Paper Planes
I was in a rush, I had a schedule to stick to otherwise this wouldn't work. All of the four pieces of paper were in a small bundle inside of my back pack along with a sharpie and clipboard as I made my way to the train station in anticipation for her. Yes, Gabrielle cheated on me. Yes, I was in love with her. Infact, I was so close to proposing it wasn't funny finding out that she had been with another guy for two weeks.
But somehow, after a month of her begging my forgiveness, I managed to do just that and was willing to get her back, only to find out that she had to travel west to Western Australia and away from Queensland, to visit her really sick grandma. Almost a year had passed, and I missed her like crazy. She's the one, I'm sure of it. I love her to much to not be able to overlook her problems and betrayal, it's been Gabrielle and Peter for years. She made a mistake, we all do.
As I pulled into the car park, I hastily grabbed the backpack from the passenger seat and fled my car. Quickly checking my wrist watch, it told me that there were another five minutes until the train pulled in. I had to find her. Running onto the platform gave afew quizzical looks sent in my direction but I was excited that she was finally coming back, and honestly didn't mind. Quickly, I bent down and swung the backpack off, grabbing out a clipboard, piece of paper and sharpie.
I have a little surprise,
And I think you're the best.
Please follow me,
Take this small test.
There's a tree at the bridge,
It looks like a man.
He has a big nose,
And a quite pale tan.
- P. xx
I shoved the marker end between my teeth and folded the paper into an aeroplane. Jumping on the balls of my feet, I saw the train pull into the station and looked back at my watch. 10:02am it read. My heart at this point was beating out of my chest as the transport came to a squealing halt and the doors opened, then the hostess pulled out a plank of metal to attatch the two unlevel floors. They went back into the train, and after afew minutes, passengers flooded out as they hugged their relatives and friends before departing. Down to the last few passengers aboard brought worry to myself holding the plane between my forefinger and thumb.
Then she stepped out. Her blonde curls hugged her face and travelled down to her waist. Her heels clacked along the ground as she stepped out of the train, and her bangs carressed her pale forehead. She has always been pretty.
And then my heart was crushed, and my stomach lurched at the sight before me. My heart came to a standstill and my shoulders slumped. It wasn't just Gabrielle stepping out of the train. A tall man, with dark brown hair and a smile stepped out and pulled her to his side while she grinned back up at him. Holding hands, they picked up their luggage and didn't even notice me standing before them. Instead, they practically skipped towards a car parked at the very back of the parking lot, my eyes trailing after the two. She seemed so... happy. With out me.
Gabrielle moved on from our five bloody years of a relationship within the short time span of eleven months. That broke me. But then again, I was stupid. She cheated for a reason. In my anger, I threw the aeroplane in no pointed direction. I watched as it flew aimlessly and ducked at the ocasional person, just missing them. And then it bumped into the back of a head.
A head that belonged to a short, petite body of about 5'2" and straight auburn hair that finished just below the shoulders. The girl rubbed the back of her head and turned around confusedly, searching the crowd but I hid behind a paper stand just in time. She was cute, pretty. Beautiful in fact, and even from this distance her eyes looked a sparkelling dark brown. They managed to take my breath away from this far. She looked around for another five seconds before her eyes travelled downwards and landed on that aeroplane I threw her way. A sharp intake of breath cut through me as she picked it up and carefully unfolded it with small hands. Even her hands are cute.
Well that wasn't strange at all.
I realised she had already unwrapped the paper and my breathing hitched at the back of my throat while she skimmed over the words. I expected her to roll her eyes and throw it in the bin, but she giggled. And that was about the best sound I'd ever heard.
After glancing around again, she then walked up to a map on the outside of the station and studied it carefully. She was closer to my crouched position now, and enough so for me to see just what she was looking for. Her fingers painted light pink pressed on the glass and glided over the help behind, until she stopped at a blue patch and I found myself smiling.
The bridge by the lake.
Curiousity ran through me and adrenaline kicked in for me to sneak past her and dash for my car. I couldn't stop thinking about her, and at the moment, neither could I even bring to mind what Gabrielle looked like. She had cheated on me. So what? At the moment, only this girl mattered. And it was weird.
As I made my way to the very park I hoped the mystery girl intended on going, I looked at my backpack and smiled happily. I hadn't felt this happy in a while now. It was a nice surprise, however strange it was that I was joyous over this girl. I pulled in conveniently hiding my vehicle in the shrubbery, across from the grass that travelled down to a small lake, and the noticeable bridge that arched it's way over it. Then, at the other side of the bridge, my sight travelled over a tall oak tree. One of the big branches afew years back had been cut down due to safety rights, and over the time had accustomed the features of an old man with a large nose, and was a much lighter colour than the rest of the tree.
I ran across the bridge and came to a stop at the tree. Taking one look at the old oak, I bent down and swung the bag off yet again, reaching in to pull out my supplies. I took the cap off of the sharpie, and started writing.
I'm glad you chose to come,
I want to get to know you.
I have to say, you're beautiful.
I'm lucky for this chance, too.
An abandonned ferris wheel,
Stands near the dock.
Another letters there,
Waiting for your look.
- P. xx
I re-read the letter over and over again, wondering if this is a good idea. I'm in it to much now to quit however, she intrigues me and I'm not going to leave her hanging. I folded the piece of paper into another aeroplane. My ideas were cheesy, but it didn't matter. I already liked this girl, and I hadn't even spoken to her. It was just how her giggle sounded pleasent, and her chocolate eyes drew me in. She brought a smile to my face.
I tucked a small part of the planes wing under a rock and rested it below the tree. I was about to go hide, but white caught my eye and I turned to face a patch of daisys swaying with the slight breeze. Acting fast, I smiled as I picked out seven of the best that were sticking out of the ground, and tied a long blade of grass around them to hold them together. I put them down directly next to the letter. I then bent down to pick up my backpack and as I did so, I heard a car door close while my eyes bulged. Taking one last look at my work, I ran as much as I could around the small lake then jumped behind the bushes that were closer to my car. I just had to get past the road without her noticing.
My thoughts were interrupted as auburn hair caught my attention and a head bobbed towards the direction of the tree. I peeked through the shrub of green and watched, her eyes still seemed to sparkle from earlier. She headed straight to the tree, and I sat stilled in my hunched position, trying to catch a glimpse of her reaction. At first I didn't really take note of what she was wearing, and the light cardigan, white tee and jeans were sort of plain, but it suited her. Then again, I'm sure anything would.
She picked up the daisys first, and a gorgeous smile blessed her features. Her plump pink lips tugged higher when she pulled out a daisy from the lot delicately, and pushed it behind her ear. Beautiful is an understatement.
I was glad I hid where I did, even though it was quite a chance to take. I could still see every one of her movements, 20-20 vision was a blessing. Had I been closer though, I'm sure she would've spotted me.
Once she glanced around, her eyes stopped on the daisys not far off and she laughed. God, she's gorgeous. She patted the other six into a pocket of her shorts, and then noticed the plane. When she tugged it open, I felt the same breath be taken away in worry. What if she thinks I'm a creeper? What if she thinks I'm a pervert?
Why would she think that? A stranger sending love notes. Not creepy at all.
And that's all it took for regret to sear through me as I intensely watched every single one of her movements. She read the letter. She seemed to take longer, and I wondered if it had anything to do with what I had actually said, or if she was thinking, but she soon giggled again and relief washed through me breezily. It's all okay.
Realising I better hurry, I ducked and ran as fast as I could towards my hidden car. Across the road, I hoped she hadn't spotted me, but I didn't dare look back. Instead, I made my way to my ute and sped off with another two pieces of paper, my clipboard and sharpies. My blood ran through my veins fast, my heart pumped out of my chest, and the grin seemed permanently etched into my face. This was exciting, and I wanted to know her more than ever now. By now, the clock had struck a surprising 10:45am and I drove until the familiar sight of a ferris wheel came into view. I parked my car at a park amongst others, a little further away from my destination, and then headed for the ferris wheel with my backpack grasped. When I came to a halt at the end of the dock, I momentarily watched the waved hit the rocks and glide across the sand of Anchors Bay. I then continued to venture towards the ferris wheel, that was out of business. I took out another piece of paper and thought for abit, before writing down the last clue.
So this was a short thing,
It's coming to its end.
But I'm happy you followed,
I have something you might be able to mend.
I stopped at that part, unsure of how I unconciously scribbled that down. Risks. Just a risk I'm willing to take. So I continued.
Down on fifth street,
There's afew coffee shops.
One's called Frankies,
Their stuff absolutely rocks.
- P. xx
Once again, I folded the paper into a plane and looked around for a spot to place it, but not seing any, I looked harder. I was starting to lose hope until a seagull's cry caught my attention and I saw the bird fly off a beam. Taking a closer inspection, the wood had a ring attatched, that was just perfect. I was able to place the paper plane firmly into the ring, and even with the wind blowing the friction from the rusty metal stopped the plane from taking off. I just hoped the seagull wouldn't come back.
I ran, and took my cover behind a tree once I got off the dock. I wouldn't have been able to see her expression, but I was hoping I'd realise some body movements that showed her emotions. God, I don't even know her name and yet here I am, stalking her on a whole new level.
Afew minutes past and I waited behind the tree. What if she decided to quit? Not now, please not now. She still hadn't come, ten minutes had flown by and I furrowed my eyebrows. I was getting ready to head back to my car disapointed, when the auburn hair I seemed obsessed with at the moment, came in vision and the girl huffed while chuckling and shaking her head. She clicked off her phone in her hands and placed it into the pocket on her cardigan, and then I realised she must have gotten lost. I kept a tight grip of the tree when she walked passed, and then made her way onto the dock. For afew moments after she reached the end, the girl had glanced around but came to a stop when her line of sight fell upon the beam on one side.
Gracefully, she padded towards the wood and her small hands slided the plane out of the ring. As she was opening it I looked further up her body and saw the daisy that she had placed in her hair, still holding up there and she pushed it in more securely. It was an adorable action.
I wasn't happy that I couldn't see her expression once she began reading the letter, becuase as she did her shoulders visibly stiffened and worry once more crept into my stomach and my heart dropped to my feet. It wasn't until she turned around and started walking back the way she came, in a casual manor that I was able to catch a glimpse of her face. Her brown eyes were still alight, if not even more so from this far away. The most cutest thing was the identifiable crimson that had crept onto her cheeks as she bit her lip and wringed her hands. I couldn't decipher her actions, but kept an eye on her making her way back to her car, a light green buggey.
Car.
My eyes widened as I grabbed my backpack, and headed straight for own car at an unfashionably fast pace. I made it into the transport, quickly started up the engine and made sure to be ahead of her but as I came to a stop at the lights, I saw her car from earlier pull up right beside me in the double lanes, and I strained my eyes to focus ahead of me instead of her delightful look. My fingers gripped at the steering wheel tightly and I prayed she wouldn't get to Frankies before me. Then her light switched green before mine, and I watched helplessly as her car rolled off and out of sight after turning a corner.
Great.
Another few agonising seconds passed before my own lights turned green and I clamped down on the accelerator and sped off towards Frankies. I had been going to that place for years now, however I had never taken anyone there so I wasn't sure what made me chose that place for the mystery girl. Not even Gabrielle had found out about my addiction.
So why would I ask her to go to Frankies?
Shaking my head, I finally noticed the little coffee shop come into sight and pulled into an empty bay. I looked around to see the green buggey, and did. It was empty, indicating she had already found her way into the place. I unfastened my seat belt, pulled down the mirror attatched to the sun visor and gave myself a once over. I was nervous. That was... that. Smiling hopefully at my reflection, I opened the door and took a deep breath after grabbing my backpack. Once I had entered the coffee shop, the airconditioning immediately hit my face and I felt relaxed.
That quick relief left as my mind slammed back on why I'm here, and I searched around the small area. My eyes met the chocolate brown ones of the little auburn and I immediately looked away. When I took liberty to glance back at her, she was already turned away and staring at the empty seat and table in front of her with a frown hanging on onto furrowed eyebrows. I rushed up to the front counter, and ordered two coffees, hoping she isn't particular. The cashier nodded and started typing up my order as I sent the money his way.
I then bent down to pick up my bag, and pulled out the last piece of paper and sharpie. I wanted to keep it simple, and wrote a quick 'hey' before folding it carefully into a paper plane and aiming. My hand shook, but I willed myself to stay calm. I was incredibly nervous, and I was waiting for her to jump at me and either shout about her husband or boyfriend, or tell me I'm in need of a mental asylum.
I mean, after all. I am the only person I know who would go out of his mind enough to send love notes to a stranger. Well— like letters. But as I threw the paper plane, and it glided through thin air then landed swiftly on the table infront of her, the girl whom I had grown infatuated, intrigued and curiouser with over the past hour and a half, turned and stared straight at me.
I carefully smiled and watched as she unfolded the paper plane, not taking her eyes off me nor reclosing the slight gap between her lips. As she read the shape of the word 'hey' written, a bright smile illuminated off her beautiful face and she beckoned me over. I turned back to the cashier, and saw the two coffees placed infront of me as I grabbed them both and hesitantly headed in her direction. All the meanwhile, those dark brown eyes never left mine. As I came closer to the gorgeous girl, I noticed the array of freckles splashed across her nose and cheeks, adding to the cute factor.
I placed the coffee on the table infront of me and slipped into the chair across from her. Now I really was waiting for her to attack with the 'I've got a boyfriend' topic and grab one of the coffees to throw in my face.
But it never came.
And so I asked, "coffee?" And she replied with a nod as I pushed a disposable coffee cup her way. "I-I'm Peter," I told and she chuckled shyly.
"Jasmine." She had peeked at me from under her eyelashes and another adorable flush of colour jumped onto her cheeks. "They weren't actually for me, were they? The letters?" I studied her facial features for after she said this, And I couldn't stop staring. Her voice is amazing, angelic like. "I bet the girl they were for would have been estatic," she gave a small smile and I remembered Gabrielle. Gabrielle was nothing like Jasmine though. I didn't have to know the latter well enough to already see that.
"Are you?"
She blushed. And I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to hold her, to hug her. I wanted to have her.
"Yeah... I am," she kept looking down into her lap, and I was fascinated with each of her movements. They were so... perfect.
"Do you... want to have lunch with me? Here?"
"Ye-Yeah! Ah- um sorry, I would enjoy that." With her original out burst I found myself smiling more so. She was nervous. "I really like paper planes, by the way."
As of now, "so do I."
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