Her mind elsewhere, she sat by the window, a wisp of hair falling in her eyes, her long eyelashes silhouetted against the shadow of her profile.

He, like many others, thought she was beautiful – in a strange unconventional way. Her features were commonplace, ordinary. And yet, when they came together, they created something extraordinary, something so striking – he had trouble taking their eyes off her.

She, however, was oblivious to this effect she had on him.
She thought she was bland. Her color pallid, her nose too small, her hair too stringy. She assumed he stared at her insipid features, feeling sad for her.

He thought she was beautiful. She thought she was plain.

She lived simply, not talking to anyone, daydreaming ever so often. Her imagination was so vivid, she sometimes mistook it for reality – the line between the two but a thin blur. In her dreams, he’d snubbed her. Not once, but twice.
And so she kept away, never once looking at him.

She thought she was flawed. He thought she was arrogant.

He thought she was too good for him. She thought she wasn’t good enough.

And so they never met.

Until years later. Their paths crossed. And they both knew they were in love.

He? He had never let go of the image of her side profile in his mind. And she? She’d never forgotten the guy who’d snubbed her. Only this time, they didn’t let go.

There were no words. They didn’t need any. From the moment their eyes met, they knew this was it.

***

This post was written for the ‘The first real love story I watched unfold’ blogging contest by http://www.bonobology.com/ and http://writersmelon.com/