Between so many gaze that fancied my presence, and between so many souls that adored my existence. His were the only eyes and soul that I knowledge and even, accepted. But the tragedy when his eyes and his soul were the only thing that dissed both my presence and even existence. I knew and understand that very fact, but I couldn’t help myself to wonder of him. I couldn’t stop myself to actually hope that one day, I found myself in the apple of his eyes.

But before it happened, maybe I knowing his name would be a wonderful start for us.

Yeah, us.

I didn’t know how to describe it. We had this complex yet unique bound. Like we were a magnet for each other, a south and north. Literally would found our way to meet without even trying. We didn’t even know each other name, foreign of each other life, but there were sometime when we finally crossed each other. At least, enough to know there was this being with that kind of face actually lived in this world. And what word should I used to describe this enchanting, this dangerous yet luring relationship?

Yeah, right.

Stranger.

And how should I describe this suffocating feeling that I got every time we crossed, captured each other sight, then left a skip of a heartbeat for each other before leaving to live instead to stay and die?

Yeah, right,

Delusional.

But I surely knew about one thing. One word to describe this Stranger who made me became such delusional being. A perfect word to describe his perfect visual. One word that made me enchanted.

Yeah, absolute truth about him.

Beautiful.

                And I wasn’t being delusional about it.

He was a Stranger.

A beautiful one.

Beautiful Stranger.

I wanted to know more about that beautiful stranger.

…

His fast steps were being confined by others’ steps that were also seized for another step forward on that small hallway. The crowd was of course caused by the bell that had just rang, which was the school’s polite manner to say ‘get the hell out of here’, which of course we responded by a barbarian manner of shouting and running as fast as our lazy feet could brought us.

Between so many people who used the same clothes, with the same hair’s color and I believed it was not coincidence for them to be in the same species, that person was pleasantly noticeable. His skin was whiter, his body was slimmer, and his face was undoubtedly way more beautiful. What a pleasant view of course.

My memory as for now believed that it was the second time for me to meet that eye catching physical object. And as blur as my familiarity of his front profile, my first discovery of that heart-of-the-ocean look like boy was not as beautiful as how he looked that day. That day he was standing in front of the stairs at the second floor, which actually the other ends of the hallway he was walking on now. I, who stepped on every rung ignorantly, had never imagined that I would be given that surprising beautiful scenery as my prize for walking on those rungs without spitting any barbarian words either spiteful sigh.

His phone was on his hand; his bag on his back, his glasses on his face, and his eyes was on me. Instead of an admiring gaze I used to get when a boy’s eyes found my existence, his gaze was only made from 40% of surprise since suddenly there was unfamiliar creature appeared literally under him and the other 60% person was his ‘I don’t give a damn’ gaze.

Our awkward gaze ended faster than me getting my consciousness back. He broke it as he was just giving me a niggardly tip. And I hoped I had gave him my version of ‘I don’t give a damn’ attitude because I must had look so shameful for kept looking at him in wonder. But at least, my feet saved me from more self-esteem suicide since it succeed to keep me walking away instead of staying or even worse, closer to him. With the hope that he ended up looking my back as I walked through the hallway on the way to my class, myself already knew that it didn’t and would never happened.

His gaze which now only lived in my memory – not even his, was an enough proof.

He vanished before I succeed to prison his reflection in my eyes. Even his reflection was too hard to capture. That stingy boy.

I lost count after that, it was not like I counted it in the first place. I could not even remember every detail of how we accidently reached the same point of place or how suddenly my eyes caught his presence even for a split second. But I did believe my memories when it told me that every time we unknowingly were on the possible spot to catch each other split second gaze, we always had that one second of having each other’s sight, enough to know each other attendance, then end it in every arrogant way possible of giving a ‘I’m not interested’ attitude.

He was a mix of beautifulness and arrogance. Which succeed to make me fancy it even if only for a while, since the passing time and our lack of meeting after that slowly erased his dominance in my mind.

Just like that, we lost the ability to accidently crossed each other. And he left my mind.

I stopped thinking about him.

…

As soon as my Biology teacher said that tofu was invented in Canada, I realized that his age was begging for him to stop teaching more than how we hoped him to stop. I concluded that reading his note would only lead me to the alley of lost people. So, I decided to rescue myself which could only be done by copying the other class student’s note.

Of course I was grateful since there was this store where I could get my friend’s note copied right in front of my school, but it tuned out that I was not the only one who thought so. The place was hella crowded and after one-year feel like five minutes, I determined that I would not spend another year here.

I stood there, preparing my own feet to walk away before that voice suddenly hit my covered by hair ears. I was not good to describe other’s voice, but to put it simple, his voice was like this mildly moist macaron, which easily melted both my hearing and surprised heart. I turned back and saw him without him seeing me back.

It was him. That person was talking with a girl.

Ah, I didn’t expect how soft he could get when he spoke. Especially, with a girl.

Trying my best to hide my bursting heart, I dragged myself away from that place. Away from him. And the girl too. Again, I could not success to record his voice in my mind, failed to repeat it as my new favorite mind’s ringtone. But since that,

The thought of him always linger and obdurately chose to stay.

…

“Hey, there is this one person that these days I accidently keep seeing” said my seatmate out of the blue.

“Yeah?” sound familiar for me.

“We are in the same course. He is in the second grade. Class 2” she continued.

“There’s also this guy who I’ve been seeing these days”, I replied as my thought wonder to that particular object. “He pops out of nowhere lately. I’m sure he is our upper classman. And yeah,

He is a Chinese.”

“White, slim, with glasses and red cheeks?” said my friend and without trying to visualize it, there was only one silhouette that gradually became a clear vision in my mind.

Him.

And I realized from that small description,

He was a beautiful stranger.

“We are talking the same person here?” I said, a little bit too excited.

“I guess. He is handsome right?” well. In my case, beautiful actually.

“You into him?” I asked, no hidden meaning.

“No. I’m seeing another boy now. And I’m not into Chinese, duh..” Oh yeah, that football boy she told me lately. Well, was it weird for me for into Chinese?

“Don’t tell me..?” well she knew that I prefer Chinese.

“Duh.. I’m into Chinese doesn’t mean I’m into him..” I convinced her, if it was not myself. “But. It’s just that.. He is.. beautiful”

“We are running out of decent boy here, right?” she joked. Not really, she admitted. Yup, that was more like it.

“You know his name?” I asked, realizing that I didn’t even know the basic knowledge about him.

“I used to know. But forget about it..” she answered. Trying to recall, but failed.

“Well, find out about it.” I teased, which she easily agreed on. Well, who wouldn’t?

We joked about him and made sure that we were talking about the same person. I didn’t know how long had passed, but then the bell rang and we needed to go back to class. It was a shock for me to find out that we were actually keep seeing the same person yet it was normal I guessed since he was a real eye catching physical object. But what surprised me more was that when we walked on the stair to get back, there he was.

On the floor between two separated stairs.

Like always, it was only his back that visible, yet I knew. I was completely sure.

It was him.

Fortunately it was noisy back then, because I bet on every cent I had in my pocket that our voice was loud as traffic jam when we saw him. Like we were just seeing a rare creature, not a normal high school boy who completely unaware of our presence, no, existence was more like it.

“That is the one, right?” my friend said urgently.

“Look at his name!” embarrassing. I had never imagined that I would say that. He was so hard too capture like always, just a few second and he was already leaving. Funnily, my friend ran towards him. I stayed there; laughing like crazy in the middle of crowded stairs, trying to walk slowly, then found that she lost him. Well, heck, like that even matter. It was maybe the stupidest sudden act I had ever witness and done. Just because of one particular stranger.

A beautiful one, to be honest.

…

“Gotta find out his name” I said to my friend.

“You really into him, right?” she looked at me, checking me.

“Heck. Just curious. Don’t you?” It was the truth.

“Well, I am.” She agreed.
 

“I really want to know his name.. Just his name, and I won’t give any damn about that disturbing bug. Just his name.. really”

…

We were on our way back to class when my friend showed me one particular class that I had never paid attention on before. Nothing special actually, just a normal class, with a wooden door and few windows, located only a few steps from mine, separated by one class, and just like other class, with a group of noisy random people who went abnormal every time I passed by. Well, it was a normal class.

Before I knew, it was his class.

I bet he was smart, considering the class he was in. This annoying school was full with genius people which annoyed me every time they battled for score -which mostly happen like.. every day. And to be in that class, he must be a genius or was a genius.

Count me in at the last option.

His classmates should really thank him for making me passed in front of his class more than I had ever had before. Not only his classmate, but the left and right class students should too. I didn’t like to go downstairs, even if I wanted to go to the cafeteria, which located far away from my class. Well, at least, I didn’t like it here. I used to travel around in school when I was still in Junior High School. ‘Everything changes, right?

It was just that the hallway was hella crowded. Then there would be many people staring, even calling my name. Heck, how could they find out my name? Oh yeah, this damn nametag. Sewed clearly on my uniform. How could it so easy for them to read it in one slight of gaze, while I never succeed to read his.

I once had crossed way with him again in the hallway that connected our classroom. I thought it was my chance to finally found out his name. His bag was kinda getting in a way but the real shell was the girl beside him. Completely blocking my vision on him, and he didn’t even realize I was there. I never succeed to see his, but that day, I saw it a little bit. Only a word. Just one. A short and simple one.

And that was why I was .

While almost half of the people in this school could read my two words name in one sweep, and maybe almost half of this school could read others name like that too, no matter how long it was.

There was me..

Didn’t even manage to read his one word name.

Oh, please..

I even tried to look inside his class. Which lately I realized was being done by others too when they passed mine and that was how I realized how OBVIOUS I was. I used to catch others’ gaze when they tried to look inside my class, staring at me, obviously. And I had no idea how stupid I was for letting myself did the same things. I didn’t even succeed to see him, but I bet, with every little cent in my pocket and even his pocket, he saw me and I must look so disgusting.

Embarrassing.

Just because I wanted to know his name..

His freaking one word name..

That arrogant cold creature, oh..

After I knew his name, I would never looked at him again.. Just until I knew his name,

I was just being curious.

And I would not put myself into a shame just because of him.

…

“Know his name, already?” I asked my friend in the middle of break. She shared the same course with him right?

“Nope. That boy is crazy. He was there and the next second, he got missing.” She complained. Yeah, right. I knew that. He was like this “radiant” thing I learned in my physic class. Radiant appeared and gone anytime they wanted. And that was how he had been around me. He appeared at the most unpredictable and my looking ugliest time for about what? A minute? Yeah, you hoped. Less that a minute. Then when I had prepared myself, looking of him, trying my best to be in my best state, getting more noisy voice from the crowd which annoyed me more since I guessed, he was the only one I didn’t meet that time.

Oh you annoying little ug..

Beautiful thing..

Argh..  Since when it became so hard to even mock his face?

Wait. Is that? Damn, my hair.. I look miserable. My name wasn’t even Lea Miserable, why did I look like one? Oh damn, it was really him. Yup. He saw me, in this Lea Miserable state. I wanted to comb my hair even only with my finger freaking bad, but that would make me looked like a or that kind of whiny girl. Oh, why he should passed me. My face oil was really thick now. How could I be screaming all of this nonsense in only about 10 seconds?

Yup, there he was, behind my back, had just passed me after we exchange our stare, looking like we were a threat for each other life. Was it me or did he look like he hated me?

He avoided my eyes, me, and suddenly had that beautiful face then gave me a cold shoulder? I was being hated now?

Oh great.

Did it mean I would have an anti fan now?

Would he be the leader of a new crowd of anti fans? Great. Perfect.

I knew nothing about him; even his name and now he hated me already?

Did it mean that he knew about me? Well, did he even knew about me? Did he even recognize me every time we meet? Did he know that I was the same girl he had been passing so many times? Don’t tell me..

He didn’t even know about me?

“Hey. What do you think? Do you think he even know my name?” I asked my friend in panic. Yeah, panic! “There was a guy who looked, more like peeked actually, at my name from behind my back last time when we were in crowd in front of his class, right? I mean, almost all of the guys there know my name. How about him?” I asked in disbelieve.

“I mean logically he would knew mine since maybe there would be a time when they talked about me or even just shouted my name when I passed by. But we are talking about him now. Him. That ice hearted boy. If we look at that boy logic, there was no way he knows my name, right? Right? Right..” I explained in a desperate tone. Both for my friend and for myself. Oh, I needed to shut myself up.

“Nice point there.” She answered with a sarcastic smile. Was that mean she agreed with the idea that he didn’t even know my name. no, my existence?  GREAT.
 

“Didn’t he hang around with his friends?” I asked, imagining what kind of friend he made. Nerd, annoying, childish, hot, or even popular?

“Yup. His friend called no one duh..” she answered.

“He got no one?! Seriously?” I said a little bit too loud.

“Yeah. Tell you what; I have never even once seen him with even a friend.” She answered lightly. “Not even once.”

“Come to think about it. I have never seen him with a friend here too.” I recalled. Well, at least a male friend. There were those girls from earlier, right?

“Well, he rarely out from class in break time. We saw him a couple times buying his lunch alone. You never see him with friend in course. And I never see him with any friend too. So basically, isn’t he an introvert? Solitary being well said.” I concluded. Another horror came to my realization.

So basically, I was being ignored completely by an introvert who kept dancing a mocking dance in my mind while he didn’t even know I existed.

Perfect.

“That guy is really something right. He’s like living in his own universe. Not normal.. make me want to see him in his normal daily life.. outside the school.” I mumbled. Thinking on how curios I was on his life. I wanted to know about him.

“He even uses his uniform to course you know” my friend told me. Another surprising fact for human yet normal for a beautiful introvert like him. Well, I guessed describing him as Beautiful Introvert was more convenient than Beautiful Stranger.

At least I still could mock him.

“Ah, I want to see him in his daily clothes..” I jokily cried. But meant the sentence.

“Well, he sometimes uses casual clothes. He did yesterday” my friend teased me. And once again I was being too obvious by looking so excited.

“What!! So you got too see him often and you even got too see him in his daily clothes. Looking so normal as a human!” I cried in a playful envy tone. “What did he wear?” oh shut up..

“A plain boy t-shirt with a short checkered pants. Yup, you can cry now. Tell you, he looks sooo good.”

“Neck?”

“Not a round neck. Not low. Cool.” She teased me and with that I shouted in frustration as I imagined how good and normal and beautiful and adorable and amazing and asdfghjkl he looked like.

“I want to see..” I whined, pretended to cry as I kept pulling my friend’s uniform. She looked at me sarcastically yet I full of satisfaction. “Meany..!” I acted and there I spent another long time asking on how he looked like, on what he did, on anything that I had never saw from him.

Well duh, the only thing I had seen was his cold y stare-which really rare. So basically, it was his back that I got to see.

“You must find out his name really quick! Then I would never say a word about him, anymore. Just after I know his name.” I whined again, completely frustrated with my own self.

…

Day passed and I learned to control myself after that realization-being hated. I didn’t look inside his class even tough I still often crossed his, purposely. I tried not to gaze him every time I saw him, obviously. I avoided eye contact every time we passed, full effort. Trying my best not too show any affection while I kept asking about him to my friend, desperately.

Then as expected from him. He was nowhere to be found. Or at least, no where to be found by me. I understand tough.

He was always too hard to confine. He had his own time which seemed like the world rotated too fast for him. He wasted no time, while I wasted every little second of my life. He didn’t have time to wonder while I was too lost in my own wonder. He was a complete opposite of me. Like no matter how many times we passed each other, there would no way for us too meet one point.

I understand. I completely aware.

I was nothing compared his marvel.  Not only was his beauty, his responsibility on his own life clearly shown on his shoulder. Like he was mocking me and my spitefulness, and maybe I envied him. I envied how well he did in his life. Or maybe I just wanted to know, the feeling to be beside him, tasting a little bit of his earning. To be in his world, the world he never let anyone in or interfered.

Or maybe I just needed an answer since there were so many maybe I could point on at him.

But there was this one thing that I was sure of. And it was not a maybe, it was a sure. One legit fact,

No matter how many times I pictured myself to be beside him, or how I compared myself to be in his back,

I didn’t deserve him.

But that day, after I gave up on seeing him. As I sat on the bench in front of my class,

I saw him.

Rushing out like always. Trying to take another step forward, battling which each other in crowd. He took another stair this time, the stair across me. He was still pleasantly noticeable. The stair was not that long and the rungs were not that many. In that short time I watched him comfortably for the first time. Without any worries to be found out.

There was no way that I could see his nametag in this kind of distance.

But I didn’t even care. Looking his face even such a rare chance for me. This was actually the first time I got to see his face directly. It was not a surprise that I knew his back more than his front profile. His face were only sentences in my mind, I never succeed to visualize him clearly. So I wanted to take this time, looking at him.

I sat there, in silent. Secretly like a normal little girl. My eyes were on him, even tough his were not on me.

I sat there looking at him, at that beautiful stranger. Likely beautiful introvert. With a girly smile, two redden cheeks, a pair of arrogant eyes and one thought.

If there would come a day when I knew his name, I hoped he would know mine too.

…

Feel free to give a comment or even a review. I would have appreciate it so much J

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Check my other one shot :

Title : December – Everything He Loves

Character : Sandara, Kwon Jiyong

Genre : Romance

Link : http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/351052/december-everything-he-loves-daragon-romance