A Blissful Encounter

It was Friday night and like most of us out there, I did what most of us plan to. I joined with a couple of my friends and hit one of the bars in the city. It didn't take long for them to get drunk and lost, the usual thing that happens every, uhm you know, every week! And here I was alone and sitting on a seat just near the counter, bored and looking around the place. Lots of people, like any other Friday, some dancing over the floor, some relaxing in the corner couches and everyone else, doing whatever they do. I wasn't a heavy drinker or some sort, I was always the one who had it light, after all, drinks were meant for fun, not bringing any troubles.

So, time passed, too slowly though and the boredom started to eat me when a voice came from behind, or probably beside me, I couldn't confirm, the music was too loud. "Young man! Your glass looks empty? What's up?" a lady, preferably looked somewhat older than me, almost double of my age if I'm being exact was standing just beside my seat and looking at me. "Ah-hh I don't like it to be heavy, got some babysitting to do, if my friends get a bit too much drunk and pass out..." I turn towards the lady, smiling a bit, my body gently arching over the counter top.

"Ah-hh come on, young men like you wouldn't settle for light, would they? Rare. Leave the light for us oldies." The woman chuckled softly, taking a seat beside him and then looking up at the bartender, "2 Debonairs, Chad, one for me and one for this young man right here..." she gave the order. "Right away, Ms. Miller." Chad who apparently was familiar to this lady here replied and then moved away to prepare the drink. "Ah-hh you need not do that, I'm fine here, uhm Mrs...."

"Miller. Livianna Miller. And come on, one drink wouldn't hurt, would it, young man...?"

"Uh. Mrs. Miller, nice to meet you. I am James by the way. And yeah, one wouldn't hurt."

"Huh-h see that's the young man spirit, nice to meet you too, James..." she replied and then looked ahead of her as Chad brought two glasses of their drinks and served us both.

"Cheers. To life?" Livianna raised her glass with a soft chuckle and then looked at me who does the same. "And to strange encounters too." A soft smile rose across my lips as well when we touched the glasses and a soft chime rose around us, which soon faded away.

We both took a sip together and she spoke again, "So, James, never seen you before! You new around here?"

"Uhm-mmhhm, yes, you can say so, me and my friends shifted a couple of weeks before and this is the first time I am coming to this club. What about you, Mrs. Miller? You familiar with these parts?" he replied taking another sip from his glass.

"Oh-h young man, I was born and raised here, so I know a little more than just being familiar with these parts. How is the place treating you?"

"So far it's fine, and now, I could say, it's pleasing." James replied with a soft smirk on his face, his tone a bit flirtatious but nothing out of the limits.

"Mhm, smart man I see, I know where you're going." Livianna replied to him, staring into his eyes while she takes another sip from her glass.

"Where am I going? Trust me, you have no idea."

Both chuckled a bit after that, finishing their drinks in the next few minutes, before Jimme stood up from the seat. Placing the glass on the counter top and then looking at him. "So, Mr. James, would you like to join me outside? I can show you these parts if you're interested. Or would you choose to keep falling into your boredom?" she let out a soft smirk and was about to turn out and leave.

"Lead the way, Mrs. Miller. I am sure my friends are big enough to handle themselves for a while in my absence..." I let out a soft smile, keeping the glass on to the counter too, and then slowly following her to the club's exit.

She seemed pretty happy about this, probably she had her expectations of reeling this young man in, and it seemed to be as easy as it can be. Atleast on her part. "I'd say, a good decision, James, and I'm sure, your grownup friends can call you if things got out of hands." She smiles softly and then started walking on the other direction, maybe she already had a place in her mind.

Upon walking for a few minutes, the woman before me led us to a place just across the river at the back of the town. It was a sight to see, a clean river flowing through the middle of two towns connected by a land bridge. A large patch of green grass that settled in the riverbank on both sides. "Beautiful place, Livianna." I take the first stance at initiating a conversation as I smiled and looked at her. "Come here, you'll find it even more beautiful" Livianna smiles as she gently reaches her hand out to me. And me as a fellow companion held her hand and she pulled me down to the river bank, getting a seat upon the soft grass.

"Better?" she asked with a tone of concern to which I replied, "Much better." and took in the breath of fresh air that was around these parts. I slowly tilt my head and took in another deep breath, sighing out. "So, why did you bring me here?"

"Sightseeing, I told you that right."

"Yeah, you did, and its peaceful, trust me, lot better than the chaos around."

"Hmph hmph, that is right. You people are so deep in chaos, that you confuse it for peace..."

"There, there, wise words coming out of your finally. Gosh! I was expecting that." James chuckled a bit looking at the clear sky above him. And then the sound of some beetles chirping around the parts, and not to mention the sound of the flowing river, filling the place with serenity.

And then begins the conversations, starting from, "How's life treating you, to what do we want to do with our life?" there was nothing to hide here, I was being honest, and so she was, we laughed a bit at our decisions, thoughts, giggled through our thoughts, embraced our journeys and there was so much more to this moment, than those talks. She talked to me about how she used to come to this river every weekend with her family and friends to spend some time, and it was so good knowing that. And then we talked, literally for hours without bothering about the time.

This was probably the first time when I was having such open-ended conversations, these could have gone on for long if not for the call that that I received. My friends interrupting me again, and for my surprise, she was equally understanding.

"Mhm looks like your babysitting duties are starting again."

"Heh can't help"

"I feel that, come on, let me drop you to the club" she says and gets up from the ground, reaching a hand to pull me again. I smirk a bit, holding her hand and getting up and we walked back to the club. Upon entering, I met with my two dumb friends who were apparently caught by the security for misbehavior. Somehow, I was able to convince the security to let them go, and Livianna played a huge role in that. If she hadn't been there, I probably couldn't have gotten them out. Then I walked them to the car, putting them inside, and walking back to Livianna as she was following me.

"It was nice meeting you, trust me, without you, this night could have been miserable" I thanked her for showing me some great moments, it didn't matter how much I wanted that to never end, but somethings never go your way.

"I could say the same too, nice to meet you, young man." She blushed a little coming closer to me and then whispering something into my ears.

"If you'd like to live some moments again, you know where to find me, James." She spoke, followed by a soft kiss on my right cheek before she turned and walked into the club.

I was frozen at my point, trying to dissolve everything that happened today. And once I was able to gather my thoughts, I turned back, into the car and drove away. A soft tear of joy forming right below my eye as the winds started to hit me when I drove my car, back to my apartment. And probably back to my life again. My anticipations grew each minute, whether this moment would come again or not.

------