A jorney to remember...

Stefan has been somewhat distracted lately by mundane activities of daily living and nagging thoughts. The creative juices have been running a little sluggish and maybe the endless summer heat has been wearing on his nerves. When too much clutter starts polluting his brain, he loses sleep and goes inwards, even more than his usual introverted self.

“Why can't I be one of those disgustingly well-adjusted people who run 10 kms to clear their heads?” he asks himself in dismay.

Clearing his head of internal clutter might need more than this running, but it's a start.In fact, he possess a surprisingly horrible memory and always relied on understanding something inside and out before having any hope of owning that knowledge. Yet, there is so much more to learn and explore and he is not quite sure how and where to find the knowledge he seeks. His insatiable appetite for playing,learning has never ceased. Had there been any competitions, you would find him in the front row, ready for action, guaranteed. Curiosity is something that he is never lacking, and I’ll be the first to admit – he is by no means an expert.

He has been friends with a selective bunch of colleagues at work and Michelle happens to be one of his closest friends.Given his past experiences, I would say this encounter with her really rounded out his perceptions of the Egotist females. While he didn't end up falling as head over heels as everyone thought he might, I would say that he is even more intrigued by her than before.

It was Christmas time and both of them decided to go home for the Halloween.They were supposed to fly down to L.A and board flights to Cincinnati and Boston respectively. They hired a cab to the Airport and after a nice dose of traffic Michelle’s tongue began cramping for a spot of smoothie. Fortunately, they had a spot nearby slotted for a visit called the “Cofi shop”. The “Cofi shop” sits in a mall with not too much outside save their big sign and a one way parking lot. Within, the shop has a very peculiar look with all kinds of well-placed furniture and other interesting pieces. She grabbed a mango smoothie for herself and him a cold coffee. Transporting them without utter destruction was a challenge, especially with those sinister potholes cropping up all over streets lately. He had his coffee via drip, which manifested a bright cup; a good cup but a little bland as well. The coffee was presented with flavor of dark chocolate in front and hints of cream following, but there was also a noticeable amount of bitter char on the end.
The bittersweet chocolate and condensed milk, albeit small hints of bitterness on the back end was amazingly sinful. Her smoothie was loaded with whipped cream, ice cream, crushed ice and blended fresh mangoes to beat the heat.

They reached the airport and she walked out of the cab still putting on her black flats. He carefully held her while she slipped off the floor and her cheeks turned a rosy red color for the second time in less than an hour while talking to him.
They boarded the flight, made themselves comfortable and he attended a call which made her force herself to sleep in the middle of the conversation. Noticing her being cheesed off, he giggled and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. “Sorry I fell asleep, I can remember ending our conversation abruptly," she stifled a yawn and looked at him sheepishly. “I bet it was just the sleepiness talking. Don't worry,” She forced a brighter smile onto her face and continued. He sighed and let it go. He knew that she was feeling pressured and would be back to normal when she was ready. He smiled at her, picked up his fork, piled the bacon, eggs and pancake onto his plate and dug into his food.

She knew that she's had to tell him about what happened sooner or later. She knew that he could sense her unhappiness. It had always been that way. She relaxed again as she dodged his questioning gaze once again. Post snacks Stefan involved her in an interesting conversation about the “Railway engines and the aircrafts”, she reciprocated well too. He liked kids and was cuddling a cutie pie in the neighboring seat. She held his arms, lied on his shoulder and fell asleep. She loved the way he held her, the caress, warmth, affection was almost unmatched. She woke up, rolled out of seat and stretched lazily. Pulling on the towel, he had set out for her; she went to the toilet, washed her face and made her hair.

They pulled out their cabin bags; he carried both of them and got off the plane. They had to spend that night in airport and catch the one early in the morning .They found a place to rest and she dozed off while he playfully ruffled her head and jowls. She lied down with her head on his lap. Only after three hours did she realize that he was still for such a long time inspite of his legs craving for a stretch. She woke up smiling and looping her arm around his. The air was crisp and fresh. The excitement of going home was building as they cleared the check-in and waiting patiently at the lobby. His heart started pounding knowing that in a few more minutes they would be at the security check for their respective flights.

Drawing back her jet black hair, he realized that it was time for her to leave. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her closer and hugged her deeply. She drew her arms up around his shoulders and put her nose close to his, looked at him with her big eyes .It was tough for them as they were going for a months vacation .She looked over her shoulder towards the door and saw him. She smiled, waved and suddenly walked back towards him. He reached out for her hand as she continued to walk towards him. Her fingers began to touch his as their reach got closer. Before she could finish her sentence he cupped her face and softly kissed her forehead. She turned her head slowly as the kiss melted into the moment.