The Love Blues Of Jasmine Blues

Jasmine Blues looked out her office window. She couldn't believe her eyes. She had never expected to see Donald Rick again outside the mall where she worked. It was exactly the same place where everything had first gone wrong between them. Not even on that cold rainy afternoon. And not dripping wet in the rain.

If she can still recall perfectly, Donald doesn't like rainy days or getting stuck in one. Also, he had no bag of groceries with him, which means he didn't come to shop. After everything had gone sour between them he had stopped shopping at her mall so that he wouldn't bump into her someday.

She tried racking her brains on what must have brought him there. With nothing in mind, she stood there trying to be sure he was the one.

She wiped the foggy window with the back of her hands. Although the shape was far away, she could still tell it was the shape of him. Standing in the parking lot, soaked to the bone, looking like a man who had run out of places to go or lost his way.

Jasmine pressed her hands hard on the glass. It was cold. She could feel the cold bite through her skin, but it couldn't be compared to the way the sight of Donald made her feel.

It has been a year since she saw Donald last. A year since he walked out of her life. Yelling at the top of his voice

"You never understand my feelings" repeatedly.

A year since she fought herself to live without him. Yet, somehow, in all this time she could still tell the look on his face. I wasn't angry today. It was something else. Something broken.

She stepped away from the window and made for the door that led outside. She was with no umbrella and without hesitation. She didn't care if she was going to get wet. All she wanted was to get outside and closer to him. It felt like a force was pushing her. A force within her that needed closure.

Outside the mall, the wind pushed her hair back and forth and into her eyes. She moved them away and kept moving. The tiled floor was slippery and shining from the heavy rain that had poured on the floor. A stray shipping carry moved past her. It wasn't being pushed by anything but the wind. Each step she took felt heavy like her heart had sunk into her feet.

“Donald?” she called, her voice trembling as she got close to him.

He turned slowly as if her voice reached into a memory he was trying to forget.

“Jasmine,” he called out in surprise. His voice was low and tired. “You still work here.”

“Yeah.' she replied, mobility away wet strands of hair from her forehead. “I should be the one asking you, why are you here?”

Donald let his eyes fall to the floor. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he looked around, like the rain would help hide him from his sham or whatever it was that brought him there.

"I came to shop," he lied.

"I see. But I see no shopping bag with you ever since you've been standing there for the past few minutes. Plus, you stopped shopping here after we ...." The last words felt heavy for her to say.

“I... I just didn’t know where else to go,” he said finally.

Jasmine gave him a look that told him he was still lying.

He looked her in the eyes. “Okay, the truth is, I thought maybe... I'll still bump into you here.”

Jasmine’s eyes burned. But it wasn't from the rain dripping into her eyes. It was from the way his words made her feel angry.

"If you’d wanted to see me, you know my office.

"I was just scared you'll not remember me or anything we once shared."

She scoffed and wrapped her arms in cold “I remember everything,” she said quietly. “Especially the way you left.”

Donald looked down again. Water was dripping from his head to his white shirt. It was darkening his shirt. Jasmine could tell that he still applies dye to his hair. He wasn't as macho as before. He had a smaller frame now. And not the usual loud, angry man she remembered him for. His eyes were softer, someone gentler. Worn out. Maybe even sorry.

“That part." He paused, nodding his head. "I was wrong,” he continued. “I mean, I thought being angry would fix things for me. I thought pushing you away would make me feel strong. But it has only left me feeling lonely. There's absolutely nothing left in these streets for me except you. I've tried to move on, but the other girls just don't understand me the way you do."

The words landed between them, raw and real. Bringing silence with it.

Jasmine crossed her arms and squeezed tighter. It wasn't from a place of pride but more from the cold.

“So why now?” she asked. “Why show up after all this time?”

“Because I can’t keep walking around pretending I didn’t lose something real,” he said. “And because I still love you, even if I don’t deserve to.”

Her breath caught. She chuckled. Not that something was funny, but out of the pain she felt.

The rain has stopped now. The mall behind them began to buzz again with activities. Shoppers rushing in and out. But she couldn't hear any of the noise. Only his voice was loud and clear.

“It's crazy. With the way you made me feel. You hurt me,” she said, holding back tears. “Made me feel like I was never enough. Like I never cared about you.” she sniffed.

“I know,” he whispered. His voice filled with remorse. “And I've lived with that regret every single day.”

Silence grew around them again.

She tried speaking but instead felt okay listening to her own heart pounding, shaky like it wanted to speak first. He had his eyes on her; they held so many regrets, and she could see it.

She took a step closer. “Donald, I’m not the same person I was a year ago,” she said, looking him in the eye.

“Neither am I." He made sure his eyes met hers. “But I still know how you make your coffee.”

She let out a breath, then a smile and a laugh that she'd been bottling for a thousand nights.

“And I still remember how your hands shook when you were nervous,” she said, reaching out to hold his shaky hands.

They laughed softly. And old blues music played from a car radio in the background. Setting the mood.

“Look, I'm not promising you anything,” she warned.

“I know and I can work with that. Maybe we can start with a cup of coffee now.”

She smiled. His eyes weren't lying. She could see the pain and the man behind it. It was real.

“Alright. I can work with that.”

He stretched out his hand and she held onto it. Together, they walked back into the mall. The weather was cold and smelling like new beginnings.

[Image by](Rahul Pandit from <ahref="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campa