1001

An Unexpected Encounter

'I might as well!' I muttered under my breath and locked the screen of my computer. With the purse on my shoulder, I quietly passed through the long line of cubes, under the questioning and envious looks of my colleagues.

I was not sure if their envy stemmed from my upcoming trip to Europe or because I dared to leave in the middle of a pressing deadline. I did not care since I had just hung up the phone after the cancellation call.

I needed something to keep my mind off the 25 percent in cancellation fees and the burning desire to key my boss's car.

A visit to the library was in order, for a fix of my daily crack, as my colleagues were wont to tease me. I needed twelve days of it for this matter.

At least my Starz subscription was safe for August, I thought, shuffling through the library books. Then I saw him.

He reached up to the tallest shelf with ease, about ten feet away from me. Red hair streaked with silver fell on his broad back in a neat queue. My eyes popped at the red kilt falling down, to the middle of his strong knees. 

I blinked, shook my head then involuntarily my eyes went to his hands. All fingers were in their place, and my rational self had a good laugh at my romantic one. 

He turned as if he sensed me, and my romantic self pushed all reason back. 'I told you he'd have catlike eyes and look, there's not a bit of fat on his frame. Why, he must be sixty or so.'

He smiled then looked at me with  embarrassment, and I kicked myself mentally. I nodded in greeting and gave him back a strained smile.

'I gather you read the book too.' he replied with a perfect American accent and smiled back with sincerity.

My eyes must have gaped since very few men read the series, and none, until today at least, run around libraries looking like the main character. Sans the missing finger, of course.

'I gather you enjoyed it too.' my romantic, besotted self pushed the issue.

A shadow crossed his face and his eyebrows went together in a frown.

'Yeah.' His answer sounded as non-committal as his expression.

His dark-blue eyes looked for a second through me, pinning my romantic self firmly at the back of my mind.

'I am sorry, I didn't mean to bring back painful memories.' I answered with my eyes professionally fixed on his face. I could only hope my features looked as schooled as I meant them to be. His high cheekbones and the knife-like nose did not help my efforts. Then his wide mouth curved in a bewitching smile.

'Dinna fash, they're beautiful memories. Painfully so.'

'He didn't mean the bewitching part, it's all in your mind.' my reason slapped my romantic self into reality.

'The books are on that shelf if that's what you're looking for.' I dug myself deeper.

He smiled with the knowledge of it and looked again through me.

'What did you expect, you're half of her size; your only endowment is the mop of brown hair on the top of your head!" my reason scored again. It had been a tiring day, of constant warring with my boss, the travel agency and with my own mind. The stark reminder of my shortcomings sunk me firmly in the barrel of melancholy.

'I am sorry lass, I seem to have this effect on people when I go around dressed like that. You see, I have to and I do not like it a bit.'

I smiled weakly and pushed forward. It did not matter anymore.

'Why do you?" I challenged.

'And why are you still talking to a stranger about it anyway?' my reason asked silently.

'Because I lost her.' he whispered.

'Oh' I managed to say, and strangely there was no hope rising within me.

'And I am trying to get her back.'

'Oh' I answered again. I was jealous and angry at the curvy,  brown haired woman with whiskey eyes, who, in my mind, didn't know what she threw away.

His phone rang and he pulled it anachronically out of his sporran.

'Yeah, I'll check out, and I'll meet you at the exit in ten minutes. ' After a little pause his face lit and he answered back to the phone.

'Oh, I am so happy she could make it.'

I knew instinctively who 'she' was, and I answered back his lopsided smile.

He turned and pulled a red  book out of the shelf he browsed before and hurried to the checkout.

The twelve days of upcoming hell vanished from my mind. My kindle would do well enough to take my mind off my boss and his car.

I  pulled a book from the shelf and joined the checkout line, a prudent five people behind him. He kept his head low into his phone, pretending to ignore the occasional stare from yet another admirer who 'read the books.'

I knew then he didn't do this because he liked it. It was only when I looked at his book that my resentment for her dissipated.

He checked out without looking back, and I found myself dropping my book and leaving the line. I pushed back firmly my reason chiding me it was none  of my business.

I followed him at a good distance, and I kept my pace even as I passed by him. He embraced the frail woman who perhaps has once been curvy. I stole a glance and met cloudy eyes which barely kept their whiskey color. I didn't look at the book, I knew well the title on its side.

Tears filled my eyes when fragments of their conversation reached my ears.

' If my last words are not 'I love you'-ye'll ken' he started

' it was because I didna have time.' she answered softly with a spark of recognition in her voice.