by Sophia Gray
“So, you rejected another good guy, again,” said Anna, trying to understand her best friend’s behavior. Over coffee, Teresa had told her, Jane, Karin, and Eva about Vance and the fact that he asked her out on the first day. “And he had just asked you for coffee!” Anna was still puzzled. Not that the rest of the group understood her either.
“I do not date. Period,” Teresa simply stated, regretting bringing it up. Her celibacy vow was something her friends neither understood nor shared. Well, it was not celibacy strictly speaking: she did not rule out the possibility of a casual affair if she felt like it. She just didn’t want to start anything that could lead to the possibility of something more intimate.
“Get thee to a nunnery! Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” quoted Jane, an English Literature major. “Get thee to a nunnery. Go, farewell. Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go; and quickly too. Farewell.”
Her whole group laughed at the over-the-top, ancient Shakespearean recitation that was meant to mock Teresa. Even she chuckled a bit. She was always fascinated by Jane’s ability to quote Shakespeare anywhere, anytime.
“I am not becoming a nun, girls. Is it that hard to accept that I just don’t want to date? I don’t want any man ruling my life again,” she explained. Her friends looked at her with affection.
“Of course it’s okay, Teresa,” said Karin, always conciliatory. “You know we’re just teasing you. Now, tell us more about Vance. Maybe you could introduce him to one of us instead – you know, your single friends who do not want to actually remain single.” She winked, and Teresa laughed quietly before describing Vance in full detail.
Soon, they drifted to other topics, and Vance was forgotten.
During the next week, Vance volunteered at the soup kitchen every day – something that was unusual for newbies. He didn’t ask her out again, which Teresa really appreciated, but she noticed that he was being extra charming around her. And, to her surprise, she found herself charmed by him instead of bothered.
“… So, by the time my brother realized it, he had been going around with one eyebrow shaved for half the day!” Vance laughed hard, telling her a story from his childhood, and Teresa laughed along with him.
“What a little devil! And you look so innocent now. If I were your brother, I would’ve killed you! How did he just let it go?”
“My mother convinced him to give it a rest after he had duct taped me to a tree in the garden. His eyebrow grew back in no time, but it took me two hours to remove all the duct tape from my body!” he complained, as if the punishment received had been way out of proportion for the prank he had pulled.
Both were laughing in the kitchen. That day, due to Vance’s impressive learning skills, they had been assigned to the kitchen. That way, Ashley and Raphael could get some fresh air serving and talking to the customers, Teresa could prepare her famous mushroom soup, and Vance could learn to manage another area of the soup kitchen.
Teresa found Vance amusing, and she loved hearing his wacky stories. Even Maggie laughed at some of them. Vance just seemed to be full of anecdotes: he had been quite a piece of work when he was young, and he was not ashamed of it. Teresa felt comfortable with him and enjoyed the idea that they could be friends.
Every day, he would arrive at the charity half an hour earlier than necessary to lend a hand to everyone and was one of the last people to leave when they closed. He would say goodbye to all of them with a smile and waited for Teresa to finish so he could walk a hundred meters with her before they parted ways. She found it refreshing to be able to talk to him like a friend without any expectations and was relieved to see that he had not tried to make a move on her again.
# # #
On one of her days off, Teresa visited her favorite bookshop. To her surprise, as she was eyeing some thriller novels, Vance appeared in the doorway. She saw him heading to the cooking section.
He had not seen her, so Teresa approached him from behind and whispered in his ear, “Hi there.”
Immediately, Vance tensed up, whipped around, and looked at her, startled. “Holy shit, Tess! You scared the hell out of me!”
Teresa laughed at his reaction. “Are you looking for recipes?” she asked, curiously peering at the book in his hands.
“Yes, I wanted to learn something new for the kitchen.” His smile warmed her up. “And you? What brings you here?” he asked curiously.
Teresa showed him the novels she had been looking at. “What do you recommend – Deadly Heat or The Andromeda Strain?” she asked.
Vance looked at her, puzzled. “I did not picture you as a thriller kind of girl, actually,” he confessed, scratching the back of his head.
Teresa laughed. “No, huh? Did you imagine me reading cheesy romances or chick lit, like Kisses on the Line?” she joked.
Vance laughed at that thought. “No, I guess not. I suppose I always imagined you’d be a historical fiction kind of girl.” He shrugged.
Teresa’s smile widened. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to a good historical fiction book, like The Last Cato. But thrillers have something that gets to me every time, and now I’m out of them. So, have you read any of these two?” she asked again.
Vance shook his head in denial. “Sorry. I am not very bookwormy,” he confessed.
Teresa shrugged and grabbed both books firmly. “Too bad. I will have to buy both of them then,” she said.
Vance chuckled at her decision, and Teresa grinned at him. They both paid for their books and said goodbye at the door. Teresa went home thinking about him.
# # #
For weeks, she kept running into him everywhere: the supermarket, the coffee shop, the bookstore, walking her neighbor’s dog a few blocks from her home. At first, she didn’t think anything of it nor minded it, but once she started paying attention, she noticed that he was virtually everywhere she looked. He had even appeared one night at her evening job during her shift!
He had appeared to be genuinely surprised to see her behind the bar, pouring drinks, and they had not talked very much. She was working, and he was with some friends. But, still, of all the bars and clubs in the area, what were the odds of him coming to her place just by chance?
Seeing him everywhere made her suspicious, and she started noticing the looks he gave her when they worked together. It was as if he was waiting for something to happen. He eyed her when he thought she didn’t notice, he always lingered in the kitchen whenever she was around, and he had become a little bit more caring than before.
And then she understood: these encounters were not by chance. He was following her, looking for excuses to be with her. He had not given up on the idea of dating her.
“So, do you want to grab some coffee with me now, or should I meet you there by chance?” Vance’s playful voice called to her just as she was leaving to go home. She turned around to face him, tired of his games. Her mood must have been reflected on her face because Vance took a step backward when he saw her.
“I see what this is, Vance, but your little games aren’t very funny. At first, I really thought we could be friends, but were you so naïve as to think I wouldn’t notice? Or did you think I was that dumb? You can’t keep following me around!” she snapped, taking an aggressive step towards him in anger. He walked backward, impressed by her menacing looks. “You even fucking walked Mrs. Vega’s dog in front of my house – which, by the way, I’m curious to know: how the hell do you know where I live?”
Vance opened his mouth to respond, but she interrupted.
“I told you this before. I don’t date my co-workers. So get that through your thick skull and stop fooling around, or I will make damn sure you understand,” she assured him.
She was finished, and crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for an apology. It came, rushed and flustered.
“I am so sorry,” Vance said, embarrassed, looking down as if he felt it impossible to look at her directly.
“I know you said you didn’t date co-workers, and I know it is creepy as hell what I’ve been doing, but Teresa… I just couldn’t help it.”
When he looked back at her, his face showed such sorrow that she was taken aback, slightly warmed.
“The first moment I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I know that sounds so cliché but I mean it, Tess,” he repeated the nickname he had given her and she could feel her cheeks reddening. She bit her lip, trying not to appear flustered. “And I really wanted for us to be friends, but the more I got to know you, the more I fell for you… You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I can’t talk to anyone else the way I can talk to you; it just comes so easily,” he confessed.
His expression was sincere, and his eyes were locked on hers. She did not look away.
“I just wanted to see you more, and I knew you didn’t want to date, but next thing I know I just look like some creep that follows you around. I just wanted to know you and be around you, and I wanted you to get to know me, too. I just… I don’t know. I’m sorry, Tess.” He had been rambling but couldn’t do anything else but apologize, too embarrassed by his sudden outburst of honesty to continue.
Maybe she had been too hard on him. It was true that stalking her had not been the right move, but in reality, she was not as mad as she knew she should have been. A crazy part of her would say she was a little flattered, but the rational part of her screamed to back away from the crazy. But she had sincerely enjoyed his company and running into him every day. And she had to admit – although just to herself – that sometimes she had found herself daydreaming about Vance.
“Okay,” she said simply, her arms falling to her sides and abandoning the defensive stance.
“Okay?” Vance asked, puzzled. He looked completely clueless.
“We can go on one date. Only one.” She marked her words very clearly. “If that one goes well, then I’ll decide if I can break my rule for you.” She winked at him, and a soft smile came to her lips. Vance looked at her in disbelief, but couldn’t help mirror her smile. Teresa’s heart skipped a beat when she saw him smiling so wholeheartedly.
“Just tell me when and I’ll pick you up,” he said, his voice full of hope.
“Tomorrow is my day off,” she said. Now that she had made up her mind, why waste any time?
“I’ll be at your place at eight, then.”
Teresa smiled at him again and left the Silver Spoons for Charity, closing the door behind her and leaving a very confused, yet very excited, Vance behind.
Chapter Four
Vance
“So, do you want to grab some coffee with me now, or should I meet you there by chance?”
Vance had been working with Teresa for several weeks by then. They had spent a lot of time together at the charity, and he had managed to show up everywhere she was: her coffee shop, the bookstore, even at her other job. Vance could feel she was warming up to him, and today he had decided to give it another try. He did not expect her outburst though.
She was leaving the kitchen when he asked her, and she turned back, looking furious. She yelled at him, walking closer, but through his shock, he subconsciously took a step back.
Vance opened his mouth to talk, but she interrupted him and went on with her accusations. All of them true, of course.
“I told you this before. I don’t date my co-workers. So get that through your thick skull and stop fooling around, or I will make damn sure you understand.”
Well, she is definitely related to the boss, Vance thought. She is just as fucking scary as him.
Teresa crossed her arms in front of her chest, and Vance paused before opening his mouth.
“I am so sorry,” he said, feigning embarrassment. He looked at the floor instead of her. On the one hand, he was cross that she had seen right through him, and on the other, he did not think he could handle the anger and accusation in her eyes. “I know you said you didn’t date co-workers, and I know it is creepy as hell what I’ve been doing, but Teresa… I just couldn’t help it,” he apologized. He looked back at her and tried to convince her that he was sorry.
“The first moment I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I know that sounds so cliché but I mean it, Tess,” he confessed, and that part felt natural. It was the complete and utter truth. She bit her lip, and his heart skipped a beat.
“And I really wanted for us to be friends, but the more I got to know you, the more I fell for you… You are the most amazing woman I have ever met. I can’t talk to anyone else the way I can talk to you; it just comes so easily. I just wanted to see you more, and I knew you didn’t want to date, but next thing I know I just look like some creep that follows you around. I just wanted to know you and be around you, and I wanted you to get to know me, too. I just… I don’t know. I’m sorry, Tess.”
He said all that in a rush, and suddenly he realized there was more truth in his words that he had expected. Of course, she was beautiful, and he was trying to win her over, but that was just because of his boss’ orders, right?
Or was it? He could not deny that his determination to make her fall for him had grown stronger when she turned him down: no woman had ever done that, and Teresa proved to be more challenging than he thought. But he didn’t mind that; it was a test he was sure he could pass eventually.
What he had not expected was to actually like hanging out with her. He was trying his best to win her heart, but there was something more than just his mission or his pride. He couldn’t help but feel that a part of him really wanted her to accept him, date him, maybe even love him?
He dismissed that thought and stood by, his heartbeat going crazy as he waited for her reply.
“Okay,” she said simply, her arms falling to her side.
“Okay?” Vance asked, taken aback. Is she messing with me or what?
“We can go on one date. Only one.” She marked her words very clearly. “If that one goes well, then I’ll decide if I can break my rule for you.” She winked at him. Vance looked at her in disbelief, but couldn’t help but smile. Had he gotten his chance, finally?
“Just tell me when and I’ll pick you up,” he said, grinning.
“Tomorrow is my day off,” Teresa pointed out. That was quick.
“I’ll be at your place at eight, then.” He did not leave her room for any change. Teresa smiled at him again, and his heart skipped a bit – again. Nasty habit of the heart, he thought. Then she turned around, her loose hair flowing behind her, and he was left standing in the middle of the kitchen with a smile on his face, thinking about Teresa and everything he had discovered about her.
During the last few days – or rather, the last few weeks – he had spent almost all the time he could with her, and Vance was afraid that too much of what he had told Teresa to convince her to date him was true.
At first, the fact that she refused to date him not only puzzled him but also hurt his pride. No one had ever rejected him. That made Teresa not just a mission but also a challenge, and that was why he had tripled his efforts to conquer her. In spite of this, he had found himself thinking about her more and more.
He genuinely enjoyed spending time with her. Teresa had taught him a lot about the charity during their shifts together, and by following her to her favorite spots in the city, he had also learned a lot about her.
For example, he knew that: she liked her coffee with milk and a touch of cinnamon; in the mornings she always had a blueberry muffin for breakfast (at least when she had breakfast outside her home, which was usually on the weekends); she loved reading, and her favorite books were thrillers and detective novels (he even went back to that bookstore where they first met and bought several thrillers to read. Maybe that way he had something more to talk about with Teresa than just the charity); she enjoyed going to the cinema once a week with her friends; and would love to go back to school and get out of the nightclub where she worked, but she did not think she was brave e
nough or smart enough to actually do it.
He had learned all that during the past few weeks when they’d ran into each other “accidentally.” Teresa was open and talkative with him, and he had noticed that she was not that way with many people.
Maybe he had already made progress, and he just hadn’t noticed it until then. And maybe he was thinking too much about her… just maybe. He needed to focus on the mission.
“Vance, didn’t you finish your shift already?” A voice from behind him made Vance jump in alarm. He turned around to see Peter laughing lightly at his jumpy reaction, and he cursed himself silently. Since when was a member of a motorcycle gang all jumpy and scared of someone sneaking up on him?
“Sorry, Peter. Yes, I was getting ready to head out,” Vance said, cursing himself for getting all worked up over nothing. “I spaced out for a moment.”