Huguel
realized he had zoned out and was startled by the sound of someone coming out of the front door of the cafe. He glanced sideways at the clock hanging above the door and saw that the barista had finally made it into the building. Hugo stood up, paid for his coffee (because it was free, obviously), and started walking towards the exit.
The woman who exited the shop was wearing a short sleeved, pink dress with matching heels. Her red hair framed her face perfectly, emphasizing the large eyes and high cheekbones that were almost impossible not to notice. Hugo was struck by her beauty immediately, and he didn't mean to stare. He simply couldn't look away. The woman was the embodiment of elegance and beauty and Hugo felt himself drawn to her like the moth to the flame.
But Hugo wasn't the only one that noticed her. As the woman moved past him, he heard murmurs coming from the other passersby. Some of the male voices whistled and some of the female ones giggled. Hugo frowned slightly. What did those idiots think they were doing? Were they looking at her butt because of the skirt? Or was it something else? Hugo was tempted to ask her what was going on but decided against it, knowing that asking strangers was rude and might be taken as insulting. Besides, the woman clearly didn't want any attention and Hugo didn't want to get her angry.
Huguel watched her as she continued walking down the street, her hand brushing against the wooden railing of the porch of her apartment building. He couldn't resist staring until she disappeared inside. He sighed heavily and let his head fall back until it bumped into the wall behind him. Why had he done that? He had promised himself he wouldn't do it anymore, that he would respect the woman who had walked out of the café and stayed away from her. But he kept seeing her whenever he closed his eyes. Maybe he shouldn't have done it but there was no stopping himself now. He knew that even though he tried to keep his distance, to stay away, he still couldn't.
So he just kept trying to ignore her. Sometimes he caught glimpses of her from behind windows when he walked by the streets, or sometimes he spotted her at a crowded restaurant. But even then, he tried to avoid her as best as he could. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was that weird feeling he always had around women - like butterflies dancing inside of him and the hairs on his arm standing on end. He didn't know which one was it. He just hoped it would stop soon.
***
He was tired of ignoring her. He couldn't stand it anymore. He hadn't seen her in months and he was sick of it. He wanted to see her again, but he didn't know what he should say to her. Maybe he should have just ignored her and gotten it over with. He certainly was capable of ignoring her - he often succeeded in doing so. Except he had to see her, he just needed to see her to know that she was okay. That was it, right? Just seeing her would give him some answers, some closure, and maybe he would even be able to forget all about the annoying woman that had been plaguing his dreams.
He took the metro to her apartment, hoping to find her there. Maybe she'd gone to visit her parents, maybe she had been called away by work. Whatever the case, Hugo was hoping he could catch her alone before she left for class. She lived in a neighborhood with tall buildings on both sides of the street. Hugo was grateful that he had chosen to live in the less expensive part of town. The apartment was on the third floor of one of those taller apartments. From where he was standing, Hugo could tell that the apartment complex was empty. No one lived here except for herself.