I found myself sitting on a wooden bench, with the lamp post flickering beside me. A man around my age sat beside me. I greet him with a nod and a kind smile, seeing that I had nothing to lose. He doesn’t say anything but his green eyes are mesmerizing enough to replace any words he could have said.

The cold air hangs over us as we sit under the darkening sky. He turns toward me, his eyes gaping into mine. His mouth opens, a word almost escaping it, but instead he tousles his hair in frustration. Though it may seem strange, I was relieved he retracted what he was going to say.

He taps my hand a short time after his attempted to speak, and my heart instantly begins to beat faster. Keeping my composure, I face him. The sheepish smile he wears on his face, causes a smile to form on mine.

He extends his hand out, and I greet it with mine. “Anthony,” he says. “Anna,” I reply. We both let out a soft laugh. His voice was sweeter than I imagined. With a smile he says, “I never knew introducing myself would be so hard.”

“I never knew a stranger can make my heart beat so fast,” I confess not thinking much of the comment. His smile grows bigger, and he replies, “I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s heart is beating like crazy.”

Without another word, he gets up from the bench. Instantly my heart began to beat faster at the thought that our time together was over. But he extends his hand, and I take it. We end up walking through the beautifully lit streets, talking about everything we could think of. 

That autumn night changed our lives forever.