Serendipity

People watching, it was a past time of Lacey’s, one that she quite enjoyed.

She could often be found on a park bench, on the train, the bus, blending into the background of society, just watching. Observing people from all walks of life, wondering what their story was, how they got to where they were. On relatively slow days, she would try to imagine what those stories were, what made that person tick. What made them decide to wear that long, brown over coat, or carry that obnoxiously large and too bright handbag. What had made them decide to walk through that very park, on that very day? Was there something that had happened to make them want to take the train, or the bus? Were they loved? Did they have friends?

She would watch her own friends, too. Wondering about their secrets, their ambitions, their dreams. Their deepest desires. They all told her she spent too much time inside her own head, day dreaming, off in a little sanctuary of her own. She felt happy there, felt safe, in the small cocoon that existed only to her. The real world could be a cruel place.

She often wondered about love. She wondered about all kinds of things, but love was always at the forefront of her mind. She was a hopeless romantic, an eternal optimist. Hoping there was someone for everyone. But how did one find that special person? That one person who just seemed to get you, understood all of your quirks and weirdness, but overlooked them. The one person to tether themselves to you, for the rest of their life. Like an invisible cord, that only the two of you would know about, would feel.

The world was filled with millions upon millions of people, little dots scattered across the great expanse of planet. How would you ever find your person, among all of those? Even if one did find their person, how would they know it was the right one? Was there some sort of sign? Some, flash of light that would let you know, without a doubt, that you had found the one? It was all very confusing to Lacey, but she liked to ponder over it. She loved nothing more than to curl up into a ball, on her best friend’s couch, and let her thoughts consume her.

His couch was the best couch she’d ever sat on, it was so comfortable. Unlike her mother’s lumpy, hard sofa, this one would swallow you up and keep you in its clutches, like a warm hug. It was old, the material almost threadbare, but it felt homely.

This was where Lacey currently found herself, curled up at the end of Zack’s couch, her legs tucked underneath her, elbow sitting against the arm. Tilting her head, she let it rest against her upturned palm, staring out of the window as her thoughts ran rampant in her head.

The sun shone through the open window, bathing her skin in its warm rays, making her smile. She liked the sun, summer was her favourite season. She always made the best memories during those summer months. Breathing in deeply, she sighed, smelling the salt of the ocean, so close she could almost taste it.

Glancing around the room, she took in each of her friends, the boys she had been attached to since kindergarten. They had all been put into the same class, Jimmy declaring that he was the king of the world as he picked up a plastic sword and waved it around, almost taking Brian’s eye out. The group of friends, brothers, had taken her under their wing, after chasing away the boy that had squirted juice in her face, and made her a part of their family.

She had immediately latched onto Zack, him being the shy one of the group. She had found a kindred spirit in the green eyed boy, the two always together, joined at the hip, crammed into a little corner with a book in their laps. Their parents had teased them growing up. Their mothers hoping the two friends would fall in love and live happily ever after, already planning the wedding.

But it would never happen; they were more like brother and sister, than lovers. Lacey wished she could fall in love with Zack; he was the type of person she would happily grow old with. But it wasn’t meant to be, and she was good with that. He was her best friend, her confidante, the boy she had shared her first kiss with, then immediately thrown up afterwards from the fowl taste of onions in his mouth.

A dig to her ribs pulled her out of her head, Lacey frowning as she turned to face the culprit. “What was that for?”

Zack smiled, shaking his head. “Day dreaming, again?”

“Yeah, so?”

Zack imitated her voice. “Yeah, so?”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “Shut up.”

“You, shut up!” He laughed at the extension of her middle finger, poking his foot into her ribs, once again. “What were you thinking about?”

Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, Lacey turned her body to face him, kicking her legs out to rest them in his lap as she combed her fingers through her light, blonde hair. Returning the gesture, Zack plonked his bare feet onto her and wiggled his toes, stretching out. “You have odd feet,” she joked, watching him rub his big toe against her thigh, her own green eyes twinkling with amusement.

“You have an odd face, but I’m not complaining.” He snorted as her mouth fell open, brows knitting tight. “I’m just kidding, chill your bean.”

Lacey jutted her chin into the air, but ended up laughing. “My bean is chilled, thank you very much.”

“Good to know. Now, come on. What were you thinking about?”

Lacey sighed, her shoulders slumping a little. She knew that Zack wouldn’t drop it; he was like a dog with a bone. “Love?”

Tilting his head to the couch, he crossed his arms and got comfy, preparing for a long talk. “Again?”

“Can’t help it, Zee,” she mumbled, looking down at his feet again. “I feel like everyone is passing me by. I mean, even you have someone.”

“No offence taken. Besides, Mark’s a hottie.” Smirking, he nudged her hand, smiling as she looked into his eyes. “It’ll happen, babe, I know it will. Maybe that special someone is closer than you think..”

“What do you mean by that?”

Running a hand through his dark hair, Zack pondered the best way to break it to her. She could be delicate, at times, and also, a little dense. “Well, I see the way you look at Matt, we all do. Even him.”

“What? I stare at you all, Zack, it’s nothing new.”

Zack sighed; it was going to be harder than he thought. “Yes, but your eyes linger on him, like you can’t bear to look away.”

Lacey frowned; did she really look at Matt like that? He was one of her best friends, had been for a very long time. “I do?”

“Yes, you do. He’s your fish, Lace, I just know it.”

Lacey looked at Zack like he’d grown two heads. “My what?”

Clearing his throat, Zack prepared his little speech. He’d seen a picture on the internet and it had stuck with him, making him smile. “Well, think of the world as a giant fish bowl. There are all these different types of fish, swimming all around you. Exotic ones, colourful ones, big ones, small ones. But amongst all those different types, is your fish. There’s a fish for everyone, but your fish, will be the one that you didn’t notice, the one you didn’t pay any attention to at all. He’ll creep up on you when you least expect it. Matt is your fish, babe.”

Lacey was blown away, her eyes automatically locking onto Matt, widening at the thought of him being her person, her one, her fish. It was like she was looking at him for the first time, noticing little things about him that just hadn’t been there before. But really, they had been there all along, she just hadn’t realised it. In the twenty years she had known him, she’d never once thought of him as anything other than a friend.

She watched him as he played his video game, chewing on the skin of her lip. How had she not noticed just how attractive Matt was? The way his mouth hung open slightly as he concentrated, his eyes glued to the characters on the screen. His dimples that she had always found cute, were now making her want to trace them with the tips of her fingers, to kiss them. Her gaze moved from his face to his torso, those strong, colourful arms, bunching and tensing as his thumbs flew across the controller in his hand. He was led on the opposite sofa, a new purchase by Zack’s mother. Suddenly, she really wanted to be in his arms. To feel them curl around her, keep her safe. She wanted to feel his hard chest against her back, his breath against her ear. She burned hot as her eyes travelled lower, wondering if he was big all over.

Zack grinned wide as realisation shone all over his best friend’s face, chuckling at the blush on her cheeks. Lacey tore her eyes away from Matt to see Zack’s smug face, rolling her eyes. “You said that he saw the way I look at him, why hasn’t he said anything to me?”

Shrugging, he reached for his cigarettes, letting one drop onto his chest. “He knows how shy you are, so he decided to wait, let you come to him.”

“So what do I do now?” She hissed, noticing the others tuning into their conversation with knowing looks on their faces. “I can’t just...jump him, can I!”

Zack snorted, coughing out a cloud of smoke. “Maybe that’s not such a bad idea,” he wheezed, rubbing his chest.

Lacey stole a glance at Matt; he was the picture of concentration. A train could roll right past him, and he wouldn’t even flinch. “I can’t do that,” she whined, pulling her knees up to her chest.

“Just, get over there, I’ll do the rest.” Putting his cigarette between his lips, Zack swung his legs around, moving into a sitting position. Sucking a drag, he blew out the smoke. “Guys, wanna take a walk down to the store? We’re out of beer.” They all laughed as Jimmy jumped to his feet, knocking over empty bottles and pizza boxes.

She watched them leave the room, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. Taking a deep breath, she chanced another glance in Matt’s direction, her face flushing as he looked right back at her. She smiled, shyly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, looking down at her feet. She noticed him set the controller down onto the floor, following him in her peripheral vision as he got to his feet and crossed the room. Feeling the couch dip, she moved to a sitting position.

Sneaking a glance out of the corner of her eye, she saw him lick his lips, then turn to face her. “Lace?”

God, that rasp in his voice. It sent shivers down her spine. How had she been so oblivious? Timidly, she looked up at him, so close she could see the beautiful caramel of his eyes. Could smell his scent, so powerful and intoxicating. Her heart pounded as she glanced at his lips, sure he could hear it, too. Those lips, so pink and full. She wanted to kiss him, to have his taste on her tongue. “Yes?”

“Close your eyes.”

Staring back at him, Lacey obeyed, her eyelids fluttering closed, feeling like she was smack bang in the middle of one of her romance novels. What was he going to do to her? She hoped he would kiss her. She needn’t wonder any further as she felt him move closer to her, so close, she felt his breath on her skin. “Stop shaking,” he whispered, mirth in his tone.

She grinned and chuckled, keeping her eyes closed. “Sorry, Matt.” She felt strange saying his name, all of a sudden, feeling silly for feeling that way. She’d said his name countless times over the years, shouted it when he had pissed her off, laughed it when he had done something funny. But now that she had realised her attraction towards him, saying his name meant more. It meant something more to her.

“Don’t be,” he rasped, letting his hands rest against her thighs.

And then he kissed her. Finally, after feeling like she had waited a whole life time for his kiss, he obliged her. His lips were every bit as soft as she had imagined them to be in the short time she had wondered about him, creating a line of goose bumps up her arms as they brushed against hers. His kisses were soft and sweet, both of their mouths still closed as they built up a momentum.

Lacey wanted to open her eyes, to peak at him and see what he looked like, but she thought he might find that odd. But she did it anyway. Opening them just a little, she wanted to smile. His were closed, his brow furrowed in concentration. She closed her eyes again, not wanting him to open his and find her staring at him. She wanted to laugh at the thought of it.

Her mind stopped wandering as Matt slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her into him, rubbing his nose against hers. If she thought his first kiss had been spectacular – and she did – she was wonderfully surprised at his second. Feeling his hand smooth up her back, he parted his lips and traced the tip of his tongue across the seam of hers, silently asking permission to enter. She parted hers on a gasp, sighing into his mouth as their tongues touched for the first time. Vaguely aware that her arms were hanging by her sides like limp squids, she reached up and placed them on his shoulders, marvelling at the expanse of hard muscle.

If that first kiss had given her goose bumps, the second was creating fireworks in her head. What started off as a tentative exploration of each other’s mouth, turned into a fiery, heated embrace, their lips moulding together, tongues dancing and weaving. She felt like the breath had been sucked right out of her lungs as he kissed her, with such passion and expertise. She almost forgot to breathe, an explosion going off in her groin.

They both gasped for air as they parted, Matt leaning his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes. She felt hot, like her blood was burning in her veins as he stared at her with such a predatory and carnal gaze. There was no doubt about it, she was hooked on him.

She frowned as he stood and crossed back to the other sofa, wondering if it was the norm for a guy to up and leave straight after kissing a girl. Lacey didn’t have very much experience in that department; her only reference was the onion laced kiss with Zack. Her frown softened as she watched Matt pick up his controller and turn the TV around to face her, gathering his things and placing them on the back of the couch she sat on. “You didn’t have to move your things; I could sit on the other sofa with you, if you like?”

“It’s okay; this is your favourite sofa.” She wanted to swoon.

Shifting forward, she let him climb around her so that he was slouched in the corner, his legs open. Glancing up at him, she smiled shyly, scooting over so that she was, in effect, lying over his lap. Pulling her legs up, she bent her knees, tucking her feet under the cushion to keep them warm, putting her arm under her head as a makeshift pillow. He allowed her to get comfortable, putting his arms around her, picking up his controller and carried on playing, as if the kiss hadn’t happened.

As if Matt could sense her disappointment, he rubbed her arm with his thumb. “I loved kissing you, Lace, but I didn’t want to get all hot and heavy, not when I haven’t taken you on a date, yet.”

Lacey beamed, smiling so wide, her cheeks began to ache. Matt Sanders was perfect. Snuggling further back into his chest, she felt it. In his arms, she felt like she had come home. “Matt?”

“Hmm?” She knew he was listening, even if he didn’t take his eyes off the screen.

“I think you might just be my fish, you know.”

He smiled, bending his head to place a soft kiss to her cheek. “I think you might be right.”