It was as though her world had come to a crashing halt. She saw the people around her continue on their paths as if in fast-forward but she couldn't take another step ahead. And just like in a cliché movie, opposite her stood the reason for her dilemma. Her heartbeat seemed to beat faster as if she was in danger and her fight-or-flight response was kicking in. But she could only reprimand herself since she knew that the man in front of her posed no real physical threat to her. Emotionally though, that was another story.

He stood there with the sunlight shining down on him like a spotlight on an actor in a musical that she could only admire from a distance. There was a small smile on his face as his hands brought his camera up to snap pictures of the quaint, little village that was their backdrop: the stubborn red leaf hanging onto the branch unwilling to fall to the gravity, the sunlight reflecting off the barrel of water in the corner creating a little rainbow, the children laughing as they ran around playing tag. She could tell he was amused by the little crinkle next to his right eye when a small girl ran and hid behind him. He just smiled as she let out a little yelp when another little girl chased her, both of them running around his legs as he let out a small laugh.

Her mind was telling her to turn and walk away before he realized her presence. Yet her body wouldn't move as though there were weights chaining her in her spot, eyes unable to be taken off the man in front of her. That was what he had become since the last time she saw him: a man. And when she saw him bend down and ask the little kids for directions to the village plaza, her breath hitched in . His voice was still like smooth and deep like melted chocolate and it washed through her, uncovering the memories she tried so desperately to lock away.  She could feel the beginnings of tears sting her eyes as she could hear the way he said her name in her mind. There was something about the way he said her name that would make the corners of her lips tug into a smile.

She saw the kids answer him and him thanking the little boy who answered along with a gentle ruffle of the boy's hair. The kids ran away to finish their game as he brought his camera up again to snap a shot of innocence at its finest. And when his camera turned towards her direction, she knew he has spotted her by the slight shake of the camera. His hands moved as though in slow motion, lowering his camera down. She saw the puzzlement in his expression as he took in her figure. A small flicker of emotion passed through his eyes and the urge to run away had never been stronger. But when she looked into his eyes, she couldn't bring herself to turn around. The upwelling of emotions knocked all the thoughts out of her mind and it took all of her energy just to keep them in place. Her eyes pleaded to him, "Don't say my name," as she knew just one word from him would cause her walls to come crashing down, "don't say my name."

He took a hesitant step towards her, seemingly almost afraid she would vanish if he moved too quickly. Her eyes flickered away from him to their surroundings, silently praying that this were a dream that she could will herself to awake from. But it wasn't a dream and he was only getting closer. "Stop," her mind commanded him, "don't come closer." And as though he heard her, he stopped when he was a couple steps away from her. His eyes still held disbelief that she was standing in front of him and she knew her eyes were probably reflecting the same thing.

She could see the other people around them moving and she wondered how long they stood there just silently staring at each other. When she gained enough control over her emotions, she took in his figure. He had changed so much since the last time she saw him. But she could still find traces of the guy she once knew buried deep inside in eyes. The tears she had kept at bay stung her eyes as she realized he was no longer the guy she knew. The man in front of her was almost a stranger.

Her mind finally won the fight over her body and she felt herself take a step forward. It took all of her effort to just put one foot in front of the other. She felt his eyes taking in her movement but he made no move to stop her. A bitter smile tugged at her lips when she couldn't bring herself to be happy he didn't try to stop her. "Just a couple more steps," her mind comforted her, "just a couple more."

Just as she passed him, his hand caught hold of hers. How quickly his warmth spread through her scared her. His hand seemed to mold itself around hers in a grip tight enough to let her know it wasn't her who was affected by their unexpected meeting. The control she tried so hard to cling onto seemed to snap as soon as his hand enveloped hers.  And when she heard him whisper her name, everything inside of her fell apart. 

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Inspiration: "Don't say my name. Don't say my name. Don't say my name." Secret's Talk That 

character sketch: two