The Art of Knowing [Completed]

5. • sketched reality •

[to all unaware of the true role someone has in your life. to all who have met that one stranger that soon turned into someone you could never picture your life without.]

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The incredulity was evident in Cassandra's voice as she rambled on the phone, feeling unbelievable amounts of adrenaline seeping through her as she recounted what she'd seen. It was him, and she didn't need to revisit her sketches to confirm that. He had hovered over her mind for almost an entire month which aided in her conviction that the fateful man was indeed at the exact same airport. She'd checked in her luggage soon after. The endeavor of finding her gate continued, along with looking for the man who had seemingly walked out of her sight. It all felt surreal as she walked around the airport. Half of her mind was now searching for the gate while the other half made sure to scan the multitude of passengers in hopes of finding him again.

Despite the avid search, she wasn't truly sure of what she thought of the man to be. Albeit, Emilia had undoubtedly declared him as some of sort soulmate for her, the thought made her skin crawl. She'd spent most of her life tending towards any rules made for her and now she was finally a young adult, the last thing she needed was a predestined spouse. Nevertheless, her slight disdain for the situation didn't waver her curiosity about him. After all, he had made her life miserable for several dreadful weeks.

Her chest heaved as she took in a breath, relieved beyond words when she found her gate number. She'd always been paranoid about airports, getting lost or missing her flight and what not. Although she'd never been on a plane in her entire life, she'd always dreamt of being able to travel somehow, and now- thanks to Jason- that vital first step towards that dream was about to occur.

Muffled ruffling of her bag lingered as she sat on one of the many rows of chairs near the gate. She was quite amused by the sweet little girl across from her sleeping intently in her mother's arms. The sight warmed her heart, allowing a content smile to tug on her lips as she exchanged happy glances with the young mom. It was then that she found herself missing her own mother deeply. It was something she was accustomed to whenever she encountered young mothers and their children. Cassandra could vaguely remember her parent, but whenever she found herself forgetting small details such as the green eyes similar to the ones she inherited, or the soft auburn hair that cascaded her mother's small frame, she would look at the folded paper she always treasured in her wallet.

It was old and fragile now, probably from all the places she'd taken it with her. The folds had creased the image a bit, but it never took away the emotional attachment Cassandra had with it. It was a drawing of her 8 year old self with her mother, a sketch her father had done shortly before his wife's demise. Albeit there were many pictures of her mother at home, none of them had bestowed the immense comfort that sketch gave her. He was incredibly talented, her father, something she'd come to inherit from him. And now, gripping onto the corners of that beloved paper, she knew she wouldn't take this first flight alone- they would be there with her, and the thought made her heart decrease in agitation as her lips curved into a smile.

Most of her leisure included looking through her most recent sketches. She waited patiently for her flight to be called. The drawings danced across her eyes as she flipped the pages, remembering each encounter with each person. Regardless of the sleepless nights and her subtle disdain for her ability, she couldn't help but smile as she inspected each sketch. It was inevitable to reminisce on the happiness she had obtained as she met each one of them. It amazed her how various lines on a paper could make people smile, including herself. On the rare nights she didn't have any dreams of someone, she'd take it upon herself to draw people around her anyway, fascinated by the subtle differences between each unique human. The impromptu art session was interrupted by the awaited call of her flight, which only made the all too familiar excitement overtake her heart once more. She packed up her supplies and stood behind various people, ready to give her boarding pass and sleep the flight away.