First Sight (34 page)

Sadness crept into his eyes as I looked back up at him. 
“
I should have; I know.  I just thought, you and me, and it caught me off guard….”  He trailed off awkwardly
, and
I waited for him to continue. 
“
I know we were just friends
Maddy
, but after you said that,
I was completely taken by surprise at how much it upset me. 
I just couldn’t ignore the way I felt about you
anymore
.”

My mouth fell slightly open, but no words came out.  Travis looked down but glanced back up at me, trying to read my reaction.  How he felt about me?  I stared at him, completely puzzled.  He’d been acting like he hated me.  “What do you mean?” I
asked,
my mind still in a whirl.

He looked down
and
didn’t immediately answer, but then
he
met
my gaze
once more
.
“I like you as more than just a friend,
Maddy
.”  He waited a beat before continuing, and I wondered if he could hear how loudly my heart was beating in my chest.  “I’ve been interested in you since the first day we met.  Sometimes it seemed like there might be something between us, but since we work together, I figured I’d just see how things played out.  Then when I thought you weren’t interested in me at all, when I overheard you talking to Elizabeth
,
I
told myself we shouldn’t
even be friends. 
I thought it would be easier that way, and
I know I should’ve just talked to you, because
here
all I’ve been doing is
pushing you away and upsetting you.”

My breathing hitched, and
I glanced away as I felt tears well up in my eyes
. 
I blinked a few times, trying to keep them from spilling over.  He was angry before because he thought I didn’t feel the same way about him? 
He
wanted to be more than friends? 
All
this time
, I’d held back my own feelings
.  I’d noticed every little thing he
did,
every word he said, yet thought that he only saw me as a friend.  I tried to collect myself as my thoughts raced through my head, and I eventually turned back to meet his gaze.  His own expression was tense but his eyes grew wide as the
y saw my own tear-filled ones.

“
Maddy
, I never meant to hurt you,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.  “I’m so sorry.”

My heart pounded in my chest
.
Travis actually had feelings for me.  I
opened my mouth to speak but hesitated as I wasn’t sure what to say.  Would I tell him how upset I’d been?  Or that I had feelings for him, too?  My eyes once again met his.  How could I be upset at his behavior, at his trying to avoid me, when he finally told me what I’d wanted to hear for so long?  He wanted to be with me just as I wanted to be with him.  He had no idea that I felt the same way.

“
Travis…
I’ve always
wanted to be more than
just
friends
,” I said
at last
,
relieved that my truth was finally out there.  I was admitting to him what I’d been reluctant to admit even to myself.

Relief crossed his face, and
then he broke into a warm smile.  “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that,” he said softly.

I
let out a
small
laugh for the first time
in days
.  “I think I might have some idea.”

Travis reached
over and
gently
took my hand
.  His warm touch burned into my skin, and f
or the first
time ever,
he act
ually looked a little nervous.

“Will you let me take you to dinner tonight?” he
asked,
his voice deep.

I couldn’t look away from him.  My eyes were locked in the warmth of his.  A car could come crashing right through
th
is
park
, and I would never notice it.  His face was the only thing that I could see.

My heart was beating so rapidly that I could barely speak.

“Okay.”  My reply was no more than a whisper.

That evening I stood anxiously w
atching the window
and glancing at my clock
as the minutes crept toward 7:00.  I’d changed outfits several
times,
called
Marissa
and
Emily
to discuss what to wear, and wondered if I was making a mistake by dating a coworker.  Travis and I had spent so much time together already, but
going out on an actual date completely changed things between us
.  A few minutes later I watched as he pulled up to my apartment building in his black BMW.  As I felt the knots relax in my stomach, I didn’t realize how nervous I’d been.  It somehow felt better now that he was finally here.

The doorbell rang, and I slowly walked to the foyer, not wanting
Travis
to know I’d been
standing around nervously waiting for him
.  I opened the front door
, and despite my knowing it was him,
felt m
y
breath
catch
as
he stood there before me
. 
His large frame towered over me, and his dark eyes gleamed as he looked down with a wry smile.  He almost looked a little sheepish, like his actions this week and our conversation this morning had left him somewhat embarrassed. 
He had changed from the clothes he’d been wearing earlier and now had on grey trousers and
a navy blue button down shirt.
  I saw the silver watch peeking out from beneath his sleeve and was
transported back to the very
first time we met.  I couldn’t have imagined then that he’d end up standing on my doorstep all these months later, ready to pick me up for our very first date.

“Hi,” I said with a smile, looking up at him.

“Hi.”  His own smiled wi
dened.

This was the first moment
we’d had alone together since talking in the park this morning, and it felt a little surreal for him to be here.
  I started to realize that I was just standing there staring at him, but Travis seemed just in awe about our sudden change in circumstances
as he wasn’t saying anything either.
 
Things between us felt
both comfortable and new at the same time.  Neither of us had to be guarded anymore, or act like we were just friends.  I found myself wondering if at the end of the evening he would kiss me goodnight.  Ah, first date anxiety.  Even though we’d spent time together for months and been on countless “dates” if you will, tonight everything was different.

“You know
,
it’s funny, after all this time, I’ve never actuall
y been to your apartment before,
”
he said slowly, drawing out the moment between us.  His eyes twinkled, and I knew that he was teasing me a little.

“I was
just
thinking the same thing.”

“Skiing?  Yes. 
Zip
-
lining?
  Yes.  But picking you up for dinner?”

“Well
,
you never exactly asked me before,” I said, tilting my head slightly as I looked at him.

“
That was definitely my mistake,” he said, his voice deep.  “
Are you ready to go?”

“All set,” I said softly.

I grabbed my purse from the t
able in my foyer and
stepped out
to lock
my front door
. 
Travis’s gaze was on me as I tucked my keys into my bag, and he
took my hand as we walked out of my apartment building. 
It was such a sweet gesture, and
I felt an unexpected
surge
of pleasure
at
walking together hand-in-hand
. 
He glanced down at me and smiled, and
as I met his brown eyes,
I knew that he was feeling the same thing.

We drove to Old Town Alexandria
and
found a parking space near the waterfront.  Travis expertly backed into
a
spot on the side of the street and
then
strode around the front of the car.  I’d already opened the door, but he took my hand
to help me
out.  His large hand completely enveloped mine, and once again I noticed the warmth of his skin.  He let go
after
I stood up
so that he could
close
the door
, but
his hand grazed the small of my back as
I stepped onto the sidewalk.

W
e walked to my f
avorite seafood restaurant,
and t
he hostess
guided us to one of the intimate semi-circle booths that faced the waterfront.  Looking out the huge glass windows that made up the entire back wall of the restaurant, we had a perfect view of the
Potomac River
.  I slid in the booth, taking in the
delicate
tea-light candles on the table and crisp white linens, followed closely behind by Travis.  He sat only a few inches away, and I thrilled at the thought of being so close to him.  I could smell the scent of his aftershave, the soap on his skin.
The warmth of his body
seemed to just radiate off him.

“I hope this is okay,” he said, turning toward me after the hostess walked away.  “This is one of my favorite restaurants.”

“Mine too.”
I smiled at the coincidence.  “You never mentioned that you liked to come here.”

He shrugged and gave me an easy smile.  “Well
,
I seem to run into you everywhere else.  I guess I figured I would have seen you here if you liked it so much.”  His dark eyes twinkled in the low light, and I coul
d tell that he was teasing me.

“Maybe we were here at the same time and didn’t even know it.  How’d you find this place anyway?  I grew up coming here, but you’re not a local….”

“I didn’t realize it was a well-kept secret,” he joked.

“Oh, it’s not,” I said with a smile.

He ducked his head down closer to me and
grinned,
almost as if he were embarrassed and amused that I was the one teasing him for a change. 
I gazed into his warm brown eyes and
had the
sudden
urge to reach out and touch his face, closing the distance between us. 
As if he had been reading my mind, Travis
reached out and draped
his arm
on the booth behind me, close but not quite touching my skin.  It
was an intimate gesture, making it feel like we were
in our own little world.
 
After such a tense week of
barely speaking to one another, and after months of wondering what was going on between us and if he felt something too, I felt a tangible relief for everything to finally be out in the open.

The waitress arrived
then with the
wine list and
menus.  Travis took his arm from behind me to take the menu she handed
him
, and I felt briefly disappointed that she had just interrupted
the moment between
us.  After briefly consulting with me, Travis ordered a
bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.
We decided to share the warm crab dip appetizer, and he ordered crab cakes for his entree, while I selected grilled salmon with mango salsa.  A few minutes later the waitress
was back, opening our bottle of wine and setting a basket of steaming bread on the table.

“So, you asked me how I found this place,” Travis said, taking a sip of
his
wine.  “I actually
discovered
it shortly after I moved here.  I came to Old Town just to wander around the waterfront one Sunday
,
and
I
ended up eating here.  They have a great brunch.”

“I love walking around Old Town,” I said, completely understanding why he would be drawn to this area.  It was beautiful to walk along the water looking at the boats
and fun to
stroll up and down the streets to check out the various shops and restaurants.
There were some unique shops mixed in with the usual chain stores.  When I was growing up it had been mostly all small businesses, but like everything else, the area had started to change over the years. 
Now there were probably an equal number of stores
that
you could find at any mall mixed in with the independent businesses. 
“But I usually just come here in warm weather.”