“Hey!” a voice called and I had a faint guess that that call was supposed to be for me.
The thing was, I didn’t recognize the voice. Never talk to strangers, my mind echoed my usual reminder.
“Hey!” the voice came again and I fastened my pace. I didn’t like talking to people I didn’t know.
“Come on, I know your leg’s sore,” the voice said and I slowed down.
How’d he know that? I was wearing pants.
“What?”
I whirled around to face the guy… and found myself facing a tall, dark-haired guy, with the most enchanting green eyes I’d ever seen. They were even greener than Nia’s. My eyes grew and I felt my cheeks redden. I quickly turned away.
“Who’re you?” I snapped as I felt him come up behind me.
“Hi, I’m Liam. Liam Andrews. I crashed into you yesterday. Well, technically, you raced into me,” he added in a near out-of-breath voice. “Your leg’s better?”
“I raced into you?” I repeated, spinning around to face him.
He stopped in his tracks, his beautiful green eyes boring into mine. He looked puzzled.
“You don’t remember?”
“You came from the side. You crashed from my side, you hit my left leg, that I’m sure of,” I lied, because I was only half sure.
“I came from the building. I didn’t see you because the car had blocked you. When I saw you, you kept walking and I turned left so that I’d at least only hit your side. Are you okay? Is your memory okay? Man, that was a bad concussion. Maybe I should get you to a hospital,” he said.
“No, never mind. I – uh – gotta go,” I mumbled, remembering what the doctor had said. I swirled in my tracks and started to pace fast to the building.
“Hey, where’re you going?” he said, and I felt his presence trying to keep up with me.
“Where’s the hurry? You have a sore leg for goodness sakes, how can you even manage that?” he said.
I was half running already and my leg was killing me. But I really wasn’t into talking to strangers.
“I didn’t mean to offend you or anything,” he said. He was about 6” tall, so his steps were big enough to catch me. He was keeping up with me better than I was running away.
“So, is your leg okay?” he asked again.
“Peachy,” I muttered, but he heard me and laughed.
“Did the doctor give you painkillers? That’s a really bad wound I gave you there and I bet it’s strained as well. Should I be expecting your mother anytime?” he said.
I stopped.
“Why should you?”
“Well, it’s partly my fault, so I’m expecting a parent to come and sue me or something. What did your father say?”
“My father’s dead,” I said dully, and it was like I’d said that many times in the past.
I fastened my pace.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know,”
I was at a trot now, any faster and I’d be running.
“What about your mother?”
“She didn’t say anything,” I said and saying that felt like a burn in the skin.
“Oh. I’m sorry again,”
We were at the building now and I only had to cross it to get to class.

I stopped. Apparently, he didn’t expect this and crashed into me. I almost fell out of balance again, but he caught me in his arms, steadying me.

I had never felt that kind of feeling before.

It was like a lightning bolt running through your skin, like a bee’s sensation of a worthy flower, like fame for the next non-worthy celebrity. It was sudden, but it was worth it.

The feeling was like the melting of snow for spring, and the rise of the sun at Manila Bay. It was warm and fresh like the rolls of waves at your feet.

It was a feeling I was foreign to. I didn’t like foreign.

Next thing I knew I was staring at his eyes.

His eyes were the color of the sea when you look at it from above and there is coral underneath the water. It was deep, dark and gleaming. The lightning was hitting me again, like a silent bolt creeping at my heart causing it to beat faster.

Idiot, the rational me snapped at the idiot girl who had been feeling that awesome feeling crawling up my spine.

I suddenly awoke to the situation.
His arms were around me, a hand, tight on my left arm and another on my waist. He was looking down at me, into me, the same way I had. I looked away from his eyes and I felt his arms lighten on me.

“You could let me go now,” I said, mentally slapping myself for my shaking voice.
“Oh. Okay,” he said. He seemed to hesitate at first, as if I were vulnerable. Then he let go.
“I have class. Gotta go,” I said in one breath and then sped down the hallway.
“Wait! I don’t even know your name!” I heard him call after me.
I swear. I’m never parking in that end again. Too much bad luck.

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