Strangely Familiar Love

CHAPTER 1. KISSING A STRANGER

Ten years later…

It was 5 AM and Zannah was on her way to her coffee shop. A soft rain started to fall so she opened her black umbrella as she walked leisurely in the narrow alley. Her boots sloshed as she walked on the wet concrete. She was alone in the alley and the shop was about ten blocks away.

“Ugh, the weather has been like this for the past few days,” she thought. For some reason, she hated summer but does not like rainy days as well. A windy or just a cloudy day would be fine with her. Somehow, she hated rainy days since her childhood. But then again, light rain is better than a storm, she thought.

She continued walking as a lot of thoughts ran through her mind. She usually goes to the coffee shop at 8 AM and the coffee shop opens at 10 AM. But on delivery days, she made it a point to be early at the café so she can double-check their requested supplies. She wanted to make sure that nothing is missing and that everything was in good condition. She also made it a point to be early so she could prepare coffee and bread for the staff’s breakfast as everyone would also come in early.

Zannah saw the end of the alley in the distance. From there, she would take a right turn and walk a few more blocks to reach the coffee shop. As she continued walking, she heard heavy footsteps a few meters behind her. Then she heard a man clearing his throat. She kept walking but she immediately felt chills down her spine. “I have a bad feeling about this,” she thought. She instantly got concerned because she was alone with the man in the alley.

She quickened her pace but the footsteps behind her became faster too. She glanced at the man and saw a gruff-looking man, late-40s and tipsy. He wore a brown leather jacket, jeans, and leather boots. He sneered at her then he blew kisses in the air and said in a slurred voice, “Wait for me, my beauty.”

Alarmed, Zannah closed her umbrella and then at the count of three, ran towards the end of the alley. She ran with adrenaline flowing through her. The man who was chasing her howled like a mad dog which made Zannah a lot more scared.

When she reached the end of the alley, she prayed that there would be other people there. She made a right turn and then kept running despite being out of breath.

Suddenly a figure in a black jacket was running towards her. He was so fast that he reached her in no time. He came at her and shoved her to the wall. He grabbed the umbrella with his right hand, opened it, and adjusted it on his shoulder to cover his back. His other hand held her shoulder.

Zannah was so startled that she seemed to stop functioning for a few seconds. As she was processing what was going on, she looked up at him. He towered over her. She estimated his height to be about 185cm. She was 152cm tall but with him, she felt shorter. He had light brown and tousled hair which added to his handsome face. His nose is high, like a sculpture's. He was fair-skinned and had a medium build. He seemed like someone who pooped out of a fashion magazine. He was handsome, she realized and she blushed.

She didn’t know what he wants with her. She should be scared since he was a stranger and was very close to her but he doesn’t seem dangerous nor did she feel threatened. She felt safe, ironically. A few minutes ago, she was terrified by the man who was chasing her. But now, with this other stranger, she just felt relieved. It was better than being chased by the pervert guy. She was normally wary of strangers but now she was puzzled because she was mesmerized instead of terrified.

The stranger was anxious, but somehow, looking at the petite, beautiful girl in front of him sent comfort to his soul. He stared into her beautiful eyes. She was wide-eyed due to shock but she was attractive. He doesn’t normally go near strangers but this woman was an exception.

Zannah’s heart was beating so fast that she couldn’t breathe. She just stared up at the stranger, confused. He looked in the direction where he came from and then looked in the opposite direction. Finally, he looked at her, as if he suddenly remembered that he pinned her to the wall.

Suddenly, a mob of girls came running towards them.

He came closer to her, with no more space between them. He used the umbrella to hide his head and back thereby covering both of them. When the running girls were nearer, his hand which was resting on Zannah’s shoulder suddenly slid to her back and then behind my head. Her heart was beating three times faster than it had a few moments ago. “What’s happening,” she thought. She couldn’t see a thing because her face was on his chest and she can feel his wild heartbeats on her cheek.

A few seconds later, they heard that the girls were running behind him.

“Hey, where did he go?” asked one of them.

“I think he went the other way. You and your lousy directions, Becky!” shouted another one.

“Cut that out! Let’s just try this way” suggested another girl and off they went to the other end of the alley.

As the girls ran, the stranger was pushed to Zannah but he didn’t squish her. He used his arms to protect her. Moments later, the last few members of the group ran behind them. He held her tight and Zannah was just shocked all the more because of what was happening.

When it was finally quiet, he peered from the umbrella to see if the girls were gone. After that, he took a half step away to look at her. Zannah looked up to see his beautiful and big eyes and she was instantly drawn to them. His eyes were mesmerizing, so addicting and they were really like magnets attracting her. But then, behind those beautiful eyes, she saw sadness. She suddenly wanted to comfort him. She felt hurt but couldn’t explain why she felt sad when she did not even know the man.

He stared at her and was instantly drawn to her almond eyes, which stared at him in confusion. She had long eyelashes, a cute nose, and red lips. She was so beautiful and innocent. He never dreamed of being close to her like this.

And so, Zannah and the stranger just stared at each other like that. She admired his face, eyes, nose, and lips. She felt like she was dreaming. Time stood still, as the cliché goes… and then unexpectedly, his face came closer to hers. Zannah was shocked and wondered what was happening. It was so fast. His face was so close, and then she felt something soft touch her lips.