It was a typical day of confused Melburnian weather, marking the end of a long winter and severe vitamin D deficiency. I stepped through the threshold to stretch my legs and take in a breath full of clean air, only to spot a stunningly handsome man vaguely resembling a cute rodent; and yammering feverishly into his phone. Wanting to avoid a confrontation and the predictable exchange of greetings, I silently hopped back into the room, prompting a clumsy bang of the door screen behind me. As anticipated, this drew the rat's attention, forcing me to meet his rather startled gaze with one of conviction. Before I could continue on to the kitchen for a cup of mocha, I couldn't help but notice the hurt visibly plastered on his beautiful features, betraying an anxiety that stemmed from a not-too-distant troubled past. This cat and mouse game of me avoiding him each time a confrontation was inevitable, carried on tediously for months. He was undeterred by my lack of response and proceeded to wave at me with childish glee, accompanied by a loud 'hallo' that begun to thaw at my icy reserve. His surprise at being offered a neighborly treat on Christmas eve was charming in a self-effacing way. The torment within his soul was, however, evident from the soul wracking melodies he played on his guitar, that would stretch across the night to tickle the constellations that were much too bright and much too oblivious to his pain. By the time I was ready to open up to him and his persistent attempts at befriending me, he'd finally met his match in a woman physically akin to a walrus. Gone were the days when he'd try to sneak inquisitive peeks into my transient home through partially shut blinds and make discomfiting and lengthy eye contact with me. I still wonder to this very moment how things might have played out had I just let go of my inhibitions and given him a chance. Was it never meant to work and leave me stranded with regrets? It is highly probable that years of rejection, deceit and humiliation from the opposite gender, have erected a metaphorical wall around me that even the formidable white walkers from Game of Thrones wouldn't be able or willing to scale.
