Chance Encounters (10 page)

“When the moon is low, we can dance in slow motion.

And all your tears will subside, all your tears will dry.

And long after I’ve gone, you’ll still be humming along.

And I will keep you in my mind, the way to make love so
fine.”

She understood completely what he meant. He wanted them to
have tonight, because tomorrow they don’t know what will happen. He couldn’t
have chosen a better song if he wrote it himself.

The song ended, and a small crowd in the back of the theater
clapped and hooted. Jacob jumped off the stage and grabbed Emma’s hands,
pulling her up from her chair. Wrapping his arms around her, he bent her over
backwards and kissed her. Lena grasped her hands to her chest and made an
“Ahhh” sound.

Jacob released Emma and everyone on stage hooted. Todd
walked up beside Lena and threw his arm around her shoulder. “So I bet you
didn’t know our boy here was a musician, too. He never ceases to amaze me. He’s
a jack of all trades.”

Jacob snorted. “Well I don’t like to brag.”

“Well now, why don’t you kids head on out. I do believe
Jacob has one last trick up his sleeve. He asked me to arrange something
special for just the two of you at our condo.”

Once again she winked at Emma, who looked at Jacob in
surprise. Lena smiled. “I know your car won’t be ready until tomorrow, so I
insist that the two of you come and stay with us for tonight. Jacob’s stuff is
there anyway. We won’t be home until really late, so the place is all yours.”

Emma thanked her graciously.

“Oh you don’t have to thank me. I always look after my
friends.”

Jacob wasted no time; he grabbed Emma’s hand and pulled her
through the now developing crowd.

They strolled their way back. The moon was shining brightly,
and emanated a romantic glow over the entire city. Emma couldn’t help but
notice that everything seemed different somehow, almost magical. She felt as
though she was seeing things for the first time that she never bothered to notice
before. Such as the way the street lights glistened off the glass of the store
fronts, causing a shimmering glow. Or the way the passing cars and trains added
a rhythmical beat to her steps. Her heart felt light and free for the first
time in a long time and she owed it all to this man. With Jacob, there was no
pressure, no obligations; there was only freedom to see the beauty in the world
around her. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to let go of all of this, but Jacob
hadn’t even tried to bring up what was going to happen the following day.

As they passed by a comic book store, Jacob pulled her
inside. By this point she knew he had his reasons for everything he did, so she
didn’t question him. Jacob picked up on the fact that she didn’t resist right
away, so he smiled as he playfully pulled her through the store.

In the back of the store there was an old fashioned photo
booth. Emma hadn’t seen one since she was a teenager. Jacob hurried her inside
the booth and pulled her across his lap. After he placed the money into the
slot, he hit start. “Are you ready?” he asked her.

Emma held his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly. The
photo booth snapped the first picture. He reached over and tickled her. Emma
threw her head back and roared with laughter. The photo booth took a second
photo.

“Okay, seriously, Jacob. Come on.”

He rested his forehead on hers and looked her deep in the
eyes. The photo booth took a third shot. They stayed locked on each other’s
gaze. The booth beeped as it counted down to take the last photo. They turned
their heads to look straight ahead as the photo booth captured their last
picture. Jacob lifted his hand to the side of Emma’s face and pulled her toward
him. He kissed her so deeply, and with such a deep desire, that it left Emma
breathless.

Five minutes later, the booth spit out their two strips of
photos. Emma grabbed for them, but Jacob pulled her back on top of his lap.
Emma playfully squirmed to get away from him. She burst out of the booth,
grabbed the photos, and ran through the store and out onto the street. Jacob
burst out laughing and happily chased after her. The store clerk shook his head
and returned his attention back to reading his comic book.

Jacob caught up to her on the street and he scooped her up
in his arms. “Well, ducky, I do believe you have finally learned to start
enjoying the world around you.”

“I guess I am finding that it’s an easy thing to do with
you,” she responded.

He snatched one of the photo strips from her and fell still
as he viewed them. He never imagined that he would ever see himself, as he saw
himself in the photo, falling in love. Emma smiled warmly at him and wrapped
her arm around his. “I don’t know about you, but I love the photos.” He simply
nodded. For once he was speechless.

JACOB TURNED THE knob to Lena and
Todd’s condo and opened the door. Emma was amazed by how large it was; it was
deceiving to the eye. From the outside, it looked just like any other brick
apartment building, but on the inside it was a spacious, open, modern loft. The
windows ran the length of the entire outside wall, from floor to ceiling. Emma
could make out faint flickers coming from beyond the window pane. Jacob led her
into the kitchen where they found a note addressed to the both of them.

Emma opened the doors leading out onto the moonlit rooftop.
Lena had hundreds of twinkling lights strung around the entire perimeter. Emma
walked around in amazement. “It feels like I am walking through the stars. It’s
amazing!”

Jacob walked over to a bistro table and smiled. “It seems
they have left us a gift.”

He lifted a bottle of champagne from the table and showed it
to her. Emma walked over to Jacob and smiled. “Well I do believe they are
trying to seduce us,” Emma teased.

Jacob laughed at her comment. “Or they are just helping me
to seduce you, my dear.”

He picked up a chocolate covered strawberry and held it to
her lips. She took a bite from it and the juice dribbled down her chin. Jacob
leaned in her kissed the juice off her skin. “Mmm … absolutely delicious.”

As he poured two glasses of champagne, Emma found herself
completely enthralled by him. He handed her a glass and grinned. “Do I have
something unruly on my face, ducky?”

She giggled. “No, I just don’t know what to make of you. You
are unlike anyone I have ever met before, Jacob.”

“Good! Usual is boring, and who likes boring and stuffy,
right? I like to stand out in a crowd. I want you to always remember me.”

“Well, I don’t think that will be a problem.” She took a sip
from her glass and walked around the rooftop.

Emma walked over to the edge of the building and looked out
over the city skyline. The air passed through her, as if down to her very core.
She took in a deep, cleansing breath and allowed herself to exhale. She had
worked so hard, for so long, on a life that she thought was the right one, only
to suddenly realize she might have been chasing the wrong dream, until now.

Jacob sipped his champagne as he watched Emma who was lost
in her thoughts. The summer breeze blew her dress just enough to allow the lights
to play off her silhouette underneath. To him, she was perfection. She awakened
a part of him he never realized existed. He wanted to make tonight memorable
for them. He wanted to tell her that there could be a tomorrow for them. He had
never wanted that before. In all his travels, in all his adventures, he never
wanted a tomorrow with anyone, until Emma.

He wandered over to her and sat down. She smiled at him and
said, “Have you ever seen anything quite so beautiful?”

He smiled in return and responded, “Nope, absolutely not.”

Emma blushed, knowing he was not talking about the city view
that she was referring to, but rather, he was talking about her.

“Ahh, don’t tell me you didn’t see that one coming, love.”

“I’m just not used to so much flattery.”

“That’s too bad. I guess you’ve been hanging around with the
wrong people then.”

Jacob stood up and took her glass from her. He refilled it,
and turned on the stereo. “May I have this dance?” he asked her.

Emma walked to him. He wrapped one arm around the small of
her back, and with his other hand, entwined his fingers with hers.

They danced. Their bodies flowed together, as if they were
carried by the wind.

Neither one of them speaking, and neither of them wanting
the night to end.

When the song finished, he led her back to the bistro table.

“Now if you will excuse me, I am going to head into the
kitchen and prepare us a feast fit for royalty.” Jacob bowed to her as he
rolled his arms.

“Cook?” she asked him questioningly. “You are going to cook
us dinner? Do you know how to cook?”

“Oh, my dear … I have cooked with some of the finest chef’s
in the world. I can turn the simplest of items into a gourmet indulgence.”

Emma really wasn’t in the least bit surprised in what Jacob
was telling her. His adventures seemed to have no end. He excused himself from
the rooftop and hurried into the kitchen.

Half an hour later, Emma decided to open a bottle of wine,
and bring a glass into Jacob. She stopped short in the doorway when she spotted
Jacob in the kitchen.

She laughed out loud.

Jacob was dancing around the kitchen with a floral apron
wrapped around him. She caught him singing into the mixing spoon he held in his
hand while tossing the ingredients into a sauce pan. Jacob stopped short,
turned around, winked at her as he sang into the spoon and walked toward her.
He didn’t miss a beat. He kept right along with the song as he grabbed hold of
her and spun her around.

When he was through with his show, Emma hopped up on top of
the kitchen island and handed him his glass of wine.

“Ahh, good stuff,” he said as he took a big sip.

“So do you always sing into mixing spoons while in the
kitchen?” she teased him.

“And spatulas and egg beaters, and anything else I can
pretend is a microphone.” He rolled up the kitchen towel and playfully slapped
her with it.

“So what are you whipping up for us over there? It smells
wonderful!” she asked him.

“Well … it’s called ‘Heart and Sole’ which I chose
appropriately because of its name. It’s a little handmade fettuccine pasta,
served with fresh caught sole. I add a little of this and a pinch of that … et
viola … you have yourself a mighty fabulous meal.”

He dipped his spoon into the sauce and held it out for her.
“Taste for yourself.” He led the spoon to her mouth, and she tasted it.

“Oh my God … it’s incredible!”

“And so are you.” He reached over and kissed the tip of her
nose.

She hung out in the kitchen with him while he finished
cooking. They played a game of blurting out random facts about themselves to
see how much they had in common. But, to make it fun, they decided to turn it
into a drinking game. Every time they had something in common, they would take
a drink of their wine.

They started with music. Emma learned that Jacob was a big
fan of Jazz. She hadn’t come across too many people their age that enjoyed
Jazz. Matthew used to make fun of her for listening to it; he couldn’t stand
it. They went down the list of jazz musicians they both listened to: Thelonious
Monk, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Lady Day (Billie Holiday), Benny
Goodman, Louis Armstrong. Just to name a few.

With each name they drank. They moved onto writers:
T.S.Elliot, Edgar Allen Poe, Voltaire, Oscar Wilde, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Jacob
cracked open another bottle of wine. “I hope there is more in the house. I have
a feeling we are going to need it,” he remarked. They both cracked up laughing.

They took a break for dinner. He had candles lit and played
some soft music in the background. He lit the outdoor fireplace and set their
plates in front of it. Emma wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t
dreaming. The food was absolutely delicious. The flavors danced across her
taste buds. She noticed that everything seemed to be more enhanced with Jacob
around. She felt as though she was waking up after a long slumber and
discovering everything for the first time.

As they sat and talked, Jacob watched her devour every bite
of her food. Even though he was able to answer everything she asked him, he
couldn’t remember actually hearing her. He only watched her. For him it was as
if his world suddenly slowed down. She was all he could see. He knew that for
the first time in his life he didn’t want to any other adventures. Not unless
they were with her.

“Jacob … hello … Jacob, where did you go?” she asked him.

He smiled. “I’m just admiring the view that’s all.”

He carried the dishes back into the kitchen and placed them
in the sink. Emma followed him in and started to clean up. “There is no need
for that. You are a guest here,” he told her.

“I know, but it is our mess and I don’t want to leave it for
Lena and Todd after everything they have done.”

She finished drying off the last pan and put it away. Jacob
handed her a fresh glass of wine. “Why, Mr. Andrews, if I didn’t know better
I’d swear you were trying to get me drunk.”

Jacob had no response; he just clinked their glasses
together and said, “Cheers.”

He grabbed the bottle of wine and Emma’s hand, and led her
to the fireplace outside. He spread out a blanket, tossing a couple of pillows
on top. He helped her down, threw a couple more logs on the fire, and took a
seat beside her.

“So where were we? We’ve covered music, and literature. What
about … food?” he asked her.

“Oh boy … I think we are going to end up with another empty
bottle by the time we are done with this category,” she joked.

They sat cross-legged across from each other. He reached
over and took her hand in his, turning it so it was palm side up. He started to
trace the lines on her hand.

“I suppose you read palms, too!” she cracked.

“Oh I know a thing or two about fortune telling. I learned
from some gypsies in my travels.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”

“Shhh … Let me see here …” He kept moving his head from side
to side, and wrinkled his nose. “I see … that you are in great company.”

Emma giggled. “Really? What else?” she asked.

“I see … you will become very successful in your career.”

“Okay, so that’s basic information. You already know about
my promotion. Keep going.”

He adjusted his position until he pulled himself closer to
Emma.

“I see that you are going to have wild, passionate sex with
a foreigner in the near future.”

Emma burst out laughing. “Is that so? Geez, I don’t know—”

He cut her off as he leaned forward and wrapped his hands
under her hair, pulling her toward him and kissing her. Emma stopped talking.
Her body relaxed and she allowed him to take over.

He caressed every part of her body. The feel of his hands on
her skin caused her to shiver in a way she’d never experienced before. His
fingertips trailed the center of her body until she felt pure electricity
running between them. She had never felt passion quite the way Jacob made her
feel. She had never experienced all of the sensations involved. She let go of
all her hang-ups and focused solely on Jacob.

As they lay there under the starry sky, Jacob held her and
gently ran his finger up and down the length of her arm. “So, tell me about how
you got to be where you are today.”

Emma didn’t move. “Well … my car broke down, but you know
that,” Emma joked.

“No, I mean … tell me about your friends, experiences,
travels, and so forth.”

“There is nothing to tell. I haven’t done much travelling.
Weekends here and there, but that’s about it. I guess I focused all my time on
school and work since I moved out to California. Then, of course, there was
Matthew. Eight years later, here I am.”

“Yup, here you are.” He stopped rubbing her arm. She could
sense a shift in the atmosphere around them.

“So tell me more about Matthew. You were with him for eight
years, so there must have been something there to keep you that long.”

“Do we really need to talk about this? I’d rather not.”

“It’s your history, Emma. I want to know all of it.”

“Well … I never dated in college. I was too busy working,
and doubling up on classes to bother. Renee, on the other hand, dated nightly.
I love her, but she’s very hard to swallow in large doses if you know what I
mean.”

Jacob laughed. “I think I may have run into some people like
that myself.”

“When I met Matthew, I was looking for someone. I felt ready
to begin that part of my life, and I wanted to share it with someone. He was
very charming and well-educated. He came from a really big family right in
California. The prospect of holidays with family was what I wanted. I know it
sounds stupid.”