Shadows and darkness lit brightly along with bright lights in this crowded concert hall. Colors reflect colors. These eager people now started buzzing as anticipation swirled within; those would wait for one long favorite band, that The Rhythm Realm Band.
She was standing there amidst the thumping bass, cheering echo, and all that noise. Althea was a young woman who wore an infectious smile across her face and a heart that overflowed with enthusiasm. She had been going along with her best friend Amanda to the concert, in hopes of experiencing a little part of the fun and magic the music brought along.
As soon as the band stepped onto the stage, the energy in the room reached an all-time high. Althea felt moving to the beat of music, herself giving up to the magic of it.
Amidst all the mess was a minor bump on her shoulder that made her tumble back to reality. She would have apologized had not her words get stuck in her throat as she looked up at the face of a complete stranger.
"I am so sorry," she stuttered, her cheeks flushed red.
For with this strange unknown, such an air of sadness was the sadness so kind, with this sense of warmth unuttered, behind the anguish. "It is naught," he said, his low smile under breath, caressing softly his edges, that tinged his voice even low.
Time froze the air to round them. He had enough candor to allow those sad eyes stare full and free into hers and there was an enchantment that would stop nothing at all until perhaps her eyes so good at it then followed him in the direction.
"Are you fine?" she asked, an undertone of concern running through her voice.
"Yes," he nodded, turning his lips into a bittersweet smile. "I am fine. Just lost in thoughts."
Althea tried to make sense of that puzzling smile. There is something so magnetic about that man. She felt something pulling her closer.
As the music built to a crescendo, they found themselves drifting toward each other, their bodies swaying together to the music. As if the universe itself had a hand in conspiring against them, so they both ended up inside that hall.
Althea's heart was racing with questions and curiosity. Who was this stranger, and what secrets lay hidden beneath that melancholic facade?
But before she would dare call out, the concert was stopped. The crowd rose up to applaud, and the mobs swarmed out of there like a sea.
Althea's eyes wildly swept around the crowd, and once again, she spotted just a glimpse of her elusive stranger. And when the crowd parted, there would be nothing but thin air, leaving only memories of his eyes with other questions crossing through her mind.
With this crowd pushing Althea toward the door, more is happening with that touch on her shoulder than a simple nudge into her. She could sense the connection in it-an unseen bond rising above the madness of the concert.
Little did she know that the encounter was going to be the one that set off a journey filled with love, heartache, and the love story that would defy all odds. For fate had a plan in store for Althea and the stranger with sad eyes, a plan that was going to intertwine their lives in ways they never could have imagined.
On the other side of this vibrant city, in a land of shining skyscrapers and throngs of people rushing down streets, Jacob was a man who lived in shadows. His past was broken, with memories that he locked up inside and hid from the world.
For years, Jacob had been a shadow composer for The RR Band, one of the most famous music groups whose melodies touched the soul and whose lyrics stirred the heart. He was talented at creating music touching the deepest corners of listeners' souls but kept his own heart closed and locked away from the world.
He would wander off during the day to his little small studio dimly lit full of musical instruments haunting melodies and emotions pouring from his very compositions as if the hurt in his past was seeping from the strings he strummed.
But dusk, when the sun had gone down and out of sight beneath the horizon, Jacob emerged from his sanctuary into a world he tried to keep away from himself. And it was on just such a rare day that the course of events led him to the concert where he met Althea.
Jacob's eyes were full of so many stories of tears and the sorrow. Such eyes were windows to past pain, so he learned how to lay deep within the soul and forget. Their pain resounded from deep down within their souls in lines composed by the melodies.
As a shadow composer, Jacob could be really creative without any identity for himself. Shadows provided him with anonymity-they were an abode of solace and a shelter from the peering eyes of the world.
But beneath his mask of defense, Jacob had the yearning for love. He was a man in need of a woman who could see through the mask he wore to heal the open wounds inside his heart.
It was that casual encounter with Althea which brought something inside him to life. The genuine concern and persistent inquiry had pierced his defenses and brought a glimmer of hope into his defensive heart.
He took back his melodies full of longing in Jacob's soul, and within the confines of his studio, composed effortlessly, as if they had been done under the leading hand of some non-corporeal hand, a saying about love and death and the possible existence of redemption.
Jacob knew his assignment was to find Althea again. The universe just seems to have a knack for bringing people together, and he couldn't deny the magnetic pull drawing him to her side.
But the shadows of his past still loomed, threatening to unravel the fragile threads of connection he felt with Althea. It would take courage and vulnerability to confront his demons and open his heart to the possibility of love.
Among those pieces of instruments and sheets covered in musical notes, a silent promise was formed inside Jacob. He would control his own past, he would step out into the sun again for sure because he had realized that love can even erase the most hurtful scratches.
Every haunting melody that Jacob composed would bring him closer to the day he would face Althea once again, prepared to share his hidden truths with her and embark on a journey that would change their lives forever.
As days passed by, Althea was in a whirlwind of emotion; her mind just wouldn't let go of this strange man who had the eyes of the sad. It felt more than mere coincidence that brought them together. There had to be more to their meeting that she needed to find out about.
On the other hand, Amanda was seeing her friend like comedy and concern coming together. She always marveled at Althea's adventurous spirit but could not help but be a little worried about the outcome of trying to chase after a stranger.
"Althea, I have never seen you so fixated on somebody in my life," Amanda said one evening as both of them sat in their warm, cozy apartment, sipping their mugs of hot cocoa.
Althea took a deep breath and stared out the window, focusing on the twinkling city lights in the distance. "There's just something about him, Amanda. I know I cannot explain it, but I feel our paths were meant to cross."
A soft expression spread across Amanda's chest, looking at her friend who was stern-faced; as she could see in her eyes the look of being vulnerable. "I listen to you, Althea. But take precautions. For many times already, people that entered into our lives were not always what they said they are.".
Althea nodded, embracing the words of Amanda. "I will remember that, Amanda. But I just cannot let this feeling in my heart go away. I need to know more about him, to unravel this mystery behind those sad eyes."
At town, Jacob would not forget his encounter with Althea. For hours, he would just sit in his studio without moving, creating melodies of what was going on within his heart.
So it was on one rehearsal eve after rehearsal when his best bud and fellow bandman Marcus felt something different going through Jacob. He came closer to discuss this difference.
"Hey man you come off so distant recently" Marcus said with plenty concern in his voice, and proceeded to ask, "Everthing alright?"
The interior turmoil within him rendered his words inadequate, forcing himself to just admit meekly that he "meant someone".
Marcus raised an eyebrow at this. "Really? Well, tell me about them."
Well, I was at a concert, Jacob said, his voice tinged with sadness mixed with uncertainty. "There was something about her, Marcus. Something that drew me to her in a way I cannot explain."
Marcus listened carefully, nodding his head in understanding. "It sounds like you're smitten, my friend."
Jacob shook his head, a mysterious smile playing at the edges of his lips. "I don't know what it is, Marcus. But I just feel inside of me that she's going to be the one to change my life."
Marcus reached up to slap him across the shoulders with a reassuring smile spread all over his face. "Well, congratulations then Jacob. I am quite giddy for you and keep your wits on alert though. Love often creeps up on its lover at the worst times ever.".
Jacob started writing again, but again he thought of Althea. He would never forget this meeting, never think it was just done and over with. "It only had to be the starting point for something much deeper and much larger, in which he would be subjected to his heart and soul".
So fate kept its tapestry, where all the intricacies of their life were bringing Althea and Jacob closer to one another each day. None could envision that it would cross its paths in the middle of this point so as to get set up again in such a way that they might tell a love story against all odds and test time.
And though Althea and Jacob walked in opposite directions, the universe seemed bent on bringing them closer still, each step inexorably drawing them toward the same destiny.
One night, as Althea and Amanda sat in the café where they had gone so many times before, sipping steaming cups of coffee, their conversation naturally turned to Althea's mysterious encounter.
"You seem distracted, Althea," Amanda remarked, furrowing her brow with concern. "Is everything all right?"
Althea shrugged, her thoughts drifting back to the man with mournful eyes. "It's something, I tell you," she said. "Something with him that doesn't really make sense with Amanda, but like a pull-a kind of tug-to bring me his way."
A soft pressure on Althea's hand came from Amanda, who saw the dawn of new understanding in her eyes. "Trust the instinct that's speaking of itself at times," Amanda spoke softly. "The universe knows something about you, too. Just sometimes-and then with a gentle nudging-the whole thing pops out."
Althea nodded, grateful for Amanda's unwavering encouragement. "I only wish I knew more of him, Amanda. I mean, there's a lot I want to know".
Jacob was fighting his own battle on the other side of town. Sitting in his studio, surrounded by the eerie sounds of his compositions, he heard Marcus's words.
"You seem distracted, Jacob," Marcus said with a worried tone. "Is everything okay?"
Sighing, Jacob ran a shaking hand through his hair. "For whatever reason, I just can't stop thinking about her. Althea. And there's just something of her that catches me like that, something I can't explain."
Marcus nodded with thoughtful deliberation. "Love is a sneaky thing sometimes. It seems to creep up on a person when he least expects it, my friend. Just remember who you are and it will all fall in line."
Jacob nodded his head, the heart below him heavy with emotions. "I hope so, Marcus. I hope she feels the same way."
As Althea and Jacob continued going through twists and turns in life, the paths of life ultimately crossed again to prepare them for a reunion which would change everything. In fact, what they could not know was that along the journey ahead lay very many challenges and obstacles before them to pass through so as to test the strength and depth of their connection of love.
But for now, for this moment, they only had hope that fate actually was preparing something special just for them, something way past the boundaries of any two people in any span of time and space as something to lead them along a path to their forever love.
To Althea and Jacob, whose lives unfolded through events traced as it were by fate, and seemed to bring them again into each other's arms.
One evening, Althea attended a large art gallery opening and browsed through crowds of people for an idea. While going through the shows, she thought of that sad-eyed stranger. She wondered what he must be doing now and if they would ever see each other again.
He himself stood at the far end of the corridor, his chest swelling over with the memories of this short affair. He looks at Althea at a distance, mixed emotions of sweet and bitter longings rise to close up the distances between them.
Amanda had planned everything in advance, unknown to her. In Amanda, she knew it was still a heart strung out to the stranger, to whom Althea looks during the concert.
"Althea, there is someone I would love to let you meet," Amanda said with gleam in her eyes as she pulled her friend toward the corner where Jacob was sitting.
Althea's heart skipped a beat as she caught the first glimpse of Jacob, the sad reflection in his eyes seemed to reverberate within her also. "Who is this guy?" Althea asked whispering, beating faster, for she wasn't really sure what would be ahead of her now.
Amanda knew very well who Jacob was. "His name is Jacob," she smiled. "I think the two of you have plenty in common."
With eyes locking from across the room, it seemed as though time itself stood still and the ripples of their last encounter stayed in the air.
"Althea," he breathed softly, extending his hand to brush across her fingertips.
"Jacob," Althea returned softly, her heart hammering inside her chest as she reached out toward him.
It was then that the world around was melting into a hole that would leave the two of them standing with this sea of people swarming all about them. They apparently waited all their lives for just that one moment in which to finally be with each other.
As Amanda stood and observed her dear friend's dazed look as if lost into the eyes of the other.
Amidst an art gallery, between all the beauty of paintings and sculptures, Althea and Jacob started their life anew with hearts remaining interconnected in love that would undergo the trials and tests by time.
And how could Amanda not smile when they spoke heartful words and promised each other a bright future, knowing that she played her little part in bringing these two young souls together?.
And so, as the gallery lights went down into darkness and night faded into dawn, Althea and Jacob walked hand in hand within that unknown, embracing whatever destiny was holding for them now that they had finally seen one another in the happiness each other could offer-all in all, what they could search for all along.
Althea and Jacob's love story unfolded before the eyes of friends and loved ones because, after all, something remarkable was unfolding before them.
A few weeks later, Althea and Jacob are in a quiet coffee shop; the light chuckling of laughter of these two mingle with soft background music. Amanda was smiling on the other side, seeming content as she watched over Althea and Jacob fall deeper into love.
"It's like they were made for each other," Amanda said, her eyes twinkling with happiness as she sipped on her latte.
Marcus, who had joined them for the evening, nodded in agreement. "They seem to truly be happy together, don't they? It's as if they bring out the best in each other."
Althea and Jacob exchanged a knowing look. They loved each other. This is what their look conveyed, the way they gazed at each other. Whatever the obstacles they faced on their way, they knew it was worth fighting for their love.
The evening had worn out, but still they were on the future plans. Althea and Jacob were excitedly telling their dreams and aspirations with their voices full of hope and anticipation.
"I just really can't wait to see where life takes us," Althea said with excitement welling in her eyes. "With you, Jacob, I know we can conquer everything."
Jacob stretched to take her hand. "Together, Althea, we can do anything. I believe in us", he declared with his whole heart full of love for the woman who had captured his soul.
And there, sitting in that warm ambiance of friendship and love, Althea and Jacob knew they were embarking on something life-altering. Day by day, attachment grew stronger, love deeper, until they seemed almost inseparable, two souls brought together by love transcending time and space.
And when the sun set and friends had wished each other well, Althea and Jacob stepped into a bright future as they could now believe, for with one another, any storm soon would blow away, and leave only light clean sunshine in its wake.
As they faded into the night, their friends, with tears of happiness in their eyes, knew that they had just seen something very magical: the start of a love story for eternity.
Always ready to help and encourage Althea and Jacob as they went through their love story, were their friends and family.
The sun on their face and the rustling of leaves in the wind made Althea and Jacob stroll through the city park hand in hand. Amanda and Marcus joined in, and while they laughed out the old times, they told stories.
"I never thought we could have traveled so far," Amanda exclaimed, her eyes shining with pride as she regarded Althea and Jacob. "You two are like a fairytale come to life, modern style."
Althea smiled, feeling a swelling in her heart to her dear friend. "We owe it all to you, Amanda. If it hadn't been for your encouragement, we might never have found each other."
Jacob nodded, softening his eyes as he looked at Amanda and Marcus. "You've been there for us each step of the way, supporting us and believing in our love. We will always be grateful for that."
As they strolled in the park, Althea and Jacob discussed what was going to be done. Althea and Jacob were talking eagerly with their faces full of expectations as they debated the choice of venue and the number of guests.
"I can't wait to see the two of you tie the knot," Marcus said warmly and happily, speaking from a place of deep happiness and warmth towards his friends. "It's going to be such a beautiful celebration."
Wiping her tears with her finger, Amanda nodded at Althea. "You two were meant to be together," she said with conviction. "Althea and Jacob's love story will be the inspiring one that will leave me breathless."
Thus, as they walked hand in hand in the park with beauty and warmth of nature surrounding them, Althea and Jacob knew they were blessed. And each day that passed, the love between them deepened and their bond grew stronger, so much so that they were inseparable, two souls joined together in love-a love that will forever last.
And so, full of hope and excitement, Althea and Jacob knew that their love story had only just started as they stood amidst friends to face whatever life would have in store for them. As long as they had each other, they knew that they could conquer anything.
And as they walked into the sunset, where laughter and all nature's sounds combined, their friends and family stood watching with tears dripping down from their eyes. Happy tears, to say the least; happy for such a lovely love story and thankful to be included in that same story. Althea and Jacob were in for an amazing journey that lay ahead of them; they just needed to wait and see what the course of life had up for them next.
Days turned into weeks, and soon the wedding day had almost arrived. So, Althea and Jacob were amidst excitement and anticipation with friends all around, pushing them headlong into wedding preparations for that special day all of them had been dreaming about.
One evening, sitting in their small apartment over charts of seating and flower arrangements, Amanda could not help goggling at the love streaming out between them.
"You two are glowing," Amanda said to Althea and Jacob, a grin crossing over her lips.
She laughed and her eyes gleamed. "I hardly believe our special day is almost here, Amanda. It seems just yesterday when I first met you," she said.
Jacob nodded, a tender expression crossing his face as he gazed at Althea. "It has been quite a journey, hasn't it? But if I could do it all again, I wouldn't change a single moment."
Amanda looked around, watching her friends-the love shone, pouring out from every activity. "You two are meant to be together, Althea and Jacob. Your love is a beacon of hope for us all."
And on the other bright side of that wedding day was when Althea and Jacob hand in hand stood before a lot of friends and those close to them at the altar. Amanda stood next to Althea with red eyes from tears, though her eyes were wet enough, because she was really shedding tears of joy as she went through watching her friend saying her vows to the dream man.
"You look just absolutely breathtaking, Althea," Amanda whispered, with her voice full of emotions. "This is your fairytale moment and you deserve every little thing that comes with happiness."
Althea wiped her tears and beamed out at Jacob with a whole heart full of love for him. "Thanks to be here with me Amanda. I could not do this without you."
As Althea and Jacob exchanged their vows and sealed it all with a kiss, they knew their journey was only just beginning. They were ready to face whatever the world was to throw at them because as long as they had each other and friends by their side, they could conquer anything in this world.
It was under the twinkling lights of the reception hall that Althea and Jacob danced, surrounded by laughter and love from their friends and family alike. For in each other's arms, they had found the truest and most beautiful love of all.