Kissing the Snow; [Pt 1]

A Story by Alexx Wake

A man, A woman, A bar.

It’s that little dark cloud…
The little dark cloud that seems to rain on everything and everyone I seem to encounter.
“Everything will fall into place the way it’s meant to be”, she said.
“The universe isn't going to allow yourself to break”, she said.
That night, she said a lot of things. That night, I felt a lot of things.
On the edge of giving up, I attempted to drink myself to death at a downtown bar. I raised my head from between my arms to catch my breath, only to be entranced by a familiar yet unfamiliar smile.
“Rough night?” she asked in a soft and modest voice. It was as if she knew what I was going through.
I smirked as I slammed my empty glass lightly towards the familiar yet unfamiliar bartender.
“I’ll have a-“, “Whisky Neat?” she interrupted.
I stared awkwardly at her for a moment as I nodded to acknowledge the order. I reached into my right pocket for my wallet as she began to chuckle. “No worries, it’s on me”. Who was I to deny a drink? I surely wasn't use to generosity. As she poured my drink I took the opportunity to get a more focused look at her.
A short young woman, long black hair, light brown eyes, around my age, and that smile. I know that smile from somewhere…“Who was this woman?, Why was she so kind to me?, I've surely met her somewhere before”, I thought. “Here you go Mr. Smith”, as she passed me my drink.
My heart dropped for a slight second as I anxiously finished my glass.
“Have we met?” I asked in the low tone, scratching my head. The woman laughed as she quickly refilled my drink. “You really don’t remember me, do you”? She replied with a sinister grin.
“I-I can’t recall”, I stuttered in nervousness.
“Well”, She said passing me another freebie.
“Let’s just say I’m one of your fans”.
I gave a sarcastic smirk as I threw back the glass of warm Irish down my throat.
“A fan huh?” The woman than came around and sat next to me.
“Aren't you a little too busy to be sitting”? I asked looking down, avoiding eye contact.
I felt a warm light breath against my ear. “I would be if it wasn't just you”, she whispered in a witty tone. In disbelief, I looked around to find that we were indeed alone.
“How do you know me”? I asked still avoiding eye contact.
She gave a faint breath as she began to sob. “Umm, Miss…” I said in a soft but direct tone as I finally got the courage to make eye contact. Tears strolled down her blossomed cheeks. A smile gave the impression that those weren't tears of sorrow, but tears of joy. In reflex I brushed her tears away with my index finger and thumb. “Hey there”, I muttered attempting to comfort her. “How about another drink”? She than took a deep breath as she wiped the remaining tears from her face. “Why not?”, she asked laughing as she stood up walking back to her zone.
As she poured another drink in front of me I noticed a book behind her sitting on the shelf. Not just any book though, but a book I previously published: “Kissing the Rain”. In that moment it all made a little more sense. I finally remembered who she was...

[To Be Continued]