I can hear her huff and foot stomp as she leaves, and I roll my eyes. Concentrating on Marina as she watches the woman walk away, I try to assess how she’s feeling now. If she were reluctant before, I could only imagine she’s not too impressed now.
“Got a fan, huh?” Her tone is neutral.
“No.” I look out the window. “Just someone who wanted different things than me.”
“But she wanted them with you.” It’s not a question.
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“What is it you want, Arsen?”
I hold nothing back. “You.”
Marina
You. The word reverberates through my mind on repeat.
You. His voice, the possessive growl in the single word makes my skin tingle.
You. Sweet heavens, I’d be lying if I didn’t want that, too.
Even with the desperate girl’s attempt at ending our evening before it began, I’m still drawn to Arsen. He calls to me in a way I’m unfamiliar with.
“Does that, umm, happen a lot?” I ask with a small smile, half teasing, half curious.
Scowling, his gaze strays to the door I assume the woman left through. “No. Rod, my partner, and his wife set me up on a blind date, and to get them off my case, I went. I don’t even remember her name.”
“Do they do that a lot?” Could Arsen be as lonely as me?
“First and last time, actually.”
“Hi there.” A perky waitress interrupts before either of us can say more. “Can I start you off with our specialty drink of the day?” She grins at us both. “It’s a wonderful blend of vanilla, cacao, and mint topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.”
“That sounds delicious.” I smile at her. “No caffeine?” I found out a few years ago my heart doesn’t like the extra jolt.
“Nope.”
“I’ll take one of those then, please.”
“Make it two,” Arsen says, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Be right back with those and to take your order.” She leaves and, even as noisy as the café is, quiet surrounds us in its cocoon.
“Not a coffee drinker?” he asks.
“When I was born, I had a heart murmur that turned out to be nothing I couldn’t live with, but as I’ve grown, there have been a few things I can’t have. A few years ago, coffee and caffeine made their way onto that list. My heart beats too fast on occasion, and sometimes, it skips a beat or three.” I try to joke about it, but it had been terrifying before I knew what was going on. “So, anything with chocolate or cocoa I have to ask. Tea, too.” Looking down, embarrassed by one of my many medical conditions, I tell him, “I don’t actually eat out very often because of it. I’d like to see tomorrow, you know?”
His hand reaches across the table, gripping mine. The warmth, the understanding, the safety in the small act warms my heart. “Sounds like it was scary.” His perceptive understanding has me looking up to him slowly. “I don’t imagine it was anything you were prepared for.”
“It wasn’t.”
“What do I do if it happens?”
Floored, I stare at him for a moment before recovering. Rolling the sleeve of my sweater up, I turn on my apple watch and say, “If it starts going haywire, I have Ativan in my purse. One goes under my tongue. I can do that myself, normally. But just in case.”
He looks thoughtful as he processes my words. It’s a lot for anyone to take in, especially on a first date. Is this a date? I haven’t been on one in years. It feels almost foreign.
“Anything else?”