Romance: Inevitable

My Disclaimer: I've never really written romance because, while I read them, much to my fiancée’s embarrassment, I find that when I write the words, they sound cheesy even to me. However, there are some demon Love Bugs I have to exorcise and I feel that perhaps writing may be my best bet at therapy. So, sorry about the grammatical errors, but here goes...

His heart stopped.

She was there, standing along the sidewalk of a busy street, umbrella in one hand, a bag in the other. From the way she stood, he could guess that she has been waiting for some time now for the impossible - an empty taxi on a rainy pay-day Friday night. And, if it were any other day except today, he would have taken note of that detail, feel some sympathy for her and then drive off - just as he had in the months past.

But things were different now.

Before he could change his mind, he slowed down his car and rolled down the window.

"Hi. We work on the same floor right? Do you need a ride?" Christ. It sounded like a pick-up line. A bad one at that. What was he thinking? The line was horrible, stupid and -

"Uh, if you're passing by Greenbelt, I'd appreciate it."

Great.

"No problem." He lied and smiled as pressed a button. "Hop in."

She moved around the car and, with great difficulty and very little grace, she dealt with the umbrella before sliding into the seat beside him. Again, he mentally cursed himself. He should have gotten down and helped her or something. Instead, she had to suffer through nearly getting hit by several cars as she was getting in the passenger side. It was an awkward situation at best, a bad beginning at worst.

"So, uh, have you been waiting long?" He really didn't know what else to say. He put the car into motion as he tried to deal with the surreal events transpiring. Yesterday, he had never even spoken to this woman. Yesterday, she was just an attractive girl who worked on the same floor as he did. Yesterday, he wouldn't have dreamed of offering a ride to a stranger - no matter how pretty.

And then, he had that dream last night.

"Quite." She said, smiling as she fumbled with the dripping umbrella. "Ah... I think I'm getting your carpet wet, is this ok?" She sounded worried.

Yesterday, it wouldn't have been. "Of course."

Silence ensued as she settled more comfortably into her seat, and he, less comfortably back into his thoughts. The dream was more a haze of orange, than anything else, with her as the only point of clarity. He didn't even know why it was her and not someone else, anybody else. From his recollection, she made as much of an impression as any pretty girl could, but that was that. But suddenly, there she was, creeping into his sub-consciousness. She must have made more of an impression than he once thought.

She cleared her throat. It occurred to him this may not be the first time she had tried to get his attention, but he was momentarily lost in his thoughts. He gave her a winning smile. "I'm sorry, you were saying something?"

"I was just wondering how long you've been working with the company."

"A couple of years." He realized then that they never asked each others name. It was as if it was expected that they know each other, even though before this night, they have never spoken to each other. "I'm afraid I didn't quite catch your name -"

"I'm Melissa. And you're Ray, right?"

Of course he knew her name. As a confirmed bachelor, with confirmed bachelor friends, it would be an insult to not know a pretty girl's name especially one that worked on the same floor as he did. But she knew his name as well. And that felt good.

"Right." And again, silence.

By far, nothing she has done has impressed him. And this conversation was less stellar than he imagined. Of course, he knew it takes two to tango, but after last night - after last night - What was he expecting? Love at first sight? Passion? Great intellectual discourse? Angels singing and firecrackers? They barely know each other. But maybe, maybe if he gets to know her better, there's chance for that yet...

And, at the very least, she would be a great way to pass the time in between relationships.

Feeling more confident and into his game, he turned to her. "So how did you -"

"You really think -"

They both stopped. And laughed. It was the first shared laughter. Things were looking up. "You first." He said graciously.

"No, I really had nothing important to say. What was on your mind?"

"Oh - uh” Actually, he had forgotten what he was about to say. As his mind groped for a topic, the dream came to mind. Ironically, while it did sound like a line any horny guy might give, it was also, true. It was his best bet. "I was just going to say that I had a dream about you."

She suddenly stilled.

Maybe the dream was a bad idea. He was about to backtrack when she spoke. "A dream?"

"Yes, a dream." Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. "We were together and, everything was orange, and -"

"You brushed the hair away from my face."

For the second time in the span of minutes, his heart stopped. That was exactly, if not completely, what happened in the dream. In his dream... right?

"I dreamt about it too."

Suddenly, they were in Greenbelt. He had driven absently, too trapped in his thoughts and the events to be truly concentrating. But now, they were here. And she was about to leave.

Almost against his will, he let his hand touch hers.

She feels so .... familiar. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?" It was an irrational question, totally out of the blue and unexpected. But she didn't seem surprised... just... disappointed.

"I have to go somewhere tonight." Was that sadness in her voice? "Perhaps tomorrow?"

He had a million things to do tomorrow - all of which could wait. "Sure."

She stepped out, more gracefully than when she stepped in - or was that just his perception? She waived and left.

It took another moment for him to realize that he didn't have her number, nor did they set a time, a place - any of the practical things you need to set up a date. But it didn't matter. He'll find a way to contact her.

They were inevitable.

And while that thought truly frightened him, it also made him feel for the first time in his life - alive.