Her

He was exhausted. The private party he was overseeing was lasting way too long, was way too crowded and way too loud. The only bright spot in the whole night had been her and he didn’t even know who she was. She had grabbed a drink from one of his bartenders when he first noticed her. The next time he saw her, he moved in and waited on her himself. He made flirty little small talk and she had flirted back. At that moment he thought there was hope for the evening. When she came back again, he flirted a bit more seriously and so did she. Promise, the evening showed promise. He decided the next time he saw her that he would ask her for her name and phone number. Then…. poof, she seemed to disappear. He hadn’t seen her in almost two hours. The promise of the evening was slowly waning. He could just feel a dull ache forming in his head. He needed a break.

He grabbed a bottle of wine from behind the bar. He didn’t even look to see what it was. He just grabbed it and headed out the back door. The night air had transformed into a heavy mist that seemed to cling to him like cobwebs. It was the kind of wet that you only find at the beach. Heavy but not raining. He took the improvised top off the wine bottle and took a swig. Merlot he thought and looked at the label for confirmation. Not a Rombauer Merlot by any stretch of the imagination but not bad. He pulled down the tailgate of his truck and hopped up. Before he sat down, he rummaged through his box of extra supplies and pulled out a wine glass. He pulled the box forward and sat down with his back leaning up against it and his legs hanging off the tailgate. He looked up at the starless night sky and found himself thinking about her. He was kicking himself for the missed opportunity. He let his mind wander into a fantasy world of exotic trips and eternal happiness. When he realized that he had wandered too far he snapped himself out of it. Not a love lost but a possible love never meant to be.

He needed some music for the wine and for his head which was hurting a little less. He cued up his playlist. Somewhere between the wine and the music he drifted off again. He was back where he and her were a they, laughing and doing all the things lovers do. He snapped himself back out of it. Stupid, stupid, stupid to fantasize about someone you’ve spent less than 5 minutes with. He chastised the romantic side of his nature. Sap or romantic, he wasn’t sure which one he was, but he needed to ground himself again. He looked back up at the sky just in time to see the clouds part. The moon shone down illuminating the water droplets in the air making them shimmer like diamonds.

He hopped off the truck and put the tailgate up. When he turned back around, she was there, standing in the moonlight, the shimmering air all around her. When he first saw her, he thought he must have had too much Merlot. He checked. The glass in his hand was full and the bottle in his other hand wasn’t empty. Apparently he had done more dreaming than drinking.

He put the bottle down and walked slowly towards her. He was afraid if he blinked, she’d be gone. He was afraid if he spoke, the spell would be broken and she would vanish. When he was closer to her, he silently offered her the glass of Merlot. She accepted with a nod and a smile.

Timing is everything so they say. Just then he heard the perfect song coming from his playlist. He took her in his arms and they danced. They danced in the shimmering air and the light of the moon. They danced all night like they didn’t have a care in the world.

They were still dancing when the sun came up and stole the shimmer out of the air and replaced the darkness with the gentle haze of dawn. Maybe a love that was meant to be after all.