Dancing Leaves: Chapter 1

The cold New York breeze swept across the avenue, its chill biting to the bone as she stood waiting. Waiting for the silver sedan of her friend Stacy who was supposed to be taking her away to the Hamptons for the weekend. Stacy had been due to arrive nearly an hour ago and there was still no response to her messages asking why.
Olivia sighed and drew her coat in around her as the chill gusts carried the gold and red leaves past her. She bit her own lips and chided herself for getting her hopes up. She should have know better that to trust that Stacy's offer would ever pan out. She was known for being unreliable at the best of times, even more so when the next "love of her life" appeared. Normally crawling out of some bottle looking for a pretty face to "save" him for the night. In Stacy they would always find a kind heart and gullible mind. Forever willing to believe their lies about wanting to change.
Olivia picked up her bags and began her trek back to the subway station at 57th and 7th. Stacy's inability to be reliable would be unbearably irritating if it her forgetfulness was not always a results of helping someone. Olivia's muscles ached as she tried to haul her case carrying a weeks worth of outfits back to the subway steps. She was still exhausted from the force it had taken to haul her bag up the steep steps. She reached the top of the steps, as usual the New Yorkers rushing around worrying about their own lives, completely ignored the damsel in distress with a heavy case. She used all of her strength to being lowering the case down the steps. As she did a gust of the icy wind came up behind her catching her full on the back and causing her to overbalance.
Olivia felt the cold grip of dread take hold of her heart as her foot slipped and the weight of the case began drag her over the edge. Next thing she knew she had come to a stop, a feeling of warmth spreading around her shoulders. It took her mind a full second to process that there was now a man standing next to her. One hand holding her heavy case, the other wrapped around her shoulders setting fully back onto her feet. He smiled calmly and spoke to her in a deep gentle voice that her adrenaline filled mind had trouble comphrehending. A moment later he spoke again his face showing more concern this time. "Are you feeling alright? You nearly took a nasty tumble there."
Olivia pushed her glasses back up to their proper position on the bridge of her nose, composing her self. She'd be damned before she let a complete stranger see her with her feathers ruffled. "Thanks, but I'm fine, really." She managed a weak smile and gripped the handle of her case tighter.
The guy was tall, much taller than her own 5 feet and 7 inches. His face was very young looking, but the way he dressed seemed to suggest he was older than he appeared. "Would you like me to help you with the case?" Olivia's pride bristled at the thought that she should need help, but her tired muscles reminded her of the reason he guy had needed to intervene in the first place. She nodded meekly trying not to blush as he moved with her, taking the strain of the case on one arm whilst always keeping he other close to her.
He smiled at her again as they reached the base of the stairs. "There, back on solid ground."
Category:Stories