CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Chapter 9 — In Three Acts: II — An Explosion of Feelings and Space
Life is full of shocks, and sometimes things happen that we never saw coming …
Oh boy, I’m in trouble now, I thought, my shyness barely concealed behind blinking eyes.
“Hi — I’m Oorun,” I managed to introduce myself to the mysterious woman.
“Oh — ru — oon,” She sounded my name out, turning my name around in her mouth as though tasting something untried and sweet.
I watched her do this, feeling somewhat lightheaded and nervous. My heart palpitated in my chest like I had been running hard in tight circles. Experiencing these physical responses was out of character for me.
“Oorun,” Norma said my name. “Is it too presumptuous of me to join you?” Her smile radiated warmth as she went ahead and sat down.
“Eerrr —,” I stammered, still taken aback by her sudden presence.
“I saw you looking at me. It was like you were calling me over,” she chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
My gaze remained locked on her, and my eyes found their way, almost magnetically, to her lips. An electrifying silence settled between us, laden with — I don’t know what.
Undisturbed by my scrutiny, Norma gracefully sipped her coffee, her playful eyes still holding my deer-in-the-headlights stare.
Then, “BOOOOM!”
A loud explosion shattered the cafe’s serenity. Chaos ensued, with chairs and tables crashing to the floor, terrified patrons screaming, and pandemonium erupting!
“Eeeeeeeek,” I screamed, my voice joining the cacophony around us, and my eyes squeezed shut.
The initial blast gave way to shockwaves that rippled through the room, shattering windows and sending glass shards raining down on everyone.
Our table was, fortunately, free of windows, but this unforeseen event left me frozen in my seat, overwhelmed by fear and disorientation. That is until Norma’s quick thinking pulled me back. She leaped into action, dragging me to my feet and guiding me to a sturdy pillar.
“Stay close, Oorun. We’ll get through this together. Breathe deeply, and let’s focus on reaching safety. I’m right here with you,” her calming words anchored me amidst the chaotic frenzy.
As I gaped at her, gratitude and confusion swirled within me.
We had just met, yet she provided me with the care and support one might expect from a devoted spouse, helping me maintain my composure while we took action.
She remembered my name was my most inopportune dream-like thought.
We pushed through thick smoke and falling debris. I felt so miserable hearing the cries of hurt people as we carefully stepped over bodies and broken things, moving closer to the gaping hole where the entrance used to be.
Outside, sirens wailed as first responders raced toward the scene, casting an eerie glow with red and blue lights on the shattered windows.
What the hell is going on? My frantic thoughts left me teetering on the precipice of an uncertain and dangerous situation.
Then, a paramedic pointed at Norma.
“Sir, you’re bleeding.”
Both Norma and I looked at her body then.
The release of clouds of debris, dust, and soot into the air had settled on her clothing, leaving unsightly stains and a grimy appearance. Her delicate scarf that elegantly graced her neck earlier was now torn, leaving jagged and frayed edges. The open shirt now exposed a light dusting of curly body hair on the top part of her chest. Her pant leg was torn, and her muscular thigh was exposed, blood trickling from a gash.
Three things hit me at that moment. First, the paramedic had referred to Norma as “he.” Second, a tattoo encircling her thigh eerily resembled one I had seen in a dream just a few nights ago. And, my brain screamed, Norma, a woman in my eyes, has chest hair‽
Overwhelming shockwaves washed over and through me. There was a ringing in my head that kept getting louder and louder. I crumpled to the pavement, my world cracking as I fell in.
The song's words rose as my world cracked, and I fell into Hello Darkness, My Old Friend.
© Scarlet Ibis James, 2023: All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or deceased, or events is coincidental. All characters and incidents in this narrative are products of the author’s imagination.
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