text: I had never seen such beautiful eyes. My friends say I'm a cynic. I blame life for that. Years of feeling like an outsider looking in at other people's happiness will do that to you. I believed love at first sight was nothing but an advertising gimmick, used to draw in the unsuspecting idealists of our generation. I even made it a point to brutally tear down some of my more starry-eyed friends. Yet, there I was, gaping at what seemed to me, the most perfect human being I'd ever laid my eyes on. Alright, perhaps not the most. I’ve been told I’m prone to exaggeration. But the irony of it wasn't lost on me. My scarily determined mother had pulled all sorts of strings to get this family to agree to a meeting. I, of course, wasn't allowed an opinion. After all, what unmarried girl of twenty eight wouldn't be delighted at this wonderful opportunity? She was still at it, extolling my non-existent virtues to the parents. Parents, who were eyeballing me, probably ticking off points in the mental checklist they prepared when they went shopping for brides. "..And, there's no question about my daughter's reputation, of course... " Ah, mother. If only you knew. The memory of my last entanglement still incited a bitter tug in my weary heart. Bed sheets twisted with embarrassment, drunken words that held no meaning. I turned my attention back to those soulful eyes, now looking intently at me too. I know most wouldn't understand. The eyes were too close set, the lips were slightly crooked. Unruly, dark hair refusing to be tamed. But how I wanted press my chapped lips against that smooth forehead, and run my hands over every inch of that body. And it wasn't just lust, I wanted to hear every word those crooked lips had to say, I wanted to run along a beach holding those lean hands, I wanted to wake up every morning, next to that face. I wanted a home with hardwood floors and noisy children. The bruised romantic in me painted colourful dreams of us. I felt laughter bubble up my throat. Fate is the biggest joke of life. What were the chances that I, a lonely girl who'd given up on the idea of a happy life with the one I loved, should find my soul mate because of this horrible charade every girl my age has to go through? Yet I felt no gratitude towards my mother, who had just turned towards me and said: "Well, why don't you take him out to the balcony- you'll be able to have a nice conversation, just the two of you.” I almost choked, trying to gulp down the dry, hysterical cackle that had risen earlier. As I said, life has turned me into a cynic and fate is a nothing but a joke. I felt my heart break, as I dragged myself away from those beautiful eyes and led her brother to the balcony.