Chapter 4: Mr. Stranger!

It was a warm evening of cold December. She was walking on a busy yet silent road lost in her own world, taking slow and careful steps. Her eyes were filled with spark, glitter that attracts you or shimmer that amazes you. With hair tied and red shorts adjusted perfectly on her curves, she looked pretty. A red crimson appearing on her cheeks with the play of cold air made her look cute even more. Every time she take a step she passed by the red brick while stepping on white, taking a long step. She giggles every time she made to red. She looked like a kid in an amusement park. A little did she know about the pair of eyes which were smiling at her as they found her "cute?"

"Excuse me?" A voice spoke from behind to which she turned, to meet a pair of eyes, deep and dark. He had a muffler making it difficult to have a complete view of his face but he was handsome. His dark brown orbs with intense gaze were more than enough to define his dominant aura. She looked into his eyes... 'They say something'...

"You lost this?" He placed a key-chain in between his thumb and index finger taking it at the level of her eyes.

"Hun" Eros came out of her trance processing what is happening? 'His voice... I've heard him but where?'

"Oh... Yes, That's mine" Eros made an 'O' shaped mouth, peeking in her bag only to found that she forgot to zip up. "Thank You" She bowed to which he nodded.

He held strong stare that Eros finds hard to make a contact with. She just looked down.

"Are you a foreigner?" He spoke this time with more deep voice.

'I've definitely heard him' Eros was so lost in him that she found so difficult to form words, racking her brain 'why he looked so familiar to her?'

"No" She answered making a short eye-contact "I'll get going. Thank you" and turned back to her track.

"Can I see you again?" He bellowed from behind which made Eros turn back to look at him. She paused for a moment. '"I don't think so", then turned away after a cold reply.

"Eugene" She murmured to herself as she recalled his voice and turned swiftly only to find an empty road. Her eyes travelled in all the corners but he was gone.

She sat in her balcony under the starry sky. "I wonder who he was." She was still stuck at him with the chaotic mind. "How that Mr. Stranger could be Eugene?" She sighed striking her hands and feet "I'm probably going to get mad" First the radio show... Second the school incidence and then this Mr. Stranger. O' God what's wrong with me?" She lay back on floor and closed her eyes "Who is this Mr. Stranger?", and let the silence of peaceful night vanish her thoughts.

Eros sat on a table eating her lunch in a complete silence until Mia spoke "How is your school going on?"

"It's just two days yet and not so special just staff introductions and all" She replied with the food in her mouth. "And yes we will be having exhibition tomorrow I'll be late."

"Better not late till night" Mia warned her with complete motherly tone to which Eros just nodded her head.

'Painting.. It depict person's emotions and how one see the world.' that's what at-least Eros think. She looked at the paintings without even blinking her eyes. How artist pour all his efforts to picture his thoughts with color. It is same like authors write their stories to tell the world. Eros every time get amazed as she found every other painting a complete masterpiece. She was moving from painting to painting until a butterfly painting caught her attention. There was a painting of a butterfly, a blue butterfly with shades of black and the outer line of butterfly wings were missing like the artist left it without any defined wing shape on purpose. When she was looking at that butterfly all she could think of was peace and joy in life but shades of black reminding her of how one can die at any moment so one should enjoy every moment, and should find joy in our lives. The missing lines reminded her of how there's no limit to our imagination, freedom, dreams. So in short that painting was urging her to be free to live without boundaries and be at peace with her life.. She was so lost in the painting until she heard a voice … again? … Eros struggled about whether to turn or not then she heard again.

"I am not a ghost" He spoke this time in a light voice with little smile on his lips. Eros turned and as her eyes met his, she felt shivers down back her spine. This time he had a cap that covers his eyes but she can still feel his gaze, intense and dark. He looked more handsome than last time. His milky skin and pink plump lips with perfect sharp jawbone made him look exactly like a character you read in novels or the hero of your favorite anime.

Eros looked everywhere before looking back to him "Are you stalking me?" She spoke with a stern voice and gaze matching his but she had no effect on him. "And why would I?" He replied with a calm voice. "Because I don't take this as a co-incidence" Eros stared back to him. God knows from where did he find this attitude but then she is not an easy girl also. She decided not to let her guards down but the very next moment she found herself struggling with her emotions as she noticed his rectangular smile that soften her heart. She looked at him in complete awe; 'he should smile often' . "I like that" He spoke this time in a husky voice to which Eros widens her eyes. "Like what?" She tried her best to maintain her aura as strong as his but felt like small and helpless creature every time he spoke "You trying to be grumpy. I like that" He suppressed his laugh to which Eros looked at him annoyingly.

Eros felt something new, something different that she never had felt before. He was taking her down and she was falling, rolling deep down in the valley of emotions that were hard to put into words. She couldn't get angry on him anymore even though she wanted to. He was pulling her by his powerful influence and she was too soft to react to his potential. 'What are you doing to me?' Eros was in chaos of her thoughts but a voice shudder her.

"Orion, what are you doing here? Everyone is looking for you in the basement" Eros knew her; she was the same rude senior she had an interaction or more like a misadventure. "Oh, she is our junior" She turned her attention towards Eros to which Eros bowed with a light "Hello".

"It's alright. Let's go" He replied to her with a soft smile on his face and turned to leave without any-other word. Eros stood stiff at her place thinking whether she was there for him a moment ago?