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“Hmm. I know, but that’s what would have happened. I would have finished this glass of wine and put on my coat. And I would’ve taken one last look in your direction, willing myself to take a chance before talking myself out of it while I pulled open that door.”
“I’m glad that I came over then,” Heather said, reaching for her glass and taking a sip.
“Me too.” Vanessa held her gaze, and Heather couldn’t ever remember feeling this kind of intensity with someone she’d just met.
It was electric. And Heather wasn’t going to let this night get away from her.
This was the kind of thing she’d dreamed about.
“Where are you from?” Heather asked.
“A small town in Eastern Pennsylvania. It’s barely a dot on the map.”
Heather tilted her head. “And what brings you into the city?”
“I go to Philadelphia sometimes, but mostly New York, and it’s just to be around people like me. Don’t get me wrong. I love my hometown, and it’s actually not the worst. It’s fairly progressive, but it can’t compare to coming to the Village.”
“I get that.”
“What about you?” Vanessa asked before she took a drink.
“I’m from the Shore. Asbury Park is probably the nearest place that most people would know. But I live here.”
“Do you normally come here?”
“This is maybe my third time here in the seven years I’ve been living in the city. I’m normally with my best friend, and we go to a club, but I’m on my own tonight, and I just thought I’d have a glass of wine after a long week at work. Have you been here before?”
Vanessa’s half-smile spread into a gorgeous one as she looked out the window, her eyes almost twinkling as she spoke, her gaze landing on Heather again. “I’ve never been here before. I was just walking by, and it caught my eye.”
Heather swallowed, her heart thumping in her chest for no reason other than assuming that Vanessa was thinking the same thing she was. How their evenings had lined up. How they’d both ended up here at the same time when neither of them were regulars here.
A comfortable silence settled between them for a moment, both women taking sips of their wine as the murmur of the bar swirled around them. Heather studied Vanessa’s features in the low light - the elegant curve of her jawline, the fullness of her lips. She was stunning, refined. And yet, there was a warmth that radiated from her, an openness that Heather found so alluring.
“What are you thinking right now?” Vanessa asked, and she caught Heather staring.
Heather lifted her gaze from Vanessa’s lips to her eyes, not even the tiniest bit embarrassed. “I’m thinking that… This kind of thing doesn’t happen to me.”
“And what sort of thing is that?” Vanessa’s voice was serious, her eyes locked on Heather’s, and for a second, Heather wondered if she was imagining this energy between them.
She wasn’t missing this opportunity. If she was wrong, she might as well know it now. “The kind of thing that doesn’t even seem real. I feel like I’m in the middle of a movie right now,” Heather said with a bit of a smile before she shook her head. “I’m probably not making much sense.”
“No. I know what you mean. It does feel a little surreal.” Vanessa’s dark hair fell across her eye as she reached for her wine glass. “I’ve never had a night out in the city start like this,” she said before she took a sip.
“And how do you want it to end?” The words were out of Heather’s mouth before she even had a chance to think about it.
Vanessa’s hazel green eyes lingered on Heather as she sat back in her chair, exuding a sense of confidence that was both subtle and captivating.
Heather’s breath caught in her throat as she held Vanessa’s gaze. The low hum of the bar seemed to fade into the background, the space between them charged with an irresistible tension.
Vanessa leaned forward ever so slightly, her eyes dancing in the soft light. “How do I want the night to end?” she repeated in a low voice. She let the question linger for a moment, her eyes never leaving Heather’s.
Heather could feel her pulse quickening as she anticipated Vanessa’s response. This woman was bold, self-assured in a way that set Heather’s nerves tingling. She had no idea what Vanessa would say next.
Finally, Vanessa spoke, her voice like velvet. “I think you know exactly how I’d like this night to end.”
Vanessa’s eyes flashed with amusement. Slowly, deliberately, she reached across the table and brushed her fingers against the back of Heather’s hand. Heather inhaled sharply at the contact, the slightest touch feeling electric.
Heather felt a shiver of excitement run through her as she watched Vanessa’s fingers graze against the back of her hand. The touch was light but deliberate, sending tingles up her arm and making her heart race with anticipation. She bit her lip, trying to appear innocent, but her mind was ablaze with thoughts of what could happen next.
