A known stranger

The stubborn clouds finally decided to give way to the blazing Sun. It seemed like a good day to take Max for a walk. Besides, we had to fetch his collar too.

It had been two days since we met but it already seemed like a decade had passed by. Like it or not, it wasn't because of how obedient and nice Max was to me. It was something else. And I figured it out or myself just today.

I was shuffling down the lake and tightly holding onto Max's leash.

You annoy me sometimes.

I know. I'm a cruel dog owner. But it's not my fault, I was so frustrated. It was hers. And I saw her once again, pass by. Our gazes met for a while and then she looked away and straight ahead, acting all oblivious to my existence. She kept hiding and I kept piercing my stare through her eyes. I wanted something. Anything. Guilt. Fear. Pity. Anything.

What are you thinking Amelia? What have I done?

I knew what was zooming through those coils in her mind: It wasn't my fault. I didn't do anything.

Because I knew just how stubborn she was to admit anything. And here I was, crying over the friend I knew who had disappeared. The friend who let miles come between us without letting me know. It was not going to make a difference to her. 

But here's the thing: I was too fond of her. Too attached to leave the person who had known every inch of me, known who I was, who I'd been and who i was hoping to become, yet was a normal stranger walking past by.