One shot at love : Chapter 1

She stood by the window, her hazel brown eyes fixed on something far out in the distance. Her dark colored hair curled softly around her long, slender neck. The blood red dress she had on seemed too outstanding against her porcelain white skin, making her seem fragile and susceptible. Her face was blank like a piece of paper, yet worry lingered in her eyes. She clutched a letter in her left hand, and in her right, a white rose. Taking a step forward, she laid down both the rose and letter on the ledge of the window. Grabbing the abandoned shawl on the floor, she turned and walked towards the door. Her hand reached the doorknob but she did not turn it. Hesitating, she looked back and stared once again out of the window, as if anticipating somebody’s presence. But there was no one there. Something in her eyes died and she left the room, leaving behind only the sweet scent of roses hanging in the air.




FIVE YEARS AGO.

A car honked at her impatiently. She hurriedly scrambled out of its way and stepped onto the pavement. Her pace was fast, her eyes staring at the ground as she walked. Nobody seemed to notice her existence, a girl of 17 years wearing an oversized coat and big ugly boots. Her face hidden under a cap, she walked on remembering what Martha had told her. Be back by 5. Sir will be home by then. Knowing her father’s temper, a chill ran down her spine as images ran through her head. Freezing in the cold weather, she rubbed her hands against each other and her feet dragging the heavy boots over the slippery pavement, trying to quicken her already fast pace. Then she fell.

Feeling embarrassed, she immediately struggled to get up but an immense pain shot through her left leg. Blood was already crawling their way through an open wound at the knee, and her left ankle was starting to swell. All around her, passersby continued on their way, oblivious to the young girl crying on the pavement. She knew it all too well; they probably thought she was one of those deceiving beggars that loiter the streets every now and then. Seeing that she could not sit here forever, she propped herself on one hand while trying her best to stand up again. But the pain from her left leg was too much for her to handle. A silent scream escaped from her lips.

“Do you need my help?”

She looked up at the voice, straight into a face of a handsome young boy, their eyes meeting for a split second. Feeling a blush creep into her face, she instinctively drew back and kept her eyes on the pavement.

“Er, do you mind?” Looking back up, she saw his smile, then his hand.

“You know, you can’t sit here forever.” He said, gesturing her to take his hand. She looked at his hand for a while before taking hold of it hesitantly. Immediately, he pulled her up and held her by the shoulders until she stabilized on her right leg. Then their eyes met again. As if suddenly aware of the close distance between them, the boy took a few steps back while she looked back down at the pavement again.

“You…you’re alright?” He asked. She nodded her head mutely, fingering the hem of her collar nervously.

“So I’ll just… er… I’ll be going then?” She raised her head up slowly, until the full image of the boy was in her sight. It was not till then that she saw the nicely curved shape of his face, the emerald that was his eyes, and his hair that flopped down over one eye as if it had just rained. She could not explain the feeling that was rushing through her at that instant. She only knew she had never felt it before. Unsure of what he should do, the boy hung back for a while before he started to leave.

“Wait!” She blurted, and he stopped in his tracks. “My name is Chloe.” A pause. “Thank you.”

Cocking his head to one side, he scratched his head, shifting his feet nervously from one to another. “Yeah, er, you’re welcome.” Another pause. “I’m Zachary.”
Giving her one last bashful smile, he turned and sprinted down the pavement. Watching his shadow disappear, she suddenly realized the dire situation she was in. Feeling jittery, she dialed Martha.

“Hey, I’m stuck. Come get me?”