by Renee Hart
“Check out the cute guy on bass,” Chleo said when she and Petey had sat down at a table.
“The grandpa with the one missing tooth?” Petey shot her a disgusted look.
“No! The one with the standing bass. The one in the back with the dimples.”
“Oh wow. I give you a cat a week ago and now you’re looking for people who look like them,” Petey said. Chleo smacked his arm, but she wasn’t mad. There was something very intriguing and almost feline like about the bassist. His eyes were such an unusual shape and color. “He is cute though. I’ll certainly give him that. Minus the hat.”
“What’s wrong with the hat? I have a hat.”
“Honey, you look like a chubby Kelly Rowland with the hat. You always look amazing. He on the other hand is wearing a fedora. If you want to tell if someone is a douchebag, a fedora is definitely up there. As well as a vest over a shirt and sandals with socks.”
Chleo shook her head and laughed.
The song that was playing had stopped just then, and she and Petey started to clap. Some of the musicians stayed on stage, but one of the guitarists, the female singer, and the cute bassist all got off the stage. Chleo noticed that he was looking right at her. He smiled in her direction and used a finger to poke his hat upward. It was a strange gesture for a greeting, but Chleo didn’t care. He was so cute.
“What about that cute vet?” Petey asked. He said it on purpose. He saw that Chleo and the bassist were making eye contact with each other.
“I saw him for like 10 minutes. He wasn’t trying anything. He just wants to make sure my cat is ok.”
“And that’s why he offered you his private cell number?”
“So that I could schedule when I could bring Luna in again,” Chleo said through gritted teeth. She was smiling at the bass player and she didn’t want to change her expression.
“Mhmm. I don’t know the vet, but I already like him better than this guy.”
“Shush!” Chleo said when the bassist was almost right in front of their table.
“Hi there,” the bassist said. He had a sexy way of speaking and his dimples didn’t just show up when he smiled, they came when he spoke too.
“Hi,” Chleo said. “Good job up there.”
“Thank you. Are you a musician?”
“Not even kinda. I just love jazz.”
The bassist was staring at Chleo, occasionally biting his bottom lip when she spoke. That brought out his dimples some more and Chleo practically melted.
“Well black classical music is my life,” the bassist said. “Been playing music since I was four. I’m Darryl.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Chleo,” she said and held out her hand. She smiled a shy smile and Darryl chuckled at her dimples.
Petey tried to hold back a gag, but Chleo could still kind of hear it from where she was. She flashed him a quick angry glance.
“Would you mind if I got you a drink Chleo?” Darryl asked.
“No, I don’t mind at all. I’ll have a whiskey sour.”
“Excellent choice,” Darryl said. He winked at her and then moved behind her and over to the bar.
“I don’t get a drink too?” Petey pouted. Chleo groaned.
“What is up with you tonight?” she asked him.
“Nothing. I’m just an excellent judge of character.”
“But you have friends who lie and cheat on their spouses.”
“I never said I made the right decisions all the time. I’m just aware of the kinds of friends I make because I’m all about having people in my life who are crazier than me. Oh look, your lover boy is back. I’m gonna go hit on the guy in green playing pool. Bye,” Petey said. He got up and danced away before Chleo could protest.
“Here you go m’lady. One whiskey sour for you and a rum and coke for me. Cheers,” Darryl said when he came back with their drinks. He clinked his glass against hers and started to drink.
It was true. Chleo really did have a weakness for musicians, and this one just so happened to be extremely cute.
“What brings you here tonight? I haven’t seen you around before,” Darryl said. He had gradually taken so many swigs of his drink that it was practically already finished.
“My friend dragged me here,” Chleo said, pointing at Petey. He had a pool cue in his hands and he was laughing with the guy in the green shirt. She was glad to see that he was having a good time as well. “But now I’d like to just say that I’m happy that I came.”
That made Darryl smile as he finished the rest of his drink. His eyes were fixed on Chleo and he licked his lips and bit down on his bottom lip. Chleo really liked that he was a subtle flirt. It was harmless, but it was also dangerous. Musicians had a way of revealing their intentions and communicating in different ways than the rest of people she met.
“Yeah I’m glad yo…” Darryl paused in the middle of his sentence. His eyes were focusing on someone behind Chleo. He eyed whoever it was up and down. Chleo was curious. Whoever it was made him lose his train of thought. She turned around to see a gorgeous woman behind her. She had legs for days, dark curly hair, and the same caramel complexion as Darryl. She had unusual shaped eyes that Chleo could guess meant that she probably had some Asian heritage. The woman was heading to the bar, and Darryl’s focus stayed on her the entire time.
Darryl shifted in his seat, and Chleo brought her attention back to him. His face didn’t show any emotion when he was looking at the woman behind her, and Chleo didn’t want to make assumptions.
She was just about to speak when the door of the bar opened. Standing in the entrance was none other than Dr. Arjun Vaswani.
Chapter 5
This was too much of a coincidence for Chleo to ignore. Dr. Vaswani gave the bar a quick once over, and opened the door to beckon to someone outside to join him. He had come with Wendy. She was grinning from ear to ear when she stepped into the door.
Wendy’s hair was out and she was in a leather jacket and white flowing skirt. Dr. Vaswani looked so different out of his white coat. He had on a navy blue button up shirt that was rolled up to his elbows and black pants. His hair was tucked behind his ears and he looked more handsome than Chleo could ever imagine. It wasn’t his face that made her want to melt; there was an aura about him that made her completely transfixed.
Chleo didn’t realize that she had been staring until Wendy turned to face her. It didn’t seem like it was possible, but Wendy’s smile grew wider and she waved in Chleo’s direction.
“I’m gonna get another drink. Do you want one?” Darryl asked. Chleo was brought back to her table from being in her trance when Dr. Vaswani walked into the bar. Darryl was already standing with his empty glass in his hand. Chleo’s glass was more than halfway full. She could see that Darryl kept looking behind Chleo. He had a bouncy impatience about him, and she could tell that he was probably itching to talk to the beautiful woman that was still over by the bar.
“No, I’m fine thanks. You can go ahead,” Chleo said. She didn’t want her voice to sound disappointed, but that’s how she felt. It hadn’t even been 15 minutes of talking, and the musician that she had her eyes on was already eyeing someone else. To make things worse, Dr. Vaswani was there, and he had brought his receptionist with him. Chleo didn’t want to think about how stupid she felt for wondering if he had been flirting with her earlier that day. She now knew the answer to that question.
Darryl gave her a sweet smile and brushed a finger along her chin. She didn’t turn around to watch him head towards the bar. She sighed, picked up her drink and twirled it in her hands so that the ice spun around in it.
“Hi. I know you. You came to our clinic today.”
Chleo almost forgot that Wendy had waved to her. She hadn’t acknowledged her in return, and now Wendy was right next to the table with a pleasant smile on her face.
“Yeah. I brought my cat,” Chleo said.
“Yes! The teeny tiny Ragamuffin. Very cute,” Wendy nodded like she was the one explaining something to Ch
leo.
“I’m here with the boss. He’s over there,” Wendy pointed to a table in the corner that was closer to the stage. Chleo nodded and smiled. She wasn’t sure why Wendy was telling her this. Wendy was a really bright and charming soul. She didn’t look like the type to let anything faze her. She waved down at Chleo and practically skipped over to another corner of the room.
Chleo took a sip of her drink and looked over at the stage. Dr. Vaswani was looking at her, but he seemed to be nervous. His leg twitched nervously, and his hands were covering his mouth as he rested his elbows on the table. A part of his hair had moved from behind his ears and fell forward into his face.
Darryl? Darryl who? Chleo couldn’t help but think. Darryl had an interesting look about him, but Dr. Vaswani was gorgeous. He was handsome in a way that exuded charm and maturity. His jaw was chiseled, his nose was prominent, and his eyes were perpetually serious.
If their eyes met, he would quickly look away and pretend to be enthralled by the chattering musicians up on the stage. Eventually his eyes lingered on Chleo for long enough for her to politely wave at him. He raised a hand and waved back. His smile was casual, but his eyes said otherwise.
Against her better judgment, Chleo decided to turn around. Darryl was chatting up the gorgeous giraffe with the forever legs; leaning in close to her and laughing when she spoke. It was as if he hadn’t been trying to do the same with Chleo. She didn’t let it get to her. She worked up some courage and downed the rest of her whiskey sour; pausing only to breathe and to give herself an internal pep talk.
If she was going to make a move then it would have to be now. Chleo had nothing to lose, except maybe a decent vet for her cat, and the remainder of her dignity which was now slowly being replaced by the light sour taste of the drink she was consuming.
She clunked her empty glass on the table and stood up. Her eyes were on Dr. Vaswani, and she walked with a new found confidence [which had not been overcome by the little bit of alcohol she had in her system, and for that she was grateful] towards his table.
“Fancy seeing you here,” Chleo said. She smiled in a way that made her dimples stand out, even in the dim light of the jazz club. Dr. Vaswani was almost as still as a statue, except for the nervous vibration of his leg.
“If we see each other twice in the same day, would you call that fate or coincidence?” he said as he rested his chin in his now clasped hands.
“That’s awfully deep for a first time conversation,” Chleo replied.
“Maybe. I guess since I got here, it’s making me wonder if we’ve bumped into each other several times before, but since we officially met this morning that’s why we’re able to pick up on each other,” Dr. Vaswani said.
“I don’t really believe in fate or coincidence, Dr. Vaswani.”
“Arjun,” he said. He finally smiled up at her and brushed the bit of hair that was in his face away and back behind his ear.
“Well, Arjun. I believe that the idea of living is fate in itself, but then everything is just random circumstance,” Chleo deduced.
“But coincidental circumstance of some sort. Someone in another part of the world is having this conversation with a beautiful dimpled stranger who has just adopted a cat. Not the same life, but we all go into different categories. I wouldn’t say there are 7 billion categories of people, would you?”
“You must be really fun at parties,” Chleo joked. She actually really liked the way he broke down the ideas of being human and the ways of the universe.
“Parties aren’t my thing. I much prefer jazz clubs,” he said. He winked up at her and Chleo felt heat rising from her cheeks to around her eyes. He was so unbelievably handsome that every new expression his face produced almost startled her.
“Was that your boyfriend over there?” Arjun asked when Chleo hadn’t responded yet. He used a nod of his head to sort of point toward the bar.
“Him? No. I actually came here with my friend. The one in all black with the teal hair. Are you and your receptionist…?” Chleo didn’t finish her question. She wanted Arjun to pick up the pieces.
“Oh wow. No. Wendy is dating my adopted cousin, and she and I are in a band together. We’ve been here a few times to perform,” Arjun said. Chleo offered a smile of relief. “Would you care to join us?”
“No thank you. I was actually thinking of heading home early. My neighbor is keeping an eye on my moon-eyed ragamuffin, and I’d just like to unwind. I wish you could order drinks to go at this place.”
“I think you’re onto something. Plastic cups with a lid and straw. Get a patent,” Arjun smiled.
Chleo giggled for a moment and nodded with approval.
“You’re funny,” she said.
“I know. I get that all the time.”
“You sure you’re actually funny, or do you just have polite friends?”
“I sure hope that it’s both. I’ve been telling the same tired jokes for years. I do pity my friends sometimes though.”
That made Chleo laugh too. It wasn’t the throw-your-head-back and laugh that she was used to when she was around Jessica or Petey. It was the sort of soft laughter that still made your cheeks hurt because the feelings behind it were so genuine. He had a way of being subtle and at the same time being overwhelming.
Chleo stopped laughing and their eyes locked. Neither one of them looked away for a long time. His eyes danced back and forth between her own, and her eyes slowly moved from one side of his face to the other. She was studying all the angles of his face.
“It was really nice seeing you Arjun.”
“It was lovely meeting you again, Chleo.”
She liked that he remembered her name. She gave him a quick nod and turned to go over to the pool table. She passed by Wendy.
“Are you coming to sit with us?” Wendy asked in a cheerful bouncy voice.
“I’m actually gonna head home. I just wanted to let my friend know,” Chleo said. Wendy pouted but nodded to say that she understood.
“Is that that hot doctor you were telling me about?” were the first words out of Petey’s mouth when Chleo was in ear shot. Chleo moved her head up and down in a slow nod.
“Ok so this is clearly the universe telling you to make a move,” he said. “The universe is telling me to follow this one home, and that’s what I’m gonna do. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. I’m going home too. I just wanna be home so that I can rest.”
“Is Dr. McDreamy going with…?”
“Not exactly. I got a little nervous and walked away,” Chleo said. She knew that Petey was going to glare at her and she decided to look away.
“Looks like both you and that bassist struck out tonight huh?” Petey said. He pointed over to the bar. The giraffe was now dancing with a member of the band. They were pressing up against each other. Her arms were around his shoulders, and his were around her waist. Darryl was leaned up against the bar looking foolish. Chleo wasn’t going to lie to herself, seeing him like that did make her feel better.
“I’ll let you know when I get home, ok?”
“Yes please. Be safe and see you on Monday,” Petey hugged her.
Chleo shimmied her way past dancing couples, avoided Darryl’s gaze at the bar, and briefly glanced over at Arjun. He and Wendy were in a deep discussion. When Chleo walked by, Wendy nudged Arjun, and they both looked up at her. She didn’t stop walking. She never thought that being home with a cat would be what she wanted most right now, but it was.
Chleo stepped out of the bar and was so grateful to be outside and grateful even more for the fact that she was able to see the moon.
Chapter 6
It was a nice enough night for Chleo to want to walk before hailing a cab. She’d maybe walk the first three blocks and then take a cab for the other eight. There weren’t that many people out and about on this side of town, and she’d lived there long enough to know that that was both a good and a bad thing.
Chleo stuffed her hands in her jacket
pocket and walked up the road in the direction that had more city lights. That was thankfully the direction she needed to head in, and it was convenient that there were more lights and people in that area too.
“Chleo?”
She wasn’t startled by the voice. She knew who it was. She was more curious now than anything else when she turned around. Arjun was standing behind her, a little out of breath.
“Hello,” was all Chleo could think to say. He held up a finger and bent forward, hands on his knees to catch his breath.
“Hello,” he said between breaths. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“Sure,” Chleo said. A side of her mouth perked up.
“Actually, no. I think I’ll wait,” Arjun said. He stood up normally and ran a hand through his dark not quite wavy hair.
“Wait what? Why not just ask me now?” Chleo asked.
“Because I wanted to be sure.”
Chleo didn’t know what he meant by that, but she didn’t ask.
“Would you like some company on your way home?”
“Is that what it was that you wanted to ask me?” Chleo gave him a sly smile. She turned her body from side to side to feign a shy nature.
“That was one of the things,” Arjun admitted. He moved close enough to her for her to be able to feel the heat of his body even through her clothes. She looked up at him. “I actually drove. So I could take you.”
“That’s very sweet of you.”
“I just wanted to make sure that you were ok. Wendy thought it would have been rude of me not to.”
“Is that all Wendy said?” Chleo asked.
“Wendy told me to take a chance. I agreed with her,” he said. Chleo noticed that he was becoming nervous again. They walked back towards his car and he put his hands in the pockets of his pants. “When you came to see me today with your cat. I don’t know. I think there’s something magnetic about your energy.”
“You feel it too?” Chleo said softly. Her voice may have been low, and she wasn’t expecting for him to have been able to hear her, but he actually did. He opened the passenger door of his car and smiled at her as she got in. He closed the door behind her and got into the driver’s side.
