Gemini(2)

That was one lucky finger.

I inhaled deeply, lifted the tray off the counter and walked over as my heart beat out of my chest. The fluttering of the butterflies in my stomach intensified with each step toward the booth.

After placing the bagel down in front of him, my hand trembled causing the coffee cup to clink against the spoon set on the saucer beneath it. I somehow managed to empty the tray without spilling anything and cleared my throat.

“Can I get you anything else?” I asked.

“No, thank you.” He smiled flashing beautiful white teeth. The combination of his smile, scent and smooth voice was so sexy it was painful not to reach out and touch him.

“Well, just let me know if you change your mind,” I replied.

“Will do,” he said, nodding slowly but continuing to look at me after he stopped speaking. His eyeballs briefly moved side to side a few times as if he was trying to take a picture of my face with his translucent eyes.

There was an awkward silence between us, but I could hear his breathing. His eyes never left mine. I turned around suddenly without saying anything more, taking in his musky scent and feeling the weight of his heated stare on my back as I walked toward the kitchen. Sweat droplets trickled down my armpits and I hoped I remembered to wear deodorant.

In my haze, I bumped right into a customer who was getting ready to leave.

“Excuse me, I am so sorry ma’am,” I said nervously without making eye contact with the woman. Of course, Blue Eyes’ head was still turned in the direction of my mishap.

Back behind the counter, I snuck peaks at him as he bit heartily into the bagel and swallowed.

That was one lucky bagel.

He wiped his hands from the salt crumbs and took a sip of coffee, revealing what looked to be a Rolex watch wrapped around his sleeve.

When he turned his head in my direction again, I quickly turned away, focusing on a conversation between two elderly women who sat at the counter, as I refilled their coffee cups. One was talking to the other and when the woman on the left got up to go to the bathroom, the other one looked at me with lipstick on her teeth, and confessed, “I couldn’t hear one word she was saying to me.” I laughed and looked up when I heard chimes signaling the front door opening.

One of the regulars, Mr. Macchio, walked in. He came from Italy forty years ago, and still had the strongest accent. His loud voice snapped me out of my cologne-drunken stupor. He headed straight for his favorite seat in the corner, motioning to me. “Hey, Bella…why-a don-cha get me a green-a tea-ya today, eh? My wife, eh, she say, I should cut down on, eh the coffee, so I gonna try a green tea, o-key?”

I smiled. “Sure, honey.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see my mystery man turn around and look in Mr. Macchio’s direction as I went to the kitchen to put in the green tea order.

When I came back out, I nearly dropped the tea in a panic when I saw Blue Eyes suddenly get up from his table, plop money down, grab his jacket and quickly walk out. No…he practically ran out. The abrupt sound of the door chimes and wind that blasted through upon his exit were like a slap in the face.

So fast?

My heart was pounding harder upon his exit than it had been when he was here. Panic quickly transformed into a feeling of emptiness that washed over me. I actually felt like crying, which was pathetic. I had imagined him maybe striking up a conversation with me before he left or at least maybe getting his name off of a credit card.

As Stevie Wonder’s My Cherie Amour played over the diner speaker, I had the urge to rip off my apron and follow him out the door. That, of course, would never happen…but I sure did want to.

Without saying more than a few words, this guy had managed to awaken something in me that had been dead…desire. Not only that, but it was a level of want…of need…of lust…that I had never experienced in my entire life. He had such an effect on me and now, I could quite possibly never see him again.

I swear I felt the room swaying as I walked over to the table still smelling his amazing scent and noticed he left behind more than just his smell…fifty bucks on a bill that was under five-dollars. I almost wanted to chase after him (…again) in case this was a mistake. Did he forget change? Who leaves that big of a tip to a flustered mediocre waitress, at that?

Faster than I could think of the answer, I remembered Mr. Macchio’s tea still sitting on the counter where I left it. After delivering it, I then went to the register and sniffed the fifty before depositing it and gave Delores half of the sizeable tip Blue Eyes left.

“What the—” Delores said as I handed her twenty-five dollars cash.

“I know. That gorgeous guy! He left us a fifty. There is your half,” I said walking solemnly into the bathroom where I tried to grab my bearings.