Tall, Dark and Handsome

Chapter 1

"Remember when she fell down right in front of everyone in that hideous dress of hers?"  Sherry, snorted with laughter. The almost finished glass of wine in her hand threatened to spill as she leaned far back in her bar stool, throwing her head back and laughing.

"Oh god," I fanned myself with on hand and downed the last bits of the sweet red wine we had chosen for our special girl's night evening. My face was growing hotter from all the excitement rallied up by past memories of evil coworkers embarrassing themselves in company events. "I remember I thanked everything holy after she fell and the backside of her dress spilt right open." I giggled, wiping the tears around my eyes with my index finger. It was finally Friday. After a whole week of tedious meetings, horrible encounters with managers and emails the length of the bible, I was finally free to enjoy myself with a nice tall glass of red and spend the night with my best friend.

Outside the rain had begun to pour down at a steadily rate but it didn't affect the atmosphere inside the small Italian bistro we had chosen at last minute. The room was packed with couples, serious looking businessmen and generally, lots of people like us who wanted to finally let loose after a tiring week. It was starting to become a ritual for Sherry and me for every Friday to pick a new trendy restaurant and try out their yummiest of wines before crashing into the movie theatres. a bit tipsy and loopy. Licking my lips, I finished the last of my laughter when I felt a set of eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck rose as I looked beyond my curly red head bombshell to a tall man standing near the door, waiting to be seated. Although his phone was in his hand, he paid no attention to it as his cobalt blue eyes met mine in that minute I looked up, sending shivers to run down my back.

His dirty blond hair was slightly dampened by rain, making him look cute like a little boy than his sparkling eyes did. But his sharp cheekbones, strong nose and solid jaw said otherwise as he looked every inch of a man and could easily be the most attractive man inside this very restaurant. The phone inside his hand lit up as an incoming call rang through. Pressing the phone against his ear, his eyes never left mine until a flash of what seemed to be disappointment crossed his face, looking down towards the stained carpet.

"My, he's cute." Sherry noted, voice cherry and full of teasing. She licked her lips, brushed back some unruly curls behind her ear and batted her eyelashes towards me when I finally pulled my eyes off of the man and looked back at her. My face instantly grew hotter by a few degrees when I realized I had stared long enough for her to notice.

"He is." I looked down at my now empty wine glass, settling it back onto the glossy bar table and then back towards the location where he stood. Disappointment filled me when I only saw the back of his head, walking out of the restaurant and into the early night.

"You know, Amelia, you should have gone up to him when you had the chance." She lectured, sipping on the last bits of her wine before setting her empty glass right down beside mine. "You're always so shy. There are so many cute guys around us and you never seem to make any effort to get to know any of them."

"It's not as easy as you think." I said in a dismissive tone. I didn't want to get into this conversation again. Ever since Sherry found out that I hadn't had a boyfriend ever before in my short twenty four years of age, she had been relentless on getting me to me find a guy and hook up with him for fun. I blushed at the immediate thought of me actually approaching a man and cozying up to him in hopes of getting a number. I just could never see myself being so bold and brave, putting myself outside of my comfort zone. 

"Sure it is!" Sherry cried, slapping a hand over her red lipstick painted mouth as soon as she realized how loud she was. "I mean, honestly, when are you going to understand that men are not going to be flocking to you. You have to put up a front for them to see that you're single, attractive and ready for some fun. All you have to do is talk to one of them and decide if you're interested. If you're not, move on and if you are, stay." She said triumphantly with lit up eyes.