Three - He Doesn't Run

He had joined her on the couch and they talked.

Or rather, he had talked.

Blame it on the wine and a never empty glass.

When she had refilled his glass the first time, he had been involved in a detailed explanation of his current point and hadn’t paid much attention.

That changed when the first bottle was empty and she asked him to uncork another, handing him bottle and opener.

He was the one who had finally turned on a dim light, no longer content not to see the eyes and the smile that went with the voice that was softly drawing him out.

His first thought was elegance.

From the effortlessness of her hair to the perfect polish of her toes, she exuded elegance, refinement, that quintessential je ne se quois that some women seem to possess, defined in their very dna.

He could not pinpoint her age and categorizing a woman was something he was very good at.

Opening the second bottle, he inclined his head in question.

“My friend, the host of this little soiree, knows my penchant for quiet. He is very thoughtful.”

He’d let that slide as his eyes were still taking in the details of her. He had by then clearly seen her eyes and the intelligence there held him.

“Who are you?”

She smiled and slowly shook her head.

“Non, non, let us not go there now. Do you wish to be who you are, or who you are right this moment?”

He smiled at that. She was right. At this moment he did not want to be who he was.

He raised his glass.

“Touche.”

“See how easy that was, mon bel homme?”

Laughing low in his throat, the tone somehow mocking and rueful at the same time, he looked at her.

“Did you just call me beautiful?”

“Oui.”

“I shoulda left the light off.”

“You think I refer to your face? Merde! Americans!”

She made a disgusted moue with her lips and her feet hit the floor.

Startled, he raised a hand to her arm.

“Wait…where are you going?”

“Bah! I think we have talked enough. You are no longer here.”

Confusion hit his eyes.

“Wait…I…” He sighed and shook his head. His eyes met hers.

“Please don’t go.”

She looked at him for a long moment.

“Tres bien, very good. Do not let that other man come back.”

Amazingly, for the rest of the evening, he didn’t.