A foray into something more recent although still years ago. Names were changed to protect the guilty. All participants are over 18. The only things injured in this story are egos, and maybe some morals.
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Dinah pulled her car into the gravel parking lot and drove up to the run down looking building with apprehension. She looked down at the GPS and confirmed that this was the correct address. Surely this couldn't be the bookstore that she was told to meet. She pulled up her messenger and checked the address he sent once more. Sure enough it all matched up. She turned off her car and sat for a moment gathering herself together. Just how stupid was this? Yes it was a public place but seeing that only three other cars were in the parking lot there wasn't much public to speak of. And considering there was a business next door that was where the people likely were. Maybe she should just message him and let him know she changed her mind. Again. Actually again, again. This was the third meeting that they had arranged and she had yet to meet him face to face.
"Dinah get a hold of yourself," she said to the empty car. "You're the one that wanted to do this. Hell you've backed out on him twice and he wasn't pissed at you at all. No you were far more pissed at yourself."
She closed her eyes for a moment and made up her mind. She wanted this. This was her fantasy and damn it she wasn't going to back out now. She got out of the car and closed the door hitting the lock button as she did. She walked up to the bookstore door and opened it with a confidence that she didn't completely feel herself. Stepping in out of the sunshine to the small ring of a metal bell she was greeted by stacks and stacks of books. Some on shelves, some on the floor, some sitting on tables. It was as if a book lover's haven had been touched with just a drop or two of chaos.
"Can I help you look for something?" an aged voice said.
Dinah was startled momentarily as she hadn't noticed anyone there. The old woman had to have been approaching 80 if not over it with a wizened face and Coke bottle thick glasses. She had on a flowery blouse and was sitting in a low, broken down chair with a book in her lap. Stacks of books surrounded her on the counter forming a small literary fortress where she ruled her book kingdom.
"No. I am just looking around," Dinah said.
"Well if you need anything just come up and ask. I'll be happy to help."
"Thank you," Dinah replied. She stepped down one of the rows of books and almost instantly lost sight of the front of the store. The haphazard arrangement of literature turned the place into a near maze with old faded signs hanging down as your only hint as to where you were. She had to admit that this was the perfect place to meet and if things went well for her to indulge in what she really wanted. She had made it down the history aisle and had just turned towards the romance section when she heard the bell ring for the door. She barely heard the owner's muffled greeting, the stacks of books deadening the sounds in the store. Her heartbeat quickened as she started doubting if she had really made the right choice. What if this was him? What if it wasn't? Turning the next corner Dinah plowed face first into a man's chest nearly knocking them both into a stack of magazines.
"!'m sorry," the man said with a slight smile on his face. "Didn't see you coming around the corner there."
Dinah blushed furiously at her clumsy collision and stammered an apology herself. "Its ok. I wasn't watching." She finally looked up into the man's blue eyes with recognition. "Kyle?"
"That would be me, Dinah," he replied casually trying to set the obviously nervous woman at ease. "I am very glad to run into you. Literally in this case. I wasn't sure if you would be able to make it or not."
"Yes. Well I. I did make it. But I don't know." Dinah stumbled along with her reply.
"Its ok. It took you three attempts to make it here so don't feel like you have to do anything on the first meeting," Kyle said smiling. "I truly understand. You have got to be feeling a dozen conflicting emotions right about now. You can leave, you can just browse some books, or we can chat. Just let me know what it is you feel comfortable with at the moment."
Dinah hesitated trying to come up with the best response. Conflicting thoughts warred inside her head for their chance to be heard. One thought plowed its way embarrassingly to the front. "Will you hypnotize me?"
Kyle chuckled, "Yes I will since that is part of what we were supposed to be meeting for but are you sure that you are quite ready for that this time?"
"Yes. No. I don't know. You think I'm a crackpot don't you?"
Kyle smiled, "No I don't think you are anything of the sort. I think you are face to face with something that you want but didn't think was real so you don't know what to think. That is ok. That is more than ok its natural. We all have fantasies and most of us lock up when facing the reality of getting a chance at them. You are no different."
Dinah let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. "So I can leave and you wouldn't be mad?"
"Yes you can and no I wouldn't."
"Then I want you to hypnotize me."
The answer took Kyle a bit by surprise. "So since I said you can leave you want me to hypnotize you?"
"Yes," Dinah said with a newfound conviction. "I was so caught up in being scared of it I had forgotten how much I wanted it. Does that make sense?"
"Actually it does," he replied laughing lightly. "But let's move a few aisles deeper if we are continuing this. And I want to make sure that there is no misunderstanding about what is wanted and where you want to stop."
