Dyanne
couldn’t believe where she was, what she was doing.
They
placed their drink orders – a simple white wine for both of them – and the
waitress brought out breadsticks for an appetizer.
“So,
Dyanne. How did you and your husband
meet? What did you say his name was
again? Ian?”
“Evan. It’s kind of a long story. Complicated.”
Xavier
made a point of getting comfortable in his seat. “I don’t have anywhere to be. I’m just trying to get to know you better,
Dyanne. You intrigue me, keep me
guessing, and I’ve only known you for about 24 hours. I want to understand who you are.”
He
had leaned onto the table towards her, looking her directly in the eyes. He had dark eyes – they might be still be
considered brown, but they were dark enough that they could be mistaken for
black – and yet they still somehow managed to pierce her through.
Once
again, she couldn’t resist him.
TWO
YEARS AGO…
What
kind of loser leaves his steady, two-year girlfriend for another woman? And saying he was bored with their
relationship, no less. Bored, of all
things! With her? He had to be crazy. Dyanne was a fun, attractive young
woman. Very attractive! Most women would kill for looks like hers! Blue eyes, long, luscious brunette hair, and
a well-figured – but thin! – body that models and males alike would kill
for. And this prick is giving all that
up for some blonde bimbo out there?
Please. She deserved better than
him, obviously.
This
was the pep talk Dyanne was giving herself over her pint of Rocky Road ice
cream, gesturing wildly in the air with her spoon as she cried until her
mascara ran heavy under her eyes. She
was a mess, no matter what she tried to tell herself. She had really loved this guy, Brian, and was
having a hard time letting go.
She needed a girl’s night. To get her mind off of him, off of
everything. She reached for her phone
and automatically dialed her best friend’s number. Too urgent to wait for text messaging.
“Hello?”
“Sara! Oh my God, am I glad to hear your voice! Are you busy tonight?”
“Tonight? No, not particularly, I was just--” Dyanne
sniffed and swiped at her dripping nose, giving away her emotions. “Dyanne?
Are you crying?”
She
sighed. “No… Well, not anymore. Brian broke up with me.”
“WHAT?!”
Dyanne
told her the whole story, omitting the part about how gorgeous and blonde the
other woman was and instead throwing in a bit about how Dyanne really thought
he was downgrading from her. “Well, yeah,
of course he did. Hon, you’re a
hottie. Anyone else is just less, that’s
all. His loss.”
“Yeah,
I’m trying to tell myself that…”
“Hey. Stop trying, and just get over him. Do we need to have a girl’s night? Go dancing, get you out of this funk? We need to find you a rebound, STAT.”
Dyanne
laughed. “Yes, please, that sounds so
incredible right now.”
“Good. Then go hop in the shower, and be ready to go
out on the town in about an hour. I’m
picking you up.”
The
two girls made quite an entrance at the local night club. Two tall, long-legged, gorgeous young women,
dressed to kill, ready to break some hearts of their own that night. Maybe Dyanne was imagining it, but she
thought she saw a table of guys stop mid-conversation to watch them walk
in. She smiled to herself, then followed
Sara to the bar for drinks.
They
stood at the bar, catching up on all of the latest gossip while they waited for
the bartender to get to them. A lull
found its way into their conversation, and Dyanne started idly spinning a
napkin on the counter, trying to stay patient.
“I
like your boots.” The voice came from
just to her right. A young man, maybe a
little older than herself. She hadn’t
even noticed he was there. Then again,
he didn’t have the kind of remarkable looks that made everyone around him aware
of his presence. Short, brown hair,
heavy eyebrows that nearly obscured his brown eyes. Average build, not tall, not short. Average all over, really.
Dyanne analyzed
all of this with a quick once-over, then turned back to her napkin, bored. “Thanks,” she answered simply, trying to send
the message that she wasn’t interested in his company.
“What are you
drinking?” he persisted.
She had her back
turned halfway towards him, trying to get her friend’s attention instead. Sara had already snared herself a much more
attractive guy, and was lost in her efforts to flirt with him. Dyanne was stuck with the loser behind her. “Nothing yet, haven’t gotten service from the
bartender yet.”
“Well, would you
mind if I joined you?”
This sucker would
not catch a hint. She didn’t want to be
rude to him – she wasn’t looking to become a monster just because she’d gotten
dumped – but she couldn’t figure out a way to tell him to leave her alone. “Yeah, I guess you could. Assuming we ever get some service around
here.”
The smile that lit
up his face made her feel guilty. It was
like the stray dog that was so cute you had to stop and pet it, even though you
knew you couldn’t take it home. And there
was no way she was taking this guy home.
They finally got
their drinks – a rum and cherry Coke for her, and a plain Coke for him – and he
paid the bartender for both. “Please,
let me. I don’t make new friends often,
it’s the least I can do,” he pleaded.
It wasn’t like she
was dying to burn her money on overpriced drinks, so she let him. “Why just a plain Coke?” she had to ask.
“Oh, I don’t
drink.” Dyanne raised her eyebrows at
him. “No, no! Tonight!
I don’t drink tonight! I’m the
designated driver.”
Was she going
crazy? The awkward little quirks about
this guy were kind of adorable. She was
catching herself smiling at him.
“I’m Evan, by the
way. I think I forgot to introduce
myself. Evan Lutz.” He extended his hand.
She shook hands
with him. “Dyanne White. It’s nice to meet you.”
“That’s a very
pretty name, Dyanne. For a very pretty
girl.” She could tell he had been
thinking that for a while, and had only just now managed to actually say it. The way he blushed and averted his eyes when
he said it gave him away.
She couldn’t help
but laugh. “You’re pretty cute yourself,
Evan. So what brings you here?”
“Oh, just had
nothing better to do on a Friday night, so I figured I’d do what everyone else
was doing and try going to a night club.
By myself.” He laughed at himself,
shaking his head. “Pathetic, I
know. But what about you? What brings you out here?”
Dyanne
was reluctant to broach that subject.
She twisted a lock of her hair, nervously. “Just a girl’s night with my friend over
there.” But she couldn’t look him in the
eyes to say even that much.
He
didn’t seem to notice. “Dance with me?”
he proposed suddenly.
She
looked up at him, startled. He looked
expectant, but worried. Fragile. She just couldn’t tell this guy no.
At
the end of the evening, as the lights came on in the club and everyone made
their way out, Dyanne and her new friend Evan had spent the entire night
together, dancing. She was exhilarated. Sure, maybe he wasn’t the greatest catch
ever, but he was sweet and hadn’t pulled a single creepy move on her all
night. Very respectful. He asked for her number, and she gave it to
him. She could use a change of pace with
a guy like Evan.
PRESENT
DAY…
“And,
that’s how I met Evan. Six months later,
we were engaged, and we’ve been married for about a year now.”
Xavier
simply continued to stare into her eyes.
“Do you love him?” he asked abruptly.
Dyanne
had just swallowed a spoonful of soup, which she now coughed up in
surprise. “What? He’s my husband! Of course I love him!”
He
turned his attention to his food now. “Just
because you’re married to him doesn’t mean you love him.”
She
was speechless, frozen in her seat.
Xavier
observed this reaction, then made a motion as if to wave the thought away from
the table. “Forget I ever said anything,
it’s not important.” He cut another bite
of steak from his plate. “Anyway, how is your
soup, Dyanne?”
