The last thing I wanted was for this gorgeous man to catch me looking his way. But he did; my heart ceased its rhythm for a millisecond, and I looked down in that painfully shy way I always did when a crush acknowledges my existence for the first time. I turned to my friends and started laughing, to play it off and make it seem as though I was amused by our conversation instead of checking him out. I hope I wasn’t obvious.

“Can he see you?” Addison asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She extended her lips over her straw and slurped up some raspberry lemonade, her mouth and eyes the only things on her body that were moving. She somehow managed to stiffen everything else like a statue, as if being incredibly still would make her invisible. I guess she thought that he’d see her too, but her back was facing him, so I doubted it.

“I think he knows that I’m looking at him,” I replied, holding my head down like a bashful middle school girl. My eyes darted back up at him, and I noticed that he was finishing up dinner with his friends. He was stuffing a carry-out container with what looked like a juicy steak, and I secretly had a small tinge of jealousy, regretting my decision to order a basic hamburger with fries.

I wished I could summon up the courage to talk to him but being brave around handsome men had never been my strong suit. He seemed cool, aside from his evident aversion to whatever his friends were talking about. I could see the agitation on his face, and frankly, I didn’t blame him. The folks he was with, some of whom I recognized, were being kind of obnoxious.

Buzz reappeared at the table unexpectedly. “How’s the food, ladies?” he asked us, massaging his hands nervously, but with a genuine customer-service grin.

“It’s delicious,” said Addison, Dacia and Holden in a unanimous chorus. I was the only one to not respond, since I was too invested in the guy on the other side of the restaurant who looked like an underwear model from the 90s.

A throng of patrons suddenly obstructed my view of Mr. Mysterious, and I huffed with attitude like that would miraculously get them to move out of the way. It seemed that they were purposely dallying around, as if they knew that they were blocking me from seeing my tentative husband. Addison noticed my expression and had a good laugh at my expense.

After hovering around for a good ten minutes, the man-blockers finally scurried along, and my view of the bar was reopened. But the guy wasn’t there anymore. My breath and heart halted at the same time, and I rose up in my seat to see if I could figure out where he disappeared to. Then I spotted him making a bee-line for the door. He had his coat with him, but he didn’t put it on. Still, I assumed he was leaving.

And instantly, I became sad. A small part of me had hoped I might have a chance with him, but any chance of that was walking right out the door. Talk about a short-lived romance.

I scooted my glass of cherry soda closer to me, and took a long, dejected sip in hopes that it would fill this newfound emptiness inside me. I never expected a total stranger to affect me so greatly, or so quickly at that. But then in my peripheral vision, a flash of slick grey appeared, a color that seemed all too familiar. I focused my sight and realized that it was Mr. Mysterious!

He was at the bar again, paying his tab. I hoped he wasn’t about to leave for real, though.

“This girl is head over heels,” Addison teased me, digging around in her purse for a mirror. She managed to find one and popped it open, so she could check for food residue in her teeth.

“I am not!” I defended myself, with a sheepish smile that betrayed my obvious feelings.

“Oh, please. It’s written all over your face. You can’t keep secrets from me,” she said with a wink.

“She doesn’t know about the time you used her toothbrush to fish your favorite necklace out of the toilet,” Evie said without thinking. Once she realized what she’d done, her eyes went wide.

“EVIE!” I yelled.

“Okay, on that note, I think it’s time to get out of here,” Evie said with a forced laugh. “Before I make this anymore awkward… check please!” she shouted, throwing up her finger for the nearest server.

Buzz happened to be close by and immediately ran over. “What can I do for you?”

“We’re ready for our check now,” Addison said, slipping on her letterman jacket. “Oh, and boxes too, please.”

“Sure, coming right up,” Buzz obliged, speed-walking towards the register.

“So, where are we going after this, guys?” Holden asked the table.

“I was thinking The Station,” Dacia proposed. “You guys down for that?”

“Yeah! I could use something a little stronger than a raspberry lemonade,” Addison agreed eagerly, holding up her glass and rattling the little bit of ice and pinkish-yellow liquid that was left.

“McKinley, The Station sound good to you?” Holden asked me. She noticed that I was a bit withdrawn.

I hesitated. “Ladies, as much as I would love to get wasted with you tonight. . . I think I’m going to have to pass.”

“What? Nooooo!” Evie whined, sticking out her lower lip. “I worked so hard to get you out the house!” She feigned tears, threw a miniature fake tantrum, and rested her head on Addison’s shoulder.

I laughed and shook my head at her. “Evie, you are so dramatic, I swear,” I said, plopping the remaining half of my burger into the take-out container Buzz had delivered. “Here, take these fries. Eat them so I can be with you in spirit,” I joked, scooping them into her open box.

“It’s not the same,” she cried, her bottom lip protruding even further.

While Evie pouted, the rest of the girls gathered their things, and each of them gave me a cheerless look too.

“Come on, McKinley. It’s just not the same without you. Plus, the black light at The Station makes your hair glow purple and it’s hilarious,” Holden said innocently, making us all roll with laughter.

Buzz came back to dispense receipt copies and change. “You ladies have a great rest of your evening.”

“Thank you, Buzz. You too!” we all said. He walked off happily, his short, thin stature displaying an added bit of swagger.

“I’m actually feeling a bit queasy. I don’t want to push it when I really need to study tomorrow,” I lie, my eyes furtively flitting over to the bar to make sure my guy was still there. “I’ll catch you later?”

“Okay… if you need anything let us know,” Addison said. “We understand you skipping out on us this time, but next time, young lady, no excuses,” she warned playfully.

“Hold me to it, Addison. I know you will,” I said, chuckling. “Let me walk you guys to the door. It’s the least I can do.”

“Sure is,” Evie said, glaring at me lightheartedly.

While we headed for the exit, I turned my head ever-so-slightly and peered out of the corner of my eye to see if the man was still there. As long as I saw a sliver of his gray jacket, I knew he was. I periodically checked all the way to the front door, as if my paranoia would keep him tied to the bar.

It was refreshing stepping outside for a moment and letting the cool breeze of the night ward off some of this unexpected lust that was boiling within me. Thankfully, the storm of all storms had subsided, but the sweet smell of rain still lingered in the air.

“Make sure you guys keep me in the loop on the text chain or something,” I told them, giving each of them hugs and air kisses. “But I’ll see you girls. I need to run back inside and use the ladies’ room.”

“Okay, McKinley. Feel better, hon,” Evie said. “I’ll text you to let you know we made it.”

I nodded and quickly dipped back into Frankie’s. Mr. Mysterious hadn’t gone anywhere. I was relieved and convinced that fate intended for us to cross paths.

It seemed like a bunch more people had crowded into the area around the bar and I was slowly losing sight of him. From where I was standing, all I could see was the top of his head. I tried to walk over to where he was, but my legs magically took on the consistency of mashed potatoes. My heart started to beat quickly, seconds away from bursting through my chest.

And then, out of nowhere, I was standing right behind him…