Involuntary

Chapter Six

"Dmitrei? Dmitrei?" she asked for the third time as she tried to pull her handsome date's focus back on her. She still couldn't believe she was here with him, his attention all on her in a way that was so foreign and pleasant she was afraid to hope it was real. Would she wake up tomorrow and find out it was all just a dream?

His body looked amazing in the slim tee shirt that fit his biceps perfectly and showed off his large, square pectorals and rippling abs. It was light blue, enhancing his eyes, not that they needed any enhancement. Then there was how amazing his ass looked in his jeans. She resisted the urge to fan her face as she remembered watching him at the counter. She had been so excited for her date, she had forgotten to take her medication again, so she had to take them here. Oddly, forgetting her medication seemed to be happening more and more lately. She wasn't sure why. Maybe hot dudes were a natural form of painkiller.

She giggled at the thought and looked over to see Dmitrei still glaring at the group in the corner, so she signed and nudged his arm again, "Dmitrei?"

"What?" he asked without looking at her.

"Are you okay?"

His entire demeanor had changed when he saw the group of men enter the ice cream parlor. They looked a little rough, but this place wasn't in the nicest part of town, either. It was set up like a fifties diner and served things other than ice cream, so it wasn't unusual for a group of guys to be grabbing food. Yet, Dmitrei didn't seem to get that. If he were a cat, he would have his hackles up. He looked even bigger than usual as he stared over at the group in the corner.

"Hey," she said placing her hand on his arm. "What's bothering you?"

He pulled his eyes away from the group and glared at the table. "Disgusting men," he mumbled and shook his head. "Humans are disgusting."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Their thoughts," he said.

There he went again, implying he could read minds or something. "How would you know what they're thinking?"

For a moment, he looked confused, then shook his head. "I am a man, aren't I? I know what men are thinking." He rolled his full lips together, then took a deep breath and relaxed a little, "But I am being rude. I apologize."

"Come on," she said, taking his hand between hers and warming it. It felt so cold. "Don't worry about them. Tell me more about you."

"Okay," he said hesitantly, clearly trying to resist looking back at the group.

"Why do you have the ocean as your avatar on your phone?"

"A friend put that in for me. I didn't pick it."

"Aw, I love oceans," she said.

"Yes, you said that. Why?"

"I grew up near an ocean. I would go all the time, until my parents split up and I had to go with my mom. I haven't seen the ocean since then. I love all the different colors of the water. The life under the surface that you have to dive in to see."

He raised an eyebrow, "Are there different colors? I never paid that much attention."

"So many shades of blue, green, even purple, and white. Depending on the depth and clarity of the water. Then there's the aquatic life underneath."

"Hmm, what else do you love about the ocean?" he asked curiously.

"It's so mystical and strong, yet gentle and calm. It's truly amazing and we know so little about it, so it's mysterious. How long has it been since you've been to the ocean?" she asked him.