I'd just arrived at the film conference. Was about two hours late which meant I missed the premiere of a talented student name Christina Ingram's new work. Sucks when you plan so long for a trip and then everything goes to shit from minute one. My flight, delayed an hour. Hotel couldn't find my reservation, even though when they did, I'd been waiting another hour and a half. They upgraded me to the honeymoon suite, which had not been cleaned from the last guests, and their celebration was still all over the place.
When I finally laid my head down it was one in the morning. I took three of the five complimentary shots of Jack Daniels and fell asleep without setting any alarm to wake me up on time. Here I am now, sneaking behind the thick curtain to stand in the back and watch the remainder of this seminar. A woman is at the podium, answering questions about her film. I'd read the program, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what the woman's name was. I squinted passed my frames, but there was no nameplate anywhere even though, she looked familiar to me. The speaker announced that the next question would be the last and that then they'd be breaking off for lunch and smaller conferences. Someone asked where the woman's inspiration came from and she thought briefly before saying, something about capturing the beauty she see's in visual storytelling. The speaker gave ending comments, then everyone began disbursing.
I figured I'd grab something to eat and join a seminar. After grabbing a sandwich and Chardonnay at one of the lunch areas set up, I made my way to the bathroom to pee. There was a woman talking on the phone by a window near the bathroom. Her face was turned so she didn't see me looking. The conversation she was having seemed intense. I went into the bathroom, let out the river my bladder held and freshened up. When I made it back out, the woman was finishing her phone call. She turned around and leaned up against the wall. She looked up and we locked eyes. I knew her...it was the woman from earlier, but I really did know her. I couldn't recall from where or even when, but we both seemed to be trying to place each other. I walked over to her.
"Hi."
"Hey."
"So sorry to bother you, I just, you look familiar as hell to me. I just can't place you for some reason."
She studied my face a little more. She wore sleek frames over the most beautiful crystal blue eyes I'd ever seen. When I looked at her, it was as if I was looking into forever. Her brown hair was tied back. Her smile. That smile, I'd never forget. She looked at me, kind of squinted.
"I do feel like I've see you at some point. Maybe you came to a seminar of mine, or-" I slightly shook my head, " This is actually my first one."
We both kind of shrugged. Her phone rang again.
"Sorry, I have to-"
"It's fine. Nice meeting you, or I guess, seeing you again," we both grinned and I walked away. A smirk crept to my face. Whoever she was, I must have been attracted to her, because my body sure reacted to her smile.
I decided to go to my room and catch a quick nap. I wanted to go out and see what the city night life was like. I made it back downstairs where there was a small group mingling. I spotted that woman again. She looked up mid laugh and we caught eyes. She made her way over to me. I blushed hard; my brown skin turning damn near pink from fluster.
"We keep bumping into one another. I think I at least need to know your name, maybe it'll spark up memory."
"Bren Aryes. I'm a writer, producer. Do a little directing here and there. You?"
"Lesa Collins, film, photography, a lil this and that." We both chuckle.
"Maybe we just crossed paths or something." I offered up as I looked at her feeling myself weaken.
