Anna

 

I’m sitting up at the bar in the restaurant lounge, nervously tapping my foot against the metal leg of the leather stool I’m sitting on. I’m a bit early, as usual, and apparently nervous. I’m praying that tonight won’t end up being a horrid repeat of my last date. I swear, if it does, I’m becoming a nun.

 I’ve gone ahead and ordered a glass of rosé to sip while I wait for Steven. Sebastian pops into my head and I shake it off, wondering what the heck was going on with him today. I never would have thought that we’d become friends, but that’s exactly what’s happened in the last two weeks. It’s been nice to have the company. Dru and Ethan hit a rough patch after her exhibit but have since worked things out and have been in a state of honeymoon phase ever since. I’m happy they worked things out, I’d never seen my sister that tangled up over a relationship before and I like Ethan. They’re good for each other.

I take another sip of wine and glance at the door. I have no idea what Steven looks like, but I told him I’d be wearing pink and waiting at the bar, so for all I know he’s in here now and avoiding me. I look down at my dress and exhale a nervous breath. It isn’t necessarily revealing, but it is tight, and the sweetheart neckline gives me the illusion of bigger boobs. Which is something I am most definitely not used to. Ugh, I should have worn something else. Again, Sebastian pops into my head. When he looked up at me and stared at me in the kitchen as if I’d grown an extra head, I was sure it was because I looked terrible. But then a flicker of something else passed in his expression and I could have sworn that maybe he liked the way I looked. Not that it matters, because we’re just friends.

I stare down at my wine glass and my thoughts wander back to last week when I stopped by his studio. Watching him mould that clay and manipulate it into something smooth and useful was almost hypnotizing. The way his hands moved up and down with such ease, the veins in his forearms peeking up under the strain. The flex of his biceps. I’d never really noticed before how large and strong his hands are. I was mortified when he caught me watching and I could feel the heat covering my face like a blanket.

Even now, the image makes me feel warm…and not necessarily in a strictly friends kind of way. Mason waltzing through the door with the mention of a hot double date for the two of them was the bucket of ice water over my head that I needed. Clearly I was getting a little too caught up in my new friend’s physicality. Which is natural, I suppose. He’s a man and I’m a woman, right? Totally natural. When Steven called a couple days after that, I instantly agreed to a date. I haven’t had the same warm reaction to Sebastian since that day at the studio, thankfully. So, I think it’s safe to chalk it up to hormones and nothing else.

“Excuse me, Anna?”

I look to my left and am met with a pair of deep brown eyes and a very handsome face. “Steven?”

“Nice to meet you,” he says, sliding onto the stool beside me and clasping my hand in his.

 He’s wearing a navy-blue suit that fits him well and no tie, the top two buttons of his starch white shirt are open, exposing a patch of tanned skin. The line of his clean shaven jaw is sharp and defined and his neatly trimmed hair matches his dark chocolate coloured eyes. I shove Sebastian from my mind and admire Steven’s slightly crooked, although pleasantly endearing smile.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I reply, before taking a small sip of my wine. “Can I be honest right off the bat and just say that I’m a tiny bit nervous?”

“You’re not the only one,” he chuckles. “My dating record this year hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing.”

“Ugh, mine neither,” I laugh. “There’s got to be something in the water.”

“On that, we can agree,” he grins. “Why don’t we take this conversation to our table and we can exchange horror stories.”

“I’d like that,” I say.

Almost two hours later, after an appetizer, a main course and a shared dessert, Steven and I are still coming up with new things to talk about.

“I mean this in the nicest way possible, but is corporate law as dry as it sounds?”

“No,” he says. “It’s worse.”

“Oh no,” I laugh. “You’re joking, right?”

“It can be a bit dull, but I do like my job,” he says. “I like the business aspect, and we deal with enough different companies that it keeps it interesting enough.”

“That’s good,” I reply. “I think it’s important to enjoy what you do, and not just do it for the paycheck.”

“What about teaching, is it a paycheck or a passion?”

“Definitely not just a paycheck,” I say. “I love it, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

“Well I certainly don’t remember any of my teachers being as pretty as you,” he says. “I’ve had a great time with you tonight Anna.”

“Likewise.”

“Would it make me presumptuous to say that I’m hoping the night isn’t quite over?”

“Not at all. My neighbour is having a get together, we could stop by and have a night cap?”

“Let’s do it.”

I direct Steven through the bustling city traffic back to my place, which he navigates well in his black Porsche. I smile when I think about Sebastian and I arguing the other day when I referred to his truck as grey. It’s not grey Anna, it’s stealth blue.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing,” I say. “Just lost in thought I guess. You can park around back, there should be an empty spot.”

“No underground lot?”

“Afraid not,” I say. “But I park back here all the time and I’ve never had a break in, if that makes you feel any better?”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

I lead the way up to the roof and when I open the door my gaze instantly lands on Sebastian. He’s sitting in the hot tub, a beer dangling from his fingers and a gorgeous blonde nestled into his side. Seems about right. Not that I care, because we’re just friends.

I glance around the rooftop and notice Mason standing beside a small set of speakers. He’s tapping on an iPod and suddenly Fleetwood Mac starts playing and everyone groans, chucking their empty cups in his direction.

“Stevie Nicks is a national treasure,” he shouts above the music. “Don’t blame me for your shitty taste in music.”

 There aren’t a lot of people here, less than twenty. Some are in the pool, some lounging on lawn chairs and a couple in the hot tub, including Sebastian and his new friend.

“Neighbour lady! Did you bake anything?” Mason shouts. I smile as we walk through the door and I swear I can feel Sebastian’s eyes on me.

“Sadly, I did not,” I call back.

“Beers in the cooler,” he points at two large plastic bins sitting near the speakers.

We make our way over and I bend down, grabbing two cold bottles. When I stand, a dripping wet Sebastian is standing in front of Steven and I. Alone.

“You came, freckles,” he says.

My eyes linger a tad too long on his sculpted chest and muscular arms before I swallow hard and remember that we are just friends and I am here with a date.

“Sebastian, this is Steven. Steven, this is my neighbour slash friend, Sebastian.”

“Good to meet you Sebastian,” Steven says, extending his hand.

“You too Steve.”

“Sebastian what are you doing, I’m lonely over here,” the blonde in the hot tub calls out.

“Duty calls,” he says. “Enjoy yourselves.” He turns abruptly and heads back toward the hot tub.

“He seems like kind of a jerk,” Steven says.

“What? Oh, no he really isn’t, he’s just, well, I think he-.”

“Anna, you don’t have to make excuses for him.”

“I’m not making excuses. I thought he was a complete ape when I first met him,” I laugh. “But first impressions can often be misleading, that’s all.”

We grab a couple chairs and sit near the pool as the sun begins to set. Our conversation doesn’t flow quite as nicely as it did earlier, and I know it’s my fault. I’ve been preoccupied watching Sebastian with the blonde. Why does he waste his time? He doesn’t even look interested in her. He’s been ignoring her for the last thirty minutes.

“So, you said you have two sisters?”

“Oh, yes I do. Elle and Dru.”

It takes me a minute to realize that Steven is waiting for me to embellish. Thoughts of Sebastian continue to linger in the back of my mind and I can’t seem to set them aside. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I mentally reprimand myself for my less than stellar manners and am about to ask Steven if he has any siblings when he speaks first.

“Look, I think I’m going to get going,” he says.

“Oh. Okay, um, let me walk you down.”

We get as far as my floor before Steven turns to me and takes my hand in his. “You’re great Anna, and tonight has been fun. But I think maybe someone else has their eye on you, and I could be way off base here, but I think the feeling might be mutual.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your neighbour,” he explains. “He pretty much kept tabs on you the minute we walked into the party until we left. No hard feelings,” he adds. “I really did have a great time with you tonight.”

“I’m sorry, Steven. I’ve been a terrible date.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” he says. “I’m happy to chalk tonight up to simply making a new friend.”

His lips press to my cheek in a chaste kiss before he heads for the stairs and leaves me in the hallway. I unlock my door and kick off my shoes, still not sure what the hell to make of tonight. I don’t like Sebastian. Do I? And he certainly doesn’t like me…does he?

Ugh, today has been off. That’s it, just an off day. I head to my bedroom, peel off my dress and remove my makeup. I decide to take a shower and clear my head. Once I’ve dried off and put on an old pair of cotton capris and a loose white T-shirt, I find my glasses on the bedside table and curl up on the couch. I flip through the channels and unsuccessfully try to ignore the tiny voice in my head that insists on wondering where Sebastian is and what, or rather who he’s doing.

I blink my eyes open, squinting at the T.V. I sit up slowly and pull my glasses off, setting them on the table. Checking my phone, I see that I’ve dozed off for the last hour. I also see that I received a text message less than five minutes ago.

Sebastian: Still on your date?

Me: Nope. Fell asleep on the sofa, just woke up.

I try again to ignore the uneasy flutter in my belly. A light knock on the door does nothing for my nerves as I glance down at myself and try to straighten my shirt. I run my fingers quickly through my hair and gather it over my shoulder. Calm down Anna, the lines got a bit blurred, but you and Sebastian are not each other’s type. It will pass and everything will be normal. He’ll continue to eat all your food and tease you about your belief in happily ever afters and you’ll go back to being friendly. Yes. Exactly.

I exhale a breath and unlock the door, finding him freshly showered and dressed in a pair of his old stained jeans and a grey T-shirt that does nothing but display his nicely tanned skin and broad chest. And I can smell his soap. Dammit. I’m attracted to him. When did this happen? This is not good.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hi.”

“What happened? You couldn’t close the deal with Steve?” he teases, leaning his large body against the doorframe.

“Apparently not,” I snort. “Guess I’m a bit rusty.”

“Is that right?”

I dare myself to look up into his eyes and find his penetrating stare filled with something that is not friendship.

“No. I think you need to be active in order to be rusty,” I say quietly. “I don’t know why I just said that.”

“Because we’re friends?” he offers.

“Where’s the blonde?”

“Don’t know, don’t really care.”

“Is that right?”

“Mmmhm. Anna?”

“Yes?”

Everything around us fades to a blur as he leans in close to me and places his lips on mine. My breath stops, my fingertips itching to touch him, yet I’m frozen in place. What starts as the softest kiss I’ve ever experienced in my entire life turns into a frenzy the minute a soft moan rumbles in my chest.

His palms land on either side of my face as my arms wrap around his neck. He pushes us all the way inside, pinning me against the nearest wall, our lips remaining sealed. Every part of my body lights up with a desire so strong that part of me thinks this can’t possibly be real. As quickly as the notion hits me, it’s completely smothered when he reaches his hands around and grips the backs of my thighs, lifting me with ease and coaxing me to wrap my legs around his waist. This is definitely real Anna. The seam of his jeans rubs against the ache between my thighs and takes me to an entirely new level of need.

My fingers spear through his thick hair as I try in vain to get closer to him. He groans into my mouth as my lips search for something that I can’t even describe beyond the word, more. Possessed by it, I can’t stop and I would have let him take me right there against the wall, if I didn’t begin to feel the firmness of his mouth on mine lessen. His fingertips ease their grip on my flesh and when he pulls away completely, looking at me with desire and confusion, the spell is broken. My chest heaves, the thumping of my heart echoing in my ears as he releases me further and I slide down his body on shaky legs.

“Anna, I’m sorry,” he says, breathlessly. “I didn’t mean, I mean, I did but I j-.”

“It’s okay,” I say quickly. “Um, I should get to bed. It’s been a long day.”

“Right. Okay, we’ll talk tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course.”

He turns hastily and walks through the wide open door, I take a moment to catch my breath before I close it behind him. I touch my lips, still feeling the bruise of his demanding kiss. Smiling because I’ve never been kissed like that before, and feeling the weight of disappointment because I’m sure that I’ll never feel this way again.