Chapter two
Henry’s wallet had been missing for about a week now. He'd given it up for gone, but couldn't decide how much trouble he should go to in tracking it down. He'd had some cash in there, but of course it was mere pocket change to someone like himself. He was more concerned about the cards he had inside, membership cards, his license, and other things, which were far more instrumental to his day to day life than a bit of extra cash. As soon as he’d noticed it gone, he’d called to cancel all of his cards. Now he had the pain-in-the-ass task of waiting for their replacements. It was ridiculous how much he depended on those little pieces of plastic.
At the moment, he had so much else going on that thoughts of the lost wallet had all but left him, until one day there was a knocking on his door. One of his security guards announced to him that there was a woman at his gates, claiming to have found his wallet.
“Really?” asked Henry, clearly skeptical. Anyone with an internet connection could have found out who he was with enough ease.. By his distrusting nature, he imagined there were few people out there who would have reservations about stealing a few spare bills from a man with such wealth as his. “Oh, well, please, invite her in,” he said, and he straightened up his clothes a bit, trying to make himself look presentable. He might as well see if she was for real.
It was clear to him, as she stepped into his home that this girl was unlike most others. She seemed stunned as she took in her surroundings, craning her head around as though genuinely awestruck by what she saw. It was furthermore clear that this was a girl wholly out of place among such wealth and luxury as that which he possessed. This would have been clear from her demeanor alone, but it was a notion further reinforced by the relatively shoddy clothing she wore, looking as though they had had more than one owner.
He was being judgmental, he knew, and that was wrong. Still, he couldn't help but wonder whether she begrudged him all of this, or whether she was now having second thoughts about returning his money. It was clearly nothing but a drop in the bucket to him, but surely, the amount in that wallet could have made a significant difference for her.
“Good afternoon,” said Henry, trying to be courteous despite his fascination with this girl.
“Hello,” said the girl sheepishly, and she flashed him a quick smile; there and gone again. Even from that fleeting glimpse at her teeth, though, it occurred to Henry that this woman was as beautiful as his wife, if not more. She could easily be a model herself had that been her lot in life, but he could see from her bearing that she possessed nothing of the same security as Ashley did about her looks. “I, um, I found your wallet on the street the other day. And I thought I should get it back to you.” she said.
“I see,” said Henry, skeptical in spite of himself. She was clearly trying to be honest here, but he had such difficulty believing the pure intentions of her motives. He didn't say anything, but continued to look at her as she extended the wallet out to him, and averted her eyes to the floor. Henry slowly reached up and took the wallet, peering inside, and counting the money right in front of her.
“I'm sorry it took me so long to get it to you. Everything's there, I just. had a pretty busy schedule, and I wasn't really sure how I could get it to you here,” she said, once again looking around.
Henry was astonished to find that every last cent of his money was still in the wallet, along with every card and scrap of paper that he'd been missing in the ensuing week. Defying all expectations, he'd somehow managed to come across an honest human being. He looked up at her now, with curious eyes, and she smiled anxiously when she spotted his eyes lighting upon her own.
“This was very honest of you. Thank you for bringing it to me.”
“Oh, well, it's my pleasure,” she said, smiling, and still she seemed like she felt unworthy of facing him directly.
He continued to study her, and then extended a hand to her for her to shake.
“It's Henry. Henry Jones, as I'm sure you already know by now from the wallet.”
She laughed tensely. “Megan, Megan Williams.”
Her hand felt soft and cool in his grip, and he wished he could retain her palm in his own for some time longer without things becoming awkward. He felt strangely fascinated with this woman, and a feeling that he'd not experienced in quite some time seemed to be welling up inside his chest.
“Well, Megan, I really do appreciate this. Sincerely, I was becoming quite worried about it, and I'd feared that someone had stolen it and ran off with my money.”
“Oh, well, nope,” she said, smiling, and Henry could tell she was having trouble knowing just what to say. Suddenly, though, her eyes caught on his for the first time in the duration of their visit together. They gazed fixedly into one another for a long, drawn out moment, each mesmerized by the other. But at last, predictably enough, it was Megan who shirked away, feeling overpowered and out of her league. She'd clearly made an impression on her host, and though she was flattered by even the faintest possibility that he may be displaying some interest in her, she knew that she was being absurd in even entertaining such a notion.
Henry cleared his throat, trying to pick things back up after what had clearly been an awkward moment. He couldn't figure out just what was going on in his head, or how this stranger was having such a powerful effect on him. It was like the time he'd first met Ashley all over again, and he was hesitant to allow himself to fall back into that trap after having done so once, and still reeling from the effects of that first misstep.
“If you'd care to have a seat, I can offer you a drink perhaps?” he tried.
“Oh, no, that's really not necessary,” replied Megan briskly, sincerely wishing to do just that, but the butterflies in her chest too prohibitive to allow her to indulge such a luxury. “I actually need to get going here shortly. I have to work in about an hour, and I need to beat traffic across town.”
“Oh, alright then, I understand. Well, here, let me at least compensate you for your trouble, and of course for your honesty.” Henry began to reach into the wallet, sifting through the bills once more, this time trying to decide what an appropriate reward might be for a favor of this magnitude.
“No, please, I can't accept that,” she said, waving a hand in front of herself before he'd even removed the money from the inside of the wallet.
“Really? Why not?” Henry asked, puzzled, further disbelieving that a human being such as this could still exist in this day and age.
“It just wouldn't be right,” she said, brushing a hair from her face.
“I don't see why not,” said Henry, feeling like an ass despite the fact that it was she who was refusing the reward money. He couldn't force her to take it, clearly, but he desperately felt a desire to show her how very much he appreciated her effort. “A lot of people would not have returned the money at all. They would have just kept the wallet. I think the fact that you returned it says something about you.”
Megan twitched her lips in a way that made Henry burn with a craving to lean in and kiss them passionately in that moment. “Maybe,” she said, “maybe not. But that wouldn't be right either. It's your money. It belongs to you, and no one else, no matter who found it. I just wouldn't feel right about accepting it, I guess.”
“I see,” said Henry, slowly re-inserting the cash into the wallet. “Well, very well then. I just want you to know that I'm very appreciative of you for returning it to me, and if you ever need a favor or anything-”
“You're very welcome,” said Megan, interrupting him, and for the first time throughout the course of their meeting she flashed him a full, sincere smile, as though genuinely enthused at the fact of his appreciating her.
It was in that moment, Henry realized looking back at the situation, that he began to genuinely fall in love with her. He stared, stupefied, for several seconds as he peered at her, and only very slowly forced himself to smile at her in return.
There was a moment there, long and heated, in which it seemed as though things should have suddenly escalated between the two of them. Had it been a situation involving any two individuals who were less in control of their passions, the sexual tension would surely have burst over their heads at precisely that moment. But given their remarkable capacity for repressing things, neither of them allowed the moment to overwhelm them, and it passed along like a thundercloud, sweeping away, leaving them clear of any danger.
Megan let out a shuddering breath, and once again her eyes were on the floor.
“Well, then, I should really get going I think. I don't want to be late for work.”
“No, no of course.” said Henry, trying not to let the extent of his disappointment show in his voice. “Well, thank you again, and it was an absolute pleasure meeting you.”
“The same to you, Mister Jones,” she replied, bowing slightly, and it chewed him up inside to see her do so. She stepped toward the door, and he watched her go with an immense degree of sadness, hating himself for letting her slip through his fingers with nothing resembling a fight on his part.
“Take care of yourself,” he added, and she turned to give him a last, nervous glance before vanishing, and leaving him alone with an immediate longing to see her again.