The walk to the park felt like a journey through a dream. Ari had spent the last three days living in a haze blue light and digital bubbles, but now, the world was in full color. He checked his watch, the Time is 3:58pm. He was early but his heart was racing as if he were an hour late.
He stood by the old clock tower, a weathered stone structure that had seen a century of lovers and strangers pass by. He felt like the waiting bench he had sketched so many times. He was still the background character, shifting his weight and checking his phone every thirty seconds.
Ari: I'm here by the clock tower, I'm the guy looking nervous and holding a lukewarm coffee,he smiled as he types.
Mira: I see you, Ari. Don't turn around yet, let me look at you for a second.
Ari's breath seized, he felt a gaze on him, a sensation of being seen that he hadn't experienced in years. He stood perfectly still, the autumn wind biting at his neck. Then, he heard the sound of soft footsteps on the gravel.
" You're taller than you sound in your texts ", a voice said.
Ari turned, There she was!
Mira was smaller than he imagined, framed by the golden leaves of the park trees. She was wearing a thick, oversized wool coat and a vibrant yellow scarf wrapped twice around her neck, her skin was the color of cream, nearly translucent in the fading sunlight, but her eyes? They were electric. They were wide, dark, and filled with a frantic kind of joy that Ari didn't know how to process.
" And you're...you're real ", Ari stammered, his background character, "shyness", taking over.
Mira laughed, a light melodic sound that seemed to dance in the air. Mostly real, a bit of a ghost, maybe, but real enough to want a walk, she replied.
They began to walk along the winding path of the park. Ari noticed small things immediately, Mira walked slowly as if she were savoring every inch of the pavement. She stopped to look at a squirrel, then a pile of particularly bright leaves, then at an old man feeding birds. She looked at the wold like she was memorizing it for a test she couldn't afford to fail.
Why the scarf? Ari asked, Trying to break the comfortable silence, Its not cold yet.
Mira's hand flew to the yellow fabric, tugging it slightly higher. A shadow crossed her face, a flicker of something that wasn't joy. I'm a bit of a cold-blooded creature, she joked, though her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, My body doesn't handle the middle temperatures very well, I prefer to stay wrapped up.
Ari didn't push it. He was too busy being mesmerized by her. She spoke about books like they were old friends and about music like it was a language she spoke fluently. But every time Ari tried to talk about the future, about the the winter festival or the spring semester, Mira would gently steer the conversation back to the "now".
Let's not talk about january, she said, her voice soft but firm. Let's talk about the way the light is hitting that fountain right now. Look at the way the water looks like liquid silver, Ari, isn't that enough?
They spent hours together, eventually settling on a bench as the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in bruises of purple and orange. Ari felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with his coffee. He felt like the volume of his life had finally been tuned up to the max.
As the air grew colder, Mira's breathing became a bit heavier. She leaned her head against Ari's shoulder. She felt fragile, like a bird made of glass.
I have to go soon, she whispered.
I'll walk you home, Ari offered, already reaching for his bag.
No! Mira said quickly, her hand gripping his arm. Her fingers were ice-cold. My...my brother is picking me up, He's very protective. And I like the idea of you staying here, watching the last of the light, so you can tell me about it later tonight.
Ari watched her walk away toward the parking lot, her yellow scarf a bright splash of color against the graying evening. He felt a strange, hollow ache in his chest, a premonition he couldn't name. He didn't see the black SUV waiting for her, Or the way she slumped into the seat the moment the door closed. He didn't see her reach for a small plastic bottle of pills or the way she let out a sob of pure exhaustion once he was out of sight.
He just sat on a bench, staring at the fountain, waiting for the blue light of his phone to bring her back to him.