The Familiar Stranger Novels & Stories

the stranger said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion, but laced with a terrifying familiarity. Stan’s posture went entirely rigid. The gentle warmth that had filled his eyes moments ago vanished, replaced by an icy, distant composure that chilled me to the bone. He didn't look like the man who had just been letting me measure his chest. He looked like a stranger. He looked like the ancient, dangerous silhouette I had just drawn on paper. "You shouldn't have come here," Stan said, his voice dropping an octave, dead and dangerous. The stranger smiled, a terrible, slow curve of his lips as his eyes shifted over to me. "She doesn't know, does she? You're playing dress-up in the daylight, Stan, w

Warm brown rimmed beautiful blue eyes with dark lashes that lined them, making them stand out. Then he was gone. They were all gone. I tried to recall his face but couldn't find it. I realized that I had stopped talking in my discovery of my stranger. I looked up at Veda who was attentively gazing at me. “Sorry, I did it again, didn't I?” I asked anxiously. “Yeah, what was it this time?” “I've never seen the stranger before.” “Yeah, you said that. You said, 'All of my life, I have seen Laylan, Artimous, Greagan and Ivy but never the stranger.'” Veda recited back to me.

His presence was commanding enough; he didn't need to raise his voice. He did not have to. His eyes looked cold. The stranger muttered something that I think was an apology, then disappeared into the crowd. I exhaled and leaned into Freddy. “Who was that?” I asked “A former business partner, a crook.” I glanced at the stranger's retreating frame. Just then, a woman walked up to us. She was dressed in a short black dress that accentuated her full figure. I had seen her before, at the Montgomery Grand. What was her name again? Hannah?

Three The stranger could detect the strong scent of alcohol on Florence’s breath despite the scent of rain hitting the dry ground, but he refrained from making any judgmental comments. He observed her distress, her tears flowing freely, and he understood very well that she was going through a difficult time and everyone did go through something somewhere. Even earlier, from the safety of his car, he had witnessed her collapse onto the sidewalk, her cries echoing through the rain. He knew that she was not the only person in her suffering, that everyone, in their own way, was battling their own demons. He was battling his own demons as well.

My name is Sierra Ryans and in all my years as a cop I have never found myself in a position quite like the one that I find myself in now! Normally I am great with details and remembering faces but this time the only thing I noticed that the stranger was tall, slender, frightening and that there was a familiarity about him that I could not understand. It was like there was an itch in the back of my mind that I could not quite reach.

I met his eyes, calm and cold. “Jim,” I said, “you’ve lost your mind.” “I don’t care about you. All I feel now is disgust.” “And shouldn’t you be off somewhere with your childhood friend? Why are you here, harassing me?” Jim smirked like he thought I was being petty. “There it is,” he chuckled. “You’re jealous. You’re upset. Don’t be. There’s nothing between me and Rowena. I never even liked her.” “She’s not even close to you, so quit throwing a tantrum and behave.”

“Okay, let’s drop that for now. How the hell did you even come across him? Where did you guys meet and are you sure he is the one? We just moved here and it could be another person you know.” Melissa let out a loud sigh, resting her back against the kitchen counter. “I am not good at recalling things or recognizing people that I saw just once but I couldn’t be more right about that stranger. “I can recognize his voice even while asleep and his face that has given me sleepless nights for years.”

Anisel released his grip and so did I. “He has to be right. I saw two people walking around here before. It has to be them.” The stranger said. I wanted to ask questions until I studied Anisel’s face as he focused on the conversation. Something was up. “Those bastards have been dodging me for years. It’s time to finish what they have started. Either pay me 20,000£ or get the crown. Plain and simple.” Anisel makes an unrecognizable sound. He was scaring me like he knew what they were referring to. I cling to his arm not knowing what to do. He sensed my fear and held me to calm my nerves. With a sigh, we continue to listen.

I wonder if he felt it. "No big deal." I guess he didn't. I give him a meek smile before moving up the aisle. I want to wait for him, continue talking to him, when I realize I don't even know his name and he never asked mine. I'm such a daft cow. Bloody hell. Here I am thinking there's some beautiful connection to this stranger I met by happenstance on a plane, when in actuality, he was just being nice, effectively making the time fly by.

I couldn’t make out his features, but something about him was… familiar. “What’s your problem?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. “You ruined my dance.” The stranger didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence towering over me. His scent hit me like a freight train…pine and earth, a scent that was achingly familiar. Lorenzo. I froze, my heart skipping a beat. But it couldn’t be him. It wasn’t possible. He was supposed to be far away, dealing with his engagement or whatever else his life now entailed.