was going.” I can hear a hint of panic in his voice as he steadies me.
“No, it’s okay,” I say as I turn to face him. When my eyes meet his, my mouth opens as my body freezes. It’s him, the man from the bookstore. “Wha…”
I see the recognition hit his eyes. “Oh, wow! Hi. Twice in one night, huh?”
At that, my body comes unstuck and I take a step back. “Um, yeah… That’s strange.”
“Elizabeth, right? Are you sure you’re okay? Did I hurt you?” He looks truly concerned.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I wasn’t watching where I was going either.” I hesitate for a moment. “I didn’t catch your name earlier.” He gives me the knee melting smile and I realize he hasn’t let go of my hand yet.
“It’s Victor.”
My heart races as I reclaim my hand and try to pull myself together. “Victor, well I’m sorry to keep running into you like this.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not. I think it must be a sign, don’t you? Fate maybe? I mean what are the odds of running into a beautiful woman twice in one night?”
His question forces the crimson to creep up my cheeks again. I’ve never been this flustered before. “A sign? You believe in signs?”
He grins at me and nods. “I do. I think if you pay attention, you’ll notice signs everywhere. The universe is always trying to tell you something.”
“So what’s the universe trying to tell us now?” Oh my God, am I flirting? I can’t help myself, he is just too sexy.
“Well,” he says, looking as if he’s giving this some serious thought. “Seeing as though we’ve crossed paths twice in the last few hours, I think the universe is trying to tell us that we may need to get to know each other a little bit better.”
This makes me giggle, not because I find it funny but because it makes me slightly nervous. “Is that so? You seriously believe that?”
He looks down at me and his face changes, no longer grinning, he looks completely serious. “I do, Elizabeth. I think that we owe it to ourselves to listen to what the universe is telling us. We wouldn’t want to throw off the balance of things.”
“And how exactly do you suggest we get to know each other better?” I can’t believe I just asked him that. Why am I encouraging him?
“Well, I’m assuming you’ve already eaten since you’re coming out of a restaurant but can I buy you a drink?”
Everything in me wants to say yes, to take a chance just for a night and get to know this man who makes my heart flutter. “I’m sorry, but it’s late and…”
“Come on, Elizabeth, just a drink. I don’t bite and I really do feel terrible for knocking you down. It’s the least I can do.” He smiles and I know that I’m done for.
“Okay, just one drink.”
“One drink.” He turns and holds the door to the restaurant open for me. “After you.”
A jolt of electricity shoots up my spine as he puts his hand on the small of my back to lead me through the restaurant. I struggle to get control of my erratic breathing as we make our way to the bar area. He leads me to a small table in the rear of the room. When he moves his hand away from my back, I instantly miss the warmth of him. Victor pulls out a chair for me and holds it as I sit down. He sits across from me just as a waitress approaches our table.
“Hi,” she smiles warmly in his direction, “will you be needing a menu or will you just be having drinks?” He smiles back at her and quickly turns his gaze to me.
“Elizabeth, would you like anything to eat?”
I’m mesmerized by his eyes on mine. I hold his gaze for a moment not wanting to lose the connection. I take an unsteady breath, look toward the waitress and speak. “Just an apple martini for me, thanks.”
“I’ll have a beer. Whatever you have on tap is fine.” She gives him her brightest smile, writes down our drink order and disappears back into the crowd. I wonder if he has that effect on every girl. If he does, he certainly doesn’t flaunt it. He seems almost oblivious to his good looks. The sound of his voice snaps me back to reality.
“Are you sure I didn’t hurt you back there?”
I’m pretty sure that I see genuine concern on his face.