Chapter 2: THE MAN ON THE BUS

The man from yesterday was there sitting right next to her.

"Good morning," she spoke politely, still trying to catch her breath.

"Good morning," he replied. His husky deep voice sent chills down her spine. Something about it was very sexy.

"Sorry again about yesterday." He didn't reply but his lips curled into a slight smile of amusement. The bus came to a stop and Tory quickly gripped her belongings and hurried to her normal seat at the rear of the bus. When she was settled in her seat she didn't bother to check the mirror. She already knew how she'd look. She peeked at the man, not wanting to get caught staring, but he was hard not to look at.

Again, he watched the scenery as it passed with no interest in the other commuters. She tried to imagine what a man like that did for a living. She did it with everyone that rode the bus as a way to pass the time. Mr. Cutie didn't wear a suit, or uniform. He wasn't a construction worker; he was dressed too nice for that, but maybe an electrician, or computer tech? Her eyes scanned his clothing. He wore Dockers and a black long sleeved pullover Henley. That didn't really tell her much, other than that he had a nice, lean body, and that he might change into something else once he got to his destination.

Oh well, she enjoyed watching and the fantasies that she could come up with wouldn't be bad either. But as usual, fantasies were all that she ever had with the good-looking guys...or any guys for that matter. Tory hadn't been on a date in years and she barely knew what it was to be kissed. She wasn't a virgin because she was insecure about her looks, or because no one wanted to have sex with her. Tory was a virgin because she wouldn't allow the fact that someone had taken her innocence forcibly to dictate when she'd 'actually' lose her virginity. And until she met the 'right' person a born again virgin is what she'd remain.

It wasn't a horrible existence. The internet afforded her with a sexual outlet. But she was pretty sure that if she ever needed repair work done on her computer she'd just trash it and buy a new one. She'd just have to be satisfied with watching from afar; the story of her life.

She turned back to the front of the bus in time to see his curly head disappearing out the door. She strained to see him out of one of the windows but she was on the wrong side of the bus and the driver took off entirely too fast. Oh well, it was kinda pathetic anyway, that just watching a good looking guy from afar would be the high point of her day.

While at work she overheard two of her co-workers rave about a Portuguese restaurant not too far off of her bus route. She had never eaten Portuguese and couldn't imagine what kind of food would be served there, but listening to the two women talking really intrigued her. Her love of new food is what had packed on the pounds in the first place. But eating out was her only form of entertainment. Tory knew that if she weren't always on a diet she'd be a true foodie. Her perfect life would be a fat, happy foodie with a boyfriend who loved trying new things as much as she did.

So that evening after work, Tory decided to treat herself to dinner out. The thought of eating another Lean Cuisine meal was nauseating and if she ate another piece of microwave chicken she was going to grow feathers!

Since The Jewel of the Azores Restaurant was not too far from her home, Tory stayed on the bus and bypassed her usual stop until she reached the section of town where all of the trendy restaurants sprouted. It was a melting pot where people from all over the world converged. She loved staring at the people each time she had to travel through this section of town and thought that it would be awesome to one day explore it. Now she would get the chance.

After she determined the correct stop, Tory had no choice but to walk the 8 blocks from the bus stop to the restaurant, seldom did she look forward to walking but when street performers and strange shops lined the streets and live music could be heard how could she not enjoy it? Luckily she was wearing flats today. Perhaps she'd burn a couple of calories before she replaced them with Portuguese food--whatever that might be.

Eventually she hobbled into the restaurant. Her shins felt like someone had kicked them and her chest was on fire.

The hostess stepped back when she came in panting. "Um...how many?" She asked with a concerned look on her face.

"O-one." Tory managed while leaning against a heavy wooden post trying to catch her breath.

"Follow me." Tory noted the couples and families crowding the small establishment. It was obviously popular. The smells sent Tory's mouth watering. She was shown a small table off to a corner. She had long ago given up her discomfort of eating alone. At the age of 27 Tory was used to doing everything alone. It wasn't that she didn't have friends. But they had boyfriends or families.

She opened the menu and read a brief introduction about the Azores; she didn't even realize there was such a place. The owners were smart to show pictures of the various dishes because the names were strange. Written in Portuguese, the titles were long and impossible for her to bend her tongue around. There was everything on the menu from seafood and blood sausage to tripe and stew.

She grinned. This is exactly what she liked; a new experience. A pretty waitress came to her table. She looked like she enjoyed food as much as Tory did and so Tory asked her to recommend something.