A Map to Him

He stared at the map of the city that stood in front of him. It wasn’t like he was a stranger to the city. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been to the city before. But still it felt different, it felt strange. It was the first time he was in his city but he was not with him. It will felt strange to be in the same city and not be with each other.

As he continued to stare at the map small footprints began to form tracing the places they had been to. The cafés, the parks , the restaurants, a roadmap of their courtship on the map.

He remembered the hours they had spent in each other’s company, the parks where they roamed hand in hand, stealing glance and kisses, when mo one was around. All the names of places and streets and restaurants and cafés, began forming pictures in his mind of about the places they had been, the good time they had, memories of them together.

As he continued to stare at those imaginary footprints, he wondered if their path would ever cross, now that they were both in the same city? Although it was his decision to call it quits, but he couldn’t help but miss him so, and now that they were in the same city, he hoped that somewhere, somehow, destiny could conspire and bring their paths together.

He didn’t realise it but his eyes began to well from the yearning, from the longing that he felt for him. Just when he thought he was finding a way to heal, he once again began to miss him, to want him more.

However, he was determined to not to think of him and cry. That would be an insult of the bind they had once shared. He wanted to think of him and smile, for all the good moments they shared, the sweet memories that they had made.

So he wiped away the tears from his eyes and smiled, thinking of him. He noted the place he had to go to, using the map. He hailed a taxi and off he went into the city, smiling.

The Map to their Heart

Like clockwork, he saw her everyday at the bus stop, staring at the route map, trying to figure out the bus that would take her to her destination. And every time she ended taking the same bus as he.

He couldn’t help but admire how beautiful she looked, especially when the sunlight fell on her face, making look all the more beautiful, all the more radiant. He loved the way her hair fell over her face, from the window breeze, and how she tucked it behind her ears, every time.

She didn’t need no no make make up, no accessories, to enhance her beauty. She was beautiful naturally from the inside and out.

Oh how he could stare at her all day, if only his staring didn’t creeped her out. If he didn’t appear a weirdo to anyone who caught his glances at her, her included.

He was mesmerised by her, he was taken by her beauty and her simplicity. Seeing her each morning was the high point of his day.

Oh how he wished he could find it in him to talk to her.

Like clock work she saw him from a distance, as he approached the bus stop, a handsome, well-groomed, well-mannered man. And every time she saw him approach, she would immediately stare at the map, afraid he would see her stare and think I’ll of her. So she tried to steal glances at him when he was not looking her way.

How she wished to get a seat next to him, cause she loved the way he smelt, an earthy, musky, masculine smell. She was not sure if it was his aftershave, or his perfume (did men wear perfume, she wondered), or was it just his natural scent? Whatever it was, he had her under his spell.

She could sit and stare at him all day, if he didn’t think her mad, just try and avoid her. Seeing him was the highlight of her day.

Then one day, as luck would have it, the seat next to her was vacant, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

They sat next to each other, trying not to have their glances caught, itching to say something, if that something was a simple, hi or hello, or a good morning, or a how you doing. But they couldn’t muster it in them to say those words. And if by chance, they happened to glance, at each other, at the same time, they just smiled and glanced away.

He sat there hoping that someway, somehow, he could find a map, like the one she stared at, that would show him the direction to her, to direct him to her heart, cause he couldn’t help himself but fall in love with her.

She too wished she had a map, a map to his heart, that would help her find her way to him. If she had the said map, she would know what to say and know what to do, she would know how to win him over. Oh how she wished,  she had map to him.

And as they both sat there, in seat next to each other, wishing they had a map to the heart of the other, not knowing that what they wished was one and the same. All they had to is ask and they would find the map to their heart.