A Million Pieces

I Surrender:

In the beginning, I didn't give her a second look. I never gave a second look to anyone. But still, my world changed when she did something no one else ever did. As I walked down the street, minding my own business as usual, she had somehow bumped my shoulder as she passed by me. Or maybe I bumped her, I wasn't really sure. All I could focus on was her turning towards me, quickly and shyly apologizing, then quickly pacing her way down the sidewalk.

I had found her flustered embarrassment cute, but that wasn't what drew me to her; it was something entirely different. It came to me as a sense, as a random knowing in my head. Seeing the map she dropped on the ground where she had bumped me, I picked it up, momentarily considering giving it back to her. Since she needed a map, it didn't take me long to catch on she was a tourist here. My only question was, why would someone with so little time left travel so far away from home?

I followed her all the way to her first location. It was a church, which to me seemed like any other, but apparently if you wished something sincerely enough here, then it would come to you. Even though I kept myself distanced from her so she wouldn't see me, I could still hear her words. What was she wishing for? I heard her say she wanted nothing but to be happy and well again. So my sense was correct..

As she began turning around, I began walking forward to go past her to make it look like I wasn't just standing there staring at her like some creepy guy, which I wasn't. It was something I never had to worry about before, no one took notice of me, but she did. I caught her taking a glance at me as we passed each other again. As soon as she fully left my sight, I immediately turned around and began following her again. The next location on her list was a popular shop but I saw her stop so she could take pictures of the beautiful scenery. The sparkling blue water with the tall buildings on the other side really were breathtaking. It's been a while since I took the time to appreciate it all since I've been able to enjoy it everyday for two years thus far.

"Are you following me?" I heard her voice say to me. When I thought she was catching me looking at her, I had turned away and pretended I wasn't, which I guess looked very obvious on my part. I looked around to make sure she really was speaking to me. I had to know.

"Me?" I pointed to myself.

"It just really looks like you've been following me."

"I wasn't.' I said simply which she seemed to believe. She went back to avoiding me so she could take a picture of herself on her phone, being sure to capture the scenery in the background.

"Hey," I caught her attention again. My anxiousness grew when she looked at me, as it had been doing every single time, "Do you want to make a bet?"

"A, bet?" She looked confused which made me laugh on the inside.

"Yeah." I smiled, "Want to bet in an hour we can meet at the same place again?"

She didn't answer, so I continued talking.

"If we do, we can tour together, I can show you around since I know this place really well." I felt myself become nervous. She must think I'm some creep, but that wasn't what I was. All I wanted was to help give her the wish she wanted to come true; at least half of it. I waved my hand in defense, "I'm not a weird person, I swear. I'm a student here, I can show you my student card if you want-"

"No, it's fine. It's fine." She stopped me. I bit my tongue to keep from making a complete fool of myself. She was the first person to talk to me like this in so long, I didn't want to pass it up, but I was still afraid I was weirding her out. I mean, if I was a girl then I certainly would be weirded out as well so I couldn't blame her for possibly wanting to taze me and run away. "In one hour?"

Her question surprised me. So she was agreeing? I couldn't help but smile big as I held out my hand for her to shake just so I could make the bet official. "Yes."

She didn't shake my hand. Instead she gave me a disbelieving smirk and walked off, leaving me hanging. All I could do was nod awkwardly to myself and do a little rock, paper, scissors to make myself feel like less of an idiot. Check mate. It didn't matter though, she still agreed but only because she didn't believe I could make it happen.

I really did hope I could make it happen. I knew I would because I was determined to make this the best day of her life. I could see she was as lonely as I was. I didn't want her to end up like me. I wanted to give her wish to her. I couldn't make her all well again but I could help make her happy, at least for a little while. There wasn't much time left and I could feel it just by looking at her.

I wondered if she could feel it too..

I did keep my promise. I watched over as she looked around the outdoor market, being sure to visit every single stand she possibly could. She seemed happy to be here, but I wanted to help make it even more special. She needed a friend. She was like me in that way. I was alone and I didn't want her to feel that way. With the time she had left, I wanted to help her make the happiest memories she could.

She reached for something, which made me quickly reach for it too. I actually felt her fingers brush against mine, making a sudden jolt of electricity flow through me. I wondered if she felt it too. She jumped a little and looked over to see it was me who suddenly appeared next her. She stood up straight, acting like the sudden meeting or touch didn't affect her and she wasn't phased at all. But she was, it was written all over her face,