by Nicki Night
Sense of humor—check! Serenity liked what she seemed to pick up from their exchange. They continued getting to know each other. By the time they ended their email discussion, her curiosity had been thoroughly piqued. He had grown up on the North Shore of Long Island, but she didn’t know where he lived now. He had an MBA, managed a hectic schedule like she did and was family-oriented. Both of them enjoyed traveling abroad and had a desire to visit all fifty states. Still, she wanted to know more. But for now, she let him know it had been great “chatting” with him. He promised to reach out again soon.
And he did—the very next night, and then again the night after that.
Chapter 8
Chris hurried to his car, still dripping with the sweat of his workout. He looked forward to going home, getting on the computer and exchanging emails with Serenity. They had communicated in that fashion every day for the past two weeks. Their conversation always made room for talk about music. He did some research, finding her on social media, and viewed what he could of her profiles without being a connection, friend or follower. He liked what he saw.
Serenity’s passion for music and life and her fun-loving nature were the threads woven throughout her online narrative. Chris viewed pictures of her hanging with friends, working with youth and spending time with her mother. One look at the older version of her and he could tell she had inherited her good looks from her mother. Both had beautiful doe eyes that he imagined would compel him to offer her the world with a single bat of her lashes. He learned about her forty-pound weight loss and how it was inspired by her mother’s health scare. Before and after pictures chronicling the journey of both women revealed their curvaceous frames prior to dropping the pounds and showed them looking just as gorgeous in new svelte figures after the weight loss.
Chris could already tell that Serenity had a big heart and wondered how she might respond to the fact that he hadn’t been completely honest about who he was. Purposely, he never asked to connect with her via social media since he, of course, didn’t have any profiles under his partially fictitious name. Chris Mullins was a ghost online. He’d gotten the last name Mullins from his grandparents’ hometown in South Carolina. When she had asked him about his online presence, he’d simply said he wasn’t a fan of social media and with his busy schedule wasn’t sure how he’d find time to engage anyway. Who knew how things would go? Maybe he’d never get the opportunity to even tell her the truth. Yet the more they communicated, the more he wanted to meet her in person. It was quite possible that once they actually spoke or met the intrigue that resulted from only knowing so much about one another would wane. Serenity could be just like the other women he’d been meeting lately. Then he’d be happy that he hadn’t got too close. He decided to see how far this could go. He had time before having to worry about his fictitious identity.
The short ride to and from his gym and home seemed even shorter with his mind on Serenity. He made the trip on autopilot, hardly recalling the route he’d taken. Inside, he washed the sweat off his body with a long hot shower, stepped into sweatpants and sat on the bed.
Chris planned to ask for her number. Would her voice sound the way he imagined, based on her pictures? If she were reluctant, he’d move on. Two weeks of email was enough for him.
After settling in, propped against his headboard, Chris turned on his laptop and launched his email.
How was your day?
Chris reached for the remote and brought the television to life while he awaited her response. He had missed the first half of the basketball game. During a commercial, he refreshed his email and saw that she had responded. A smile eased across his lips. She replied with a quick account of how hectic her day had been. The grant application she had to get in before five o’clock, the students she had to settle a conflict with, and the restaurant she and her friend had to check out to see if it was a good choice for their friend’s bridal shower.
Chris replied with a few details of his busy day at work and the fact that he was happy that he didn’t have to go in to work tonight.
Would it be okay if I called you?
He again wondered what she sounded like. Her reply didn’t come instantly like the others. He smiled, imagining her doe eyes looking at his words with trepidation etched in her expression. He’d wait. He got up, headed to the kitchen and popped the top off a bottle of beer. Taking two swigs before leaving the kitchen, he headed back to the bedroom, sat and placed the PC on his lap.
Serenity sent her number. Chris swallowed another swig of beer before reaching for his cell phone. He dialed. She answered on the first ring.
“Hello.” Her voice was soft but professional—confident. The sound was pleasing—full and feminine.
“It’s nice to hear your voice.” He felt himself smile.
“Is it what you thought it would be like?”
“Better.”
“Are you flirting with me, Mr. Mullins?”
At first, Chris was thrown. Mr. Mullins. He’d never actually been called by his fake name before.
“Maybe. I’ve wondered what you sounded like. Now that I know, I like what I hear.” She was blushing and he could feel it. “Did I make you blush?”
“You know how to put a girl on the spot, don’t you?”
“I’m direct.”
“I like that.”
“Are you flirting with me, Ms. Williams?” Chris teased.
“Maybe.”
The two of them laughed. The ice had been broken. They eased into conversation just as smoothly as they had on email. It was as if they’d spoken on the phone all the time. Somehow the conversation moved to pets.
“I would love to have a dog, but I’m just not home enough,” said Serenity.
“Do you like those cute little dogs I see women walking around with in their handbags?”
“Ha! I love those, but if I were to get a dog, I’d want a big one...a husky maybe. I’m one of those small girls that likes big things.”
“Napoleon complex?” Chris willed his thoughts to focus on Serenity’s words and not the innuendos her comment could have suggested. He chuckled. “Do you like big cars too?”
“Yes.” Serenity giggled. “I drive an SUV. How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess.”
“I need the space for the kids I work with. I carry loads of stuff in my car.”
Relishing the soothing cadence of her voice, Chris kept the questions coming. It was then that he determined that her name was the perfect fit. He found the sound of her laughter even more titillating and leaned toward a more humorous slant, just to hear it flutter through the phone. Before he knew it, midnight arrived. They’d been talking for almost three hours. He yawned, which prompted him to look at his clock.
“Oh now, Chris. Don’t yawn. It’s—” he heard her yawn in her pause “—contagious!” She laughed. “Please excuse me.”
“I didn’t realize it was so late,” he said, nestling into his lush pillow.
“Goodness! We’ve been on the phone forever. I can’t believe it. I need to get to bed. I’ve got an early day tomorrow—actually, I’ve got early days every day.”
“Me too. Can I call you tomorrow?”
“Sure. It’s sweet that you asked.” A comfortable silence expanded between them. “I guess I should be saying good-night.”
“Yeah. Good night, Serenity. It was nice talking to you.”
“Talk to you soon.” She yawned again. “Excuse me. I’m sorry about that.”
“No worries. I started it.”
“You did.” She giggled.
Despite their apparent fatigue, Chris wasn’t ready to end the call and could tell that she wasn’t either.
A few beats passed before she spoke again. “I’m glad we had this chance to talk.”
“I am too.”
“Good night.” Chris felt himself smile again.
Now that he had heard her voice, he wanted to see her face up close. He was intrigued.
Chapter 9
“Don’t you sound rather chipper today!”
Serenity stopped humming and spun on her heels to face Rayne. “Who, me?” She giggled.
“Yes, you! You’re in here, singing. You’ve got all that bounce in your step.” Rayne eyed her suspiciously. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” Serenity tried to keep a straight face, but her telling smile morphed into a full-on laugh. “I can’t hide anything from you. Hold on.” Serenity closed the door to the music room, went back to her desk and sat on the edge.
Rayne folded her arms, tilted her head and raised one brow.
“I met someone through the dating site.”
Rayne’s gasp was dramatic. “No! Is he cute? What does he do for a living? Where does he live? Did you go out already? How come you didn’t tell me? Oh my goodness!” Rayne held her head in her hands. “Did you have sex?”
“Rayne!” Serenity yelled. “I haven’t even seen him in person. Of course I didn’t have sex with him.”
Rayne closed her mouth abruptly. She looked like she could burst into a billion pieces. Serenity shook her head and laughed at Rayne, who tried to contain her own laughter by covering her mouth. Rayne’s chuckles spilled right through her fingers.
“Okay.” Rayne pressed her lips together and sat beside Serenity on her desk. “Tell me everything.”
Serenity tilted her head. “Actually, there’s not much to tell.”
Rayne threw her head back and then gave her a sideways glance. “Then why all the glee?”
“I spoke to him for the first time last night.” Serenity closed her eyes and shivered. “His voice was deep and so sexy.”
“Uh...is this as juicy as it gets?” Rayne raised one brow.
“Ha! I know. So lame, but it was progress. We’ve been communicating only by email for a few weeks, and yesterday he asked for my number. I was hesitant at first. We ended up being on the phone for hours.”
Rayne leaned closer to Serenity. “Okay. This seems to be getting better. What did you talk about?”
“Everything! Work, home, likes, dislikes, music and the fact that I like big things...” Serenity waited a moment for Rayne to catch on to the innuendo.
“Wait! What?” Understanding spread across Rayne’s face and her mouth dropped. “You told him that?”
“Kind of.” Serenity sunk into her shoulders and spread her lips into a toothy grin.
“Oh my goodness! What did he say?”
“He asked if I had a Napoleon complex.” Serenity snickered.
Rayne shook her head. “Are you going to go out with him?”
Serenity slid off her desk and took a deep breath. “I want to, but I’m nervous. What if he’s a lunatic?”
“And what if he’s Mr. Right?” Rayne said, being direct. She hopped off the desk and stood in front of her friend. “Meet him at a coffeehouse or something. That way it’s not too intimate, and there will be plenty of people there with you. Heck! Ethan and I can be there too. We’ll swoop in and save you if things are not going well.”
“That could work.” Serenity contemplated.
“Tell him to meet you over at The Cozy Mug. Go early enough to get the big comfy chairs by the window. Ethan and I will get there early and sit nearby. He’ll never suspect that we know you. Or maybe you should act surprised when you see us and he’ll know not to mess with you. You’ll be less likely to come up missing,” she teased.
“That won’t work. If he’s that crazy, he’ll be on his best behavior if he knows that other people I know are around. You’ll have to act like strangers.”
Serenity and Rayne looked at each other and hooted.
“We sound crazy, Rayne.”
“Like we’re seriously planning some covert operation.”
“I’d never ask him out first anyway. If he suggests we meet, then I’ll name the place. I’m an old-fashioned girl, remember.”
Rayne rolled her eyes. “Whatever, Serenity. Old-fashioned girls miss out, waiting on boys to make the first move. Go for what you want, just like you do with those grants.”
The bell rang. Instinctively, Serenity looked at her watch.
“I need to get to the third floor.” Rayne trotted toward the music-room exit. “We’ll finish this later.”
The second bell rang, and the halls filled with teen chatter. Serenity picked up her cell phone from the desk to place it in her purse. Before dropping it in, she tapped the home button to see if she had any notifications. Several red circles appeared, indicating how many alerts she had. She tapped the message icon and blushed at the brief text from Chris.
The message—a simple Hi, followed by it was great talking to you yesterday. I hope we can speak again soon—made her stomach flutter. Serenity wished she could go straight home after work and chat with him until she fell asleep again. He was so easy to talk to. It had been a long time since she’d enjoyed conversation with a man so much.
Serenity put her phone away and smiled at the students trickling into the class. This evening wouldn’t work at all. She had to practice with the kids from her organization tonight. They had to be ready for their performance at the annual benefit in eight weeks. Most evenings wouldn’t work, since she spent much of her time outside of school giving lessons, running the organization or managing her maid-of-honor duties. She took in a long deep breath and sighed. Once again she was reminded why the timing wasn’t right for a relationship. Her plate was overflowing. It probably wouldn’t even make sense to meet Chris in person.
She mustered some enthusiasm for her students and focused on being a music teacher for the next few periods. The end of the day approached quickly. She hadn’t given much more thought to Chris or her phone. She fished the cell out of her bag as she walked toward the parking lot reserved for teachers. Hours had passed since she last checked it in class. Her screen was decorated with notifications.
Serenity checked her text messages first, hoping there was something from Chris. He’d asked for a good time to call her later. She thumbed Nine o’clock and slipped the phone back into her bag.
Anticipating her conversation with Chris caused her to smile all through the rehearsals with her kids and all the way home from her studio slash office. By the time nine o’clock came, she was showered and had folded herself comfortably on the bed, flipping channels. She grinned when the phone rang and answered in a sultrier tone than she’d intended.
“Hey.”
“Did you have a good day?” Chris’s deep voice rumbled through the receiver.
He could say anything, Serenity thought, and it would sound sexy. “I did. Thanks,” she answered. “What about you?”
This evening, the conversation was just as stimulating, volleying from travel to politics to favorite foods and embarrassing moments. They had so much in common. Serenity enjoyed their lively debates when their opinions separated into opposing views. His intelligence was a turn-on. During the long call, she sporadically laughed whenever she recalled his story about splitting his pants on an iron gate while on a triple date with his two best friends, their girlfriends and the girl he’d been crushing on for months. She could imagine the humiliation. He laughed just as hard when she told him about the only blind date she’d ever had, which started with her falling flat on her face as she stepped outside her front door.
Serenity lay on her side, listening to the deep timbre of Chris’s voice. When he laughed, she felt the rumble in her chest and wondered what it would be like to meet him in person. All she’d seen were a few pictures and none of them were close up. Chris looked handsome enough in th
e photos, but her curiosity was growing. The more she found out about him, the more she wanted to know.
“Broadway shows or concerts?”
“What?” Chris said at first and then chuckled in recognition of the game. “Actually, both.”
“You can only pick one.”
“Concerts. What about you?”
“Both.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You’re right. As a music lover, I’d have to say concerts.”
“I have one for you.”
“Go for it.”
“Chocolate or roses?”
“Definitely chocolate. Cut flowers remind me of funerals.” Serenity grimaced as if he could see her face. Then she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sound of his laughter.
“Whew! I’m glad I asked.”
Serenity’s breath caught. Was he about to ask her out? She wasn’t sure if she was ready. “Relaxing beach vacations or sightseeing excursions?” she asked quickly to deflect the inevitable.
“I would say I’m more of a traveler than a vacationer. I’d have to pick excursions. I like learning about other cultures.”
“Me too.” That answer sparked more conversations about places they wanted to visit. Greece was one they had in common.
Serenity nuzzled into her pillow and yawned. Her eyes grew heavy but she wasn’t ready to end the conversation. She pushed on until she started nodding.
“It’s almost one in the morning.” Fatigue made Chris’s voice sound hoarse.
“Goodness! I need to be up at six.” Serenity groaned.
“I’ll wake you up,” he offered.
“You don’t have to do that,” she insisted.
“I’d love to hear your voice first thing in the morning.”
Serenity cleared her throat. “I sound somewhat froggish. There’s nothing attractive about it at all.”
“Ha! I’m sure you still sound amazing.”