Chapter 01: Strange Encounter

Chapter One

Ivy

Cole's eyes pierced through my soul and I just lost track of time for a while. His gaze was soft and mesmerizing. A mixture of warmth and something I could not put into words.  As if the blue of his irises calmed all my erupted senses

 Who would have believed a single look could feel so good...

 A few hours earlier

            It was a long day at North High Carolina's University and I was exhausted after my morning classes. Therefore, I decided to go freshen up before heading home. I was in my last year already, which meant this year was final graduation.

On my way out of the restroom, I received a text from my unrelated cousin Brad asking me to stop by the library so we could hang out for a while before heading home together; since he was visiting his aunt who resided few blocks away from my foster house.

I plugged my earphones and made my way to the library, it was not that far from campus though. The area had to be quiet, and so does my mind, while I cross-walked through; I couldn't bare the crowd's noise.

There was a quiet area few meters away. A bench and a table by the oldest tree on campus where Brad and I usually met or hang out with other friends; It was pour spot, a pleasant quiet place indeed.

I know you might think I was antisocial

 Hell yeah!

 I definitely was a loner.

Born orphan and raised into a foster family, with four so-called brothers and sisters constantly fighting over everything and nothing. I was always seeking quietness in a corner of the house. I just liked it that way. And music was my means to get disconnected from the crowd. I needed it to ease my troubled soul.

 Brad excitedly waved a hand at me as I approached. He was sitting on top of the back of the bench and had his feet on the seat, smiling I unplugged my earphones when I reached the table

"There you are Ivy!" Brad greeted me with wide-open arms as for a hug. But I shunned him with a frown and made my way to the opposite seat.

"Hi” I said “And I'm definitely not sitting anywhere near you!"  I coughed pointing at the cigarette in his hand, pinching my nose as though I smelled something really disgusting.

"Why?" He pouted, holding his arms still waiting for his hug but I just shrugged him off.

"Haven't you quit smoking   like two days ago?" I said stressing the word two, while sitting on the bench

"Yeah, but then I broke up with Layla!"  He said his arms falling

 "So fuck it Ivy, I'm back to my old self-destructive habits; smoking and listening to love songs from the eighty’s" He huffed engulfing his cigarette in his mouth.

"She wasn't your type anyway and you know that!" I frowned Brad can a bit dramatic sometimes

"Yeah you were the one who told me that from the beginning I know” he trailed “Then again I was dumb enough to think that she was …different" he air quoted the last word.

I breathed out  

"You know by smoking you're killing yourself right?" I commented

 "I quit drinking too so either that or this!"  He replied annoyed, engulfing his cigarette in his mouth again and letting out the smoke.

"I meant you're killing me dumbass!" I rolled my eyes exasperated, as I fetch my perfume bottle from my purse

“And emptying all my perfume bottles!" I whined and coughed in disgust as the cigarette smoke was suffocating me. I couldn’t stand the smell or the smoke, i just hated it.

 And while looking almost desperately for the bottle in the bottom of my purse, I heard him say

"Some people are allergic to smoke, you believe that?" he mocked and it seemed not intended for my hearing.

I raised my head to notice someone else standing beside him; someone I didn’t see coming. The person leaned in and grabbed Brad's cigarette pack.

"I am!" I objected, "Besides, you know I hate the smell! It stuck in my hair and I just can't stand that" I argued while showering myself with the perfume I just picked from my purse, right before seeing what the other guy did. 

To my complete and utter surprise, he tossed it inside his pocket along with the lighter he grabbed from over the table

"Enough smoking for today Brad" He scolded then calmly directed his gaze towards me.

Those intense blue eyes of him just locked mine and I froze for a while. As if, they dragged me from reality to another dimension.  I had the feeling that his eyes pierced through my soul and I lost track of time for a while. I could not decipher it.

 His gaze was sweet and empathizing unlike the tone of his voice. What I felt was a mixture of warmth and something else, I could not put into words.  As if the blue of his irises calmed all my erupt senses; I forgot about the soreness in my throat caused by the smoke.

Who would have believed a single look could feel so good...

"Cole is such a humanist!  Now he's not letting me smoke in piece because of you" Brad huffed bringing my attention back to reality.  While Cole spared him a smirk

"Well you should pick example over him sometime!"  He deadpanned pointing a finger at himself.  Wording the thought on my mind and I looked at Brad and nodded in agreement.

"Well, technically I'm your best cousin friend and you know what best cousin friends are for? They tolerate each other no matter what " Brad complained grinding his cigarette nervously into the ashtray. 

I spared him a glare before shifting my gaze in the guy's direction

"Thank you!" I said but he was looking away lost in thought

 "She said thank you!" Brad repeated elbowing him lightly; dragging his attention back to our conversation.

"Oh, it’s nothing." He turned to me and our eyes met again and looked away awkwardly  

"Cole this is Ivy, Ivy this is Cole" Brad introduced us. At long last

Cole smiled and I smiled back at him then looked away, aware of the blushing on my cheeks.  His smile was so sweet and I had no idea what got into me all of a sudden.

Luckily, Brad didn’t notice and carried on the conversation about what happened with his ex girlfriend Layla

Brad was a nice guy who had no luck when it came to relationships. A little dramatic boy yet he was kind hearted but complaining was his thing. And I just tolerate him like he said earlier.

 Cole was leaning on the bench quiet, simply nodding at Brad’s mumblings and trying not to get involved in the conversation going on between the two of us. Well it was  more like he was talking and I was listening, placing a word or two once in a while

He would chuckle or smirk from time to time making a comment as well while Brad giggled at his own jokes.

 He was wearing a steel blue buttoned shirt with dark denim, his dark brown disheveled hair and three days beard contrasted with the deep blue of his eyes making his look captivating. I noticed what he was wearing because I had a hard time keeping myself from looking at him.  

In my defense, His deep blue eyes were dragging me into looking at them.

  After a while, we were already heading to the buses in order to go to our respective homes. Brad stopped many times midway to make a comment bragging about him.  However, Cole just nodded or smiled avoiding eye contact with any of us; like he was absorbed in some other space-time. I caught up his gaze once or twice on the way but I avoided it right away as well

Only; if I had known a few moments later