The Law of Attraction

Sasha The sun was high in the sky, blazing bright and creating a fierce heat on a Miami summer day. I dragged my sleeve across my forehead, wiping away the sweat that accumulated there, and stared down at my latest project. My chalk art was unique. It showed the face of a handsome man painted in a rainbow of colors. One that, lately I had kept seeing over and over. I dreamt of him every night and when I was awake, I couldn't seem to get him out of my head. He was of Asian descent, I could tell that much. His eyes were large though and a piercing black as dark as the night sky. So dark, that they seemed endless, but as they stared up at me from the sidewalk, they were a solid blue. His hair was long, falling over one of his eyes and curling slightly at the nape of his elegant neck. In my dreams, it was such a dark auburn it appeared black, but in my art I had made it a series of different shades of red. He had a masculine jaw, but it wasn't a hard square, and his nose was slightly hooked, although not too much to be unattractive. His lips were full and pouted naturally, almost feminine, but set sternly as if he were being stubborn about something. I smeared my thumb over those coaxing lips to smudge in the shadow. There was a clatter in the wooden bowl I had set out for money, which woke me from my trance. I looked up to thank the person who had dropped the change in, but my voice caught in my throat as I stared up at the very man I had been so mesmerized by mere moments ago. A corner of those luscious, pouting lips I had just finished drawing turned up into a crooked grin as he looked down at me. He was wearing a black fedora that covered his face in shadow and made his black eyes that much darker. And when he spoke, it was like dragging dark velvet across my skin. "The resemblance is uncanny if I do say so myself. Have we met before? I would've remembered a beauty such as yourself, I'd think." "Um," was all I could manage to say. His beauty was just so entrancing. I couldn't tear my eyes away. "If I may?" He held his hand down to me. His fingers were long and elegant. I set my chalk covered hand delicately in it, as if the moment our skin made contact, he would disappear and I'd be left disappointed with the fact that I had been hallucinating. But when I set my hand in his, he stayed solidly there and I felt the murmuring of his strength as he pulled me to my feet. He was taller than I expected. My head came only to his chest. Being this close, I had to crane my head all the way back to be able to look at his face. He continued to grin at me as I stared into his eyes. I couldn't help it. It was as if he were hypnotizing me. I looked down at his lips and then quickly looked back up. I could feel my heart beating against my chest and I knew I had unwillingly parted my lips when I had glanced at his. I needed to pull myself together. I chose to look down and focus on my hand that was still resting in his as I spoke. "My apologies, sir. I don't believe we have met before. I was simply drawing someone I had seen in a dream. I didn't think he... you... were real." I cursed myself for stammering. I had been trying to sound confident. "Well, how could I have come to be so lucky then, as to have drifted into such a beautiful woman's dreams? Or to have come across her drawing me on the plaza sidewalk for that matter? The universe must be speaking to both of us I presume, don't you agree?" I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell if he was playing with me, or actually flirting. I don't know how I would've felt coming across someone drawing me, whom I'd never met before. Although, if that someone were as gorgeous as the man standing before me right now, I would most likely be more than forgiving. I looked back up into his eyes. They seemed honest enough. "Maybe the universe is speaking to one, or both, of us. But I think the true question, dear sir, is are the words being spoken as an omen or a blessing?" His grin turned into an actual smile, showing just a hint of teeth that I knew were white as snow and perfectly straight. He chuckled. That soft sound sent shivers throughout my body. "And here I was thinking I had scared you. That is quite a legitimate question. But, how do you propose we find the answer?" My breath caught. Was he trying to say he wanted to see me again? I had no answer for him. All I could do was stare at those mesmerizing eyes of his. "May I have your name, at least? Surely, a name would not be so harmful," he whispered. I glanced down at those soft lips, and then quickly brought my eyes back up. "A gentleman always gives his name first before asking for one in return." The laugh he gave this time was more a grunted 'HA' then a chuckle, as if he were amused, yet taken aback by my sudden quip. "I suppose this is true. My apologies, young miss, my name is Saga. Now your turn." "Saga? Is that your real name?" "It's a nickname but yes, that's what people truly call me. Are you going to tell me yours?" "Sasha. My name is Sasha." "So, my dear Sasha, it was quite lovely meeting you, but I must be going. I'm already late to meet up with my colleague." I felt my heart sink. I didn't want him to go. What I wanted more than anything was for him to say my name again, so I could hear it roll off his tongue with that slight accent he had. It sounded so beautiful when he said it. But I said nothing that would hold him there. I had nothing to offer him. He took a step back and raised my hand to his lips. They were as soft as they looked. Then, he turned on his heel and began to walk away. "Wait!" I called out. He stopped and turned to look back at me. "Will we see each other again?" He smiled. "Perhaps. Let the universe decide. It's the one that brought us together today. I would think it would want us to meet again, don't you?" And with that, he turned and continued on his way.     Saga I turned to look back only once I was far enough away to know Sasha would've gone back to her drawing. She had crouched back down, but she was gathering her things to leave. Maybe I shouldn't have spooked her like that. It had just been so surprising to see her. This girl who had haunted my dreams for weeks and all of a sudden I just run into her in the downtown plaza on my way to work? It made no sense. And to find out that she had been dreaming of me was also a surprise. Were we linked in some way? I stared at her as she picked up her chalk and the few dollars she had made in the time she had been there. She was beautiful. Her hair, which was pulled into a messy bun, looked like she had tried highlighting it multiple times. It still had an array of red, blonde and black, but you could tell she was a natural brunette. Her adorable button nose sat atop lips that just begged to be kissed. Her top lip, which was a perfect cupid's bow, was a bit thinner than her bottom that protruded slightly into a natural pout. But, what had entranced me the most and had made my heart stop beating were her eyes. In my dreams they had just looked green, hinting at Irish lineage. In person, they were so much more. Her eyes were a deep green with yellow flecks spread throughout and a dark green band that encircled her pupil. Most people would classify this as hazel, but they reminded me more of a cat's green eyes than a human's hazel. I hadn't wanted to look away. When I had first started dreaming of Sasha, I hadn't thought much of it. Our subconscious mind always brings to our dreams that which we most desire and, in most cases, things that are either unreal or unattainable. Sasha hadn't been real to me. But after having the same dream every night for more than a week forced me to confide in one of my closer friends, Hiro. We had both come to Miami when we finished college in California. My parents were both Japanese immigrants. I had been born and raised in a smaller town outside of Los Angeles, but Hiro had come to the states for school. He was obsessed with American culture and the whole time he grew up in Japan, all he wanted was to come here. He now worked at a university as a language professor, and I worked on the other side of campus as a music instructor. I always jested at Hiro that all his life he wanted to escape Japanese culture and now he had actually immersed himself in it. He usually retorted with the fact that all I ever wanted was to be a rock star and now I'm stuck teaching the classics. But, I hadn't confided in Hiro simply because he was my best friend. Hiro's parents were very old school. Have you ever seen those movies of the Japanese monks or martial arts masters that get all zen on you and somehow know the meaning and answer to everything? That was exactly how his parents were. And, boy, did they have interesting stuff to say once I caught them up on all my dreams. But, just like the movies, what they had to say was said in a riddle, and I had no idea what they had meant. One thing I did know, though, was that I was dreaming of Sasha for a reason. I had told her to let the universe decide to let us meet again, but in reality, I wanted nothing more than to just run across the plaza and scoop her up to take home. I sounded like a lunatic, even to myself. I had no idea who Sasha was, nor her I. So why did we have such an effect on each other? But my heart didn't care. My heart continued to beat against my chest long after my lips had brushed her soft skin and all I could think then was the same thing that ran through my head now: I finally found you