5 Chapter 4

I lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Lester had dozed off hours ago and is now snoring loudly.

Why did she react that way?

Why is she so angry? The image of her eyes, the grey clouds covering the sky, the storm about to wreak havoc flashed through my thoughts.

Lately all my thoughts seemed to drift towards her. I see her paintings all over the hotel and I imagine her, I look at my camera and I think of the pictures I took of her, I see flowers and I think of her painting in the restaurant, I see birds flying outside and I remember the way her face looks concentrating on painting, I hear music and I imagine her trying to sing along.

She is too deep in my system that she consumes me. She is with me, within me whether I'm awake or not, conscious or otherwise. I know it's strange to feel this way towards someone you haven't even actually, technically met, someone you've only seen around for 3 days, someone you've only spoken to once, someone who's practically a stranger. It's a strange feeling, something new to me, but I'm not complaining.

I may not understand it, but it is what it is. I've never really been the type who's supposed to understand everything, I just take things as they are.

I took a deep breath and smiled to myself. I could still smell her, vanilla, paint, and something else. I wonder what that is, it's familiar, in a way.

I looked at my phone, 2:30 am. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep for a while so I got up and looked out the balcony door.

It was dark outside, the lights on our lobby were turned off. The only light there is, is coming from the stars and moon above. Beautiful. Peaceful.

After a while I heard a door open and close. She stepped out into the dark night wearing the clothes she had on earlier. She was bare foot and her hair was no longer in a bun. They fall messily around her face past her shoulders, the earlier confinement caused extra waves in them.

She climbed on her rails and I had the urge to go out and hold on to her in case she slips. Or jump. But she didn't, it looks like she've done this a million times before. In no time she was sitting on the rails looking down, just like I saw her the other night.

She reached in her back pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

I just stood there watching her, mesmerized by her. Every move she made kept me on my toes, I was so engrossed by her. Like a critic on the first show of the Broadway, like a child watching his favorite film. She didn't smoke, she just let it burn. When the cigarette was finished she lit another one, and another, and another.

Later she got down and went back to her room.

I glanced at my phone, 3:45 am. I didn't realize I'd been standing there that long.

I went back to bed and closed my eyes knowing, hoping that I would be dreaming of my angel.

==

The next morning I woke up with the sound of Metallica. It was coming from somewhere outside, slightly muffled by the walls but still very audible.

I sat up listening hard, trying to identify the song. I know this.

"Enter the Sand man." I looked over to Lester's bed and I saw him sitting on his bed, his back against the head board, playing with his phone. "I woke up with Linkin Park."

"It gets better, she has some not so loud songs too." I answered.

Lester stopped and looked at me. "Yeah, there was Evanescence, Jason Mraz, and a bunch of other people I don't know too. A bit of an old school taste."

I chuckled lightly.

"But what I'm wondering about." He continued, head moving slightly to face me. "Is how do you know that. And how did you know that she is indeed a she."

"How do you know she's a she?" I countered.

"I talked to her. Not very nice." He answered, laughing lightly.

"She has a soft spot too." I said, thinking about the way she smiled at me the first time I saw her in the balcony. The softness in her tear streaked face.

And as if on cue, the angry music stopped and was replaced with a beautiful piano and violin piece.

"How'd you know? You two friends?" Lester asked, raising his eyebrows mischievously.

I laughed and threw a pillow at him which he caught and threw right back at me. I didn't bother trying to catch it. It bounced on my head lightly and fell to the floor.

"Neh, I met her once. I think she's nice though." I laughed as I remembered how angry she was when I met her, not so nice.

"Well she wasn't so nice when I spoke to her. So I asked the front desk to make her stop the ruckus." Lester was looking at his phone again.

"What?"

"just got off the phone with Rebecca like 2 minutes before you woke up."

"Who the hell is Rebecca?"

"The receptionist we spoke to when we checked in. you know, cute, black hair, turns tomato red when I smile at her.."

I wasn't listening. He called the receptionist to make Lena stop her music? Great. She's gonna hate me even more now.

"Hey!" I focused my attention to Lester who was now standing. Smiling widely.

"What?" I asked, standing too.

"Do you hear that?"

I stood still listening hard but not hearing anything.

"No."

"Exactly!" he smiled even wider.

Oh. I guess the Hotel Staff really did make her stop or at least turn down her music.

I quickly brushed my teeth, washed up a little, grabbed my camera and other things and left. I was about to close the door when I heard Lester asking me where I was going.

"Just out. Catch you later." I slammed the door then realized something.

'Where is she?" I asked, opening the door slightly so my head would fit.

"2 doors down." Lester was smirking. He was pointing to the direction behind him. That way. Got it.

"Thanks."

The door was slightly opened when I got there, I knocked lightly and it opened further. She was standing by the window, smoking, her other hand still holding the paint brush she was probably using earlier.

"Hey." I greeted

She turned to look at me and her eyes immediately got darker when she saw me.

"You. What do you want? Want me to stop painting too? Am I disturbing your beauty rest?" she

turned back to look outside. Wow, that is the longest sentence she's ever said to me.

I entered the room and looked at the wall to the side, there are plenty of colors painted on, blotches, lines, shapes. I didn't get what she was painting yet but I know it's going to be beautiful. Her scent lingered in the air, again it consumed me, played with my senses.

"I'm Noah." I reached out my hand towards her.

She just stared at it for a while. I could see her debating something in her head as she looked at the hand I offered. Finally she took a deep breath and looked at me.

"You already told me your name. Asher." She looked back outside, ignoring my hand.

"Then Asher it is." I smiled even though she couldn't see. "Here." I handed her the thing I was holding a while ago. My ear phones.

Her eyes went to the item in my hand to my face then to the item again and back to my face. "What is that?"

"They're called earphones. I usually use it to block off Lester's snoring but it's good with playing music too." I joked.

I could see a small smile tugging on the corner of her lips.

"Why are you giving it to me?"

"Because my friend made you shut off your music. And I know you like to work with it in full volume."

This time I saw her lips formed into a real, genuine smile, not as soft as the first one, but happier, and I swore from that day on that it would be my life's mission to keep that smile on her face.

"Thanks Asher." She took the headphones and extended her right hand.

"I'm Lena." Of course I already know her name but I didn't tell her that. I took her hand and let the warmth of her skin engulf me.

"Nice to finally meet you, Lena."