The Restless Firefly

He, wearing the black jacket that she has always liked, was patiently waiting for her at the park not minding the drizzle on a cold winter night. They planned to wander the streets under the light rain, admire the extravagant city light shows while they hop to different pubs and have a long intimate talk. She came a few minutes late, a habit she can hardly change, and approached him with a bright apologetic smile and a warm hug that she longed to give for weeks. She rubbed her cheeks against his and felt the beard she wanted to touch. Clearly, she missed him. He held her hand and started their walk towards the first stop. The night was young. .

They took photos of the bright lights projected on the edifices’ facade along the way. They held hands as they follow a huge crowd so as not to lose each other. They exchanged playful whispers. They laughed at their own mischiefs. Throughout the night they exchanged stories as if they’ve not known each other. Both got a deeper understanding of each other’s heart’s desires, weaknesses and dreams. Hours were spent and they both lost track of time.

A live band at the last pub they stopped was singing songs that reminded them of the younger days. He stared at her while she sang her lungs out, got impressed by how she memorized the lyrics of the songs and laughed about how silly she could be at times. One earworm stuck in her head was:

“But tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?”

She was tipsy, of course she couldn’t hold a candle to his drinking abilities. She walked out of the pub and leaned against a wall under the city’s iconic bridge. He followed her, stood in front of her, held her jaw with one hand and wrapped the other arm around her waist. He kissed her lightly but passionately enough that the moon and trillion stars got jealous and ripped the famous bridge open just to watch his lips touch hers. She closed her eyes and got lost in the moment.

She opened her eyes but sadly found herself alone under the bridge. She looked around but couldn’t see the man who accompanied her the whole night. She went back to all the spots they’ve been, turned every corner and walked every street that they both passed through, but he was nowhere to be found. She touched her lips and swore to herself it felt real. She was embarrassed to admit it to herself, she could not believe she was only daydreaming all along. She went home trying to recall the bits and pieces of that dream and wrote it down, continuously stabbed her heart with the idea that she wants him, but he doesn’t. .

Years later, she went to see the city’s festival of lights again. To her surprise, she saw him just a few metres away from her under that same iconic bridge where she thought he kissed her. He still looked the same as in her daydream many sunsets ago – attractive  man with beard, wearing black jacket, except his wavy hair is long reaching his shoulders. She froze and stared at him for quite a while; he did not see her. A lovely woman accompanied him. She watched him as he grabbed the lady’s waist and jaw and kissed her. She closed her eyes, opened it again and woke up to the fact that what she saw was real. It was sorta deja vu, except that it wasn’t her in the current scene. The same song repeatedly played in her head:

“Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?”

A fictional shorty with portions based on someone’s real life story; I just made it a bit melancholic. Blame it on the K-drama movies that made me bawl for days. .

Had a photowalk at Vivid Sydney this year (for the first time!) with my office crazies and realized I’m still a noob at night photography. . 🙂

PS. Please disregard my annoying voice. . LOL!

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