A Hopeless Romantic

"You have always been close. Only one chance encounter away. Each day I feel closer, yet, you make me endure. You come into my life - then leave just as quickly; leaving me with the sour aftertaste. One moment my everything, the next a memory. Returning to your constant state of being a stranger, only present for an intimate instant. The greatest science unable to rekindle the spark which only coincidence could construct.

I forever resided in a state of dreaming paralysis; consuming my mind daily with eternal infatuation. Yet I wonder if it heightens my bliss, my future euphoria. Or simply diminishes my reality, rendering the future to prove insufficient. You associate yourself with insecurity, connotate with suffering. Is this your revenge? A trade for all you bring. Love. A word feeling insufficient, 4 letters to represent a lifetime of emotions." - except from his writings

One piece of artwork in this room had encapsulated her attention. She spent the passing moments studying it. "One and One #20" - Timo Nasseri; Its geometrical order was delicately constructed with the most careful human craftsmanship. Vibrant white ink delicately composed on a pure black background, the contrast between the colours invoking a sense of clarity in her mind.

"What do you see in it?" He gently asked, slowly, as not to abruptly startle this stranger he had approached.

"I see myself. My own potential; my own fragility." Her voice was therapeutic, unsure of the man who had approached her but also not unwelcoming. The British museum hardly seemed a place for hostilities. He let the air hang for several moments; unwilling to disturb the serenity it portrayed.

"I see humanity. Each dot represents an individual, the web between them is society. Each individual from their perspective feels they're at the centre of the universe. Able to observe the magnificence of their fellow humans, but falling short of truly appreciating their own. They possess a short sightedness to see beyond their immediate connections, a neglect for what is best for the intricacies of society. A fundamental flaw in humanities design, a flaw which baulks their current potential." His words conveyed much thought, however his tone conveyed his lack of seriousness. He had not expected her to analyse and critique his monologue, instead he used it as a stimulus for conversation.

"I have never heard something more rehearsed," she burst out into a laugh, breaking the academic vibe that had been unwillingly constructed in this room. Before continuing in this nonchalant vibe she added, "I take it you come here often?"

"You could say that. One and One is my favourite piece, I've seen it too many times to count." He had a smirk on his face, expecting her to respond with depreciating wit,

"It's amazing isn't it. Timo never fails to deliver with his work," a radiant smile was clear on her face.

He was taken aback by her response. The atmosphere in the room between them now felt relaxed, as if they were old friends.

They continued their casual conversation, both growing to enjoy this light-hearted exchange. Each of them taking playful digs at each other. The intellectual facade he had attempted to maintain had instead been seen through, along with any element of a superiority complex vanishing. As they continued they found out what this artwork truly represented to them. Not what he had implied on a superficial level, but what it evoked inside him. He had gravitated towards the artwork from their first acquaintance, its geometric tessellation resonating with the previous disorder he had often struggled with. For her it represented something different. The struggle of the human condition, the fragility of human society. Our deepening struggles with our emotional complexion.

When she checked her watch a brief second of panic washed over her face, "I was supposed to be at the Great Court 10 minutes ago. It was lovely meeting you but I really have to go," already late she felt rushed. Yet as she stepped away she felt a certain reluctance to leave this conversation, an odd regret that she would most likely not speak to this individual again.

Suddenly, in this instant he had a moment of recognition. She was the one he wanted to meet today. A few day prior he had been scanning through the writing fair's pamphlet and he came across her work, almost religiously, he was intrigued by it. After this interest, borderline obsession, had captivated him he knew he had to meet her in person. He himself had been invited to showcase his own writing and had planned to use this as an excuse to meet her later that day. Fate had chosen otherwise, he now shared her company, and felt paralysed by the shock.

Throughout their conversation the way she talked sounded familiar, reverberating the ideas she carried in her writing, but it wasn't until her last line that he realised it was actually her. Unknown to him was she was also familiar by his work, intrigued by it. Each craved elements of what the other transcribed.

The depth of her words encapsulated him; he knew she dreamed of entire universes in her mind. Worlds beyond human comprehension which were inaccessible to any but her. He knew the brevity of her mind would eclipse any other he had befriended; superficial conversations could become a distant memory.

What she saw in him was the polar opposite of this. The intimate and personal connection he described in his uncorrupted writing had drawn in her thirst for love. The connection he described, the electric currents, the universes which spiralled around him with his love at the centre encapsulated her. What he described seemed like a fairy tale but she knew these to be authentic emotions he experienced; his words were, too pure, too raw, to be any work of fiction.

Unbeknown to her, the two of them now occupied the same air, both living in ignorance of the other's presence until her last sentence, which had alerted him to her true identity. He interrupted her exit with a single word,

"Wait!" showing more desperation in his tone then he intended, but had been successful in breaking her attempt at disappearing. As she perked her eyebrows and began preparing to enquire into this unusual behaviour, he began to quote his favourite paragraph from her literature. One he had reread many times.

"They were a race interconnected through their minds, situated on Gaia, their home planet, hidden at the edge of the cosmos. On Gaia all life was related, interconnected. Perfectly in balance. Their race united as a single lifeform, as the cells in the human body combine to form a functioning being. The emotions of all individuals translucent for all others to see, their thoughts laid on a crystal platter. Their independent verging on the fringe of disappearance. However, relationships on this planet were simple. As all minds were interconnected - any memory available to all. This meant they could be paired with the 'perfect' partner during their 20th galactic year. With any attempt of deceit being impossible.

But this wasn't love. Love is uncertainty. Love is a chaotic oscillation which can bounce back from the deepest depression to the highest ecstasy. This planet was mundane, perfectly stable. Without coincidence.

Fundamentally different from Humanity in every way, with humanity's imperfections making their love authentic, magical, transcendental..."

He delicately pronounced his words as if they were the most pristine art. Knowing they described the vivid dreams she had in her mind, he wished to do them justice.

"It's you!" Shock was transparent across her face, with instant recognition as clear as daylight. Something unique about the way he had pronounced her words, the subtle changes in tone and inclinations jogged her memory to who he really was. From reading his work she had built up a image of him in her mind, much of it was wrong, but enough about his tendencies was correct to figure out this was him.

"I had expected a white hair elderly man. How..." Her words trailed off, his appearance gave no sign of being any years above her. She could only express confusion at how someone her own age could have experienced such a range of events; the plethora of experiences he described sounded like a lifetime's worth. The one she had travelled to meet had been in front of her the entire time. Her regrettable escape from this conversation was now no longer necessary.

Any momentary glance at this pair would be unforgettable to any onlooker. Her hair glistened in the golden sunlight which sought its way into the room. Her summer dress eloquently danced around her figure, carefree, unhindered by any external opinions. The vibrant colours perfectly portrayed the charisma she carried. The dress embellished her figure but also maintained authenticity; no attempt of deceit around her appearance was attempted. She was no connoisseur of makeup, yet her natural glow eclipsed what any cosmetics could have transformed.

He had an aura of confidence about him, unwavering in his posture. She knew this composure to be too outward; behind it he also concealed gentleness and consideration. His dramatic coloured t-shirt was striking with vibrant colours and intricate design, seeming like art painted on a cloth canvas.

Her mind struggled to construct words, to comprehend the moment which was now upon her. She had spent her life dreaming of love at first sight, now it stood in front of her. From reading his words she already knew much about his deeper side, knowing any friendship with him would transcend the superficial. What she had not expected was to meet someone her own age; someone who was charming and handsome.

From the instant of him starting this conversation she sensed a bubbly ambience around him. A fuzzy feeling she had seldom felt about people in the past. In the few previous instances the individuals never had substance and depth behind them; she knew this time was different. If this feeling was reciprocated by him she was certain she had found her soulmate. Yet she knew this feeling to be something unique to her in this form, something others could not comprehend. A feeling constructing instant perfection, acting as a substitute in her mind until their personality, shared jokes and innuendos, could act as a replacement. She knew if it blossomed into something larger, the relationship would be magical.

Unsure if spontaneous words would be able to match delicately crafted written words, she turned to quote her favourite paragraph of his. A paragraph she had come back to more times than she could count in the last few days, resonating with her emotions, representing feelings she had only dreamed of before, feelings she had failed to manifest into the physical.

"You plague my peace, disturb my serenity. Yearning to be found; promising a more vibrant existence. I hesitate.

You have not been reserved in the past; descending upon me like a tsunami of emotions.

Rich, colourful, unequitable. Love is the word used to describe you in the past, yet it now seems lacklustre. For the meaning of existence, our purpose, four letters fall short.

I search for you daily. Ever unstoppable, forever without doubt; I know you wait for me one day, complete in your imperfectly perfect form. Unrestricted, furious and carefree, you bring everything I need; all that I need to complete me. The deepest satisfaction, the longest intimacy, the strongest support.

I wait for you. Without doubt that you will arrive; I cannot say when, but I know even the incessant flow of time cannot restrain you from me. I know you will prevail."

Her choice of words had been selected without ambiguity; leaving them without doubt of what was being felt in this moment. The messaging she was sending was clear.

He took a step towards her, only inches away from their hands being in embrace. The emotional anticipation rivalling all else. A nervous game playing out between their hands, each avoiding the impulse to grab the others, yet craving it above all else. In a brave moment of courage she grabbed his hand. In that instant of their skin touching, all else in the world became irrelevant; the room surrounding them fading into absence, the presence of all others apart from the two of them going unnoticed.

As their hands interlocked it felt as if their entire worlds had collided - merged into one. The tension and anticipation for this moment only heightening its intensity. Both individuals had previously imagined this moment, playing it out in their mind on repeat, dreaming of all the scenarios which could arise. Nothing compared to what actually occurred.

She felt butterflies racing through her stomach, her body constricting by the intense emotions she was experiencing; feeling the electric sparks dancing between where their skin touched. A euphoric feeling coursing through her veins. Incomparable to any moment she had experienced before in her life, eclipsing all others in terms of the serenity she felt. Feeling like she was the centre of the universe in that instant. All else feeling irrelevant. Any previous awkwardness and restlessness, now lost. The writings of his she had read now felt like an actuality.

The past, future and imaginary, all being placed second. For perhaps the first time in their life they were in the present, truly in the present. His skin burned with ferocity, electric currents darting between their bodies. The greatest ecstasy. A perfect moment - surpassing any even in their wildest dreams. True love.

They sensed a magnetic pull towards each other, entirely inseparable in that instant. Passion, lust and love mixed into the greatest concoction. An infatuation which they knew would last. As their lips locked they could both feel serotonin rush through their bodies. They had found serenity in each other. They had found their soulmate.