Maya’s POV

Without any hesitation I walked after him out of the bar. The evening breeze touched my skin but failed to soothe the internal tempest that raged within me. The sound of my heels clicking softly upon the pavement accompanied my steps as I moved alongside him.

The hotel where he stayed stood only a short distance away hidden among luxurious boutiques and towering glass structures which gleamed with city lights.

An eerie stillness pervaded the lobby where subdued lighting created an unsettling perfection. His movement through the lobby remained unbroken as he nodded to the night receptionist. My eyes remained fixed downward as my cheeks flushed with heat. This felt reckless. The experience defied sanity. The essence of life permeated its being.

The elevator ride remained silent while the machinery softly hummed and my heart subtly pounded within my chest. His presence was next to me as an unwavering force that remained unaffected by any disturbance. The situation lacked both awkwardness and tension. Only the state of anticipation exists. The elevator emitted a sharp ding as its doors parted and he motioned me to proceed before him. I did.

The top floor housed his suite. The expansive floor-to-ceiling windows unveiled an extraordinary skyline view. From this vantage point the city appeared distant and unreachable while we existed in a separate suspended realm. A realm where consequences and reality hold no sway. As the door sealed itself with a click behind us, an invisible change took place.

He stepped toward me slowly, eyes locked on mine. I suspended my breathing while his hands encircled my face and his thumbs moved across my cheekbones as though committing my features to memory.

His lips collided with mine in an unwavering, relentless press. The kiss wasn’t soft or sweet or gentle, it was raw, hungry, demanding. The sensation emerged raw and hungry displaying his own desperate need to drown something.

My fingers latched onto his jacket lapels, pulling him toward me. My senses became overwhelmed by his cologne's dark woody fragrance which created an intoxicating aura.

The jacket he'd worn descended to the floor surface. My blouse followed and soon our clothes were flying.

Our movement to the bed became a series of awkward steps as breathless laughter mingled with kisses that escalated in heat and intensity. His hands caressed my body with a sense of entitlement that suggested he possessed every part of me.

And I let him. The desire for him to perform the action existed within me. My desire to immerse myself entirely within his essence drove me to seek one night of complete surrender.

Our union emerged through a rapid, desperate frenzy that consumed us both. Each touch combined with every kiss and every breath functioned as a release. A voiceless scream emerged between us beyond our capacity to express. I held onto him as he thrust into me. He made me feel wanted. Needed. Seen.

Time stretched into elongated periods without change. Or maybe just minutes.

Entwined in our sheets we lay as unspoken words thickened the surrounding air into an oppressive silence. His arm hung loosely around my waist while his breath flowed slow and steady against my shoulder.

He looked peaceful—eyes closed jaw relaxed one hand curled near his face like he was far removed from the world.

Under the dim light I examined him hoping to find some familiar element that I could grasp. Yet nothing existed. An unfamiliar presence defined his existence. A beautiful broken stranger who had come into my life just long enough to remind me that I could still feel something, feel wanted… and not discarded.

My body flipped to a supine position as my eyes fixed upon the overhead surface. My heart experienced a newfound calmness while my mind settled into a quieter state.

Not regret. No I didn’t regret what happened. I required that particular thing. My desire for his presence burned intensely, yet confined to just a single night's need.

This was what I had wanted. No strings.

This serves as my sole respite from the chaotic thoughts of my wounded emotions. He bestowed the that upon me, slowly, I found myself drifting off to sleep with a smile on my face.

The sky outside started its slow brightening while he moved next to me. He sat up quietly careful not to wake me even though I was already wide awake. Through half-closed eyes I observed him while feigning sleep, as he navigated the room with a skilled fluidity that revealed his experience in making quiet departures.

He gathered his garments and dressed leisurely before running his fingers through his disheveled hair. He directed his gaze toward me for an instant. His expression remained a mystery yet his eyes stayed fixed on my face as though he sought to commit it to memory. Perhaps his intentions were focused on forgetting.

I didn’t move.

The man silently walked to the door before opening it and exiting.

With deliberate slowness I sat up while simultaneously drawing the sheet to cover my naked chest. The door now shut held my gaze while the room's silence became overwhelmingly loud. He was gone.

The state of having no attachments.

He doesn’t know my name.

I do not know him and this is how things should be.

The concept of anticipating outcomes remains absent.

Two fractured souls discovered one another for a single night only to release their connection before morning emerged.

My feet carried me to the window where I stood gazing at the city while it emerged from slumber. The streets below began to populate with vehicles and pedestrians who carried out their daily activities.

A gentle reminder that the world doesn’t care about what I do or who I spend the night with… as soon as the sun rises…it all starts again.

My escape was just an illusion,and my one night stand hero was gone.

While standing there enveloped in his memory I declared to myself that our paths would never cross again.