It was a temperate fall afternoon when she finally arrived at the edge of the sand. The small, suburban park used to be a soothing place to relax after a night of drinking. She removed her heels and sunk her toes into the sand, enjoying the feel. Sarah spotted a bench that was fairly secluded, surrounded by various willow trees by the end of the beach. The scenery was beautiful, with a rainbow of leaf colors and the reflection of the sun off the small lake. It was fairly quiet, as most of the families had gone home for the day. A few people strolled with dogs or whizzed past on rollerblades, but otherwise the beach was empty.
As she reminisced about all the times she had visited the park, she didn't realize there was someone right next to her.
"Hey."
Squinting her eyes against the sun, she strained to see his face despite immediate recognition of his voice. Her heart felt like it was in a vise as he smiled down at her.
"Hey! What are you doing here?" she said a bit too loudly, unsuccessfully trying to conceal her shock.
"I was just on my way to my buddy's place with some friends, it's the season opener. What about you? When did you get into Seattle?" he asked.
"Just today....it's my friend's birthday and she wanted to celebrate here in the city." Sarah replied. She swept over him quickly; same gorgeous smile and fit body. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his friends were alternating between staring at them and shuffling further away. "I think your friends are in a hurry. What time does the game start?"
Mike checked his watch. "Ouch, in 10 minutes. I have to go."
Nodding her head, Sarah's heart dropped.
"Yeah, of course! Well it was good seeing you, enjoy the game" she said quickly.
He paused, obviously not expecting that reaction.
"Do you have my cell phone number still? If you have time, why don't you come by my buddy's house and have a beer? It's pretty close-by" he asked.
"Oh, well I kinda can't, I have this dinner to go to and we're heading out to a bar later....maybe we can hang out another time" she said, trying to keep the conversation light.
"Oh, okay" he replied. "Well, I guess I'll see you then. Take care."
He left a lingering glance and turned to walk away. Sarah was about to stand up and say something when he suddenly stopped and turned towards her.
"No, wait. Come by the house. I'll text you the address, you can just drop by before or after your dinner, whatever works. It's been how many years" he said in a low voice, staring into her eyes.
At that point, they both knew she wouldn't say no.
"Ummm, well I'll do my best. Just keep your phone with you" she said with averted eyes and a crooked smile.
"Okay. I'll see you later then" he responded with a quick smile before turning and jogging off towards his friends.
Oh shit...now what do I do? She thought to herself.
Later that night, she cheered with her friends over dinner and they piled into a cab to hit up the bar. It was around 10:30pm and the entire night she had been distracted by her encounter with Mike. Her friends tried to convince her it was a sign, but she was cynical and assumed that (as usual) he just wanted to sleep with her for old times sakes. She kept telling herself she was not going to go, but part of her was desperate to, just for the chance to talk and to see what kind of man he had become. She was torn. Her phone vibrated silently in her purse, and she pulled it out.
Where r u, come over was the text and she knew immediately who it was from. She replied Bar in the market, cant come right now, to avoid saying she wasn't coming. The light on her phone flashed again, and the message said I want to see you. Been waiting for a long time.
She wasn't sure if he meant he had been waiting tonight or over the last three years. She suddenly knew she did have to go, as she would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't and never got to see him again.
Knowing her friends would understand, she slipped out of the bar and caught a taxi. She texted one of her friends, saying she was stepping out for a bit but they would know what she meant. Sarah brushed her long blond hair out of her face and adjusted her glittering hoop earrings as the cab sped along Riverside Drive. Finally they pulled up to an older house with cars parked all along the road. She could see the reflection of a TV on the first floor, and people jumping up to cheer. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she hesitated and considered asking the cab to take her back to the bar. After a second thought, she decided to take the plunge. She put on another coat of lip gloss as the driver passed her change, and finally stepped out of the cab and onto the sideway. A man and woman were sitting outside the porch having a cigarette, so she put on a fake smile and stepped inside the house. Guys were hollering and cheering in the room to the left, so she took a quick breath and went into the room. One guy noticed her and nudged his buddy, and suddenly she realized almost everybody in the room was staring at her, and she heard a Whoa! And whispers of who's SHE? Before she could speak up, she saw movement to her left.
"Hey!" Mike said, and she could tell by his tone of voice he was excited to see her.
Suddenly, it felt like all the nervousness was gone and she was exactly where she was supposed to be on that date and that time.
Finally releasing a beaming smile, she looked into his beautiful eyes and was washed over with pure joy.
"Hey. The party has arrived!" she joked quietly but a couple other guys still staring at her muttered nervous laughs themselves.
"Guys, this is Sarah" he said to nobody in particular. He stepped past everyone and came to join her at the doorway. There was a loud yell from the announcers and suddenly all the guys were on their feet again, cheering and hooting at the top of their lungs.
They both smiled at each other, standing so close in the narrow hallway she felt like hugging him. It was only a moment but it could've been forever, as she absorbed his mature face and slightly different scent than in their past life.
"C'mon, I'll get you a beer" he kept smiling as he touched her arm and guided her to the kitchen.
They sat for a while, chatting and joking. Neither of them went into too much depth when discussing relationships. One of the guys from the other roomed called Mike's name, so he took her hand so naturally and lead her back into the living room. He made some of the guys move over, and they were squished together on the couch and he was enthusiastically updated by everyone on what was happening in the game.