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Knowing her shopping habits, this could take a while. She’ll buy more than postcards and come back with an arm full of souvenirs to give to everyone she knows back home in Dublin.
I lean back on the bench when my attention is drawn to a bird in the sky. I watch as a large, jet-black raven flies overhead, circles the trees, and lands on the grass right in front of me.
It’s captivatingly beautiful. Its obsidian feathers gleam and shimmer in the sun like polished coal.
The raven turns its head and stares directly into my eyes.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention, and my stomach begins to quiver.
What’s going on?
Before I can process my unusual reaction, the raven shrieks loudly. It permeates my entire body, and seems to expand into the furthest reaches of the heavens, like the ripples in a still lake when dropping a heavy stone.
A chill follows, my body shivering despite the heat of the day.
I’m overcome with an unusual heaviness, as if an enormous boulder was just dropped into my arms.
I try to shake off the sudden sense of foreboding, but it won’t budge.
Don’t be silly.You’re not superstitious. Nothing bad is going to happen.
It’s just a bird, right?
It means nothing.
But the unease doesn’t lift. I stand abruptly and leave the park in a hurry, my heart beating unnaturally fast.
As I stand outside the shop Rhia disappeared into, I inhale deeply, trying to calm my sudden anxiety. When I take another deep breath, my nose detects something wonderful. Something sweet that makes my mouth water.
More than happy to be distracted by the delightful scent, I smell the air like a bear on the hunt for honey.
I try to figure out where this delicious aroma is coming from and notice a little café on the other side of the street. A few tables are set up in a mini courtyard, surrounded by large potted plants to outline the area. Colorful fairy lights are strung above, which I imagine gives it a romantic glow at night.
An older gentleman is devouring some delightful looking cannoli, and my stomach rumbles in response as saliva pools in my mouth.
This is definitely our next stop.
I'm about to cross the street when I bump into a guy on the phone. He looks at me annoyed, and I raise my hands in a placating gesture. "Scusa," I mumble and dash over to the other side.
As I walk towards the café to find an empty table for Rhia and me, a burst of heat rushes into every one of my cells.
Jeez, what is it with my body today? Am I coming down with something?
And that’s when I see him—Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.
Wowsers.
My eyes hone in on him like he’s the only man alive.
He’s on the phone standing by the entrance of the café, listening intently to whoever is on the other end of the call. Unless, of course, he’s standing there pretending to be on the phone so that random women like me can ogle him and appreciate his hotness.
The thought makes me giggle. Perhaps it wasn’t the cannoli that smelled so divine, but this hunk of a man. He sure looks all sorts of delicious and I bet he smells fantastic, too.
Mesmerized, I let my gaze travel all over him… and oh, do I like what I see.
I bite my lip to stop myself from grinning ear to ear.
Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome is what girls’ daydreams are made of… and their wet dreams at night.
