Even If We Were Never Meant To Be, I’m Still Glad I Met You

Traveling is my favorite thing to do. I do admit that I have a little flair for drama, and so every time I travel, I always think about finding a summer fling.

This one wasn’t any different—as soon as I saw you enter the bus, I knew I was going to kiss you as soon as I could. Sometimes you just have that thing that pulls you towards someone. That kind of  attraction that’s almost tangible and could fill an entire room with physical tension. I was extremely shy because there were too many mutuals around us. We played that game in which both of us kept hinting at each other. When we finally got to the city, we went our separate ways and I thought, “Okay, let’s just enjoy the parties all day long and pretend like nothing happened”.

At some point—I can’t tell when or how exactly—we were both drunk on the top of a hill. I was soaking in the sun and appreciating the view, and suddenly, you stopped to look at me and I could barely feel my feet. There were thousands of people around us partying and having fun, but right at that moment, it felt like there was no one else around and I could surely melt under the burning hot weather. You pulled me in for a kiss and my mind just went blank. All the buzzing disappeared and the only thing I could focus on was your lips on my lips and how good it felt to fulfill my will.

But like every chick flick, right after the kiss, you told me that you needed to be alone and just went on walking by yourself. Right then, I felt disposable, but proceeded to remember that we were strangers to each other.

When we finally met at our group house, I was already past that and committed to not letting you in. But then again, when you feel that kind of attraction, getting close to the source of that feeling makes you forget why you weren’t supposed to be near them in the first place. We kissed again and you proceeded to tell me that we could kiss whenever we felt like doing so. That I could approach you at any time and that you’d do the same. Except that you didn’t. For the rest of our trip, we danced around each other in an endless salsa, where none of us ever slipped again. You’d drunkenly arrive after midnight, slurring words, and then lay your head on my lap. I’d run my fingers through your hair until you were almost asleep and would finally get up to go to your bed.

We’d find ways to brush our skin together, and to any outsider, it would look like nothing. But when you looked at my lips while speaking to me, when you brushed your legs against mine even when you knew that there was enough space for us to be apart, I knew what was going through our minds.

A week later and I know nothing about you. It’s like it didn’t even happen. Did I really meet you? Did I imagine it all? These are questions that don’t matter now.

In life, you’ll meet people who could mean something to you, but they’re not supposed to. Your time together is finite, and so you have to enjoy the small experiences that you do get to have together. Those are what make life worth it. Collecting moments with people who make you feel good and alive. Cherish those and remember them dearly whenever you’re having one of those weeks that feel never-ending, so you can look forward to creating new ones.

It was a pleasure to meet you, stranger.