I watch as he looks up. He looks toward the sky, anger etched in his features. He stares with such intensity, such hatred, that it physically pains me to continue watching. But I don’t look away, because something about this stranger captivates me. The way he opens his mouth, as if to cry in anguish, yet no sound comes out. The way he sinks to the ground, as if his knees are being weighed down by the burdens of life. As I watch, I have an urge to hold him, to comfort him, and before I realize it, I take hesitant steps toward him. This man, whom I’ve never met, holds me to him in a way neither of us can understand.
But he doesn’t know I’m watching.
Still, in the moving crowds of people, a tear escapes his glassy eyes. It angrily races down the planes of his face, and I watch mesmerized. A soft gasp escapes my lips and he turns sharply, directing his gaze at me. How he heard something so soft as a gasp, among the ceaseless noise surrounding us, I do not know, but I stop mid step, frozen by the stare he gives me. I feel the world slow down around me, as I stand there, watching him watch me. He analyzes me, and I stay looking at him as I feel the heat of his stare down to the tips of my toes. I watch as his eyebrows shift downwards, making a crease in his forehead. My fingers twitch involuntarily, wanting to smooth away the confusion. The movement doesn’t go unnoticed. His eyelashes flutter as he looks from my hand to my face, and once his eyes reconnect with mine, reality hits me.
I break away from his gaze and take a sharp breath, ready to flee. I take a quick step back, and in a flash he appears directly in front of me, gripping my wrist, pulling me back towards him. I keep my gaze down as I feel the heat of his breath tickle my face. He loosens his grip on my wrist and uses his other hand to lift my chin up, making me look into his red rimmed eyes. An unspoken conversation passes between us, and he looks down as I wipe away the wet streak from his face.
“Stay.”