The furiously beeping alarm clock on my bedside table shifted me from unconsciousness back to reality. I rolled over to face the annoyingly bright red flashing numbers. 5:20am. I groaned as I pulled the warm comforting blankets off of my pyjama-clad pale body. I usually woke up this time in the morning but not for the same reasons other people would. Most people get up this early to go to work or to exercise. Not I, I get up this early in the morning to watch a complete and utterly beautiful stranger run past my house every day.

 

I ran my fingers through my hair as I walked down the stairs. Once down I made my repetitive cycle of going to the kitchen to make some coffee before going over to the windows facing the road. Seems kind of stalkerish I know, but the guy was flawless. Yes guy, I’m gay, I have been since I hit puberty when I realised I had no attraction to any females at all. I’m not ashamed though, I’m quite proud of my decision and my family accepts me for who I am so I’ve never had any reason to be ashamed.

I sipped the hot beverage then set it down on the windowsill. I dragged one of the beat up old one-person couches over to the window and slumped down into it, waiting for the 4 seconds that I would get to see the perfect specimen of male run past my house. I looked out nervously at the sidewalk. No sign of life yet but the birds chirping softly. I looked up towards the clock to make sure I was on time. Yep. Always was. I glanced back up the hill that my house was nestled at the bottom of. And sure as hell there he was. The perfectly toned, slightly tanned body running down the hill towards my house. When the sunlight from the early morning sun hit him, I swore he glowed. I sighed and leaned forward slightly to get a better look. Oh, I was lucky today, he rarely ran without a shirt. I imagined touching the silky smooth skin of his bare chest and running my fingers through that long luscious dark brown hair. Oh god he’s sweating. I felt my pants tighten as he jogged slowly down the hill trying not to trip up. He slowed to a quick walking pace and glanced up at my house. His step kind of paused for a second or so before he kept going keeping his eyes to the window I was at.
“Oh shit!” I near exclaimed and jumped up pulling the curtains shut.

I tried to resist the temptation to peep through the curtains but just couldn’t help myself; I pushed two fingers into to the gap between the curtains and looked through. I could see his ass from this view, I only looked for a brief second though as I saw his head turn to look back towards my house, I quickly pushed the curtain back and sighed.

This was pathetic. I had been watching him run for close to five months now and I didn’t even know his name. I couldn’t talk to him; I couldn’t even show my face to him. What kind of sad disturbed person was I? I picked up my now nearly empty cup of coffee and took it back to the kitchen. I noticed I still had a little…problem below so I quickly ran up to the bathroom in my bedroom and went for a shower. After I was clean and ridded of my problem I realised that it was still early and I didn’t have to go to work, as I was unemployed I went back to bed. I never got much sleep and waking up early was beginning to affect my mood.

I awoke some hours later to the ringing of my cell phone; I reached my hand out to grab it off the table.
“Hello?” I murmured I was still very tired.
“Hi Gerard, its me Mikey,” my brother said gleefully into the phone.
“What the hell do you want?”
“Wow, I love you to Gee,” he replied and could almost hear his smirk, “anyway remember mum said she wanted to see us both today at 2pm”
“Yeah I remember so what?” I replied
“So what, its 2:15 Gee,” He said over-exaggerated.
“Shit, shit, tell mum I’m sorry, fuck damn, I slept in a-fucking-gain,” I yelled jumping up to find clothes decent enough to wear to visit my mum.
“I’ll see you soon then,” Mikey said and then hung up.
I raced around grabbing essentials and putting them in my bag. I ran my fingers through my hair that would have to do; I didn’t have time to brush it. I ran out the door and into my panel-van. Luckily my mum’s was only 15 minutes away.

On the way there I passed a house and the gorgeous man that ran passed my house every morning watering his garden. I slowed down a little but he looked up and saw me his jaw dropped and he dropped the hose. I instantly turned my head back and began to drive faster. Shit that’s the second time today I scolded myself. He hasn’t noticed me since…well ever. What makes today so different? I silently debated in my head wether it was just coincidence or something was going to happen.

Ten minutes later, I pulled into my mother’s driveway and got out lazily pulling my hoodie over my head. I walked into the house and was greeted by my mother’s arms pulling me into a motherly embrace. She pulled back, smiled and kissed my cheek. But then she frowned and gave me a disapproving look.
“Take that stupid thing off your head, you look ridiculous,” She laughed.
“Hi mum, sorry I’m late. I was just really tired that’s all,” I said back laughing softly.
“What do you do all night that would make you so tired?” She asked cocking her eyebrow.
“Nothing that you would want to know my dear mother,” I replied laughing louder this time.
Mikey made a disgusted face but laughed lightly.
“Oh Gerard, honey I want to introduce you to someone,” She said as if just remembering the other female quietly seated on the couch.

“This is Alicia,” She said motioning towards her. I groaned. My mum was yet again trying to set me up with someone.
“Mother have I not told you that I am gay about 500 times?” I said quiet annoyed. I smiled at the girl who looked confused.
“I’m sorry my mother brought you here, you can go home if you want,” This made her face turn bright red and she looked like she was about to laugh her head off.
“Uhh, Gee this is MY girlfriend,” Mikey said quietly trying to hold in the laugher. My eyes opened so wide I thought they were going to pop out and I felt my face turning a bright red. I hid my face in my hair as my head dropped from shame. Then everyone burst out laughing. I felt tears stinging my eyes from embarrassment. I said sorry and it was nice meeting her quietly to Alicia and told my mum I had to go. I quickly left not know what just happened.

I drove home still feeling embarrassed, a hint of red still tinting my cheeks. When I got home, I had only just walked in the door before hearing the phone ring. I had a pretty good idea who it was going to be.
“Hello?” I said.
“Gerard, are you okay?” Mikey said concerned
“No, I embarrassed myself so bad in front of your girlfriend, I’m sorry,” I said ashamed.
“It’s okay, mum has tried to set you up so many times before, I wouldn’t blame you,” Mikey said.
Good old Mikey, he was so good at making me feel better.
“Thanks Mikes,” I said a little more cheerful.
“It’s all good, I’ll have to bring her over another day so you can meet her properly.”
“Okay Mikes, we’ll do that sometime,” I said.
“K bye, talk to you later,” Mikey said and the phone went dead.
I felt a lot better now. It was about 3:00pm so I decided to have afternoon tea. I trudged into the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards. Damn, nothing. I rarely ever left the house for anything but to go shopping and to Mikey’s and occasionally my mums. Looks like I’ll have to go shopping, I thought gloomily to myself still feeling tired after a long night of lone drinking. I picked up my keys and hoodie and began to walk down to the store.

The bell tinged as I opened the door to the small grocery shop, I walked inside and grabbed a basket, I skipped the fruit and vegetable section and went straight to the junk food. I stopped dead though, that guy that I had been watching was in the aisle I wanted to go down. What was with today, this was the third time I had seen him. I quickly turned around and went down the aisle adjacent to the one the unnamed man was in. I cautiously walked down the aisle and spotted him in between a gap through the shelves. He seemed to be trying to grab Twizzlers off a very high shelf; I didn’t notice he was so short when he came running. I thought about going to help him. He probably get scared and run away. After all when he saw me in the car he had been shocked. I didn’t want him to think that I was stalking him, even though really I kinda was.

I debated going and talking to him the whole time he was shopping, I followed him staying in the aisle next to his occasionally throwing some random food into my basket. I saw something shiny out of the corner of my eye. I realised it was the beer fridge. I went to grab some but not before I cautiously glanced between the shelves. I gasped inwardly he was gone! I started to panic. I walked to the edge of the aisle and carefully peeped around the shelves before quickly running to the beer fridge at the end of the store. I looked both ways before opening the fridge and grabbing a few six packs. I walked carefully up and down the shop looking through the aisles for my unnamed crush. I instantly calmed down; he was nowhere to be seen. I casually continued with my shopping randomly grabbing packets of things and throwing them in the basket. It was starting to get heavy so I moved over to the cashier and coincidently enough; there was the short man with his basket of items waiting in line. I joined the line I was behind him. I put my hoodie up and fixed my gaze to the ground so I wouldn’t be recognised. I debated in my head whether to talk to him. This went on for a few minutes until he was finally at the cashier.
‘Come on you worthless pansy, just say hi.’
‘No, What if he recognises me.’
‘Just do it what have I got to lose.’
‘No.’
‘Yes.’
I finally plucked what slight courage I had and decided to tap him on the shoulder and say hi. I hesitantly lifted my arm and my fingers were just about to brush his shoulder lightly he moved and I flinched. As I went to touch him again he picked up his bags and walked away.