Chocolate Cosmos

Chapter 2

I held the rails tightly. The night wind played with my hair soothingly, as if knowing what I've got my mind up to. The city buzz faded at the back of my mind. There were finally no sounds, no flashing lights and no judging eyes. My full concentration was on the dark water beneath.

Okay. This is it.

I took in a deep, readying breath, made sure my scarlet dress looked flawless before placing a foot on the cool metal.

I smiled when my eyes caught a glimpse of my crimson heels that matched my dress perfectly. I looked on point. I made sure I looked my best before leaving. My favorite little dress, matching shoes and silver head piece. I tried doing my makeup the best I could but kept back on any dark, heavy eye-make up. I don't wanna look like a dead panda when they find me.

I placed my second foot beside its twin when my peaceful and quite departure was suddenly disturbed. I felt the presence before hearing the deep sigh beside me.

I cranked my neck to the side to see a tower of a man brooding a couple of steps beside me with a long face. He didn't look at me as he held the railing tightly. I knew this look very well. His eyes were fixed on the water beneath us like it was the solution to all his problems. His salvation. Just like it was mine.

I wasn't one to judge though. I had that same look before he came and unknowingly severed my spiritual connection with my grave. It was our salvation.

And it was only fair that I severed his as well.

"You came here to commit suicide too huh?" I asked nonchalantly.

The man flinched slightly beside me. His gaze turned towards me. It took him a moment to finally recognize me. And I recognized him as well.

"You're that writer aren't you? Charis Cardone." His eyebrows furrowed.

"And you're that billionaire bachelor right? Karl Hawke?"

Karl nodded, his face turning back to the water.

"Why is a man like you thinking about committing suicide?" I blurted out my curiosity.

Karl looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. "Same reason you are." He deadpanned.

"What? You too are being a murderer and have lost everything?" I challenged with sarcasm.

Karl was on top of his game. He was every girl's dream and every boy's as well. Tall, filthy rich, broad shoulders and smoldering cappuccino eyes. He had everyone at his beck and call. No one hated him. Labelled as the most influential and successful businessman of this year and two past ones.

"No, because we've both decided that this was the easiest way out of all our troubles." He shrugged his shoulders.

I couldn't argue with that. He was right. We were cowards.

I took in another deep breath.

"So, we gonna do this or what?" I stared at the lights flickering on the other side across the water. Was this another city?

I noticed Karl climbing the metal rails, mimicking my earlier move. I concentrated on recalling my peace once more. We were so close. We just had to hop on to the other side of the rail and flop. It was already so close I could almost feel it. Smell it deeply.

"You know what, this is actually not fair!" Karl cut through the silence once again, and for the second time disturbing my pre-ending tranquility. He was ruining my finale.

I huffed out air as I descended myself down beside him, the rail now lost forgotten by us both.

"There are a lot of things that I wanted to do." Karl continued and I scrunched up my face at him.

"Are you stupid or what?" I asked with seriousness. "What are you doing here if you've still got things to do in life?"

"You don't get it. I mean the silly stuff. Things I never had the chance to do as," he motioned with his hands all over his body, "this guy."

"You mean you had the money but not the time and your image won't allow it?" I tried channeling my understanding.

"Exactly!" Karl agreed in alien excitement.

Boy was he loud.

"What's one thing you've always wanted to do but never could?" He asked, this time his tone was lower. his question took me by surprise.

"Erm...." I hesitated, my brain racking through the possibilities. "Wear sweat pants in public?" I didn't know why my voice wavered and it came out as a question.

Karl's eyes widened. "Oh how I wish. Do you know how uncomfortable these suits are?" He gestured towards his navy tux that hugged his form perfectly, showing all the ripped muscles beneath. He looked like a character I'd come up with in a book. A character girl readers fall for.

The pitch black hair, the piercing cappuccino eyes, the square jaw, the toned body, and those.......wait, what's up with his nose? It was crazy crocked. Like a witch. His right eyebrow had a line at the side missing all its hair. An old injury probably. His jaw had a couple under skin pimples, probably from bad shaving habits and his cheeks harbored a couple wide pores.

Guess he's not as perfect as my book boys.

I quickly turned my gaze away from his not-so-hot nose before he notices me staring.

"What do you want me to do? Go do all those silly things you've always wanted to do but never could?"

Karl sighed, running a hand down his face. The wind blew again brushing both my hair and his and I noticed how ruffled his locks were. In pictures and TV interviews, he always had it fixed perfectly on top of his head not a single strand out of place. But now, it looked like he had ran his hand through more than the number of money he had in his bank. It was a dark mess in top of his head.

"I don't think I'll be able to do it if I left and came back. I'm afraid I'll chicken out." He whispered achingly as he looked back to the waters. He wanted it. He wanted it so bad just like I did. I could see the longing in his eyes, almost feel his body's need to feel the cold water.

I found myself sighing. A part of me felt bad for him. Or maybe I myself was waiting for any reason to stall my departure.

"Fine, let's do it." I blurted out, again without thinking.

His eyes snapped to mine.

"Let's do them. All of them. And then we come back here and leave together." I explained.

"And how will I know that you didn't decide to go without me?" Karl raised an eyebrow.

Damn they were bushy. He is no way a character of mine. I keep finding all these flaws. Well, people are not perfect after all.

I narrowed my eyes at him and a second later hit him with my bag. "Are you legit stupid? I was just going to off myself tonight but didn't. I had suggested that we come back together. If I was to do alone, I would be jumping right about now." I fumed out at his stupidity. "Plus..... I don't break a promise."

My characters had higher IQs.

"Ouch. Why in God's name do you have a bag if you've come here to die?" He winced, rubbing his arm where I hit him.

"I had to complete the look." I gestured towards my outfit. I looked better than I did on a red carpet. Maybe because it was my final dress up.

"Plus," I added after a moment. It was almost a whisper. "I wouldn't be able to do them on my own." I looked away. I wasn't embarrassed by the thought, I was saddened. I once owned the world, now I couldn't leave the house without being fully covered from head to toe so as not to be recognized and publicly harassed.

"Because of the people?" Karl asked the obvious, his tone soft and understanding.

I nodded my head and I heard him sigh.

"Let's do them together then. One bucket list for the two of us. We finish it then come back here." He suggested a no-argue statement.

I looked up at him, our gazes meeting. The only thing he had perfect were his dark cappuccino eyes. Not too brown and not hazel either. It was a couple of espresso shots more than the milk. And his hair, I guess and maybe his body too. He was tall and I liked tall men. Made me wear heels more comfortably without looking like a light post. Tall men made me feel petite and it looked good in photos.

I made up my mind, a faint smile on my lips. "Let's do it. Why the hell not?"

°°°

"Here." Karl said, handing me a cup of coffee. We had decided to better go talk somewhere were we can sit down. Somewhere lit so we can actually see each other clearer.

"Thanks." I replied, my face rising a little to see where I was placing my hand before dropping it back towards my lap.

I could hear the people around me whispering. Feel their burning gazes on my body. They were trying to decided whether it really was me or not, especially that my hair that was once tucked up in a neat ponytail, I had let it loose to cover my face.

"Are you going to keep looking down like that?" Karl asked but I didn't raise my head.

"I don't want something thrown at me suddenly, thanks." I replied, sarcasm dripping.

Karl remained silent for a moment before I heard the scratching of the chair across the floor. I felt him get up from his place but I didn't bother caring. Until his hands were suddenly in my hair, gently pulling it up.

"What are you doing?" I yelled out in surprise at the man standing behind me, running his fingers against my scalp.

"Stop moving!" He said in a disciplining tone, the way you do when you're talking to a child.

The murmurs grew. Got louder. And confirmation that it really was me struck all the faces around me.

I realised that Karl was actually pulling my hair back into the original ponytail I had it in. He wasn't being harsh though, his hold light and his fingers ran through my strands gently.

When he finished joining all of my hair in one hand, he reached with his other to pull away the rubber band from my wrist, holding my hair with it back on top of my head.

I felt him lean downward to my ear, both his hands on each of my shoulders. "If someone tried throwing anything at you I'll just kill them don't worry."

He confidently walked back to his seat. My widened eyes held his form as my heart felt like it was stopping.

Shit. s**t. s**t. People know it's me now. I couldn't breath properly, my body anticipating having something thrown at it anytime now. They liked doing that.

"Drink your coffee Charis, no one will bother you." Karl sipped at his own drink.

I hesitantly reached for my cup, bringing it up to my mouth and savoring the magical taste of coffee beans.

"Okay, let's get this started." Karl spoke after a while making me look up at him instead of my coffee. It was a brief contact before I brought my eyes back to the liquid.

He rummaged through his pockets before placing whatever he was searching for on the table.

"Charis." He called and I looked up at him. Looking at his hands, I saw him holding a pen and a piece of previously folded paper.

"What do you wanna do?" He asked with a gentle look.

"Uhm...." I stuttered, swallowing the lump in my throat. I tried to concentrate my thoughts on my silly bucket list.

"Wearing sweatpants out in public." I repeated my previous answer.

Karl nodded as he jotted it down.

"What else?" He looked up at me.

"Am I going to be the only one writing up this list or what?"

"Like I'll let you." Karl's lips formed into an amused smirk. "I, for example have always wanted to junk out on chicken nuggets."

"Junk out on chicken nuggets?" I gaped out with wide eyes.

Karl nodded. "Have an all chicken nugget lunch. A hundred chicken nuggets or something."

My face twisted at the thought of any form of meat and Karl noticed.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't tell me that you don't like them."

"It's not just chicken nuggets. I don't eat anything that had eyes. I'm a vegetarian." I admitted.

Karl rolled his eyes as he went back to the paper in hand. "Whatever you say Phoebe Buffay."

I narrowed my eyes at him but kept quite.

I don't know for how long we've been sitting there writing the silliest of things. Things we've always wanted to do but never had the chance to, even though they were easily accessible.

And suddenly, I was no longer aware of the people around us. My ears didn't hear the whispers. The constant hushed gossips. The mumbling. And my eyes didn't see the disgusted looks and the judging gazes.

For the first time in months, I was able to lift my face up fully without a care in the world.