Short Story

It was a race against time as he rushed to the mall to meet her. The sweltering heat did not bother him. It was the moment he had been waiting for.

It all began on Sept 21. That was the date when he first met her. It had been in a bar along the highway. One of her favorite bands were playing that night. To him, it was the night of all nights. From the moment he met her, up until this very moment, he couldn’t get her off his mind. He wanted more of her, to get to know her better, to spend time with her. He wanted yet again to catch a glimpse of her sweet, sweet smile, enough to take away all the weariness of the past few days, enough to take away all the physical pain brought about by war games, enough to satiate even the greatest of all yearnings. That was the magic of it. The sparks, almost all of it, packaged in a neat, alluring, sumptuous smile.

He eyed the throng of people up and about inside the complex. He had rushed to the mall the moment he found out that she was going to be there. It was his chance to finally see her again, to glimpse once more the persona hiding behind that sweet, sweet smile.

He was sweating a bit when he stepped in. It was probably due to the heat of the day, the adrenaline rush caused by his excitement, and his overwhelming nervousness, which for some reason, only came to him whenever he came in contact with her. Every SMS, every email, every chat message, and every phone call; they didn’t fail to make his heart rate surge past high levels. He felt that his heart skipped a beat each time she replied to his messages. He felt overwhelming elation even as he imagined her smiling face. She had these effects on him. Effects that he never felt for any other girl for so long.

She told him that they couldn’t spend enough time together that day because she was meeting with her friends. They had to visit an important buddy in the province. He casually said that it didn’t matter even if it was only for five minutes. That was enough to make him swoon in his impassioned feelings.

And so he found himself there in the mall, feeling the comfort of the cold, air-conditioned air. It was a Sunday, informally declared “family day”. Everywhere he looked, families were up and about; walking in groups, chasing after the young ones, pacifying crying brats, scolding the little devils as they walked.

He rushed past the busy people, knowing that every minute counted. They could leave any second, leaving him by his lonesome, missing his rare, unplanned chance of seeing her. Then as he looked far down the isle, he saw her! Those delicately arched eyebrows, her expressive eyes, her thin pink lips, her long flowing hair, her smooth, creamy skin. It seemed as if the world stopped, people around him motionless, all sound deadened to a faint whisper, as she flipped her hair. A small, shy smile breaking her lips as if she recalled a funny thought.

He stood there, motionless, hearing only the beat of his heart, steadily gaining speed. He felt his pores flooding with sweat, his mind racing to formulate an acceptable greeting.

All of a sudden, he was upon her. He smelled her scent as she absent-mindedly flipped her hair again. It reminded him of flowers.

He lightly tapped her shoulder to acquire her attention. When she turned around, he caught her entire beauty, framed in slow motion: eyes fluttering, lips slightly parted, glossy, soft hair shimmering in the lights. How sweet it was to be able to observe her beauty in such close range! He couldn’t believe that he was that close to her. This scene had played so many times in his mind, each scene never failing to make his heart beat faster. If he got nervous and giddy while daydreaming, how much more would he feel when she was in front of him?

To him, seeing her beautiful face, feeling her exciting allure, experiencing her shy smile, or just being with her, even for a few minutes was enough to give him a smile that would last for a week and a giddiness that leaves him wide-mouthed and stupid-eyed for days! Such was the strength of her effect on him.

When he gets frustrated at not being able to be with her, he always says to himself, Ginger, if you would only give me a chance. Fleeting moments are not enough for me to show you the person that I am, and can be for you.