ONE DAY [ MATHEW BARZAL ]

- thirteen hours -

I walk beside Mathew as we head down the streets of Manhattan, the tall male almost towers over me as we walk side by side. I didn't realise the height of him until we left the coffee shop about ten minutes ago. He is tall, standing over five feet taller than me. Usually I would feel intimidated by someone that tall, but not with Mathew.

It really is a weird feeling being with Mathew but in a good way. Being with him I am not scared or even feel awkward around him, I am comfortable and feel free around him. I guess Austin was right, if I had more than thirteen hours left here then I am sure Mathew and I would become friends.

"Where are we going?" I ask looking up to the dark haired male beside me. Don't ask me why I have chosen to spend my last hours in New York city with a man I have just met, this is the type of stuff your parents warn you about and yet I am doing this.

Mathew looks down at me, his hazel eyes meeting mine. "To Central Park." He answers me, a slight smile pulling at the corner of his lips. So this is his great plan to show me love is real? To take me to Central Park? Is he mad? Probably. I mean, I have only known him for an hour and here I am agreeing to let him take me to show me love exists. I think I might be the mad one here.

"Central park?" I say looking into his eyes, my brow creasing as I try to understand why. "Why?"

"Because you see everything there, it's a great opportunity to see what I mean when I say love is real." Mathew tells with a shrug of his shoulders. He turns away from me, his head held a little high as he lets the sun rays beam against his face. I study this Mathew who walks beside me, my eyes roam over his body. There is no denying that he isn't beautiful, he is very handsome. His jawline is one that most men would die to have, his eyes are a beautiful hazel colour, his skin is a golden tan colour that makes his eyes stand out. His dark hair is styled perfectly like he spent hours making it sit the way he wants it to, and his style of clothes tells me he is in with the trend. I wouldn't be surprised if he has many girls falling for him because of his looks.

"If you say so." I say clearing my throat as I look away from Mathew.

"No, I know so." Mathew grins cheekily as he turns back to look at me. His pearly white teeth are on show, the sun rays beaming off them.

"You're very confident." I tell Mathew, my eyes finding his. He stares at me, I can tell he is studying me. I guess he's trying to figure me out, just like I am with him.

"It's better to be confident than not be confident, you see the world in a different way when you are sure of yourself and aren't afraid to show it. Being humble can only get you so far." Mathew replies back to me, giving a shrug of his shoulder. I nod my head at his words, my mind understanding his reasoning behind why he is so confident in himself.

Nothing more is said between us as we head towards the park, but weirdly the silence is not an uncomfortable one. We make it to Central Park five minutes later, I watch Mathew out of the corner of my eye. You know, thinking back on it now, maybe agreeing to let him show me love is real might be a bad idea. For all I know he could be planning on murdering me, dumping my body in the park somewhere, and pretending that I never existed when police come to question him about my murder. Maybe that's just me overthinking what is happening right now, but I am questioning why I am spending my last hours in the city following someone I only met today. I could be crazy for doing this or not, I guess I will find out soon enough.

"Right, I want you to watch everyone who is around us. Just look at them carefully, let yourself be loose and try to understand their feelings." Mathew says as we walk the gravel path. I nod my head at him, my eyes scanning the people around us. Young and old, male and female, healthy and unhealthy. There are so many different types of people I can see around us. Mathew watches me carefully as we walk, but I slow down when I spot a couple having a picnic a few feet away from us.