i followed him down the thin, winding dirt path, snaking it’s way through the park. he was walking a few steps ahead of me, with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his low rise Levi’s. dawn was just barely breaking, the droplets of dew on the surrounding blades of grass glistened, it looked as though the earth’s surface was encrusted with thousands of microscopic diamonds. his footsteps were heavy, almost violent. the beat of his clunky vans against the crust beneath him matched the thudding of my own racing heart.






i hadn’t known him for very long. in fact, i barely knew him at all. i had met him at a local coffee shop just a few days ago. he stood awkwardly, at about 6‘4, he looked extremely out of place, uncomfortable in his own skin. i watched him from the table i had seated myself at a few moments ago, sipping my vanilla latte. his dark, sullen eyes darted to every corner of the room, taking in the slightest detail. eventually, his gaze shifted to me. i offered him a friendly smile, but his facial expression did not budge from the cold, hardened mask he wore. he continued to glance around him nervously, i’m sure a fly would have better luck capturing his attention than i did.


a scruffy teenage boy, probably only a year or two younger than myself, handed this mysterious man his coffee. the teenager seemed to be intimidated by him, i could tell by the way he avoided any eye contact. i understood why he was hesitant. to my surprise, the man started heading in my direction. the seconds turned to centuries as he approached me.


it was my very first time seeing him head on, and i was stunned by his rugged beauty. he wore a black lip ring, with a small silver stud right beside it. snake bites i believed they were called. it looked as though he had neglected shaving for a few days, giving him just the right amount of stubble to be considered sexy. his thick black hair was swept over his forehead, almost completely in his eyes. it was messy, like he had just crawled out of bed, threw on some clothes, and ended up here. a single blonde streak marked the front left side of his bangs.


as he moved towards me, i saw his confidence grow with every step. he no longer looked like he had outgrown his own skin, like he was out of place here. this is exactly where he wanted to be, where he was always meant to be. then he smiled at me. it was the first time i’d seen his expression change since he entered the poorly lit coffee shop. the hardened mask that once held his face in an icy glare, shattered. i watched as a grin started to take it’s place.


he was effectively moving in slow motion. his deep blue eyes glistened, despite the dim lighting. his eyes seemed to be smiling more so than his smile itself. his shirt was powder blue, and the top two buttons were left undone. i could make out a few letters of what appeared to be a chest piece. the only letters left uncovered by the flimsy cotton were “..ake you su..”. i couldn’t even guess what it fully read, but i was quickly side tracked by the rest of his flawless form. my eyes continued to scan him downward, i was absorbing every inch of him.


the fabric of his shirt was so thin, i could make out the fine lines of his six pack, and the smooth V that started at his hip bones, dipping down into his pelvis. he wore a white studded belt, with several of them missing. he looked just the slightest bit unkept, like he wasn’t aiming for sexy, which described him better than any other word in the english language.


after an eternity of anticipation, he reached out for the seat directly across from me. he slowly sat down, then met my gaze. i was melting, his look ignited a fuse deep within me. i was going to burst into flames, simply explode in the presence of this god-like being. his eyes were the brightest of blues i’d ever witnessed, with a green-yellow ring surrounding his pupils. i could drown in those eyes. i watched him wet his perfect lips with his tongue, then part them to speak.


“hi. i’m Seth.”


he extended his hand towards me, expecting me to shake it. i suddenly became unbearably self conscious. i was so caught up in the sex appeal that was oozing from his every pore, i forgot he was an actual human being. i realized my mouth had been hanging wide open, and i was salivating. i quickly cleared my throat, and attempted to regain my composure.


he sat there smiling goofily, his head slightly cocked to the right. his hand was still extended in front of him, waiting for me to break out of my stupor. i shot out my hand, and swallowed. my mouth had become dry, and i had to blink a few times to ensure that this figure of absolute perfection was reality, not some figment of my over active imagination. why was he wasting his time talking to a girl like me?!


“excuse me, i’m Danielle.”


i went to grasp his hand in mine, ready to give him a firm handshake. it truly was nice to meet him. i will never forget the first time Seth’s flesh grazed mine. my entire body broke out in a series of goose bumps, and the only thing i can compare the actual contact to is sticking a fork into an electrical socket. i gasped, jumping clear out of my seat. my face began to flush, i looked down at my hands, trying to hide my embarrassment from him.


he smiled at me, and allowed a small laugh to escape from his perfect lips. god, i adored his smile, especially when it was aimed in my direction. Seth looked deeper into my soul than i ever could myself. i was hooked.


“are you alright?” he began to look concerned. i must have looked like such a complete idiot, i had to salvage this somehow. i could not let him slip away.


“uhm.. uh yeah. you must have picked up some static electricity somewhere, you shocked me.”


fuck, i was stuttering. i sat there wishing i had worn my yellow sundress that day, rather than my grey sweat pants and university tee.