| |
It was the summer holidays in Argentina. Kids were enjoying their freedom away from schools. I had travelled the world, and it was in Argentina where I was first recognized for my hit movie.
The kids on the street called me by my action star name, Sypher. They wanted me to do the famous stunt from the movie, and I couldn’t say no to their innocent faces. The kids were cheering and watching excitedly. Someone gave me their motorbike.
I was nervous. I did most of my own stunts, but I wished my body double and stunt driver was here to pull off this one for me.
I took a deep breath and started the bike. I heard the familiar roar of the bike starting and it was like I was back on the movie set. I started off great, making all the needed twists and turn. The kids were jubilant with each stunt I pulled off. I was doing great... until I crashed on my landing. I don’t remember exactly what I hit. The crash also knocked me unconscious.
I woke up and saw a handsome stranger calling my name. “Miss Eleanor. Miss Eleanor, can you hear me?” he asked.
Was this a vision?
“I am Nicolas. You slid off your bike. Are you ok?” Nicolas asked again.
Nicolas? So this vision had a name. Nicolas asked me one more time if I was alright.
“I am fine. Actually, I am more embarrassed than injured,” I replied.
“Oh, Thank Heaven! Let me check to be sure you didn’t suffer a concussion or have any internal injuries,” Nicolas said.
“You sound like a doctor, but you look... young to be one.” I was going to slip and say gorgeous, but I wasn’t that injured. I still had some sense remaining.
“Technically, I am not a doctor. I am completing my residency, but I am top of my class. Unless you prefer to go to the hospital first?” Nicolas offered.
Hospital? I would pass as I much rather have Nicolas by my side.
“No, it’s fine. You do your thing. I trust you,” I replied.
“A piece of advice... never trust a stranger, even one claiming to be a doctor,” Nicolas said.
Never had a piece of advice sounded so pleasant to my ears. Nicolas checked my reflexes and examined me for any injuries. I was lucky to get a few scratches here and there, most of which Nicolas was busy tending to.
Tall, hazel eyes, dark wavy hair... a delicate accent adding to his charm. Everything about Nicolas was reassuring.
“So Nicolas... do you often spend your days tending to injured girls on the street?” I asked, curious to know what he would say.
He laughed, and my heart skipped a beat. He had a sexy laugh.
“No, no, I provide my services to whoever accepts it. I am the neighborhood’s unofficial doctor/doctor-in-training. The neighborhood kids came running to me. It is not every day we get a big action star in our town,” Nicolas said.
“Don’t tell me you are a fan and want my autograph?” I asked.
“Ok, I won’t tell you I am your fan and want your autograph,” Nicolas repeated.
So Nicolas was smart, handsome and sassy. I liked how this conversation was going.
“So Mr. Nicolas, if you don’t want my autograph, then what do you want?”
“Depends on what you want me to ask you?” he said.
“You want me to tell you? Ok, Nicolas, tell me what you desire truthfully and with no hesitation.”
“I can? I will gladly. My desire is for Ms. Eleanor to spend a day with this humble admirer.”
Was he asking for a date?
“I would like to go on a date with you, Ms. Eleanor. Let me be direct so there is no confusion, no reading between the lines. There, I said what I desire.”
Wow. Smart, handsome and... honest? I had a winner.
“I would be delighted to, Mr. Nicolas,” I said, accepting his date.
Never had I seen a guy beam with such happiness as Nicolas. Most guys played it cool, or I might even get snide comments when I said yes. I guess I hadn’t come across someone like Nicolas before.
For the first time, I felt nervous going on this date. I liked him a lot.
“What do you have planned for us, Nicolas?” I asked.
“Something very special.. I will show you all that I love in my town, so you will feel like it is your home too,” Nicolas said.
Feel like it’s my home too?
I looked at Nicolas with surprise. He had such a way with words. I was in awe of how he freely expressed his feelings. I wished I could express what I felt to others, but that was hard for me. And besides, what would I say to them? It would alarm mom and dad. I didn’t want to burden Cassie either, even though she often told me to share my feelings.
“You looked surprised, Ms. Eleanor? Was this not what you were expecting?” Nicolas asked.
“I don’t know what I was expecting, but you are a surprising person, Nicolas. You are welcoming me to the town you love with such open arms. I am really excited about our date.”
The last sentence slipped out of me. Nicolas’s frankness was affecting me.
Again, he was happy with my response and didn’t poke fun. I thought I really needed to meet better guys, if chivalry and an honest conversation came as a shock, rather than something normal.
“Nicolas, what is your last name? I agreed to go on a date with you, knowing only your first name. A smart person once told me I shouldn’t trust a stranger.”
“Wow, that must be a smart person,” Nicolas smiled.
Just at that moment, the clouds parted, and the sun was peeking from behind them. Sunshine fell over Nicolas, silhouetting his face in a golden halo.
The image struck me; I thought I had seen it once before.
It was him.
He was the stranger from Australia. He was the one who saved me from drowning.
My thoughts were a whirlwind.
“Are you ok, Eleanor? You turned a little pale just now,” Nicolas asked, concerned.
“I am ok.” I couldn’t resist asking, “Nicolas, did you ever go to Australia?”
“Australia? I did. It was around a year ago, when I had two weeks of vacation. Why do you ask?” he said.
“No reason, just curious,” I lied. My heart was pounding fast, but I tried to remain calm. “Did anything interesting happen while you were there?”
Would he remember he rescued me from the waters? I was hoping he did.
“Australia was great. It was so much fun. It was peaceful and the holiday I needed. Other than that, it was pretty uneventful,” he replied.
Oh.
My heart sank. He didn’t remember the drowning incident or about rescuing me.
I was bitterly disappointed, but I felt strange about feeling it so strongly. It was only a few moments; I thought. How could he remember it?
“Well, there was one thing...” he paused.
“Yes?” I said, my heart beating wildly.
“You might think it is silly,” Nicolas said.
“I will try not to. What was it?”
“I thought I rescued a mermaid there, but it was only a girl who was caught in the waves. She had long golden hair and was wearing a green dress, so I couldn’t see if she had legs or a mermaid’s tail. I wanted to say something to her, but her friends came before I had the chance to ask!”
My heart was beating fast again. I was almost giddy with happiness.
“What would you say to her?” I asked.
“I would ask her if she was a siren? In hindsight, it was a good thing I didn’t. Her friends might have beat me up thinking I was flirting with her.”
So it was Nicolas who rescued me. It had been him with that heavenly smile.
Should I tell him? No, it was best to keep it to myself as it might embarrass him. It will definitely embarrass me to tell him I was the damsel in distress that day too. Already, he rescued me twice.
“She must be grateful you were there that day, even if she wasn’t a mermaid,” I told Nicolas. It was true, I was grateful.
“I hope so. Now that I think about it, I lied earlier. I rescued another girl rather than none. Do you still want to go on that date with me?”
I smiled. Nicolas hadn’t lied, but of course he didn’t know the whole truth himself.
Both of the girls he saved, the mermaid and the action star, were me.
“Well, since you have been honest about it. Our date is still on,” I said.
He said nothing, but he smiled serenely. He was blissfully unware of the chaos his smile was flaming inside of me.
“I didn’t tell you who I am,” Nicolas said apologetically.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“I am Nicolas Xavier of Buenos Aires,” he replied.
“I see, Nicolas Xavier. You must be the pride and joy of Mr. and Mrs. Xavier?”
“I wish I could tell you that. I don’t know. I lost both of my parents at a young age to a car accident. They were badly injured and there wasn’t a doctor around for miles. They died before reaching the hospital,” Nicolas said.
“I am so sorry, Nicolas. I can’t even imagine what you went through!”
“I had my grandma and my grandpa. They became my parents.”
“How are they? It was a terrible loss for them, too.”
“They are the sweetest people you would meet. My grandma, especially. She never gets angry. Even when I tried to make her angry.”
“You tried?”
“I was so stupid. I was so full of anger those days. I got wasted and smashed the windows of my neighbor. Luckily, he didn’t press any charges, and I didn’t end up in jail.”
“Did your Grandma get angry?”
“No, the opposite. She hugged me and said, ‘My dear, sweet boy. I know you are hurting’. I felt like an idiot. I apologized and never tried to play another stunt like that again.”
“Your grandma sounds sweet. I can’t imagine you misbehaving,” I said.
“Yeah.. I think one time was enough for me. I would love you to meet her, Eleanor,” Nicolas said.
“I would love that too, Nicolas.” I smiled.
“How about your parents, Eleanor? How are they like?” Nicolas asked.
“I wish I could complain... they are mostly absent and let me do my own thing.”
“That’s terrible?”
“I wished they yelled at me, just to know they care. It seems the only time I get their attention is when I win an award. I feel like I am complaining,” I said, flustered. It worried me what he would think of me, but I shouldn’t have. Nicolas didn’t judge me.
“I don’t know how I would feel. Absent parents versus having dead parents. To be honest, both are bad,” he said.
“Yes, I think so too,” I said.
“I don’t know your parents, Eleanor. But after knowing you, I am sure they care. They have to!” he said, but blushed after exclaiming it.
Nicolas was so sweet.
“I text them every few days to let them know I am ok. I have to text my best friend daily though.”
“Really? Why is that?”
“My best friend is Cassie. She is a worrier,” I replied.
“Oh, I see. What do you prefer? Texting daily or once in a while?” Nicolas asked.
I looked at Nicolas. He was the eager student in the class's front, and I was the subject he was studying.
“I don’t have a preference. I guess it depends on the person. If I know that the other person cares about me and would worry, I would text them as often as they liked,” I replied.
“Ok, cool. Just so you know, I am more of a worrier.”
I laughed. “Are you trying to tell me something, Nicolas?”
“Yes. Will you answer back my texts?” Nicolas asked, hopefully.
“We will see.” I said with a smile.
Nicolas was such an open book. I wanted to know everything about his life.
He talked about his job. He talked about life and philosophy. He talked about what was important to him. He talked about how words matter. He believed words spoken to people mattered. He believed people mattered.
I never met a person who wore their heart on their sleeves. He talked with absolute surety and with passion. He lacked any self-consciousness or self-doubt about what he was feeling.
I thought Nicolas was funny, kind, and loving.
I thought he was beautiful.