It was the cold December, 2014, Colombo was a quite interrupted in that Saturday night with sparkling lights, disturbing noise and busy bees. I wanted to go away from this bothersome city for a while and thought of taking a walk in the most tranquil place where I can be myself and let my heart and mind to enjoy the flashbacks of all the things I love, the beach.
So I put one of my cotton baggy gowns with hat, jumped out of the house to stroll in the silver shore. It was not crowded at all. A young couple was enjoying their evening with an adorable little one and an old couple walked past me treating me with a warm and gracious smile. I was isolated yet delighted. I felt soft and wet sand in my bare foot while my curls played with the cold wind. Finally, the nature was making the perfect moment for me.
In the middle of this painted dream, at a glance, I saw a stranger standing tall and slender, gazing at the horizon. It was dark and moon rays were kissing his unwavering face and bit messy dark hair, but yes, yet I traced him, the best looking guy I’ve seen all the day in a light red shirt, black office pants and smart shoes. The first thing came to my mind was, who comes to the beach dressing up so well? Okay, maybe he was on his way to some occasion. He was all lost in his thoughts so I kept walking, ignoring him but suddenly I realized a pair of glassy, deep and dark eyes was mingled in mine. My heart skipped a beat for a moment. His eyes were so shiny as they reflecting his inner soul and I wish I could read them. Is it sorrow? Is it pain? What is it? I stopped a few steps away from him. “You have sparkling eyes”; wait, what... Did I really say that? He smiled.
It was a blissful night. We listened to the sound of waves; we watched the way they kiss the shore, how bright stars shining up in the sky and clouds playing in the golden moon light. I knew we were making memories. The wind, the sea and everything around us were enchanting and classy, at the same moment his presence was so felt. I wish I had the words to tell him, what I feel, that I wish he could be a little more than just a stranger. My eyes were on him for all this time and as usual he was staring at the sea, with his glassy eyes, motionless.
The time passed too fast in a blink of an eye. “You should be going now”, my heart mumbled. It was scary knowing that this could be the last time I meet him, so I walked a few steps away effortlessly with a little bit of sadness for leaving him.
“Can I walk with you?” a tender voice spoke. I was shocked and excited at the same time. What do I want more than this? I stopped and looked back to nod yes, as I was speechless. He stole all my words out of my mind. I only had the courage to look up and drown again in those deep eyes. Finally, I physically felt my heart smiling.
He was by my side, holding my hand with a graceful smile on his face. We walked along the beach, when I looked back; I noticed our footprints left a deeper mark in the sand.
– Anushani Thilakarathna