I just lost the most important person in my life, my world, the woman who brought me into this wicked world. Oh, how I wish I had been a better person while she was still alive. Every morning, I wake up wishing for just one more chance to right my wrongs. I was rebellious, yes, but I was also the child every parent would pray for.
On this special day, the day I met the love of my life, I was dressed casually yet effortlessly beautiful — from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I looked like a force to be reckoned with.
My face was bare, no makeup, just my lips glistening with a touch of gloss. My unweaved hair was tucked under a durag, and my nude off-shoulder crop top complemented my skin perfectly. My trousers hugged my waist in a way that made my curves speak for themselves.
When I got into the taxi, the only girl among a group of men, all eyes fell on me. But only one man captured my heart. I wished I had been seated closer to him. I put on my headset, playing my late mother's favorite song, and even through the music, I could feel his side-stare burning softly into my skin.
As passengers got off one by one at their stops, it eventually became just me and my crush. Then he spoke.
"Hello dear."
Did he really just say hello to me?
My pulse reacted instantly boom, boom, boom
a dirty, relentless rhythm pounding between my thighs and behind my ears. It was so loud I was convinced he could hear it over my music. My lips responded in my mind, but not physically. It felt like he had whispered "HELLO DEAR" directly into my soul.
Get yourself together, I whispered to myself.
I turned to him with a soft, warm smile, grinning like a baby whose mother just kissed her forehead after a good bath.
"Hi," I replied, blushing uncontrollably.
"Where are you headed?" he asked.
His smile tilted higher on the right side, like even his own joy refused to follow the rules. It was half smirk, half promise, and completely the reason my heart kept stumbling over itself.
Boyyy, I'm getting down from this vehicle the moment you smile at me again, I thought to myself.
We had short conversations that somehow felt long, like we had known each other in another lifetime. My world began to tilt toward him, and I started picturing a future I hadn't even earned yet.
It was his turn to get down. My chest tightened. Why did I have to let go now that I'd finally found someone my heart beat for?
"Can I get your digits?" he asked politely, smiling that same disarming smile.
"Of course," I replied without hesitation.
Before stepping out, he held my palm gently. It felt like the ocean opened on my skin.
Why is my palm suddenly so wet?
He winked, giving a "call you later" sign as the vehicle sped off.
The whole ride afterward, all I could think about was him, his smile, his voice. I wanted to lay my head on his broad chest and feel the warmth of his body wrap around me like safety.
When I arrived at my destination, the first call that came in was from him. He checked on me, and for the first time since losing my mother, something in me lit up again.
His calls became the daily pills that held my broken heart together.
Days rolled by, and the only ring my phone knew was his. His voice became my therapy, my comfort, my healing.
But love has its rhythm… and fate has its cruel timing.