Chapter 2 - The First Encounter

Anna didn't come home right away.

She decided to head to a nearby bar after refusing to join in their car. Of course. They planned to take her to the cinema, and it was clear she didn't want to be a nuisance. To be precise, she couldn't see their affection anymore. It would be too much for her. She had to prepare her heart for the real broken heart.

So, she lied to want to go straight home. She wanted to enjoy her time off before a heap of schedules ruined her life. One more thing. She needed to take care of her body for their happy day. Yes, she would be the bridesmaid of the bride. And as Rebecca's best friend, she also had to give a speech. What a challenging task.

Luckily, they didn't force her. Anna had to thank Matt for preventing her from accompanying the bride before the wedding. But, unfortunately, it resulted terribly for her. His action warmed her heart even more instead of turning it off.

So, here she was, in the Byrne hotel lounge, which was a block away from the restaurant.

Why did she choose this place over the nearest bar?

Because she had been here and she liked the atmosphere. It was on the tenth floor, so it had magnificent views.

Anna placed her half-filled whiskey glass on the long table near the glass wall that gave the night sight. Actually, she wanted to take a private table to freely enjoy her solitude. But all the tables near the glass wall were reserved. Inevitably, she had to sit here with several other people who seemed to have the same fate as her.

She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Her mind was still full of the big event two days away. What should she do? She was afraid of getting out of control and ending up ruining the party.

However, it seemed impossible. Since when could not Anna control herself? Unless she was drunk, Anna believed that she could have complete control over her body. The problem was her expression. She wasn't sure she could smile all the time. What if she suddenly burst into tears? Even though she was tough, she was still a woman who had a sensitive part. She would have a hard time holding back her tears once they came out.

"May I sit here?"

A deep voice entered her ears. Unlike before at the restaurant, she responded quickly. "Sue." Her lips spoke fast. She hadn't even seen his appearance yet.

"Thanks."

And when a glass similar to hers appeared on the table, her eyes moved from there to his figure. Then, she found a handsome, casual guy wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts. Despite that, she still could capture his charisma. He must be not only an ordinary person.

Then she realized something. She shook her head quite hard. This was not the time to think about that. She must not have been fascinated by him at the first meeting. It was just a physical attraction. Oh, did that mean she was expecting another meeting?

"Is there a problem?"

That was a useless question. Anna was sure he already knew the answer. As a man who had charm above average, he must often get this kind of reaction from women. "No. I just thought you looked awesome." This was worse. Her lips were sassy by revealing her honest thoughts.

Therefore, it was natural for him to laugh at her. The woman he had just met complimented—seduced—him. "You're the first to say it out loud."

"Really?"

"Yes. Women usually gave signs or were shy to say that, even acted flirty with me." He answered after settling into his position.

"So you often got that," she muttered to herself more. No wonder because he was most women's ideal type. Look at the athletic body under his shirt. She could see it from the muscles in his arms.

Then a small chuckle escaped his lips, showing that he heard her words. It made her feel bad. How came? She sounded like belittling him. Or not?

"I'm sorry." She apologized. Who knew if her words offended him? After all, they had met for not over five minutes. A good impression was vital at the first meeting.

"It's okay." He began to stop laughing. "You're completely right. I may look arrogant in your eyes."

"No!" She rejected it quickly. She had never said that. "I was like a stupid to think someone like you would never receive such a compliment." She tried to explain her meaning as best she could.

He smiled at the nervousness she showed. "I'm kidding." Then he raised his glass. "Cheers?"

Anna followed him by raising her glass, then flicking them till they made a ting sound. "Cheers." After that, they drank their respective drinks.

"Do you come alone?" she asked after a few seconds of silence. To be honest, she was not good at this, starting a conversation. But Anna had to know whether he needed someone to talk to or didn't want to be disturbed. "Oh, I didn't mean to seduce you," she added as she remembered what he had said before about the woman who flirted with him.

He laughed again. Presumably, Anna turned into a joker in his eyes. "Then why did you ask that?" He asked back.

"Well," she paused as she played her forefinger on the rim of her glass. She was a little embarrassed about blatantly stating her accusations toward him. "I need to know if you need a friend or just want to be alone." She should say this instead of seducing. He must have thought that she was weird.

"Hm," he muttered under his breath, pondering the answer. "I don't mind having friends. But I'm not very good at talking."

"Me too."

"So, we're going to be quiet?"

Anna was silent for a moment. However, her forefinger was still moving as her mind worked to concoct the image of their next minutes being together. "What do you think?"

He was a bit surprised to hear that. Most of the women he met would use this opportunity to talk to him about anything. They would try to create an easy-to-get-along image. "Silence is okay if you want it."

The movement in her glass stopped. Apparently, he was like her that was okay to the chat also didn't mind being alone and kept quiet. "Our first meeting is bad, right?" She smirked while saying that. Precisely because their intentions were the same, she made it even worse.

"Not really." He reacted quickly. "It's nice to meet someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Anna parroted in a surprised tone. "How am I?"

"You say whatever's on your mind." He said something so pointed that Anna couldn't help but show a grin. And again, he chuckled.

"I must look funny to you." Anna didn't know whether to laugh or sullen at that. It wasn't something she could be proud of.

"A little."

Anna glanced at him sharply, then laughed too. "That's better than making you angry or sad."

"Yeah." He nodded in agreement. "My name is Dave. What's your name?"

Anna smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Anna." She said her name after the man accepted her handshake.