eyes and this time, he didn’t move away from her, he stayed in her arms, almost like he needed to feel her touch to calm himself.