The Last Flame

The world stopped moving when a beaming light in the middle of the road appeared. A man came out from the light and he looked around. He was not even surprised that no one’s moving, even the wind can’t be felt. The man went to the side of the road and as soon as he snapped his fingers, everything went back to normal as if it didn’t stop functioning for a few seconds. 

The man started walking on the sidewalk and every woman he passes by, has their eyes glued to him. It’s a man’s dream but it’s not part of his. He has a different intention in walking the earth. As he strolls through the busy town, he gets satisfied. 

‘It’s a good thing that I didn’t ban visiting the earth. It feels refreshing.’ he said in his mind as he took a turn.

“Hey, mister!” He looked at the kid from his side. 

He crouched a bit but it’s not enough because the kid is short. He’s dirty and smells a little bad but he forgot that when he looked at his big round brown eyes. 

“What is it, young man?” The kid raised the newspapers he was holding so his eyes shifted there. 

“Buy one, please. I haven’t sold one since this morning and I’m starving.”

The man pursed his lips before standing properly. The boy looked up at him with hope glistening in his eyes. The man put his hand behind his back then snapped his fingers and when he showed his hand to the boy, his eyes went wide. 

“Get some food then go home.” The boy is just staring at the money the man is offering so he took the boy’s hand and put the money there. He patted his head gently before walking away. 

While walking, he tilted his head a bit and clicked his tongue. He looked above as he squinted his eyes. 

‘Can’t children have fun?’ he asked before he shook his head in disappointment. ‘I can’t make anything perfect and that’s sad.’ he added before he continued on his journey. 

He walked by a store that’s filled with people. From his place, he can already tell that it’s selling food and the thought made his mouth water.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten their food before.’ he hissed as he tilted his head. He’s contemplating if it’s just fine to consume human food but his cravings are rebellious so he enters the restaurant.

It’s noisy inside and different aromas filled his nose. He still smiled at what’s happening around him. Being with his subjects this close without their idea is what makes him happy. He patiently waited in line and it’s his turn, his world stopped.

No, it’s not because of another god coming but it’s because of the woman in front of her. She’s looking down at the monitor but he can perfectly see her beautiful face. He felt his heart race after hundreds of years. He never felt the need to hold someone, not until today. 

“Welcome to Randy’s. What do you like to eat?” 

She looked up and he met with her bright brown orbs. She’s more beautiful now that he’s seeing her properly. Even her sweet voice made her heart flutter. 

“Sir?” She looked at him worriedly so he immediately fixed his eyes to the menu above her.

“One serving of your best-seller, please.” He looked at her again but he was disappointed to see her looking at the monitor. 

His heart pounded against his chest when she smiled at him. He almost jumped at her at the sight of her bright smile. He can’t help but to smile back.

“What’s your name, Sir?” 

“Theo.” She nodded before she looked down at the monitor. 

“How about you? What’s your name?” 

Theo kept peeking at her nameplate but it was covered by her long black hair. The woman looked at her surprisingly and was flustered for a second. She smiled, which caused Theo to smile wider. Her smiles are his most favorite sight now.

“Madeline, Sir. Can you pay now? There are still people behind you.” She giggled a bit that made his heart pound wildly again. 

Theo felt his face heat due to embarrassment. He took some cash from his pocket and paid for his food. Maddie gave him his change and receipt but Theo kept staring at her so she found him weird. She tried to smile at him but she’s certain that it is crooked. 

If the man behind Theo didn’t tap his shoulder, he wouldn’t leave. He thought that he stopped time because he wanted to stare at Madeline’s beauty a little longer. Theo looked back but all he saw was Madeline's side profile. He sighed and sat at the table beside the window. 

Madeline kept taking orders but she’s bothered because she can feel someone’s staring at her. While the old man is looking at the menu, she follows where the stare is coming from. People kept blocking her eyesight but when they finally cleared the way, she met eyes with the man earlier, Theo. 

He’s supporting his chin using his palm and boldly stares at her. Her brows met as she found him rude but instead of telling him to stop, she just looked ahead. She hates the feeling his stares give but there’s something inside her that’s telling her it’s just fine. 

Madeline continued her work despite getting affected by Theo’s stares. She endured the creepy feeling as there’s nothing she can do about it now. However, behind her mind, she likes it. Who wouldn’t want a gorgeous man’s attention, anyway?

Theo watched Madeline do her work. He loves how easy a smile can come out from her lips. His heart warms a little too when he sees her talking with some of the customers as if they are really her friends. He just met her a few minutes ago but she managed to steal his heart. 

“Here’s your food, Sir.” A man put his order on the table but accidentally hit his hand on the hot sizzling plate. 

“Oh sh*t! Are you okay, Sir?” The man gathered some attention including Madeline’s.

Madeline doesn’t know what happened but she’s concerned about Theo. She wants to know but she can’t simply leave the counter so she just looked from a distance. Theo didn’t feel the heat and even when he told the waiter that it’s fine, he didn’t believe him. 

A realization came rushing to his mind. He forgot that he’s a god. He’s invincible. The waiter is still making a fuss but Theo’s eyes are fixed on Madeline. 

‘She’s a human. We can’t be together. It’ll kill me if I see her in pain.’ he said disheartenedly.

He stood and went out without looking back then in just a snap of his fingers, he left Madeline’s world.