A Piece called Rowan

I wanted to be productive today. So far I've done everything on my to-do list. One was to write a (new) piece but I ended up looking back at an old one I wrote 2 years ago and finished it. I'm proud of it and I wanted to share it, even if it won't be seen by anyone lol. It's not polished but it's good to me. Enjoy. ♡

Rowan...His name is Rowan.

The day was cloudy but warm. The streets were crowded. Everyone was roaming around, meeting their friends, and seeing their loved ones. It was a typical Sunday in the Spring. I decided to go to a cafe. Sure, it was nice out, but I didn't have any friends to go out with and I barely got along with my family so that was a no-go. I wanted coffee, but I wasn't craving it. I could've easily made it at home and been just as satisfied. But for whatever, weird, unexplainable reason I went to the cafe. Alone. With a dead phone.

I could have left. My home wasn't far away, just a few blocks down. I even had money to take the bus, which was just a few minutes away from coming. But, I just...couldn't. I couldn't get up from my seat. So, I sat there quietly, observing everything around me. Why? I don't know. The moment I turned to look at the door, I saw it. 

Him. He was just a normal guy. Your average, typical coffee goer. But for whatever, unexplainable reason, I was drawn to him. Like a moth to a flame. I hadn't realized I was staring at him for the past few minutes. I watched him come in, walk to the counter, and order his drink. I even noticed the little things in his movements, like how he walks as if he's bouncing, or how his eyebrows would move up slightly every few seconds and his mouth twitches as if they're in sync. Maybe he was thinking and didn't want to talk to himself, but the thoughts were too loud to keep contained. I understand--it happens to me too. 

He stood away from the counter and waited for his order to be ready. He looked around for a while, staring at other customers, the ceiling, and the workers. His eyes were like a soft caramel and moved ever so slightly as if the caramel was melting. That's when they shifted in my direction. We stared at each other. It could've been a few seconds, but to me, it felt like hours, days even. I could only wish for our staring contest to last that long. He looked away, but the caramel was still there, hardened and holding me in place. 

I wanted to escape. I wanted our eyes to meet again but in different circumstances. One where I've walked up to him. I'd introduce myself and start a conversation. Maybe I'd make a joke or a quick jab at how we both had no one to come with. Maybe he'd laugh sincerely or do one of those fake ones where a stranger made an attempt to be funny to you but you don't know them that well and it's awkward but you don't want to be rude and laugh anyway. Or he'd be annoyed and disengage in the convo immediately. It didn't matter what the reaction I'd get. Any one would make me happy to satisfied as long as he saw me, heard me, anything. 

Now, nothing can happen. I'm stuck in a sugary trap he put me in with one glance. I try to fight back and push myself out of the burnt sugariness. I keep going until the cracks start to form, little by little. I want to be free him. I want to hear his voice. I want to see his face clearer when I'm near him. I want to try and reach him. I want to try and succeed. I want to try. Once my legs are loose, I stand as tall as I can. The chair was pushed back by how abrupt it was, almost tumbling over but I didn't care. My legs were free, I was free. And so was he. 

"Rowan!" A worker called out. It felt like everything was going at superspeed after he was called out and my eyes couldn't keep up. He was already gone once they recovered. 

Rowan, his name was Rowan, had vanished. And so did I. And I never looked back...neither did he.