Matches Aren't Always Made In Heaven

Matches Aren't Always Made In Heaven
(Installment 1)


As the rain continued to pelt the pavement Jerard pushed himself further back into the doorway while pulling the collar of his brown trench coat up around his ears. There were people hurrying along the sidewalk dodging the drizzle, some with umbrellas and others just rushing to get out of the rain. Heavy clouds hung directly overhead as the rain continued to fall. He’d been in this particular vicinity for about a week and he’d been watching her. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be here and quite honestly he couldn’t recall how he’d stumbled across her path. She was still as beautiful as he’d remembered. Even more so. Time had been kind to Sarah Alders but this wasn’t his assignment and he knew that. But he could not bring himself to leave. Not yet, anyway.
He’d fallen hard for Sarah, but she had never known, had never even suspected it. They weren’t meant to be together and they had both known that. They had come from two different worlds and although at the time Sarah couldn’t see beyond tomorrow Jerard certainly could. He had tasted the regret the moment he had kissed her lips just as he had a twinge of regret now. But kissing her had been unavoidable and the moment their lips had met he had gone down for the count.
Time seemed to crawl as he waited for Sarah to come out of her boyfriend’s apartment which was where he had followed her. A twinge of something familiar hit him furiously but that lasted for only the briefest of moments. This wasn’t the first time that he needed to remind himself that he needed to finish up his assignment and get back home. Yet, he still remained in the doorway looking up at the second floor apartment forlornly.
Jerard shook himself back into the present as Sarah came down the front stairs laughing, the boyfriend close behind. He had a large green umbrella but Sarah stopped him from opening it. All was quiet as Jerard held his breath for a moment. Her hair was shorter than he remembered which in turn caused her brown eyes to look bigger. Liquid brown eyes. The color of melting chocolate. Sarah had been a skinny teenager and not exactly a raving beauty but she’d always had all the right curves in all the right places. And now, she was a woman. Totally different from the frightened little girl he had kissed so tenderly on that balmy summer night so very long ago. It was still hard to believe that he had let her go so easily. But he’d had no choice. It hadn’t been the right time. They hadn’t stood half a chance twenty years ago just as sure as they hadn’t a chance today. Yet, here he was, so close to reaching out to Sarah but still so far away.