Page 28 of Eastern Lights

I smiled. “I promise.”

“I got this weird feeling we’re gonna meet again, mark my words,” he said, seeming hopeful about the possibility of us crossing paths again.

“You believe that much in fate?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I just believe in us.”

“How about we bet on it. If we meet again, I’ll pay you a dollar. If we don’t…well, I won’t pay you a dollar,” I joked.

“All right. Deal. Each year that passes, though, you add a dollar onto the tab.”

“Spoken like a true businessman.”

“If anything, I’m consistent.”

We parted ways that night, and the broken parts of my heart were temporarily healed by his kind words. He emptied my sad soul and filled it back up with love.

I took the subway home, with my hands held against my chest, feeling my heartbeats. The heart that seemed so deeply broken was beginning to beat again, and for the first time in a long time, I felt as if I’d be okay. When I emerged from the subway, I breathed in deeply and exhaled the chilled air as the thoughts of the stranger who’d made me the main character for one night kept crossing my mind.

I knew it seemed ridiculous and the next morning, I’d likely awaken to reality, but I was almost certain the thought floating around in my head was somewhat true. I’d fallen in love with a man that night, and I hadn’t even known his name. But, I knew his touch. His laughter. His heart.

I’d remember the feeling he’d given me as I moved on through life from that day forth.

I’d never forget his flashes of love.

* * *

The following week,he stayed on my mind. I moved through my internship with more smiles on my face, and each day I worked at the coffee shop, I felt as if I were floating as I brewed coffee for individuals.

“Excuse me, can I get a few extra sugar cubes for my coffee? And maybe a cinnamon roll, too,” a woman asked me as I stood at the counter of C&C Café. She broke me away from my thoughts of Halloween night, forcing me back to reality.

I smiled at the warm grin she was giving me. She’d been a regular for the past few weeks, a beautiful Black woman who had the most striking brown eyes I’d ever seen. When those eyes looked at me, they seemed so welcoming, as if one of the best moments of her day was looking my way—almost the same way Captain had stared at me. It blew my mind that some people were born with such gentle, caring eyes.

“Of course! Let me ring you up, and I’ll bring it right over to your table,” I told her, punching numbers into the keyboard.

“Thank you, uh”—she looked down at my name tag then back up at me—“Aaliyah. That’s a pretty name.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

She moved back to her corner table and sat down, pulling out a novel. She’d been reading the same book for the past week,The Rule of Magicby Alice Hoffman. Each week, she’d bring in a new book, falling deep into the pages.

As I brought over her chai tea and cinnamon roll, she didn’t tear her eyes away from the page. Sometimes, she seemed somewhat invested in her novels, but she was more than intrigued with this go-around. She was melting into each word that came to her, flipping the pages with speed.

“It must be a good one,” I said, placing her order on the table.

She looked up and laid the book down. “Oh my goodness, it’s such a good one. I’m part of a book club, and this is our most recent read.”

“Oh, that’s fun! I’m a big reader, too.”

“Are you?” She raised an eyebrow. “What kind of books are you into?”

“Personally, comic books, but I do dive into thrillers from time to time.”

“Comic books?” she asked, surprised. “That’s fun.”

“Well, you know me. I have good taste,” I joked. “Enjoy yourself, and if you need anything—”

I paused as my chest tightened a bit. Everything came to a rushing stop as my knees began to buckle. My hands flew to my chest as I began gasping for air. My heart was pounding at an irrational speed, and as I fell to the ground, I was quickly surrounded by my coworkers.

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