His Hope

Part 2: Running Into You

2

Louisa woke up at 5 am Friday morning with a smile on her face. It wasn't a special day or anything, no bird came to sing in her window, and no magic broom came to sweep up her mess. There was just something about the day that made her want to breathe, and days like that were rare. She also appreciated the quietness of the early mornings, being able to make hot chocolate and snuggle in a blanket on her front porch as she watched the sun come up.

When her sister woke up a few hours later to get ready for school, she made them breakfast, before sending her off. After, she dressed in a simple white sundress, because the weather had been pleasantly warm the past few days. She continued to spend most of her morning lazing around the house and when the afternoon sleepiness hit, instead of napping, she decided a nice walk downtown was a good idea.

She walked along the sidewalk, kicking stones, and watching everything as she went. People, butterflies, the clouds, her eyes took in all that the world around her had to offer. She ran her fingers along the metal railing outside of a store and stopped to gaze inside a few shops. The weather was beautiful and so far, people had been kind to her. She turned, walking backward and spreading her arms out wide, welcoming the sun into her embrace. She could feel it warming her skin and she kissed the wind before spinning back around to continue walking. But, just as her feet touched the pavement and continued to push her forward, her body slammed into a hard wall and she felt herself jerk backward, the shock of it keeping her from catching herself.

When the stinging pain of her arm scraping against the rough concrete registered in her mind, her other hand immediately wrapped around her injured one, trying to take the pain away. "Ow! Fudge! Cheese and crackers, that hurt!" She had been around her youngest brother quite a bit the past week and gotten into the habit of watching what she said.

"Oh fuck! Are you alright?" A man spoke urgently, as he knelt beside her, trying to look her over. He hadn't been paying attention as he came out of the shop, his head stuck in his phone. He didn't expect a body to crash into him as soon as he stepped out of the door. He wasn't hurt, not even sure a hair on his head had been moved, but she had stumbled backward onto the sidewalk. He could tell she was hurt by the way she cowered and protected one side. Frowning, he hurriedly shoved his phone in his pocket as he reached for her arm to see how bad it was.

"Don't!" She rushed out when she saw a hand try to touch her. Her arm was bleeding, and she didn't want anybody to hurt it more. She felt tears gather in her eyes, and when she looked up at the stranger that she had previously assumed was a wall, she could barely see him due to the blurriness from her tears. She took a deep breath trying to force them back into her tear ducts. No crying, she thought to herself.

He backed off immediately, his hands rising in defense. "I promise I won't hurt you; I'd just like to check and see how bad it is, I'll be gentle." He spoke softer this time, trying to look less intimidating to her when he stopped in his tracks. Feeling the same twist in his gut that he had experienced for the first time last week, he recognized who was in front of him. She was even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. With that thought, he slowly lowered his hands and settled them on his thighs as she sniffled and nodded slowly in response.

"I'm just going to move the sleeve of your dress and check it out alright?" He decided it'd be best to tell her what he was doing beforehand, so he wouldn't frighten her.

When he gently grabbed her arm, she flinched out of instinct before settling and watching his hands carefully. He did just as he said he would and lifted the sleeve of her dress back up onto her shoulder, ignoring the weird feeling in his chest when his fingers grazed over her skin. He cleared his throat and quickly pulled his hand back and grimaced when he got a good look at her arm. It looked like road rash usually would, but had a few deeper cuts, probably from smaller rocks that were settled on the sidewalk. He felt terrible if he had been paying attention to what he was doing he could have prevented this.