Conversations ✔

Remembered.

"How are you? I haven't asked. I talk too much, don't I?"

Damn, he did. But nothing in this world was more captivating than him. The way he managed to make her listen, the way he managed to hold her attention.

"You look cute, I hope you don't mind me saying."

"Thank you!" Her cheeks turned a darker shade and her eyes finally averted from him before she answered his previous question.

"I am okay, by the way. And I assume you too are okay? Given the amount of talking you are doing... unless I would be correct to assume that you hide from your raging thoughts by occupying your mind with the now. So you keep talking and recalling only the things you wish to explore in that little head of yours. Not insinuating that you are small minded, only trying to make a point that your mind can only take so much. Care for a cigarette?"

She glanced up after her little speech and search in her endless pit of a bag. A box in hand and a lighter accompanying it.

He was looking, no, staring at her with recognition. So she smiled.

"How did y- never mind. Yes, I'd like a cigarette. And it could be true, what you say..."

However..." They both said at the same time.

Her hand moved involuntarily, as her tongue. She gestured him to continue as she said what he knew he would say next.

His laugh caught her off guard and she forgot how to breathe. Her exhale was full of smoke,  from the cigarette she was indulging in.

His chuckle was heard as he calmed down, "oh man. That was unexpected..."

She could only shrug, taking in another pull.

He looked at her skeptically, "How did you know I was going to say that?"

"It's your favourite word." She blurted before she could stop herself.

"And how do you know that? We've hardly been here for 20 minutes and I don't recall-"

"You have been using that word endlessly since you began talking. You won't remember because you're used to it. Anyway, speaking of time, we have to go back in." She stood, stomped on the fag and packed her stuff into the endless pit of a bag she had.

"Unbelievable." He heard him mutter.

Yes, very unbelievable that you're real. You exist. And I found you, like you asked me to.

But what did HE mean by unbelievable? What was? Her? Or her impressive ways of cutting the conversation and avoiding questions?

"I feel like... I'm not even sure I should be telling you this right now... but I feel like I've known you for a very long time. Usually strangers are awkward around each other. But each time I talk about myself, I feel like you already know." He confessed.

Well, the man she used to have in her mind wouldn't have made such a speech. His feelings towards her and whatever they had were always a mystery.

Well, what should she say?

She sighed and smiled at him. Where were her words when she needed them? Betrayers!

"I don't know what to say..."

He smirked, unexpectedly. And she paused in her steps.

"I can render you speechless... good to know."

Was that a corky remark?

She smiled at him, genuinely. And resumed walking beside him to go get some work done.

And at lunch, their hour break, she felt like she could be herself without worrying about him finding out that she created him in her mind and he manifested exactly how she knew him.

After some chit chat, she found herself standing between his legs.

Why?! Why had she not noticed? They only just met... not for her but...

"What's on your mind?" He tilted his head to her side, bring out his hands to pull her closer by her arms.

Okay...

Then she got an idea...

"I'm not sure if I should be telling you this..."

"Oh wow!" He laughed, the laughter she still was yet to get used to. It sounded more promising than in her mind those months ago. It sounded so real! So sure!

"Okay...okay...but?" He calmed down and encouraged her to go on.

It was her turn to smirk, "But I have no underwear on. My bums are freezing." Her smirk failed to prevail as blood rushed to her face. Her cold cheeks felt warmer and a little painful from the effect. It stung to blush in the cold weather.

"Ohhhhh..." the man grinned, a genuine grin, no sign of mischief in sight. "Wait, are you blushing?" He chuckled.

She attempted to roll her eyes and look away but his surprisingly warm fingers held her chin up, forcing her to remain captive within his swirling orbs.

"Such a cute little thing." He smirked.

This caused the spell to break and she groaned, pulling herself away.

So cocky, she thought.

"Come here, let me warm your butt."

"What?"

But before she could understand what he was saying, she understood what he wanted to do as he set his mug down and lifted her jersey to slip his palms into her jeans.

Too close. Too close... and warm. So warm.

She took an audible gasp as his hands filled her jeans with a little difficulty.

He muzzled his nose and mouth on her collar bone. With one hand still holding her mug of coffee, she held his head with the other. Allowing herself whatever the hell was going on.

He hummed, a little groan laced in it. "You were wrong, they are not freezing."

Words. What are words? And where were they when she needed them?

She sighed, hugging him after placing her mug down.

"We should stay like this forever." She said to the total stranger she was embracing. Why wasn't it awkward?

"Hm," he chuckled, "We could. Except my girlfriend would come find me and kill us both. Short girls are psycho." He said with so much ease.

How does one tell a girl whose bums are within their palms that they have a girlfriend? And say it so fondly? And! How does one not feel repulsed by the one confessing?! Why did it feel like it didn't matter?

"Are we friends now?" She asked, because she was about to go down the railway of overthinking.

"If you want us to be, I'd love to be your friend. I'm not sure if friends do this though..." he chuckled again.

This caused her to pull away, gently but surely. She wanted to see his eyes. She missed them.

"Who cares anymore? The world belongs to humans and so we make the rules. If our friendship includes weird hugs...fuck everyone else." She took her mug and sipped her terribly made, now cold, coffee.

"You're right." He smiled, a small fragile smile. Like he wanted to forget something and it kept bothering his thoughts.

And so she asked, "How are you?"

He looked at her, eyebrow raised. But he soon allowed his face to portray what he felt. Defeat.

Something was not going according to plan in his life.

"I'm exhausted..." he sighed.

And she knew, this man before her was exactly how she remembered him from her supposedly unreal world.

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