The Strange, Beautiful Gatekeeper

Towel? Check

Sandwiches? Check.

Snapple? Check.

On time for sunset? Check.

Yes, absolute perfection. There is nothing more I love than dining in front of a gorgeous sunset at my favorite spot on the beach; the old pier. It was nothing special, fairly small actually. But it was the same one I use to sit on as a kid with my Ma and Pa every friday. As I grew older, I never really came back here with them, even though they continued on their own. If only I knew how much time they had left before leaving for good, I would've had one good ol' dinner with them over here. But then again, I wouldn't change a single thing. I loved them just as much as they loved me, and with the smiles they had showing not a single care in the world, they left the same way they greeted me since day one. A simple "I love you" did the trick, and suddenly it wasn't so tough to let them go.

A sigh escaped through my lips. I just wish I could have asked them their secret in being happy, even in front of the face of death. Lord knows I'd appreciate that very much so right now...

I pressed the start/stop button on the dashboard of my 2014 BMW M5, the engine ceasing right away. I reached over to the shotgun seat, grabbing my backpack filled with food-goodies along with my umbrella. I slipped the bag on as I got out of the car; closing the door gently as the car locked itself. With that, I made my way from the empty parking lot to the boardwalk. For a place that's been abandoned for a good decade and a half, it still looked pretty clean. I made my way up the wooden steps to the boardwalk, taking the rest of the walk slowly as I enjoyed the sea's infinite breeze.

Then I found an odd sight.

As I approached the end of the boardwalk to the beginning of the pier, there sat on the end of the pier a young woman in a white hoodie with a slim pair of jeans, and simple white converse. Though, that wasn't the odd part. Her hair. That was a sight to see. Normally, I see it as funny when women dye their hair with non-hair colors like pink, or blue, and so on. Though, I don't know how, but she just looked absolutely gorgeous. What's even more odd was that it wasn't just one; but many. There was blue that went back and forth in different hues, a pale sort of pink that appeared here and there; there was even some torquoise. To top it off, it somehow gave this wondrous illusion that it actually glowed in a sort of way, as if it was almost alive-

"I'm sorry, is this your spot?" A voice pulled me back to reality. It was her, looking over her shoulder as she waited for me to respond. Took me more than it should've to register what she said.

"Who-What? No, no- pft, you act like I own the place." I chuckled, waving a hand. She gave a small grin, patting the boarded ground to her side.

"Care to join?"

It took me another moment for that to register. I wasn't sure if it was her breathtaking appearance that made me like that, or if it was the fact that someone else other than me was actually here. Snapping back to reality for the second time, I smiled and took her offer.

"Sure." I placed the bag along with the umbrella down between us, and eagerly zipped it open to reach in for my long awaited sandwiches. In the middle of unfolding the aluminum that wrapped my sandwich, I noticed her staring at me. A moment of confusion passed, until I realized.

"...Oh! Hold on." I snapped my fingers as I reached in for another one. I held it out towards her way, smiling probably more excitedly than I normally would be. It was nice to actually have someone here other than myself, actually. I was a bit confused however; she just sat there with this almost absent gaze for a bit, having this very subtle smile to her that was... I won't lie.

It was pretty charming.

"Not hungry?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. Her subtle grin broke into a smile, one that was just as charming.

"Yes, actually. Thank you." She said, taking the sandwich. We both then unwrapped our food, though I beat her to the first bite. She actually just sat there for the longest time staring at the sandwich, until her gaze shifted up to the horizon. Perhaps the sandwich wasn't to her taste?

"Most people are reluctant to sit with others who they don't know, let alone talk to them. Yet, here we are sharing a meal as if the fact is oblivious to you. How is that?" She kept her gaze mindlessly out towards the horizon, though her attention now to me.

I stopped chewing for a short moment as I was caught by surprise. Her face of youth completely clashed with her mindful thinking, and I was certainly surprised by the question too. It was something you'd expect to be blurted out by a wise elder, but definitely not by some young woman in her early-twenties. It almost stumped me, but the answer came easily to me by nature. I swallowed the mouthful I had, and took a sip of my snapple before placing it down and folding my hands.

"Well, I like to live like it's my last week on this world, so that whenever my time comes, whether it'd be early or late..." I trailed off, thinking too much about.. other things. "In the end, when I look back at everything I've done, I just want to smile. Smile, and tell myself that I did just fine, and had fun."

I found myself looking towards the horizon as well now, appreciating its last dim lighting as its bottom half was already well below the ocean. I almost lost myself in the moment, but I felt the urge to look over to her again. I did just that, and found her staring at me with the same expression she had earlier, though this time her grin was much more visible. There was one thing for sure, it was a contagious grin, and next thing I knew, I couldn't help but smile myself.

"What?" I chuckled, taking another bite of my sandwich.

"It's very nice to stumble across people like you." She began kicking her legs gently back and forth as they dangled off the edge of the floorboards. "Do you come here often?"

"Hm? Oh, see, I use to. Not anymore. It's actually been a really long time, so I decided to come back for old time sake." I smiled, but then remembered I had a sandwich that was waiting to be eaten.

I don't know why, but there seemed to be these... really open features about her. Other than her hair I mean, she just had this upbeat, happy, optimistic thing about her. In fact, it reminded me alot of... me, actually. Her absent expression that always held this subtle grin, her mind up in the clouds, and her carefree aura that practically radiated off of her; it was pretty contagious to the point where we weren't even a minute within knowing each other, and I already found myself chuckling, smiling, and having a good time. In fact, it's been the longest time since I've felt this... refreshed.

Then I saw her stand up. I felt so awkward from feeling so compelled to have her stay; the words themselves almost slipping out of my mouth. I just met the woman, and I haven't even gotten her name yet. I simply rotated my back around enough to look at her from over the shoulder as she walked away, lifting up a hand.

"It was nice talking to you!"

She turned once more, but continued to walk in reverse. The young woman waved back, smiling.

"I'll see you later!"

With that, she turned back around, and walked down the boardwalk until I lost sight of her past the abandoned parking lot. I thought it'd feel awkward, just catching a glimpse every so often of her as she made her way, but it strangely didn't. I took a the last bite of my sandwich, and began unwrapping my second one. As I picked up my snapple for another sip, I noticed she left behind her sandwich wrapping as a little flattened ball. I threw it back in my bag, humming in thought to myself. Either she finished that sandwich fast, or time flew by real quickly. I wouldn't be surprised, seeing how I was lost in thought quite a bit with her around. I looked towards the horizon, and noticed the sun was actually below already, only that its final rays of violet and orange were creeping over.

So time did move quick. Hm.

I quickly finished the last sandwich, sipping my snapple little by little as I sat in serenity; truly enjoying the moment. I packed up my stuff, carrying all the garbage in my arms as I made my way back to the parking lot. I went through my little tradition of making sure that there wasn't any last drops in the snapple bottle, and threw it out in the recycling bin with a satisfied sigh. Today was a good day, that's for sure. I reached for my car keys in my pocket, pressing the unlock button on the remote as I walked towards it. Just as I placed my hand on the door handle, a small realization had just struck me.

Did... did she say, 'I'll see you later'?

Huh.

No, I'm overthinking it. It's just another way of saying bye, like peace, or something. Ok, I think I definitely need to socialize a bit.

"Alright man, fun weekend we had, but I'm out. I gotta beat the rain, y'know more than anyone else that I hate driving on soaked roads." I threw up a last wave towards my friend with my free hand as I jogged over to his driveway.

"It's all good dude, a fun weekend we had indeed. Drive safe." He laughed before closing the door. I stuck out my tongue, even though he couldn't see it. I jogged around the car to the back, but right before I tried opening the BMW's trunk to toss my luggage in, I realized I did forget something.

'Son of a bitch.'

My keys.

See, never ignore your gut feelings. They aren't there to drive you paranoid.

...Atleast most of the time.

I dropped the luggage behind the car, and jogged back up to my buddy's door. I rang his bell, and began to feel a few drops on my neck and shoulders. It was picking up pace pretty damn quick, much to my dismay. He opened the door, smiling as he held my keys.

"You left them on the futon."

"Shush, I knew that. Just wanted to see if you were going to be a good friend and give them to me." I swiped them, pretending to sneer at him from the corner of my eyes. He laughed, before waving one last time.

"Alright, Zack. It's just rain, man. Drive safe." He gave a knowing smirk.

"Will do, mom." He knew as much as anyone else how I made any little excuse to go... generously fast. Look, you don't just 'own' a BMW. You drive a BMW.

The raindrops definitely sped up beyond the simple pitter-patter now. I practically slid over to the trunk, popping it up as I swung the luggage over into the trunk. I closed it, and leaped right around into the drivers seat; closing the door in the swiftest motion I could do it in. As I clicked my seatbelt on, the windshield and roof were definitely getting a pelting from these droplets now. Hell, I think I could see some dark storm clouds making their way. I pressed my foot into the brake, and quickly tapped the start/stop button to bring the turbo V8 engine to life. I clicked the paddle shifter into the first gear, and gassed off the driveway with a 'bit' of enthusiasm.

I don't know, I must have a heavy foot.

So, yeah. I was right about the storm clouds. It got fairly dark; I even had to turn on the high beams because the rain was splattering off the ground so hard that it gave this somewhat fog-like appearance from the wet mist it was creating on the ground. I live in a fairly small town, and usually take the back roads for fun, so I didn't have to worry about blinding anyone on the other side of the road with the bright beams. Unfortunately, this storm left me no choice but to drive at a whopping thirty miles per hour, so these back roads weren't as fun as they would normally be. Suddenly, I thought I saw someone walking in the distance. I kept flicking my eyes to the figure from the road to see if it was true.

Insane.

It was a person. I felt genuinely sorry for the poor fellow, this storm did come in pretty quickly. Though, I couldn't help but think why on earth somebody would decide to walk through these backroads when there clearly was a bus stop a few miles back. I started to slow down, pulling over to the shoulder of the road until I was pretty much at walking pace besides the stranger. I rolled down the window just enough to have a quick glimpse of their face, and was fairly surprised to see who it was.

Different hoodie, different slim jeans... but definitely the same dyed hair.

The poor young lady was drenched, her cotton hoodie not serving up to its name's purpose at all. I rolled down the window further.

"Hey!!" I shouted over the ridiculously loud monsoon. She looked over, doing a double take.

"-Oh, you!! Hi!! This is so sudden- b-but can I borrow your umbrella?!" She shouted back.

At this point we came to a stop, and I took a quick look to my backseat; reaching for the umbrella. I stopped in my tracks however, and blinked for a second. I looked over back to her, and unlocked the shotgun side's door.

"Are you kidding?! Get in!!" I beckoned. She did just that, and opened the door; jumping in and slamming the door behind her as quickly as she could. It took her a moment to gather her composure before she looked over to me. Meanwhile I just rolled the window back up before doing anything else.

"Goodness, I c-can't thank you enough." She smiled, genuine happiness radiating from her face just like the first time I met her. I found myself smiling again already.

"It's not a problem, no worries." I clicked the paddle shifter again into gear, and got the car rolling back onto the road. The wipers were moving madly back and forth, and even then I wasn't able to get much of a view. I knew that this storm would come, don't get me wrong, I just forgot how bad storms really were. I turned on the heat for her, knowing she must've been cold.

"Th-thank you." she said; a small hint of the soaked, cold clothes still damaging her speech.

"Heh, you don't have to thank me for every little gesture I do-"

"No- for the sandwich I mean."

I looked over to her direction for a quick second, confused.

"I never th-thanked you for it, I just remembered that." She smiled as she laughed a little. I chuckled aswell, completely unaware of that. I even forgot about it.

"Oh? That must've gone over my head." I cocked an eyebrow, amused by the new learned fact. "Ahh- doesn't matter, it was my treat anyway." I gestured with my hand in way as if it meant nothing. The ambiance consisted of nothing more than the sound of the storm pelting away on the roof of the car, the engine coasting down the road at slow speeds, and the fans blowing their warmth toward my passenger.

"Want something on the radio?" I asked.

"No, it's fine. I actually like driving with the radio off." She adjusted the fans slightly to her direction.

"Really? Thought I was the only one who did that."

"Likewise! I've always found it a bit... distracting."

"Exactly! Besides, I prefer the ambient sounds of the ride itself." I patted the dashboard with a proud smile.

"The tires coasting, and the air off the windshield?" I could just see her smiling aswell.

I quickly looked at her way to acknowledge it.

"Spot on."

I thought for a second in the short silence that followed, and just as I was about to ask her...

"I believe we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet, have we?" She spoke as if she read my mind.

"Nope." I simply responded. Oh shi-

Pothole.

"Fuck! Sorry."

"Were you talking to the car, or me?" She laughed right after, and I caught on right away. I definitely busted my gut from laughing.

"Isaac, by the way." I mentioned as soon as our small laughing fit ended.

"Hm?" She hummed.

"My name's Isaac, but please, call me Zack-" I stopped for a red light, and for the first time got a real good glance at her eyes.

'Whoa...'

"Oh! Celestia." She grinned, and held a hand out. I grabbed it gently, shaking it.

"..Celestia." I barely muttered, completely lost in her eyes.

'Double whoa. Name, *and** eyes... Where is she from?'*

"Isaac?" Her voice boomed over my small moment.

"Huh?" I was lost.

"The light, it's green-"

I glued my eyes back to the road, mentally smacking myself for staring at her.

"Agh- sorry. It's just.." I trailed off, hoping she didn't catch it.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Of course she did.

"..Well, correct me if I'm wrong but.." I looked down the distance to the left side of the road, and there was my house. We got there sooner than I thought. I pulled into the driveway; parking it there, but not turning the engine off just yet. I then gave her a good look in the eyes, observing them more carefully. "Your eyes, they're-.. those are contacts, right?"

"Contacts?" She asked in a way like she never heard of them.

"Yeah, y'know, like the sort of thing some people use instead of glasses to see better?" I even did a little gesture with my fingers towards my eyes.

"Oh- yes, I know, but no. I don't use them."

"No way." I deadpanned.

"Mhm." She simply nodded.

"So you're eyes are naturally purple-pink-ish." I failed at my color description.

"Magenta, yes." She smiled.

I sat there, dumbstruck.

"I didn't know that was possible."

"Yeah? Well, never count on chance." She shrugged, chuckling a bit afterwards.

"Pft, you got real lucky." I inched the car forward a bit towards the garage doors until it got in front of the remote sensors. The doors began to lift on their own.

"Fancy." She mused.

"Yep." I replied nonchalantly.

"Your wife must be a really fancy woman aswell." She joked. The irony in that one made me laugh real good.

"No wife." I showed her my fingers, clean from any rings. "It's aaall for me."

"Oh, well that definitely explains the ravishing car." She joked even further. I nodded like a goof; wide eyed and geeky smile.

"Ohyah."

We both laughed for that short moment, but it was true, genuine laughter. Something I definitely enjoyed... laughing. It felt like a cure to everything, sometimes.

I rolled the car into the garage, the doors closing on their own as I turned off the car. We both exited the vehicle, and I showed her the way to my living room right after. I grabbed an extra towel from the bathroom, and handed it to her before I finally sat down on my recliner. In the midst of it all, I turned on the coffee maker at some point for my guest. She definitely would appreciate a warm beverage after being washed by that liquid ice, who wouldn't.

"Ahh." I sighed outloud, closing my eyes for a brief moment. I could hear the very subtle sound of her running the towel through her hair, along with the coffee maker boiling some water in the distance. The silence tempted me into a power nap, jolting slightly from the sudden grip of sleep. I stayed up pretty late the night before, getting no more than a few hours of sleep since my friend was dedicated to beating me in 'Forza 4'. I found myself making eye contact with Celestia out of embarrassment. She only gave her already famous grin, silently laughing to herself.

"Don't feel bad if you want to catch some rest. I can handle myself."

"Well, as long as you don't break my mugs." I snickered, "-Oh, and feel free to use more towels if you need them. Bathroom is first door on the left." I pointed with one hand down the small hall past the kitchen, rubbing my eyes with my other hand.

"Got it!" She chirped happily, standing up to walk with her converse dangling from one of her hands. "Oh, and no promises about not breaking your mugs."

I could've sworn I heard her giggle mischievously.

I chalked it up to mind tricks, since I found myself already halfway asleep again. Thoughts came and left, random memories popping in and out like a slideshow. I slipped into it deeper and deeper, daydreaming that I was driving an open-wheeled car around the silverstone circuit. It was pretty nice; the comfort being opposite of what I was use to. It was more of a cruise, rather than a race... and for once, it felt pretty peaceful. The engine, it was so quiet, and the wind barely made any noises or whistles as it went over my helmet's shape into the intake funnel right on top of my head.

'Wow...'

Rather than the usual blood pumping sensation, it felt like I was sleeping on a cloud; drifting above the pavement without even trying. The wheel was on its own now, as I slipped into the darkness of the dream realm that always came to carry you at the last second before you could expect it. I welcomed it this time, leaving behind my living room and recliner into the void.

'...Is that... is that tea that I'm smelling?'

My eyes opened, and I was slightly disoriented from leaving my dream so abruptly. I scanned everything quickly, but then remembered that I passed out on my recliner. I got my grips on reality back; stretching and yawning at the same time. I placed my elbows on my knees, and this time, I thoroughly scanned everything from my seat. Celestia was nowhere to be found, but I did find on my coffee table a small cup with what I assumed was fresh tea, since vapor was still rising from it. It was filled to the brim, sitting on my corner, so I guessed it was mine. I picked it up, and instantly noticed the post-it note under.

'Thank you for your kind hospitality, even if you may think it wasn't much. I left you some tea. I'm.. not much of a coffee person, but I hope you don't mind! Also, I borrowed your umbrella before I left since the rain got much lighter than before. I promise I'll bring it back.

~Your friend,

Celestia  : )'

"Tea?" I scratched my stubble. Huh, turns out I had tea in the kitchen somewhere. I decided to take a quick sip of it, being careful not to burn my tongue.

...By God, did that taste good.

I gently peeled the sticky note from the coffee table, flipping it around quickly. Seeing that there was nothing else, I crumpled it and stood up to throw it into the trash in the kitchen. I chugged that tea rather quickly, and placed the small cup into the sink before yawning once more. Checking the time on the microwave, I looked outside to confirm if it really was that late already.

'Ten o'clock? Already?'

Gees, I felt like I only napped for thirty minutes. But then again, I did leave my friend's house pretty late in the afternoon. I walked into my bedroom, changing into my fleece PJ's, and slipped on my slippers. I yawned once more as I made my way to the bathroom, starting to wonder if there was something in that tea.. perhaps, it was chamomile? Strange, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if I really did have tea in my kitchen to begin with. Hm, I probably did. I do like keeping a wide variety of things to choose from, unfortunately leaving some things to spoil sometimes. I opened the bathroom door, took my toothbrush from the top of the mirror, squeezed some paste onto it, and got right to it.

'Oh man, I'm gonna enjoy this night's sleep..'

In the middle of rinsing my mouth, I started wondering if she lived around my neighborhood. I swear I never saw her around here, and it's not just because of the hair. Normally, since this city is fairly small, you'd know who just moved into your block. Maybe she was from the other side of town? Hm. Maybe I'll ask her the next time I see her. Seeing how she was fairly young looking, she could've recently moved in for college.

Agh, I'm thinking about it too much.

I spat out the last rinse, and placed the toothbrush back in its rightful place. I practically flopped into my bed, covering myself with the sheets before turning off the lamp on my nightstand. If there's one thing I do love about autumn/winter, it's slipping into some warm covers to escape the cold. It took almost no effort to go back to sleep at all, and being a man with a slight problem of anxiety induced insomnia-

It was very heavenly.

So, it's been a few days, and I just realized that I still haven't gotten my umbrella back. I mean, not that it bothered me, it was just an umbrella, but she did promise.

I chuckled to myself at the lighthearted thought as I flipped through the channels on my tv. I woke up just about twenty minutes ago, and was enjoying some nice bed'n'breakfast. I stopped on the sports news channel, and went back to cutting up my delicious pancake and bacon.

'...last week's F1 race at Austin Texas being absolutely dominated by none other than, 'King' Santiago, once again. It was in his hands practically from lap one as we can see in the race highlights; keeping a consistent gap of a whopping seven seconds at almost all times, and only going further from there. As for his rivals and teammate, it was basically a fight for second place, and nothing else. '

I dropped my fork, regretting my choice to leave it on this channel already. However, from out of the blue, there was a knocking on my front door. I quickly slipped out of the covers, shuffling down the hall like a klutz as I fought against my slippers to stay on. I finally made it to the front door, opening it a bit too quickly for my eyes to handle the very early morning sun's rays. I instinctively placed my hand above my eyes, and was more than happy to see who it was.

"Oh, Celestia! Hey!" I smiled, making way for her as an invitation to come in.

"Hello Zack!" I was hugged unexpectedly, being somewhat stunned by it as I closed the door. It was very... genuine. I enjoyed it, as short as it was. "Sorry that I couldn't return the umbrella any sooner, I was just pretty busy with work."

"Don't sweat it." I replied casually, taking a seat on the recliner in my living room. She took a seat on the sofa, unzipping her hoodie to pull out my umbrella. She placed it on the coffee table before removing her hoodie.

"It's pretty warm in here, isn't it?" She asked, though clearly not against it.

"Well, I guess I'm weird for not liking to wake up in a giant ice cube in the middle of near-winter, huh?" I cocked an eyebrow as if I was questioning whether she was sane or not. We both laughed about it, which I found very nice to know she did have a sense of humor. I turned on the flatscreen, the channel being on the same one from my bedroom.

'...is it any challenging anymore? I mean, you clearly seem to have everything at hand, even qualifying laps seem almost like a chore to you sometimes.'

They were interviewing the F1 race week's winner... 'King' Santiago M. Hester.

'Haha, chore would be a mean way to put it.. but no, I mean, love racing just as everyone else here in the field does, of course. Though, eh... I-uhh, it's not really a challenge. Not anymore, atleast. Which, it is upsetting really. I mean-'

'Many have been afraid to ask, but... do you think it's because of Isaac Mahr's withdrawal from the race grid ever since last year?'

'Ummm... in a way, I guess so. Yes. I think it's just the psychological advantage? I mean, it wasn't more than a year ago ever since he left the grid, and there I went from being third on the podium to taking this year's cup.'

I had to change the channel. I don't even know why I was listening to all of that in the first place.

"You like motorsport?" Celestia's voice broke my momentary trance.

"Hm? Oh- yeah, I use to watch it alot." I kept on changing channels to find something else, my tone changing to an absent minded.

"Heh, let me guess. You rooted for Isaac last year?" She grinned jokingly. It humored me, causing me to chuckle a bit.

"Of course, I gotta root for any brethren stuck with the awful name of 'Isaac'." I beamed, feigning my pride. She waved a hand, giggling.

"Oh please, Isaac. I don't know why you find shame in it. I actually like it." She smiled, the small compliment actually warming my heart a bit. I scratched my stubble, trying to fight my smile. I failed horribly. This woman... I just met her, and she's already making me all soft. Not a bad thing, mind you, I'm honestly liking the new friend. Alot.

Like I said, she's... she's really refreshing.

I decided to bring my breakfast over to the living room, time passing quickly as we talked for a bit about random things that came to our mind. It was a nice little chat, and I felt by now that we certainly broke alot ice. I finally started to bring out some interesting questions.

"If you don't mind me asking.." I bit a small portion of the last remaining bacon off, "Do you live around here?"

"Yes, but in the city. I just moved in recently around August." She trailed off slightly, nodding afterwards. "Yeah, August. Right before the warm weather left for good." She giggled.

I swear, I just loved how bright she was about everything. It's like she found a way to see the good in everything there is possible. It made me smile for the umteenth time.

"Interesting! Has anyone welcomed you officially yet? Any new friends?" I asked, finishing off my now cold breakfast.

"Mhm, a few acquaintances here and there, though I'm still just warming up to the area." Celestia crossed her legs. "Though, you're the first I've met that's been really friendly." She smiled.

...Her charm was just piercing my heart again, and again.

"Oh, you jest." I waved a hand, burping on purpose to add to what I was about to say. "I'm just another guy in the world, having fun and trying to live life."

She cocked an eyebrow.

"..I'm sorry, was the burp too much?" I smiled sheepishly.

"...No." She shook her head, smirking. "In fact, that was pretty weak."

I hung my jaw, smiling even more. I slapped my knee. I couldn't help but laugh outloud now.

"Oh man. You've got to be kidding me." I laughed even harder now, "If you weren't in my A-list then, you are now!" As soon as I stopped laughing, I mustered up the most serious expression I could, and stared at her. "Ey, girl. I'll take you out to the movies, then give you the ride of your life after. How's that sound?"

I was testing waters, seeing just how much of a good sport she was.

"Oh please, I'm clearly out of your league." She pretended to roll her eyes in disgust. We both absolutely bursted afterwards, laughing for minutes. Oh my God, I haven't laughed like that in a good year. Possibly more than that. It almost ruined my good mood just thinking about it. I've been so... so grey for a while, I almost forgot how it felt to be this happy all the time.

"Actually, a movie does sound nice." She added out of nowhere.

"Hm?" I was genuinely caught off guard.

"You know, a movie?" She did a small motion with her arm as if she was rolling an old fashioned camera while holding it with the other arm.

"Oh- you mean, like, you want to watch a movie with... with me?" I pointed at myself, feeling a bit awkward now. She giggled, pointing a finger at me.

"Yes, you."

...I won't lie, I think I felt my cheeks light up a bit.

Okay. Alot. And I'm sure she noticed, because she couldn't stop giggling now.

"Oh, you hush up." I stood up from my recliner, folding my arms as I pretended to walk out the front door all annoyed.

"Wait!" She giggled a bit more, before chasing me down and turning me around. "It's only the right thing to do, seeing how my knight in shining armor saved me from the hellstorm a few days back?" Celestia put on this ploy, clasping her hands together and everything. We both started laughing again, this time a bit more lightly.

"Okay, princess Celestia, what movie and where?" I joked, playing along.

She suddenly paused, but found her grin quickly after.

"Just Celestia will do, sir Isaac."

"Oh? Sincerest apologies, Celestia." I bowed quickly, then held up a finger. "And, just call me Zack." I held out a hand to shake.

"Very well then. It's a deal, Zack." She shook my hand, smiling. "Does Friday sound good?"

"You got it." I smiled back.

She walked out the front door, stopping halfway down the steps.

"Our chat was very nice, Zack. I enjoyed this little visit."

I smiled, giving her a small wave.

"Me too." I nodded, looking around before saying anything else. I kicked some imaginary dirt around, hands in pocket. Y'know, cliche shy guy. "If anything.. you're pretty much considered a friend by now. F-.. feel free to stop by, y'know.. whenever."

"Aww, that's very sweet, Zack." Celestia rolled out what I assumed was her bicycle from the side of the steps. "I definitely will." She smiled one last time before pedaling off. "G'bye!"

"Bye!" I waved one last time.

It's starting to feel a little... upsetting to see her gone now. Even though this is only the third time.

I mean, it's just real nice having a new friend. Specially one so charming, and so lighthearted. So lovable. Always accepting with arms wide open, happier than anything from the get go to make a friend. I think I may..

No.. I do like her. I won't lie to myself.

I closed the front door, and went on to picking up my plate and cup to toss them into the dishwasher. I made sure to check if I poured the soap in, and pressed the start button. A few specific thoughts were starting to loom around my head now. They were rather depressing thoughts.. ones I didn't really feel like thinking of right now. But, it was simply the inevitable, as far ahead as it seemed.

'I'll have to tell her eventually... as beautiful, charming, and lovable as she can be.'

I pulled out a small orange pill bottle, tossing out a few into my palm, and swallowed them dry.

'Yes.. she makes me laugh, feel happy, and forget that the world sucks. Just like the old days, when I was living out my dreams.'

I screwed the cap back on, and placed it back in its cabinet. I quickly pulled out the second one.

'Three time F1 champion.'

Swallowed the second set of pills.

'It was all great.'

Placed the bottle screwed shut back in the cabinet.

'But, for nothing.'

I sighed.

Cancer's a bitch.

So. Friday. It's today.

I've never been this nervous. Seriously. In my head, it's funny coming from a guy who flew down track roads at 190+ miles per hour side by side with equally fast drivers, wearing nothing but a carbon-fiber helmet, and seated in an open cockpit. Then today arrives, and I'm nervous as all hell for going on a friendly little hangout with the charming girl I met a few days ago. Then again, I've never even hung out with a member of the opposite sex.. that I had a growing crush on. I could only subtly shake my head, smirking from the current situation. It was so.. elementary.

Here I am, sitting at the steps in front of my house for almost an hour, tapping my shoe toes into each other as I held my arms in between my thighs. All while waiting for the girl named Celestia. I suddenly broke into a quite chuckle, burying my face into my legs. Wow, am I a geek or what?

My head nearly snapped up from my legs the moment I heard what I thought were bicycle tires coasting down the street pavement. It was, but disheartening to see it was only a random kid pedaling through. I felt just like a puppy; looking outside only waiting for the moment for the owner's car to return home, disappointed every time it wasn't the car. Geek. The only word that comes to mind, and I chuckled yet again.

"What're you laughin' about?" Celestia's voice was too familiar to confuse already. My eyes widened, and locked into her's as I shot my field of view directly down the side of my steps.

...W-.. was she standing there this whole time?

"What- you-... hold on-... what?" I scrambled through my mind, scratching my head like a dunce. Though, it didn't take more than another second to get myself together. "How long were you just... there, at the side of my steps?"

"Hm? Oh, aboouuut.. I'd say, five minutes, more or less. Why?" She gave an innocent smile.

"...Were you creeping?"

"Wh- no!" She shook her hands. "I came down here right in front of you, but you seemed so out of it just staring up the trees! Next thing I knew you just.. uh, had your face in your legs for a bit. I didn't know what was happening, if you were having a moment or.. something. I was confused myself, and kind of just stood her for a bit."

"Oh, heh.. I was just kidding, by the way. But hey- I believe you, regardless!" I grinned sheepishly, hoping I didn't make her feel awkward. I then had a quick second of realization, and smacked my forehead. "...Also, I'm really sorry I didn't notice you and had you stand there for the past moment."

"Bahh, no big." She only grinned, scrunching her face at the same time for a brief second.

...By the Gods above, that was adorable.