Never Underestimate Destiny

Part 6

(Sunday, October 22)

Liz sat at the counter of the Crashdown bent over a book. She had gotten off her shift early, but she didn't have Zan's phone number to call and tell him. Also he'd told her he was he was running some errands and she didn't know if he would be finished. So she'd used the extra time to do some homework.

Glancing at the clock, she noted there were fifteen minutes before Zan would be there and she looked back at the page she was reading. The assignment was to write a ten – page paper on one of Shakespeare's plays, and of course she'd chosen Romeo and Juliet.

Even though she'd told Max she no longer considered it to be romantic, she'd lied. The beautiful language and obvious feelings the couple shared was impossible not to love. And Liz couldn't help wishing every time she read it that they would surprise her and have a happy ending.

"But soft," said a deep voice behind her, "what light through yonder window breaks?"

She turned to see Zan, and he held her eyes, continuing to quote. "It is the East, and Juliet is the sun. Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon who is already sick and pale with grief that thou, her maid, art far more fair than she."

Liz was more surprised than she could say, and she actually felt herself blushing. "You know Shakespeare," she said trying to keep the shock out of her voice.

He nodded. "I love Shakespeare," he said.

Liz shook her head as her perception of him as an uneducated tough guy was slipping away. "I mean you don't look like the typical academic, and I just assumed since you dropped out of school that you wouldn't..."

He cut her off with a smile. "You assumed I was stupid."

"No," she instantly denied. "Not stupid, just not interested in stuff like Shakespeare."

Zan leaned on the counter next to her. "I was bored with school, but I love to learn and read."

She nodded. "Me too."

His smile widened and he cocked his head toward the door. "Let's get going then. There's no telling what we might learn."

Liz stowed her stuff behind the counter, grabbed a jacket, and followed Zan out to his car. He drove them several blocks to a more industrial part of town and pulled into the parking lot of an old warehouse.

Zan opened the door of the building with his powers and let Liz enter before him. She looked around eagerly, taking in the professional – looking training course. There were targets, practice dummies shaped like real people, all kinds of small items that she assumed were for throwing, and other things she had no idea what they were for.

As Liz looked around the room, Zan looked at her. She was so beautiful. Her long, dark hair was loose and looked like silk where it fell around her shoulders. His fingers itched to reach out and touch it to see if it was as soft as it appeared.

He'd surprised her with the Shakespeare quotation, and he'd seen in her eyes that her perception of him had significantly altered because of it.

It amused him to realize she had already written him off. He'd never had trouble attracting women, but Liz was different. She wasn't just looking for a pretty face or a good time, she wanted substance, a real relationship, and that's exactly what he wanted too.

He would make sure she changed her mind about him. Even if she didn't realize it yet, he was what she was looking for.

And as much as he was ready to go forward with her, he had to take it slow. He didn't want to risk going backward when he'd already made so much progress.