Cleo
I was living a good life in New York. Ever since Mallory moved in with her boyfriend Reid again, I found myself with a lot of free time. So I walked in the city, sampled the vibrant foods, watched the luridly-colored lights shine on the billboards at Times Square.
One day, I was walking across from my local bakery Sweet Hearts with a box of donuts tucked under my arm. I saw a man walking across the zebra crossing, walking a golden retriever on a lead.
I admired the dog first. Its sweet, wide eyes and golden coat made for a beautiful sight. The rain was soaking it, but the dog's temperament seemed unspoiled.
My eyes slid to its owner, who was good looking to a fault. Due to the rain pouring down on a melancholic New York day, his hair was plastered to his forehead as he talked into his phone. His eyes were gorgeous, his smile equally so. If people took a second to stop and look at him, they would have noticed too.
Then he glanced up from his phone, and his eyes were on mine. I saw his smile falter, and his eyes widened as recognition registered. Then the strangest thing happened.
He just stopped in the middle of the road. Right there, in front of a flood of traffic. His dog sensed the danger, and broke free of its lead to cross the road. My heart stopped as I heard the screeching of failing brakes ring through the air. I didn't stop to think about what saving him could cost.
I ran into the road without thinking and took his hand, dragging him back onto the pavement. I fell down, grazing my knee as stars flew by my eyes. I groaned, wondering why I was being so stupid.
The man was still sitting on the pavement, unblinking. He looked like he was going into shock. Eventually, he tried to sit up but IÂ insistently pushed his shoulders back down. "Sit down! You nearly got hit by a car, and you're already trying to get up?" I scolded him.
My heart raced as I stared wide-eyed at him. It was too close to think about. I kept on imagining Reid in that car, having no idea that the rest of his life was about to change. I felt violently sick every time I remembered Reid's eyes, at the back of my mind.
"I didn't get hit?" my damsel in distress asked, squinting up at me. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, because he nearly got hit by a car.
"No you didn't, thanks to me risking my neck. You're welcome by the way." I retorted, rolling my eyes.
"But you're back." he said in wonder, craning his neck to look up at me. He didn't look like he was bothered about sitting on the wet pavement.
I frowned, resisting my intense urge to back away. Hell, I would have been running by now, if I would have just listened to my common sense. "Look dude, you're scaring me. What's going on?"
"You look like her." he breathed. His blue eyes were wide and staring at me, eerie but familiar against the grey pattering rain against the sidewalk. "Sadie."
"Who's Sadie?" I asked, wrinkling my nose. The name was pretty, but as far as my memory stretched back to, which was the previous day, there was no Sadie in my inventory.
On hearing this, the boy had the audacity to lie down on the rain-covered sidewalk, laughing bitterly to himself. "Oh, no one. Just my dead ex."
My heart stopped upon hearing that. The last thing I wanted to be was insensitive. "I'm sorry, that sucks. How did she die, if you don't mind me asking?"
He shrugged. "I don't mind talking about her. I lost Sadie before she died, anyway. She wanted to move to England, but my roots are in New York. I can't just abandon it."
"I get that." I said supportively. I didn't know why I was still here, trying to comfort this man. I stared at him contemplatively. "New York is incredible. I've been here for just over a year."
He sat up to look at me curiously, which startled me. "Really? Why did you move?"
I smiled. "Why else? I needed a change. This city always spoke to me, even when I was young. Now you need to get out of the cold." I chided. "Or you'll die of pneumonia before you get to a hospital."
He rolled his eyes. "Are you always this sarcastic?"
I smirked. "You don't know how right you are."
I gingerly took his hands and picked him up. He complied, leaning on my shoulders as I walked us down to my apartment. It was a long, painfully arduous walk. He wasn't very talkative now. Besides, I didn't have the energy to talk, when I was struggling under the weight of a man who was a foot taller than me.
But he was attractive. I couldn't deny that. Boys as pretty as this one came with an inflated ego. If I had to force myself to look away for the sake of my stubbornness, I would.
When I settled him onto my couch, turning on the lights in the room, he rubbed his eyes blearily and looked around. "You won't kill me here, right?"
I sighed. "I'm not a serial killer. That's a pretty rude assumption to make when I just rescued you from the cold.
"My knight in shining armor." the man remarked dryly as I walked into my bathroom, grabbing towels and a small water bowl, for the dirt in his hair from the sidewalk. I gave them to him without a word, and the stranger gratefully started wiping the dirt off himself, squeezing the towels into the water in intervals.
I watched him, curious against my will about him. "Want to tell me more about Sadie?"
He shrugged. "I could start with getting your name."
I smiled. "That wasn't as slick as you thought."
"I know." he replied, chuckling, "But the sentiment stands. What's your name?"
"Cleo." I told him reluctantly. "I don't usually take random men in from the street, you know."
He laughed again. "I figured that. My name's Elliot."
"Okay, Elliot." I tested. "Do I seriously look like your dead ex?"
Elliot shrugged. "Do you want me to be honest?"
"Yes." I said without hesitation, narrowing my eyes.
"Then yes. You look exactly like Sadie." Elliot murmured, his eyes looking me over. "It's stupid, how similar you are."
"Not what any girl wants to hear." I said pointedly to him.
He smiled sadly. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I know this is a weird, strange as hell thing to say, especially to someone I just met. But it's true."
I leaned back against my couch, crossing my arms. "Can I ask how she died, or is it a sensitive topic?"
He laughed. "If it was sensitive, I would be offended right now." Somehow, Elliot managed to make me feel reprehensible, which was a rare feat. I apologised to him, and he nodded his head in acceptance. "Cancer. Sadie found out in the terminal stage, after she collapsed during her work."
"Shit." I drew in a breath. "But you're okay now?"
"Depends on how you look at it." Elliot said casually, relaxing against the couch as he dried his hair using the towel. "I'm on numerous antidepressants. But I guess I'm okay."
"At least you can talk about it." I murmured, looking at him with a newfound respect.
He'd been through something terrible, which reminded me of that terrible day. The evening that Reid got into a crash and lost his memory, during my first year of college. The following nights were impossible to get through without nightmares.
Elliot was looking at me strangely, and I knew I zoned out. "Is everything okay with you?" he asked cautiously.
I chuckled, brushing my hair away from my face. "Everything's fine now, absolutely. I have a loving family and friends, my work is good. Your story reminded me of something that happened during college."
"Tell me." Elliot asked, but it wasn't a demand. I could see the request in his eyes, the allowance of a rejection.
I attempted a smile. "About seven years ago now, my best friend Mallory's partner got into a crash. Reid lost all his memories of Mallory, because of the trauma."
"That's terrible." Elliot said quietly. "Were you close to Reid?"
"I'm close with both of them." I confirmed. "I actually set Reid up with Mallory. She was in a bad relationship in high school, and Reid supported her while Mallory was leaving it. They fell in love and started dating."
Elliot smiled. "That's sweet. What about you?"
My heart beat faster in my chest. "What do you mean?"
"Are you dating anyone?" Elliot asked casually, but the meaning of his question wasn't lost on me. My cheeks flushed as I began to stammer that no, I wasn't interested in anyone at the minute.
Then Elliot was closer to me than before, his blonde hair still damp. His eyes searching mine; those pools of blue were practically inviting me in. I nudged my nose against his and kissed him. Excitement made my breath quicken as I kissed him four times before pulling away.
"I'm not stupid enough to think that you're over your ex," I stated before Elliot could get a word in, "But do you think we have a chance?"
I looked hopefully at Elliot, who grinned as he considered my question. "How about a yes? I'll pick you up for a date next Tuesday, if you're free."
"I'm free as a bird." I said, trying to look nonchalant.
Elliot smiled, kissing me again before he stood up to leave my apartment. "Tuesday at seven, then. Wear something nice."
He opened the door himself and left, shutting the door. I sat limply on my couch, trying to understand what miracles transpired in the last ten minutes, for me to earn a date with the boy I saved.
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