Knight Vision (2 page)

Reminding herself that she was standing in a public restroom, she thought she had better get moving before Leah started to worry.   Just as this thought popped into her head, she saw in the mirror’s reflection, her strawberry-blonde, five foot, two-inch best friend walk into the room.  The expression on her face was one of worry.  “What’s wrong?“ Leah asked as she studied Annie’s face.  “What happened to your makeup?“  Before Annie could answer, the next question nearly made her knees buckle.  “Are you all right?“

Leah had been her best friend for years and could read Annie like a book, and knew she could not lie to her.  As Leah waited for a response, a look of concern washed over her face.  Annie knew she had better find her voice before too long. She finally managed to sigh; this action put her at ease.  She began to tell Leah everything.  During Annie’s tale, Leah’s expression went from worry to outright laughter.  Annie did not take the laughter well.  “Why are you laughing?“ she asked rather harshly.

“You have to be kidding,“ she cried though the giggles.  “This is the reason you have be in here for over a half hour.“  

My God
, Annie thought, it did not seem that long.

“Annie, you’re being silly,“ Leah stated, smiling.

“You’re right,“ Annie replied, joining in the laughter.  “I am being foolish.“

Leah suggested they return to their game and have a drink or two.  Annie agreed, thinking how glad she was Leah had decided to come find her.  She still didn’t know how she would have been able to step out of the restroom without her.

Walking back to their table, Leah asked Annie to point out the owner of the eyes.  Annie hesitated at Leah’s request, but fell back on the thought that he was probably not looking at her.  She quickly scanned the dark, crowded room and was slightly disappointed she couldn’t locate him.  Leaning over to her much-shorter friend, she told her as much.  Leah responded by laughing again.  “Well, what would you expect?  You were in the restroom for quite some time.  He probably ran out of the place.“

Still smiling, Leah maneuvered easily back to their table through the crowd.  Returning to her position at the table made Annie felt better, more in control.  However, in the back of her mind, she wondered about the owner of those eyes.  From the two, previous, brief encounters, she was able to picture him in her mind.  He was taller than she, a little over six-foot, and he had soft, wavy, brown hair, very clean cut.  A business suit covered the surfer body.  Strong arms.  Amazing herself on how much she had captured in those quick glimpses, she thought,
What could I not notice?
  This guy had definitely made a lasting impression on her.

So deep in her recall, she almost didn’t hear the “
Hi!
“ coming from her left side.  From her position at the table, the only thing to her left was the railing which separated the gaming area from the raised, main bar.  She turned and saw the owner of those eyes, squatting down on the bar side and gazing at her through the railing. 

“My name is Jeff,“ he said softly as he handed her a small rectangular card.  “Call me sometime.  Anytime, day or night.“  He stood, turned and walked out the door of the club.  Annie’s eyes followed him as he traveled across the room and out the door.

“Are you in or out, Annie?“ Barry, the dealer, asked.

Shifting her focus to Barry, Annie replied, smiling.  “Oh, I am in.  Let it ride.  I feel lucky!“  Turning her eyes to Leah, she knew she was glowing.

 “Was that him?“

Annie could only nod, unable to speak.  She dropped her eyes to the card in her hand.  It was a business card for a nearby car dealership.  His name, Jeffrey Mills, and business phone number were printed on the front.  Turning the card over, she discovered he had written his home number on the back with two, added words,  ’Please call.’  Her heart started beating so hard that she thought she would die right there in her seat.

“Blackjack, Annie.“  Barry’s announcement cut into her thoughts.

“Told ya,“ Annie laughed.

“What did he give you?“ Leah called across the table.  “What is his name?  What did he say?  What did he want?  Where did he go? Are you sure he was the one?  What are you going to do?“

“Hold on,“ Annie cried.

Leah pulled back her chips and got out of her seat and moved to stand beside Annie, holding out her hand for the card.  Annie handed it over to her friend, who read the front and turned it over and read the back.  “Are you going to call?“ Leah asked.

“I don’t know; I have to think about it for awhile,“ Annie responded.  Leah knew her friend well enough not to push the topic, so she returned the card to Annie and headed to her seat.

 Annie placed the card on the table in front of her.  She continued to play while debating on what to do next.  Part of her was thrilled and excited.  Nothing like this had ever happened to her before tonight.  The other side was afraid.  How did she know if this was a joke or not?  She didn’t know this person.  She made up her mind in that second; she was not going to call.  Better safe than sorry.  Besides, he left the place without even finding out her name.  She would keep the card, however, as a reminder of what might have been.  With the decision made, she placed the card in her purse and settled back into the game.

They continued to play.  The position opened up next to Annie and Leah moved to this spot, as she wanted to talk about what had happened, but didn’t want to try to talk across the table.  She figured enough time had passed that Annie would want to share.  “What are you going to do?“ Leah started.

“Absolutely nothing,“ Annie declared.

“Are you crazy?“ Leah cried.

“I don’t know anything about him.“

“I know you, Annie; you’ll always wonder.  You’ll never know unless you call.“

“Leah, he did not even get my name.  If he was all that interested in me, I think he would have wanted my name.  I think it was a joke.“

Let me see the card again,“ Leah asked, holding out her hand.  Annie withdrew the card from her purse and passed it to her.  “Look, Annie,“ Leah said.  “Why would he write his home number on the card with the words ’Please call’ if he was joking?  I believe he was sincere.“ 

Annie looked over at the card, pondering the thought over and over again in her mind. 

“You told me all the things which happened earlier this evening.  You said he was looking at you real intently,“ Leah started.

“Yes, that is true.“

“Maybe, you should think about it more before you completely rule out calling him,“ Leah suggested.

“You could be right,“ Annie confessed.

Leah handed the card back to Annie.  As Annie placed the card back in her purse, she turned it over and reread the back.  Wondering, she thought,
Leah might be right.
  There wasn’t much she could do about it tonight.  She would think about it for a while and make a decision tomorrow or the next day.

***

          Around 9:00 PM, about an hour after Jeff had departed the club, Annie wondered if Leah was ready to leave.  By this time, she wasn’t paying too much attention to the game.  She kept replaying the earlier events over in her mind. 
It was nice to have a name to go with the eyes
, she thought.  Jeffrey Mills was the name printed on his business card.  She tested the name, saying it quietly to herself.  She liked it!  It had a nice ring to it.  She wanted to get home to think, and she wanted to write all the events down in her journal before she forgot something, which was probably unlikely. 

          Turning to Leah, she suggested they leave.  Leah had driven that night to the club.  Annie had been so caught up in her own thoughts she hadn’t noticed that Leah had struck up a conversation with the guy on the other side of her at the table.  He looked rather disappointed at Annie’s suggestion.  Yet, Leah, being a true friend, was aware Annie felt a need to leave and agreed.  They collected their tokens and wandered off to the redemption area where they received vouchers for their winnings. The points on these vouchers could be combined to exchange for the better prizes.

          “I am sorry, Leah.  I didn’t realize you were talking to the guy next to you.  I know I have been lousy company,“ Annie said sincerely.

          Annie saw Leah stop dead in her tracks, staring at the door to the club. 
God,
Annie thought,
she is really mad at me for wanting to leave.
  Seeing Leah’s unblinking eyes, Annie became concerned.  “Leah, what’s wrong?“

          Without saying a word in reply, Leah looked directly at Annie.  She motioned with her eyes for her to look at the doorway.  Frightened and concerned, Annie shifted her eyes and followed Leah’s direction.  Blocking the doorway was the owner of the intent blue eyes, and he was staring directly at her.  Her heart went racing as Leah excused herself and backed away.  There was roughly fifteen feet between Jeff and her.  She found herself drawn to those very eyes, which earlier she had tried to avoid.  Neither spoke nor moved.    Annie’s eyes slowly moved down his amazing body.  The first thing she noticed was the business suit was gone, replaced by jeans, T-shirt, and a light-blue windbreaker.  Sneakers replaced the dress shoes. 
My word
, she thought,
he looks better this way than earlier
.  She knew, even before her eyes returned to his handsome face, that he was doing the exact same assessment of her. 
Great
, she thought,
now he will demand his card back and run from this place
.  Yet, when their eyes met, she saw open desire, not disgust, written in his expression; it took her breath away.

         
That did it!!
  Her knees started to buckle.  Her expression must have shown what she was thinking because before she knew it, he was there by her side.  As he held her arm, she could feel his heat moving through her.  Without a word, he guided her to the nearest empty table.  Thankful she hadn’t made a fool of herself, she looked into his face to thank him for assisting her.  His expression robbed her of all words.  Worry and fear were written all over his face.  All she could manage was a smile of thanks.  At this, he relaxed and returned the smile.  She sensed he was willing to wait until she could find her voice.  Her racing heart slowly began to calm.

          Little by little her surroundings came into focus.  The music was the first thing to filter through her haze.  Playing was the song
Lady
by Kenny Rogers.  Still without speaking, she must have visibly perked up when she recognized the music because Jeff held out his hand.  She took the extended hand and he led her to the dance floor.  She felt as if she was dreaming; it was surreal.  He turned and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close to him.  She leaned into him.  They virtually floated around the floor.  His breath was caressing the side of her face.  Then softly, ever so softly, he started to sing along with the song.  Goose bumps covered her body and a shiver coursed through her entire being.  He drew her closer into his embrace.  Their bodies molded together -- a perfect fit.   She thought that if she were to die at this moment she couldn’t or wouldn’t have asked for more.  How strange that this song was playing; she loved it and felt it held a special meaning to her, but she hadn't known why until this moment. 

          As the song ended, they reluctantly parted.  Still holding her hand, he moved back to the table.  “I have found my knight,“ she whispered to him.  He squeezed her hand in response to her whispered comment.

          Back at the table, they sat facing each other, still holding hands.  “Hi, my name is Jeff,“ he said.

          “Yes, I know,“ Annie sighed.  “Hello, Jeff.  My name is Annie.“ Somehow, she managed to get these words spoken.

          “Annie?  I like it,“ he responded softly. 

         
Quick, get the paramedics!
 
This guy knows exactly what to say to me,
she thought.  Her heart started pounding all over again.  The expression on his face was full of tenderness.  She was so tongue-tied, she feared to speak.  Feeling if she spoke anything else, the spell they were under would be broken.