Miss Chocolate

I could still remember the unforgettable day when Alex walked into my life…

When my parents decided on a divorce that day, I was devastated. I dashed out of my house upon hearing the heart-breaking news and wandered aimlessly around the neighbourhood, seeking for something that could lift my spirits. Making my way up a foreign staircase in the dingy alley, I found myself at the top of a building, completely mesmerized by the stunning view of the sparkling sea at the beach ahead. I felt the compelling urge to reach my hands out, as if I could soar through the skies and forget all my unhappiness. Strolling leisurely to the edge of the metal railing, I leaned forward and peered out into the blue waters below.

“Why must my parents break up?” I yelled, feeling the need to let my emotions out.

In the blink of an eye, I was pulled back abruptly by a pair of strong arms. I fell backward on the ground littered with gravel beside the handsome stranger. He had a head of glossy brown hair that oddly reminded me of melted chocolates and he was staring intently at me with his deep black eyes. The edges of his thin lips were smeared with what were unmistakably smudges of chocolate.

As if he had read my mind, he held out a bar of dark chocolate to me and said, “Chocolate?”

“What do you think you’re doing, mister?” I huffed indignantly and stood up, brushing the back of my jeans.

“I believe that I’m offering you some chocolate,” he smiled charmingly and bit a chunk off the bar. “It is better than taking your own life over something minor.”

“T…Taking my own life?” I stuttered with my eyes widened. “I was not trying to kill myself. I was just enjoying the scenery.”

He had on a look of incredulity. “My mistake then,” he laughed out loud and reached a hand to me. “Alex.”

I nodded and turned back to face the sea, not wanting to reveal my name to a person I barely knew.

The awkward silence of our uneasiness was deafening. I cleared my throat loudly and shrugged several times. But Alex just kept looking out into the sea, his eyes strangely distant.

When it was clear that neither of us was going to speak, I started to let my thoughts wander to my parent’s break up. I had expected it from the coldness they treated each other with for the past months. But still, when I heard it being spoken aloud, I realized that I had greatly overestimated my ability to deal with a crisis like that. I could not handle it calmly like the way I thought I would.

Alex spoke and shoved the bar of chocolate into my hand suddenly. “I do not know what has happened to you, but I strongly believe that you are going to pull through.” When I stared at him blankly, he continued. “Whenever you have a problem, try eating chocolate. It usually makes you feel a lot better.”

I nodded obediently and bit the small corner of it. It was bittersweet, which mirrored my emotions, but was oddly comforting. I continued biting bits of the chocolate, indulging in its taste, until I had not noticed that he was already striding away.

“Wait!” I called out to him, overwhelmed with immense dread that he had to leave so soon. “How do I find you again?”

He turned back to glance at me briefly and shouted, “I will look for you. Enjoy the treat, Miss Chocolate.”

But to my utter disappointment, he did not appear when I, with two chocolate bars in my hand, went back to the building the next day, the day after, and eventually every single day after that. I did not know why I wanted to see him again, but all I knew was that I needed to catch a glimpse of his gorgeous face again. It was a simple gesture of giving me a snack, but it meant so much more to me. It was an encouragement that not only comforted me, but also helped to overcome the ache when my parents fought aggressively for my custody.

When I decided that Alex’s absence was too much to bear, I asked around the neighbourhood for him and learnt that he was an exchange student from Japan. He only happened to be staying with a family who lived around the area. I faltered miserably the most when I found out that he had already gone back to his country.

I would never forget him - his beautiful profile, the intriguing black eyes, the chocolate brown hair and the cadence of his assuring voice. I thought I would never see those alluring eyes again…

Now as I stood here at the exact same spot I did three years ago during my “suicide attempt”, reminiscing longingly about the past, I could make out a dark silhouette on the opposite end of the railing from where I was, looking out into the vast sea.

“Could it be…?” I said to myself, my voice barely above a whisper. “But… how?”

Involuntarily, I petted my pocket which now contained a bar of mint-flavoured chocolate and made my way to the figure quietly. I tapped on the man’s broad shoulder and let out a breath I did not notice I had been holding when he turned to face me.

It was him.

Alex widened his eyes and whispered, “Miss Chocolate?”