5 Chapter 4 (1/2)

I lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Lester had dozed off hours ago and is now snoring loudly.

Why did she react that way?

Why is she so angry? The image of her eyes, the grey clouds covering the sky, the storm about to wreak havoc flashed through my thoughts.

Lately all my thoughts seemed to drift towards her. I see her paintings all over the hotel and I imagine her, I look at my camera and I think of the pictures I took of her, I see flowers and I think of her painting in the restaurant, I see birds flying outside and I remember the way her face looks concentrating on painting, I hear music and I imagine her trying to sing along.

She is too deep in my system that she consumes me. She is with me, within me whether I'm awake or not, conscious or otherwise. I know it's strange to feel this way towards someone you haven't even actually, technically met, someone you've only seen around for 3 days, someone you've only spoken to once, someone who's practically a stranger. It's a strange feeling, something new to me, but I'm not complaining.

I may not understand it, but it is what it is. I've never really been the type who's supposed to understand everything, I just take things as they are.

I took a deep breath and smiled to myself. I could still smell her, vanilla, paint, and something else. I wonder what that is, it's familiar, in a way.

I looked at my phone, 2:30 am. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep for a while so I got up and looked out the balcony door.

It was dark outside, the lights on our lobby were turned off. The only light there is, is coming from the stars and moon above. Beautiful. Peaceful.

After a while I heard a door open and close. She stepped out into the dark night wearing the clothes she had on earlier. She was bare foot and her hair was no longer in a bun. They fall messily around her face past her shoulders, the earlier confinement caused extra waves in them.

She climbed on her rails and I had the urge to go out and hold on to her in case she slips. Or jump. But she didn't, it looks like she've done this a million times before. In no time she was sitting on the rails looking down, just like I saw her the other night.

She reached in her back pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

I just stood there watching her, mesmerized by her. Every move she made kept me on my toes, I was so engrossed by her. Like a critic on the first show of the Broadway, like a child watching his favorite film. She didn't smoke, she just let it burn. When the cigarette was finished she lit another one, and another, and another.

Later she got down and went back to her room.

I glanced at my phone, 3:45 am. I didn't realize I'd been standing there that long.

I went back to bed and closed my eyes knowing, hoping that I would be dreaming of my angel.

==

The next morning I woke up with the sound of Metallica. It was coming from somewhere outside, slightly muffled by the walls but still very audible.

I sat up listening hard, trying to identify the song. I know this.

”Enter the Sand man.” I looked over to Lester's bed and I saw him sitting on his bed, his back against the head board, playing with his phone. ”I woke up with Linkin Park.”

”It gets better, she has some not so loud songs too.” I answered.

Lester stopped and looked at me. ”Yeah, there was Evanescence, Jason Mraz, and a bunch of other people I don't know too. A bit of an old school taste.”

I chuckled lightly.

”But what I'm wondering about.” He continued, head moving slightly to face me. ”Is how do you know that. And how did you know that she is indeed a she.”

”How do you know she's a she?” I countered.

”I talked to her. Not very nice.” He answered, laughing lightly.

”She has a soft spot too.” I said, thinking about the way she smiled at me the first time I saw her in the balcony. The softness in her tear streaked face.

And as if on cue, the angry music stopped and was replaced with a beautiful piano and violin piece.

”How'd you know? You two friends?” Lester asked, raising his eyebrows mischievously.

I laughed and threw a pillow at him which he caught and threw right back at me. I didn't bother trying to catch it. It bounced on my head lightly and fell to the floor.

”Neh, I met her once. I think she's nice though.” I laughed as I remembered how angry she was when I met her, not so nice.

”Well she wasn't so nice when I spoke to her. So I asked the front desk to make her stop the ruckus.” Lester was looking at his phone again.

”What?”

”just got off the phone with Rebecca like 2 minutes before you woke up.”