She enjoyed working at the restaurant. Just a small cafe that stayed opened late to accommodate the theatre goers who needed a little coffee or snack before travelling home. A nice place to chat about what was just seen, a chance to get to know someone better.
She saw Him enter. He was handsome but not the type that would grace GQ. His allure was more than that. She watched as the hostess seated Him in another section of the cafe and she sighed quietly as she found herself flush with the realization she wanted Him to be seated where she could serve Him. There was something about His attire, His bearing, His dark brooding look that made her heart beat a little faster.
She continued serving the customers at her station but she also found her glances going towards Him. She watched Him peruse the menu, watched as Carol, His waitress, bring Him coffee and pie. She waited to see if someone would join Him, but apparently He was alone. At her first opportunity, she cornered Carol to see what she could get from her. But apparently His cold demeanor carried over to His behavior. Carol had nothing to share other than He wasn't rude.
She kept feeling like someone was watching her. Felt eyes on her back each time she was turned from Him. Yet, each time she stole a look His way, His eyes were either looking at the traffic outside, or reading a newspaper He had picked up on His way to His booth. She worked very hard to time this perfectly, but she somehow managed to be the one at the cash register to take His payment.
"Did You find everything satisfactory?" she asked professionally.
He simply replied, "Yes, I did, thank you."
But when He handed her the cash, His hand found hers and lingered there gently for just a moment. Her eyes raised up to meet His and she found herself captivated by them as the electricity of His touch crashed through her body.
She slowly extricated her hand from His, presented Him with His change, and sent Him off with a throaty "come again", then returned to her waiting customers.
Her mind kept drifting back to Him all the rest of the night. How extraordinary His touch was, how deep His eyes, how He smelled, looked, sounded. Everything played on her memory the entire shift. She knew she would probably never see Him again but He was nice to fantasize about.
Finally it was time to go home. She said goodbye to her coworkers, slipped her sweater over her uniform and slung her purse over her shoulder. She started down the alleyway, the shortcut she took every night on her way home. It wasn't too dark, there was lighting the entire way, and she had traveled this way so often she felt comfortable.
She could see the figure leaning beneath the light well before He could see her. He simply showed no notice of her even though she was sure He could hear her footfalls. It was the man from the cafe, the one she had been thinking about all evening. He leaned there with one foot planted against the wall behind Him, His face downcast. And even though she couldn't clearly see His features, she knew it was Him.
She kept her eyes on Him as she began to pass by. Her breath coming a little quicker, her heart beating just a bit faster. He made no movement towards her until she was just about to pass. Suddenly, His hand snaked out and grabbed her firmly by her upper arm, swept her toward the wall and pressed her back into it, kissing her roughly.