I considered going to the receptionist to see if they happened to remember her, to get her name at least, but I thought that would be a bit stalkerish. It’s not like me to be so drawn to another person right off the bat but there was something about her that my eyes can’t seem to get enough.
So, not knowing what else to do, I go back to the snack table and grab one of the pumpkin breads, which are delicious. I know everyone sooner or later comes back for something to eat, and I’m hoping she won’t be the exception.
Casually leaning on the table and snacking, I keep scanning the crowd, hoping to get rid of this uncertainty within. I feel like until I get to know her, I won’t know if it was meant to be that she knocked me, or if I’m just being stupidly hopeful for nothing.
Who knows, maybe she’s here with her husband.
Bile fills my mouth as I grab a drink, not sure where this jealousy is coming from. This instant attraction is about to turn into a Halloween movie horror if I kept acting as if she’s mine. Let’s hope that for the rest of the night, I can keep myself in check.
Sabrina
Ifeel eyes on me again and I swear it’s not in my head.
I’m not crazy, I swear, I just have this tingling feeling in the back of my neck that won’t go away no matter how much I rub the spot. I gather my dark long hair over one shoulder, leaving my back bare, just to see if that will somehow make a difference.
However, it doesn’t.
I know someone is watching me now as much as I knew my name is Sabrina and the address in which I live in. Unable to help myself, I turn around, looking over my shoulder towards the snack table with squinted eyes.
Then, ithappens.
There, standing casually against the table with a glass in one hand and a ghost cookie in the other, I see a man staring back at me. For a moment, he holds my gaze, and then his eyes flicker down as he takes a bite of his cookie. When he looks back up, our eyes meet, and the light bulb on top of him does a weird flicker, leaving him in shadows and then illuminating him again, almost like something out of a spooky movie.
Except that there’s nothing spooky about the handsome man in the suit.
My stomach does a flip and I think I stop breathing as my heart kicks into over drive at this perfect specimen of a man—the perfect man. My heart lodges up to my throat and my palm grows rather clammy.
What’s wrong with me?
What’s with my body’s reaction to him?
“You have to get yourself out there. Give magic a chance.”
As Diana’s words resonate in my mind, I take a step towards the mysterious man and then another. With each step I take towards him, it’s almost as if my heart is calling out to him, beating for the first time other than to keep me alive.
It seems to be beating for Mr. Perfect Man over there.
Soon, I’m right next to him, eyeing him casually before grabbing another pumpkin bread.
“The food here is amazing,” I say casually, working on schooling my blushing feature. While I wanted to have a rather calm and collected exterior, my insides are doing belly flops with the wedding bells ringing. “I can’t wait to meet the organizers and congratulate them for the work.”
A wide smile spreads on his face, so eager and open that it makes me smile in return.
“Thank you, I’ll make sure to tell my sister you said so. She’s the owner of the catering company that made everything for today,” he says, straightening his back and my eyes widen at the flow of the conversation.
“Oh, really? Tell her she’s got fantastic taste,” I reply, glad that I chose that topic of conversation. I clear my throat, hoping with every fiber in my being I don’t make a fool of myself tonight. “By the way,” I add, extending my hand towards him. “I’m Sabrina.”
“Lovely to meet you,” he replies, taking my hand and planting a kiss on the back of it, my ears burning hot at the contact. Electricity travels through every inch of my body, making my core throbbing for the first time in what seems like an eternity. “I know you’re meant to be a witch and not a Princess tonight, but I thought you deserved the honor,” he adds with a wink. “My name is Alastair, and the pleasure is all mine.”
He lets go of my hand, and I quickly swipe my palms down my dress, suddenly feeling flushed and sweaty. Alastair’s got tanned skin with dark brown hair, a carefully trimmed beard, and if what I can see through the tight shirt is right, the body of a twenty-five-year-old that goes to the gym weekly, even though he looks like he’s clearly in his thirties.
“So, what’s your relationship with the organization? Are you here because of your sister?” I ask, tilting my head to the side while trying to keep this conversation going. It’s been a while since I tried to strike up a conversation with anyone that I feel almost like a fish out of the water.
“Oh, no, she’s the one that got this gig through me, actually. Calvin, the main organizer, has been a friend of mine for a long time. His third kid was just born a couple weeks ago and life’s been a bit crazy, so he asked for my help organizing this, even if I’ve never done an event before. I had no clue what I was meant to do, it was exhausting,” Alastair adds with a chuckle, running a hand through his short hair and smiling again.
Immediately, I’m ecstatic about what a great and kind person he is.
“Oh, that’s fantastic news! I got the invitation through one of my real estate friends that couldn't come. I’m an agent,” I add, feeling like I need to justify why I’m here in the first place. “What about you, what do you do for a living?”