In Her Eyes

Author's note: This was written for the

750 Word Project 2022

. It's supposed to be short. I hope you can enjoy it anyway.

~~~~

Masks make people more attractive. That's what the article said.

That wasn't possible. If she was any more beautiful, my heart couldn't stand it.

Just the two of us every morning at the bus stop all winter long. Dark, exotic eyes and dusky skin peeking from a fur-rimmed parka hood was all I ever saw.

"Hello" was all we ever said, waiting in the cold and whirling snow. I let her have the bus shelter to herself. Social distancing, you know? I left my mask off until the bus came, wondering if it made me less attractive to her.

On some mornings, the plow had been by. We had to help each other climb over the snowbank to reach the bus door.

No distancing in the bus—it was always packed. We stood together, hanging on, our bodies jostling together with each pothole. Did she sometimes press against me longer than necessary?

One morning I saw she had been crying.

"Are you okay?"

"It's just... I miss home. I can't fly back until this is over. It's been more than a year."

I couldn't place her soft accent.

On the bus, she snaked an arm around my back, her lovely eyes so vulnerable and needy. I hugged back, her slim figure apparent even though the bulk of our coats.

On the way home that night, the bus skidded sideways in the snow going down a hill. Passengers screamed. She clung to me like death, even long after the driver recovered.

When we got off at our stop, she removed her mask.

The article was wrong—she was much more beautiful: a heart-shaped face with delicate features, her smooth skin dark and lovely.

"It's strange," she said, her dark eyes drilling into me. "I don't know you, but it feels like I do."

"Yeah. That's how I feel too."

"Will you hug me more?"

We embraced under the streetlamp as snow drifted down until we became too cold.

"I don't want to stop," she said and bit her lip. "Um, I live one block away."

I smiled. "How do you know you can trust me?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's your eyes. You have lovely eyes."

Her tiny place had the look of things hastily gathered and temporary: second-hand furnishings, mattress on the floor, dollar-store cups and cutlery.

We threw our coats on the worn sofa, then were in each other's arms. She rested her head against my chest and squeezed. I squeezed back just as hard, realizing then how much I'd missed human contact too.

She was slim and unfamiliar, a hint of some enticing perfume rising from her warm body. I felt so masculine holding her—her protector, her savior.

After a while, she looked up. Her dark eyes mirrored my own loneliness and need. I kissed her before I could stop myself. After a moment of hesitation, she kissed back eagerly.

Together on her bed, the warm tone of her naked skin, her dark nipples and silky hairs above her pussy fascinated me. I wanted to explore her with hands and mouth forever, but our need was too urgent.

She pulled me onto her. Entering her snug warmth while looking into her eyes was like every dream coming true at once. Her joyful groan and eager embrace spurred me on. We made love gently, reveling in the heat of our bodies together, our caresses and kisses, the bliss and exhilaration of surging together again and again.

As our pace increased, she hooked her legs around me and thrust back each time I entered her, moaning and panting, kissing my face and neck as I took her.

I wanted to drive away all her loneliness, to give her every pleasure.

Lost in passion, I jammed into her hard, driving her into the mattress. She gasped and clung, clawing my back as she rolled her hips and bucked, trying to work me deeper inside her.

Unable to stop, I rammed her again. She gave a tiny grunt, then arched and came. Her silky passage milked me, her eyes lidded, her expression pure joy. My heart bloomed and I tumbled over the edge, filling her with everything I could offer.

After, we stayed connected, smiling, caressing, kissing, reveling in our discovery of each other.

We didn't know each other's names! Yet somehow, I knew all I needed to know.

When the borders opened again, she went back home. Later, she implored me to join her. Then we were never lonely again.