A Chance Meeting | Chris Evans

Chapter 4

Chris

He was sitting feeling sorry for himself. How often was it that he met someone that he really liked? Someone that seemed oblivious to who he was. Someone that didn't want him for just his fame or his money or his looks. Although to be fair,  the way she'd left as soon as he'd tried to ask her out, it didn't look like she wanted him at all. So much for being 'every woman's fantasy' or however the paper had described him.
Why couldn't he talk to women that he liked? Why couldn't he charm them like Hemsworth or be funny like Renner? Women liked funny and confident guys. They didn't like guys who got anxious and over-analysed everything.
'I come bearing news.' Said Rob walking in.
Chris raised his eyebrows questioningly.
'I am about to do you a big favour my ridiculously muscled friend.'
'What's that?'
'The girl from the supermarket this morning-'
'Give it a rest, Rob.' He said, getting up.
'No, wait. You'll kick yourself if you don't listen. Or I will. Possibly both.'
He turned back and glared at Rob, but waited for him to speak.
'I have her number.' Rob said.
'What? How?'
'Because she left this behind after she...um'
'Ran off?' Chris finished morosely for him.
'Well, yes.'
'It's her wallet, complete with ID.' Said Rob, handing it over. 'It was easy to find her number after that. Well, easy for me.'
'So I can call her?'
'That's the idea.'
'Thanks Rob. I owe you.'
'You really do.' Rob said, walking out.
Chris opened up her wallet and looked at her ID. Even looking at her photograph made him feel something...unidentifiable. There was also a piece of paper stuck in there with a telephone number written in Rob's handwriting. He couldn't believe his luck at getting a second chance to talk to her.
But what should he say? What if he just messed up again? Oh for fucks sake, stop it. He snatched up the piece of paper and dialled her number before he could talk himself out of it. He could feel his heart hammering as it rang.
'Hello?' A woman's voice answered. It's her.
'Hi. Is that Rebecca Smith?'
'Yes.' She said sounding cautious. Probably thinks that I'm trying to sell her something.
'Don't worry, I'm not trying to sell you anything.' Okay, now it DOES sound like I'm trying to sell her something.
'Right.' She said sceptically. 'Well, I'm sorry but-'
It's going wrong  already, he thought panicking slightly. Ten seconds.  That must be some kind of  record.
'We met this morning.' He blurted out. 'In the supermarket. I knocked you over and when you left the coffee shop you left your wallet behind and I found it.' It all came out in a rush.
'Oh.' She said sounding bemused. 'You found my wallet?'
'Yes.'
'Oh thank you so much. I thought that it'd been stolen or something.  I was about to cancel all my cards and everything. Wait - is everything still in there?'
'Well, I  don't know what was in there before,  but there's ID, a VISA card, about fifty dollars.'
'That sounds about right.'
'Besides, I don't think anyone would have had the chance to steal anything because it was on the table where we were sitting the whole time.'
There was a slightly awkward silence.
'Yeah, about that. I'm sorry about running off before...' she tailed off. 'It's just-'
His stomach clenched. She was about to blow him off. He recognised the tone. The 'you're a nice guy but I don't think it'll work' tone.
'Don't worry about it.  I'm sure that you just wanted to get home after your accident.'
'Yes...yes that's right.' She said, sounding relieved.
'It's very rude of me not to have asked how you are after your fall.'
'Oh I'm okay - a couple of bruises, but nothing more serious.'
'That's good. And I'm sorry again about knocking you over.'
There was a short silence.
'Um, about my wallet...'
'You need it back.'
'Yes.'
He took a deep breath. He could do this.
'I was thinking that I could drop it round your place?'
'Umm...don't take this the wrong way, but I don't know you and-'
'No, sorry, of course you don't want a complete stranger in your place. Stupid of me to suggest it. Maybe we could meet somewhere and I could give it to you?'
'Oh no, I don't want to trouble you. Just drop it off with the customer services of the supermarket and I'll get it from there'
'It's no trouble. I don't mind'
'No, I couldn't put you out like that. Just drop it off at the supermarket.'
He nodded sadly to himself, he could read between the lines. It wasn't that she didn't want to put him out, it was that she didn't want to see him again.
'Okay. I'll drop it off tomorrow morning.'
'Thanks. And thanks again for finding it.'
'No problem.'
'Well, bye.'
'Bye.'
He sighed to himself as she hung up. Great going, Chris. Really spectacular. She hadn't known who he was, and still she'd rejected him. Maybe he really wasn't anything without the fame and the money.