Love at First Sight

I've always been sort of a loner. I don't really go out with friends or get involved in the dating scene. I just keep to myself and enjoy my solitary life to the fullest. Imagine my surprise when doing just that led me straight to love.

It was an ordinary enough Saturday. The clouds threatened rain, but I felt like getting out of the house. I jumped into my car without a real destination. I drove around a bit before deciding to kill a few hours at my small town's greatest attraction - the local aquarium. I'd been there a million times, but there wasn't much else to do in this town on a rainy day.

I'm not at all a fashion plate, so there I was in jeans and a Nirvana hoodie meandering down the dimly lit halls admiring the colorful tanks filled with aquatic life. I liked the quiet solitude of this place. The fish swam lazily along pausing now and then to stare back at me.

"How ya doing there, Mr. Angel Fish?" I whispered to the pretty little fish bobbing in the water in front of me.

"Not too bad," came a most unexpected reply!

I have to admit I reacted with shock. I heard a man start to chuckle. I leaned forward and squinted to peer through the rippling water to see a man standing on the opposite side of the tank. I couldn't really see his face for all of the motion of the fish swimming across my vision, but I could tell he was smiling broadly.

A heat rose from my collar and engulfed my face in a bright red blush. I get embarrassed easily, and I can't control my blushing when it happens. That just makes me more self-conscious. I was mortified!

I nervously laughed a little and dropped my head. I hurried down the row of tanks to the farthest one from the smiling man. I gazed up at the magnificent seahorses floating about among the brightly colored plants. They glided so gracefully. It was easy to lose myself admiring them.

I'm not sure how long I stood there allowing my face to cool and my nerves to settle. As I gazed at the fragile little creatures, I noticed the guy from before gazing from the other side of the tank. He seemed enthralled by the seahorses, and I didn't think he actually even saw me. Good.

I took the moment to surreptitiously study the man's features. The seahorses moved gently and gracefully, making for fewer ripples in the water. I could see how blue the man's eyes were. His half smile as he stared at the seahorses was mesmerizing. He raised his left hand to brush a chestnut brown curl back from his face.

No wedding band. Good, I thought. Why was that good? I questioned myself on why I would care if this stranger was married. I had to finally admit to myself that I found him very attractive. I also had to admit, finally, that I wasn't just a loner... I was lonely.

The man shifted his gaze and caught me looking at him. Our eyes locked, and he smiled broadly. It was a handsome face with a slightly crooked smile. I liked it.

I blushed, but I nervously smiled back. I felt butterflies flitting about in my stomach. The flitting turned into churning as the stranger made his way around the tank to step to my side.

"Beautiful," he said, "The seahorses, I mean. Don't you think?"

His voice was smooth and deep, but I thought I heard a bit of nervousness.

I swallowed hard. "Yes. They're my favorite," I replied.

We stood for a moment just staring at the tank in front of us, not speaking.

"I love everything about the aquarium," he finally spoke. "My name's Jonah."

"Guess you don't care too much for whales, huh?" I quipped.

I mentally slapped myself. To my surprise, Jonah laughed loudly at my biblical joke. I noticed the little crinkles near his eyes as he laughed. The smallest bit of gray streaked the hair near his temples.

"I'm Allison," I offered.

Jonah extended his hand, "Pleased to meet you, Allison."

I shook his hand and didn't mind at all that he held it for a little longer than an average handshake. His skin was warm, and his grip was gentle but firm.

"Have you ever tried the café here?" he asked me.

"I have," I told him. "They have really good coffee!"

He smiled again. I knew he could see my awkwardness bursting through. I felt the blush rising to my cheeks again.

"That's awesome! I could use a good coffee. Care to join me?"

My throat constricted. My lips were glued shut. I just nodded with a quivering smile. Why was I so awkward?!

We sat and drank coffee together at the café. We chatted about the aquarium and what we liked to do. Jonah put me at ease. I felt comfortable around him. I discovered that Jonah was a bit of a loner as well. It was just him and his dog, Sandy. We laughed and talked for hours, refilling our coffees twice before we realized how late it had gotten.

"I'd love to see you again, Allison." Jonah looked at me with eyes that begged and insisted at the same time.

I melted in my chair under his gaze but somehow found my voice.

"I'd like that, Jonah."

We exchanged phone numbers and promises to call. Jonah walked me out to my car. I was pleasantly surprised when he held the car door for me. I smiled and waved to him as I drove away. I glanced into my rearview to see him standing there watching my car disappear from his sight.

I drove home in a dreamy haze. I'm not too sure how I arrived in my driveway. Giddy would be an accurate word to describe how I felt. I danced through my kitchen door.

"I'm home!" I called out to the orange fish bubbling along lazily in his bowl.

I sprinkled some flakes onto the surface of the water and sank down onto the couch watching the goldfish bob up to catch his dinner. I sighed and thought about Jonah. I had never felt like this before.

I spent the rest of that Saturday tidying up the house. I caught myself checking my phone at least every half hour.

"Get a grip, Al!" I scolded myself.

Later that evening, after the usual microwaved meal for one, I settled onto the couch and switched on the tv. A little mind-numbing entertainment seemed in order. An old rerun of some 90's sitcom flashed across the screen. Canned laughter filled my little living room.

As I sat half-watching the silliness on the screen, my phone vibrated and made the little "ping" that indicates a text.

"Dinner tomorrow night? -Jonah"

My heart skipped a beat. I quickly tapped my "I'd like that" response into my phone.

"Great! Should I pick you up at 6?"

I texted my approval and my address. I know that today's dating gurus suggest that you shouldn't give out your address for a first date, but I trusted Jonah. He made me feel... safe.

That night, I hardly slept. I hadn't been on an actual date in years. Part of me wanted to shout the news from the rooftops, but I knew I needed to at least pretend that I wasn't desperate for this attention.

The following day went by like a dream. I was just going through the motions urging the evening to arrive quickly. Up at 7 in the morning; to church by 10:30; home for lunch - for me and my goldfish; then... wait.

I didn't know where Jonah would take me, so I struggled to find the perfect outfit. I settled on a light pink dress with a floral print and my black ballet flats. I brushed out my copper hair and worried over my makeup. I wanted to look nice, but I didn't want to overdo it.

At exactly six o'clock that evening, there was a knock on my door. I took a deep breath and answered. There on my doorstep was the most handsome man I'd ever laid eyes on. He wore black slacks and a gray, button-down dress shirt. The top two buttons were left unbuttoned revealing a gold chain that held a cross around his neck.

He stepped into the house. I couldn't stop staring into his beautiful blue eyes. We both smiled.

"You look amazing!" Jonah told me.

I felt that old familiar blush. "Thank you. You, too."

Jonah closed the door behind him. I didn't understand. We were supposed to be going out. Had I somehow indicated to him that this date was more than just dinner? Jonah chuckled at my confused look.

"Um... so where are we going, Jonah?" I asked.

Jonah's eyes suddenly took on a strange darkness. A look I didn't quite understand spread across his face - a sort of menacing smirk. I gasped as I felt a hand grip my throat.

"Wh...what...?" I choked out.

"Don't you know that you should never just give out your address?" Jonah asked in a taunting voice as his grip tightened.

I didn't understand. Jonah was so perfect, so handsome. Why was he doing this?

"Poor, sweet Allison. You're so pretty, so innocent. You really are special to me. None of the others made me feel quite like this."

Jonah put his left arm around my waist as I clawed at the powerful right hand gripping my throat. I couldn't breathe. Spots began floating across my vision. I felt myself drifting toward the floor. A terrible cold numbness began to spread through my body. It was getting dark...

Jonah gently laid my limp body on the floor.

"I love you, Allison," he whispered into my ear. Those were the last words I'd ever hear.

........................................................................................................................

Colorful fish swam around aimlessly in the large tank as Jonah gazed through the rippling water. He smiled a sweet smile at the girl gazing back at him from the other side...