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In the looks department, I’d been gifted with a shape like my mother’s, who had the classically desirable hourglass figure. There was no avoiding the attention, but I’d gotten pretty good at ignoring it.
My focus was intense today. I’d planned to take the day off but the workaholic in me wouldn’t allow it. Not until I’d done at least three hours of work on the concert program, even if it was just in terms of research. I didn’t have much time to prepare for my date once the beast was sated.
It didn’t seem right to wear the Loki’s Laugh shirt again. I didn’t think Varg would mind but I didn’t want to look like a fangirl in front of the new guy.
I was a fangirl, to be sure, but I didn’t want him to know that. So, after putting on a version of my usual outfit, I tied my hair back and headed out to meet my destiny.
I couldn’t catch my breath once I looked at the man sitting with Varg and Ashe. There was no logical explanation I could think of. Nothing based in any of the sciences could help me reason my way out of my attraction to him.
The reaction was as sudden as it was strong. All the breath I had just left my body, as though it decided it didn’t want to be there anymore and set off to look for new and interesting places to be.
“Becca, over here,” I heard him call out.
It was too late to run, my first instinct after gaining my second wind, so I plucked up my courage and headed over to the table. The cozy trio shifted to make room in the booth.
Squeezed in next to Theo, I squeezed my thighs together to try and quell the raging need that had suddenly materialized between them.
He was every bit as attractive as Ashe had made him out to be. Or more so, even. I couldn’t believe my good luck, especially because the guys she usually tried to set me up with were duds.
“I’m Theo,” he told me.
“I know,” I blurted out, accepting his offered hand as my heart started to pound faster and faster.
“Do you, now?”
His accent was light and sexy.
He sounded German but without the edge.
“Dutch,” I reminded myself, accidentally out loud.
“Bit early, isn’t it? We haven’t even ordered yet.”
My face burned with humiliation as his words sank in. I should have chosen my own words better.
“I’m kidding,” he said, laughing. “I’ll blame my rudeness on culture shock but please forgive me. It’s my first time in America, you see. Yes, I’m Dutch. From Amsterdam. And I have to get back there quickly because my whole country is about to go on lockdown again thanks to Covid.”
“That sucks. Your English is very good, though.”
“Thank you. I’ve been working hard to get it perfect. Or at least as close as possible. We learn it in school but there isn’t much chance to practice unless you really look for it.”
“Because everybody speaks Dutch.”
“Clever girl.”
A new sort of heat burned through me.
One that was warm and lovely and that I didn’t mind at all.
Chapter Nine – Becca
“She sure is clever,” Ashe said. “She’s about to graduate from music school, and she’s planning the entire graduation concert that she’ll conduct herself.”
“Is that so?” Theo said, looking impressed.
“Well, I mean, it’s nothing that great,” I told him. “In fact, I’m really nervous about it. I hope it goes okay.”
“I’m sure it will,” Theo said, with Ashe adding more compliments and assurances.
The evening went wonderfully, with the feelings between Theo and me seeming to grow stronger by the minute.
“So, you’re in a Metal band, too?” I asked him after a while.
“Not exactly. More of a one-man band. I also do more Dark Wave stuff than I do traditional Metal.”
“Dark Wave,” I said, shaking my head since my mind was drawing a blank. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“Guess you’re going to have to come to our portion of the concert at Summerfest then,” Ashe piped up.
“Or, better yet, you could help plan it, if you’d like. God knows we haven’t made much headway,” Varg said.
“We’ve been busy,” Ashe protested.
“Well, whatever the reason, we need all the help we can get,” Varg pointed out. “Suspicious Activity asked us to come up with the theme and set up and everything, and we’re really behind.”
“That would be a great idea,” Theo said. “Especially since you’re so good at planning concert programs.”
It’s not exactly the same, I thought, but I couldn’t say no. Or, rather, I could, but I just really didn’t want to. I still had my own concert to plan, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t plan a Summerfest program, too. Especially since classes were over. And especially since Theo had asked me.
I’d actually been looking for something to do while I waited to find a job. Besides which, Ashe had been encouraging me to get out and meet new people. It wasn’t just the prospect of spending more time with Theo that made me say yes, but I would be lying if I said that wasn’t a major factor in my decision.
