Beautiful Catastrophe

Prologue

It was a cold spring morning in the city, and Kim wanted to do was go back to bed. She had been up since six that morning, like every other and was coming home from her dance practice a couple of blocks away from her apartment.

Everywhere was icy, the ground was covered with a sprinkle of snow and she was freezing. She snuggled closer into her jacket as she waited at the side of the road for the traffic to pass. Kim was in some sort of a daze that she hadn't even noticed the car stopped beside her and the green light for her to walk. There were few people out at this hour and so only one car waited for her to cross the road.

The loud beep of a car horn broke through her day dream and startled her. Kim jumped involuntarily out of her spot and slipped on the icy footpath beneath her. She fell to the ground with a thud and angrily groaned at the idiotic driver for ever beeping in the first place.

The driver quickly jumped out of his car when he saw she hadn't moved from the ground. She was lying facing upwards to the sky above her, already feeling some pain in her back. Kim had just done a half hour of cardio and an hour of dance practice- she really just wanted to be left there on the cold ground to bask in complete embarrassment of herself.

"Are you okay?" she heard a male voice ask as it got closer to her. She opened her eyes to meet a crystal blue pair blinking down at her- concern laced in his expression.

"Do I f*****g look alright? Why the hell did you honk at me?" despite his clear good looks, Kim was not in any mood to flirt with this gorgeous man standing over her.

"I'm so sorry Ms. You weren't moving, I just wanted to let you know you could cross." His voice was apologetic and sweet- maybe a little too sweet, she thought.

"Well that worked out great didn't it." She spat sarcastically. Kim saw him kneel beside her then, he began to help her up but she stopped him.

"Let me help you up-"

"No, it's fine. I can get up myself." Kim didn't want to feel any more embarrassed in front of this beautiful stranger.

Although she was struggling to get up and continued to slip and slide on the ice, she kept going. He stifled a laugh at the sight of her.

"Are you laughing at me?" Kim squinted her eyes, her annoyance beginning to wear off by then.

"Maybe a little." He chuckled and she gave up, falling on the ground again. Kim let out a loud laugh at herself- this would only happen to her, she thought. "Just let me help you." The man said gently. She allowed him to do so this time and in seconds, she was standing up again. He held her arm while she steadied herself.

"Thank you, I'm fine now." Kim couldn't help but blush once she got a closer look at him. His hair was a chocolate brown, his jaw clenched as he continued to hold onto her arm and his pink lips were pursed together in order to stop another laugh from escaping them.

"Are you sure that when I let you go you won't fall again?" he looked into her eyes with his bright blue ones. He was cute, she thought, and his smile was contagious. He left her without a word to say, all she could do was nod slowly.

The man loosened his grip on her arm and she stood on her own then.

"Thank you." She said a little shyly.

"I'm really sorry, it was my fault." His voice trailed off.

There was a silence for a moment, the two done nothing but look at each other. Not a word was said by either. His eyes lingered on her lips and she noticed this so moved her head an inch or two away from his.

"I better get going."

Kim had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the scene that had just unfolded before her. How cliché, how perfect he seemed to be- looks and demeanor- It was all too good to be true. The fact that she would happen to meet a faultless man on the street and feel something the second she looked into his eyes. What a load of bullshit, she thought. Things were never that straight forward for her, especially in the boyfriend department.

She gave him a polite smile, before turning to walk away but he grabbed her hand to stop her. She turned around and saw his hopeful eyes.

"I'd like to make it up to you..." The stranger gave her a small, shy smile and she had to hold in a snort. Shy? This man? She didn't think so. He had this aura of confidence coming off of him. Despite not having any reason to doubt he was being genuine, Kim doubted it regardless. Men were assholes, at least that was what she thought anyway. She had learned that the hard way and would never change her mind on that. Ever.

"How?" she continued on with this ridiculous conversation despite everything she thought.

"Maybe dinner? Or coffee?"

"I'm sorry, that would be great but I'm not really looking for anything like that at the moment. Thanks anyway, I have to go now." Kim rejected him but regretted it once she saw the wounded look on his face. He let her go and she began on her way again, back to her apartment.

She wondered why she had felt bad about saying no, it wasn't like she knew him? Maybe Kim was being too much of a pessimist, not everyone was the same. It was an unfair conclusion to come to about men but she couldn't help herself. She was sick of all of the men in her life being nothing but disappointments- her father being one of them.

Kim let out a long sigh once she closed the door of her apartment and set her keys down on her counter. She showered, threw on a pair of baggy sweatpants and a sport bra before making her way into her bedroom for a nap. She felt wore out and her muscles ached from her training earlier. She drifted off thinking about the man she had met earlier, thinking she wouldn't see him again but she was wrong.

She would meet him again sooner than she thought...