Passion

It is a bright summers day. The sky is clear with white cotton wool like clouds flouting and birds flying freely up above. I am sitting on the grass across from River Thames, with my friend, when from the corner of my eye I see a man staring at me. He is resting with his arms propped up against the rails that border the Thames. He wears sunglasses to shade his eyes from the suns glare. But I can tell he is looking straight at me, for he smiles when I turn to look at him.

“Hey, want are you looking at?” asks my friend, Samantha.

“A guy standing over there, resting against the rails.”

Samantha goes to look at this stranger but I say, “don’t look, he’ll know that I’m talking about him when he sees you looking at him as well”.

“Ah, don’t be like that. I’ll wave to him.”

“Don’t do that.” I say going to stop her…but too late, she is frantically waving at him. I cower to hide my embarrassment caused by her actions. From behind my hands I take a peak to see what he is doing. ‘Oh god, he is walking over.’

“What have you done?”

Samantha looks at me beaming with a cheeky grin. “Ah, come on, don’t be like that. It’ll be fun to see what he wants. After all, it was he who was standing there gazing at you.”

Walking over, this handsome stranger, he appears as a black silhouette caused by the sun that stands directly behind him.

Crouching beside me he makes my heart beat louder and faster. ‘I hope he doesn’t hear my loud beating heart.’ My hands are tingling. I rub them together to relief the sensation. No good...they are still tingling. I sit on my hands, hoping the sensation will disappear. He takes his sunglasses of to reveal a twinkle in his right eye. It takes my breath away. The beauty of his deep set piercing green eyes strike me with crippling inward emotion that I am rendered speechless.

“Hi.” He says.

For a moment I have forgotten how to talk and I just stare at his guy who is so close to me. Samantha punches me in the arm to awaken me from my trance.

“Oh, hi.” I say back to him.

Samantha jumps in and also says ‘hello’ to this stranger. But he ignores her and keeps looking at me.

“What’s your name?” He asks.

“Umm, Ameela.” I say

“That’s a nice name. I’m Zain.

He takes up a comfortable sitting position next to me. He sits so close that our thighs are touching. I shift aside to increase the gap between him and me. My friend finds my action hilarious. She tries to contain her giggles, but it is no good, she bursts out and rolls over with a load laugh. Zain and I look at Samantha with utter shock. I am shocked because of her childish behaviour. And Zain is wondering what could have been so funny to set her of like that.

Recovering from her outburst, Samantha mouths to Zain, “Look at where you are sitting. You where practically sitting on top of Ameela.”

He looks down to see that now there is a gap between Ameela and himself, where before there was none.

Samantha leans across to me and whispers in my ear. “Don’t be so bashful, show a bit of interest in this handsome looking guy.”

“What are you both whispering about? It’s rude to whisper when there is a third party present.” Says Zain.

“Oh nothing.” I say to him. “So why where you standing and staring at me from a distance? Do you usually do that?”

“Ah, never before on my life have I stood and spied at a girl from such a distance. I usually carry a pair of binoculars with me to bring the image of a pretty girl closer to me”

“Funny man.” I say.

I stretch my hand to hit his arm, but before I can make contact he catches my hand. Momentarily our eyes lock together, my hand still in his. Looking intently into each other’s eyes, the world around us no longer seems to exist. Holding onto my hand he draws close to me. His fresh minty breath sending me to cloud nine envelops me. He pulls me a little closer to him. Our faces are an inch away from each other. The scent of his aftershave enters my nostrils, awakening my sensors. The closeness of Zain, the touch of his hand around my hand sends an electric current down my back. I have butterflies fluttering in my stomach. The feelings are overpowering. I am going to faint. But I do not. Without any verbal warning his lips are on mine. He is kissing me. I begin to kiss him back. It is an automatic reaction. I am caught up in the moment. It is a long, passionate and soft kiss.

I break away to catch my breath. My head feels like it is spinning.

I look around to see what Samantha is doing. She is no longer there....