Against All Odds

two (fate)

The sun was scorching, he could feel the sweat dripping on his forehead. The wonders of a tropical vacation. On the bright side, he only had to pack t-shirts and shorts because he would be dressing lightly the entire time.

He studied the map in his hand, eyes squinting in confusion. Was he lost? How big was this place anyway? Why were there so many rides and attractions? Could he even possibly finish them all in one day?

As he fumbled with the map, a familiar figure watched from a distance.

"You there."

Brett heard a voice calling. He wasn't sure if it was directed towards him but he turned around anyway. The call was from a tall man who was wearing sunglasses. Brett looked left and right before realising that the man was pointing at him. "Me?"

"You're that violinist." The stranger said as he approached him, taking off his shades and hanging it to the collar of his t-shirt. It was only then Brett recognised him. It was the man from his busking session at the gardens.

"Oh, hello. We meet again." Brett did a little nod out of politeness. He couldn't possibly remember each and every one of his audience but he was the only person who came up to talk to him thus making him rather notable. He was a little strange but he seemed kind.

"Fancy meeting you here. Alone?" He asked.

"Yes, as you can see." It was such an odd coincidence meeting him again. At a theme park of all places. Brett wasn't one to believe in fate.

He glanced at the map in Brett's hand. "Are you perhaps.. lost?"

"No." Brett said firmly but wavered. He looked timidly at him. ".. maybe?"

"Oh, if you'd like, I can show you around. You could say, I'm somewhat of a veteran of this place."

"Are you not occupied right now?"

"Nah, I'm not really doing anything at the moment. Just aimlessly walking around."

Brett contemplated the offer for a bit. Should he accept it? He had wanted to politely decline but he sucked at directions so he wasn't making much progress on his own. Enjoying the theme park with a companion did seem a little less lonely. It could be more fun too. The man didn't seem to be a bad person or anything.

"Well.. alright then. Lead the way."

The man beamed, "I'm a great tourist guide. You won't regret it."

Brett followed him as he showed him around. They hopped from one ride to another. It was surprisingly fun, listening to him talk about random trivia about the park. He walked around as if he had the whole place memorised in the back of his head. Brett noticed that occasionally, some of the staff would bow and greet the man with respect. Perhaps this was what he meant by being a veteran? He didn't thought much of it.

They were walking along a wide path when the man suddenly brought his hand up to Brett's shoulder and pulled him closer in one quick motion. A speeding caddy passed by, inches away from colliding with him.

"That could've been bad. You okay?" His hand was squeezing his shoulder as he looked at him with concern.

Brett stared back, dumbfounded at the quick turn of events. His gaze was intense. The deep dark brown eyes were like pools of honey under the sun, threatening to drown him had he looked any longer. He snapped out of his daze and backed away upon realising the close proximity of their positions. "O- oh. I'm fine. Thank you."