by Mya O'Malley
“What’s wrong? I thought…?” Lori frowned. Wonderful.
“Nothing. Nothing.” He was stuck, at a loss for words. She seemed like she was a woman who always got what she wanted. Leaning in again, she pulled him closer this time. The next kiss was harder, more insistent. Try as he might, he couldn’t pull away. There was something about a brazen woman, he supposed. And this woman did know how to kiss, he had to give her that.
She released him only when she was finished kissing him. Shane stood speechless, shocked. Handing him a business card, she leaned close, but did not attempt to kiss him this time.
“Call me.” And she was off.
Standing alone in the parking lot with Lori’s business card in his hand, he was bewildered. Now that was a woman who knew what she wanted and went after it. This could prove to be interesting. He was no longer sure that he held no attraction for this woman.
Chapter Eleven
Samantha and Terry were in the kitchen while Annie and some other close friends sat talking on the couch. Samantha liked to throw casual potluck dinners about once a month or so. Their house was roomy enough to accommodate guests and it was always a good time. Annie brought a spinach dip and crackers as well as the wine tonight. She checked her cell, noting that Aaron would be waiting for her at Ronnie’s in about an hour. The two had become quite close over the last few weeks, and he stated that he needed to speak with her. Inviting him to stop by Sammy’s place was probably not a good idea. Knowing Aaron for only a short period of time, she thought that he might be shy with all of these new people, so that would have to wait. Dinner had already been served, so they were just waiting for dessert and then she could head over to the bar.
“So…” Amy started, emphasizing the word for meaning. “It seems that Annie here has a new boyfriend that she’s been hiding from us.” Amy had consumed one glass of wine too many, in her opinion. She always got like this when she drank.
“No… Annie does not have a new boyfriend.” Annie spoke of herself in the third person.
“Sure you do. His name is Aaron and she talks to him all time.” Annie shot daggers at Samantha who was just walking into the room with coffee.
“He’s my friend, Amy. That’s it.”
Smiling sweetly, Samantha rolled her eyes. “It’s true. Annie goes on a dating site and meets a friend, not a boyfriend, go figure.” The room filled with laughter. Most of Annie’s friends knew she was resistant to that irksome website from the start.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But Aaron really is a good friend and he’s the only decent man on that horrible site.” Shaking her head with disgust, she couldn’t help but laugh alongside her friends.
“Well, you still have two bachelors left to go, girl. Remember our little agreement.” Sam’s smile ate up her entire face. Shoot, Annie had hoped that Sam had forgotten about the last two men on her list, no such luck. She had ignored all of their e-mails, but it seemed that she would have to respond and fulfill her part of the deal she had made with Samantha. She wasn’t the type of girl who went back on her word.
“Yes, I suppose I do. Now, let’s have our coffee, I have to meet up with Aaron soon.”
* * * *
She spotted Aaron the second she walked into Ronnie’s. He was one of only three men in the place. Judging from his body language, he was in a bad mood. Shoulders slumped, looking down, he swirled his drink. Inwardly, she cringed. Aaron was usually upbeat and cheerful, the glass half full, so to speak. This was a different Aaron, one she wasn’t sure how to deal with.
Nodding at the bartender, she sat next to her friend. His eyes took Annie in as he pulled her close.
“Oh, Aaron. What is it?” His hair was disheveled, his eyes wounded.
He shook his head and didn’t speak. Looking for the bartender, she nodded for him to come over. “I’ll have a diet cola.” The older man went to pour her soda and promptly returned. “How long has he been here for?” She whispered, looking at Aaron.
“About an hour.”
“Thanks.”
Aaron peered at Annie with heartbreak in his eyes. Annie could only imagine what was causing her friend so much pain. Looking squarely into his eyes, she questioned him.
“Tell me what happened.”
“Suzie’s back.”
Wait, who? Oh yes, that was his ex-wife, the one that was love at first sight for Aaron all those years ago.
“Oh. That can’t be good. She’s here to stay?”
“No, I mean, I don’t think so. She’s here for her sister’s big fortieth birthday party,” he managed to say without lifting his head up.
“Okay, so what’s the problem? She’ll be gone in no time.”
“She called me. She wants to get back together.”
“What? But that’s crazy. I mean, she’s married and lives thousands of miles away, right?” This wasn’t making any sense.
“She’s getting divorced from the doctor and wants to come home. To me.”
“Oh, Aaron. I don’t know, didn’t she cheat on you and stomp all over your heart? You said so yourself.”
Finally, he straightened up. “Annie. She was awful at the end. In the beginning, I told you, it was like fate brought her to me, like love at first sight.”
“Yes, Aaron, but remember what you said, love at first sight does not always mean that it’s meant to last.” He had to be nuts to even consider going back to her.
“Annie, you don’t know what it’s been like these last few years. I want to find love again and this, this…” Gesturing around the bar, his eyes filled with disgust. “This is just a horrible, cruel joke. I was much happier being married, I was.” Sadness returned to his eyes as his head drooped slowly.
“No, Aaron. I do know what it’s like. Remember, I of all people can relate to what you’re going through. It’s just that you haven’t found the right woman. When you least expect it, it will happen, I promise,” she pleaded with him.
He straightened up again. “I’m meeting up with her tomorrow night. For drinks and dinner.”
Wow. What could she say? This really wasn’t any of her business, was it? Who was she to stop this man from following his heart? But she knew his journey was destined to be a train wreck.
“People change, Annie. They do.”
“No, honey, they actually don’t. I can’t stop you, though. Go ahead, meet up with Suzie tomorrow night, but please, do yourself a favor and think about our conversation. You deserve better, you’re a kind, wonderful man that has a lot to offer the right woman.”
He squeezed her hands tight and leaned in to kiss Annie gently on the lips. There was no passion, it was a kiss of friendship; sometimes, though, kisses of friendship were the best kind.
“Love you, Annie.”
“Love you right back, Aaron.” Tears pooled in Annie’s eyes as she realized how close she had become to this man in just several weeks; at times she felt like she had known Aaron forever.
Grabbing her keys and jacket, Annie tugged on Aaron’s arm. “Come on, I’ll drive you home. We can get your car later tomorrow.”
“My buddy Chris dropped me off.”
“Even better, let’s go.”
Aaron settled up their bar tab and they headed outside.. The night air was cold and the wind was howling. Annie hustled to start the car. Waiting for it to warm up a bit, she rubbed her hands together. Aaron reached for her hand.
“You know, we could have given it a try, you never know how it would have played out.” He gazed at her.
“No, Aaron. I don’t know how it would have played out, but I can tell you this; we wouldn’t have what we share now. I wouldn’t ruin that for anything.” She meant it, there was no physical attraction between the two. No chemistry, just friendship.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. You’re pretty smart, you know that?”
“So I’ve been told. Now let’s get out of here.”
Why was it that Annie had all the answers when it came to other people’s problems, but when it came to
solving her own problems, she was clueless?
Chapter Twelve
It had been several weeks and Shane had taken Lori out two more times. He had a decent time with her, but there were certainly no sparks. Where was that feeling of electricity when you met someone that you clicked with? He wanted to meet someone he couldn’t take his hands off of, someone he couldn’t stop thinking about. Wasn’t that called being in love? Well, whether true love existed or not, he wanted to find it. He had even called Jennifer, asking for a little sisterly advice about how to handle this situation. Jennifer, who seemed so wise in the ways of the world, told Shane that if he had to question himself about this woman, then she wasn’t the one. He should do what’s right and tell Lori that it just wasn’t working between the two of them. Jennifer held out hope that Shane would find the right woman and he would instantly know it. Yes, he had to call it quits with Lori in order to be fair to her, to be fair to the both of them. She wouldn’t be happy. Shane was starting to find out that Lori wasn’t used to losing, and she didn’t take rejection well. Thinking back on their last couple of dates, he remembered the look on her face when she kissed him in the car on the way home from the movies. He honestly tried to kiss her back, but he wasn’t feeling it, so he pulled away and ended the kiss, telling Lori that he wanted to take things slow. The silence in the car for the duration of the ride home was enough to show she wasn’t pleased. She kept texting him these annoying little smiley faces and cutesy messages. He couldn’t fake it, he needed to end this.
Shane sighed as he contemplated his next course of action. He would tell her as soon as possible. But how? Pouring himself another cup of coffee, he thought back to the dream he had last night.
He was out with Kevin and Lori. They were watching a football game and the room was loud. Lori had her hands all over him, of course, while Kevin was talking to a woman he had just met. This woman’s face was blocked so Shane couldn’t see her. Kevin was having a great time, laughing and having a good conversation with this woman. Shane was just plain irritated with Lori and had to remove her hands from his lap over and over again. His favorite team scored a touchdown and the crowd went wild. Lori spun on her heels and walked out the door, and Shane did not try to stop her. He sat watching the game until finally Kevin leaned over to whisper in his ear.
“She’s here.
“Who’s here?”
“You know, the one.”
“What one?”
Kevin laughed and covered up the woman’s face, allowing only long strands of blond hair to show. Shane was through with this ruse, he pushed Kevin’s hands to the side and exposed the woman. It was Annie. He reached for her and she disappeared into thin air.
Shane recalled waking up in a cold sweat, his heart racing. What was that all about? What did it mean? He had been doing well trying to forget about Annie. She ignored all of his messages online. Suddenly it hit him. This woman had no clue who was sending the messages. His identity was a mystery. He knew that she might run in the other direction, but this was it, it was like the dream was an awakening. He would make one last attempt and if it was meant to be, then it was meant to be, if not, he would truly let it go.
Logging on to the website and typing in his password, he laughed aloud as his plan came into action. He would no longer play games, beat around the bush, so to speak. He wouldn’t continue to change his profile name to the titles of all of her favorite movies, although he had thought that was quite clever of him. Deleting Must Love Dogs, he changed his profile name to One Last Chance. He considered using the old photo that he had previously used on this site, but he wasn’t that crazy about it. He took a quick selfie instead. He e-mailed the photo to himself and uploaded it to his profile. There. That was good. Now, to write the message. It took Shane a few attempts, but when he was finished, he was quite satisfied with himself. If that doesn’t do it, then I don’t know what will, Shane thought. Now all he had to do was just sit back and hope that she checked her messages soon. Why did he feel like he was right back where he was a few weeks ago?
* * * *
After a long but productive day at work, Shane decided to call Lori. He didn’t need this situation hanging over his head, so he decided to just end things as quickly as possible. As usual, Lori picked up on the first ring, as if she was just sitting around waiting for his call all the time. It unnerved him.
“Hi there, babe!” This was going to be more difficult than he imagined. He inwardly cringed.
“Hi. How are you?”
“Ooh. So formal. I’m fine, how are you?”
“Good, fine. Listen, Lori. We need to talk.”
“Ooh. Sounds serious!” Obviously she still didn’t get it. Again, this was a woman who was accustomed to getting what she wanted.
“Well, you see, the thing is…” He stammered. Why couldn’t he just spit it out?
“Yes?” Lori prompted in a sing-song voice.
“I don’t think this is going to work out.”
“Excuse me?” The tone of her voice was changing now.
“I just don’t think this is going anywhere.”
“Where exactly did you expect it to go? We just started dating!” She screeched into the phone. Holding his ear away from his cell, he shuttered.
“Lori. You’re nice and all, I just don’t think there’s anything worth pursuing here…”
“You don’t think there’s anything worth pursuing here?” She repeated his words, her screeching growing louder by the moment. He remained silent, knowing that more was certainly on its way.
“How could you possibly know if we have anything if you won’t even let me kiss you?” She disconnected their call and Shane was left standing there with his cell in his hand.
“Well.” He spoke aloud to himself. “I’m pretty sure that I just made the right decision.”
But about an hour later, his cell kept ringing. He glanced down and hit ignore. Suddenly the text messages started coming through. They were apologetic, calm. Maybe he should just call her and tell her there were no hard feelings. He figured he would just wait until she called again and then he would pick up and put an end to the calls. Sure enough, about ten minutes later, Lori called again. Reluctantly, he picked up.
“Hello, Lori.’
“Shane! I’m so glad you picked up! I wanted to apologize for being so rude before, it was all just such a shock!”
“No problem, no hard feelings, Lori.”
“Oh, great! I figured we could just be friends, you know.”
Friends? Great, just what he didn’t need. But wasn’t this all par for the course when breaking up with someone? How often do people tell each other that they’ll be friends and it never happens? All the time.
“Sure. Friends. Great, listen, I have to go.”
“Talk to you soon, friend?” This could have been a mistake.
“Take care.”
Shane was left with an uneasy feeling in his chest. Somehow he knew that Lori wouldn’t go away so easily. He just hoped that she would somehow get the message without there being all kinds of drama. Drama was something that Shane despised.
Chapter Thirteen
Two more dates to go. Let’s get this over with, Annie thought to herself. Logging on to the website, she read over the last e-mail she had received from bachelor number four. Bachelor number four was Craig. Craig appeared to be a metrosexual kind of guy. His photo was neat and he was a white collar professional. Craig claimed to work at a top accounting firm in the city. Perusing his profile once more, she bit the bullet and wrote him to see if he was still interested in meeting. It had been weeks, after all, since Annie had ignored his last message. A girl could only hope that he had moved on, right? Yeah, but either way, Annie was sure that Samantha would have her diving into the other messages that were now coming in more slowly, messages that Annie hadn’t even read.
Laughing to herself, Annie did remember a cute message from the guy with no photo. His profile read You’ve Got Mail. She got a ki
ck out of this guy’s creativity. Creativity or not, the guy still had red flags with his profile, the number one flag being the fact that there was no photo. She didn’t have the time or the energy to respond to any more men, though. Two more and that was all. Her membership would expire soon and that would be it. Annie would chalk this whole thing up to an experience and perhaps laugh about it one day.
* * * *
Based on his photo, Craig was good-looking, that was for sure. He was good-looking in a male model kind of way. Annie wasn’t sure she could ever date a guy that was prettier than her, but she was open to trying to make the most out of their date. Sitting at the counter of a coffee shop a few towns over, Annie tried to relax. It was late afternoon, and Dr. Peters was kind enough to let her out a little early so she could meet up with Craig. Unsure as to why they couldn’t schedule their date for a little later in the evening, Annie sat and waited for Craig to arrive. The café was crowded, barely a seat left. Annie checked her watch and noted that Craig was now fifteen minutes late. Not a great way to make a first impression, Craig.
Appearing out of nowhere, a man stood before her. “Craig!” He startled her. Craig was drop dead handsome and quite tall. She figured he must be at least six foot four.
“I’m assuming you’re Annie?” He scrutinized her with his intense blue eyes.
“Yes. Nice to meet you.” Extending her hand, Annie gazed up at him.
“You’re late.”
“No, I was here. I’ve been here for at least fifteen minutes.”
“Well, I sincerely doubt that because I’ve been here for at least twenty minutes and you, my dear, were not here.”
Was he being condescending, talking down to her? He had some nerve!
“No, I’m sorry. I’ve been here, ask the waiter. Look, my coffee cup is half full.” Why should she have to explain herself to this man?