There Will Be Time Ch. 02

She averted her gaze to her hands, which rested on his chest. His very muscly chest. Adina looked up at him again only briefly to see the stubble of hair on his chin.

"Well," he said releasing her and looking her over. Taking her hand, he looped her arm through his and began leading her over to one of the snack tables. "You're looking very beautiful. Not that I didn't find you beautiful before," he laughed nervously.

She narrowed her eyes at her boot covered feet—mostly at his compliment, and replied with a shred of uncertainty, "Thanks." And then she recalled Lacey's words. "So, you've been talking about me, I hear."

"Oh, yeah. I mentioned you to a few people yesterday. I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all." She tilted her head slowly to the side and chanced a sideways scan. "Except you may have killed my chances at getting any new clients as far as a certain lady goes."

He frowned down at her. "Hmm, who?"

"Lacey."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I was about to launch in about makeup and what kind she preferred when she totally shot me down. Didn't really see that coming, but what can you do? It happens," she shrugged.

Andrew heaved a sigh, "I'm sorry about that. But between you and me, I don't think Lacey is very interested in stuff like that right now. She's had a rough time, just started working here a couple of months ago. Actually, this is my first time seeing her wear makeup at all. I don't think it suits her very much. Honestly, I think you are barking up the wrong tree. You should talk to Kathleen." He gave her a disarming smile then as he offered her a cup of punch.

"Thank you," she said taking the cup, looking away trying to avoid looking at his face. She got the impression that his eyes wanted to captivate her, though looking at him wasn't as difficult as looking at James.

And it was funny that she had no problem at all looking James squarely in the face, if she was boiling over with anger. "When do we start tasting?" she asked, forcefully pushing his name from her mind.

Andrew pulled up the shirt sleeve of his left arm to look at his watch. "Right now."

"Okay ladies and gentlemen. It's time for what we've all been waiting for! Please make a single file line at the pot number one! Please do not reuse the plastic spoons and miniature cups! There are plenty!"

Adina looked past Andrew towards where the voice was coming from, seeing a large older woman whose voice projected over the entire room a few feet away from where she and Andrew were standing. She was dressed elegantly in a blue skirt and white blouse, her short graying hair in tight ringlets.

Andrew folded his arms over his chest smirking. "That's Kathleen."

Adina looked up at him dubiously, noting the exaggeration in his voice, and he gave her a look as they made their way towards the forming line. Turning her gaze back to Kathleen, she tried to appraise her inconspicuously. And that's when she saw it, comprehension of what that look meant lighting her face at once.

At first glance, Kathleen was a very lovely woman, but now that she was looking at her up close, Adina noticed the caked mascara on her eyelashes and the blush that was too dark for her creamy skin. The red lipstick she was wearing looked cheap and the turquoise eye shadow had to go! The only thing the woman seemed to get right was her foundation.

Piercing her lips Adina looked up at Andrew's entertained face and tried not to laugh. His eyebrows jumped up and down while his eyes darted between Kathleen and Adina. When she could hold it no longer, she chuckled silently and playfully slapped his arm, emitting from him a boisterous laugh she wasn't prepared for. "It's like Ursula from The Little Mermaid."

"You are terrible," she scolded.

"You're laughing, so, that makes you equally terrible," he chuckled.

"Oh my goodness," Adina said massaging her cheeks with her hands trying to catch her breath. But she could still hear him laughing inaudibly, and that made her think of why they were laughing in the first place, and that made her body convulse as she tried to hold it in. "When you... stop laughing... then I can stop."

"How is my laughter to blame for yours?" he asked incredulously, still laughing. "I'm not forcing you to laugh."

"Because," she began but then stopped as more laugher racked her body.

"'Because' isn't an answer you know."

Adina took an exaggerated deep breath and then blew it out to get herself under control and then tried to look at him with a straight face. "Okay." She took a sip of her punch hoping the mirth had finally died down enough for her to swallow. He watched her expectantly, the humor still very alive in his demeanor. "Hearing you laugh reminds me of why we laughed in the first place. It's not nice. And we should feel bad for Ursula, no one loved her and I think that's all she really wanted. I also think that people love Kathleen, even if her makeup is atrocious, so she shouldn't be compared to a sea witch."

Andrew snorted and arched his eyebrow at her making her blush. "Stop it!" she exclaimed slapping his arm once more, a giggle escaping her lips.

"You made chili?" Andrew said more than asked.

The smile on her face faded and she looked down at her feet. "Was that okay?"

"Of course," he said rubbing her arm tenderly. She lifted her face and smiled at him halfheartedly. "It's just, you didn't need to go out of your way and do that. You're my guest, remember?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to. I really enjoy cooking."

"You really don't hear too many people say that around here. That's why there are only nineteen entries." Andrew smiled at her gently. "Ready to taste some chili?"

"Why yes I am," she replied brightening.

"Which one's yours?" he asked casually.

"I'm not telling you. After you've tasted all of them, then you can make your guess." She patted him on the back and then picked up a spoon.

The voting process was simple; you were to choose only three numbers, and out of those three you rank them from favorite to least favorite. Number five, made by a man called Lionel won first place. To Adina's dismay, towards the end of the gathering, her creation won number five out of the nineteen entered. She smiled to herself triumphantly when Kathleen graciously took her aside to tell her, glad that there were some people who enjoyed it. It was probably too spicy for some of the others. Andrew didn't know it, but hers was one of the ones he'd voted for.

"So, what possessed you to make it?" Andrew asked as he followed her to the trash can. This was the fifth time he'd asked.

Adina shook her head and said tersely, "I don't know."

He made a noise with his thin pink lips.

She looked up at him surprised. Their stare down was almost instant and she could see it all over his face that he wasn't going to let it go. Adina found it amusing that cops never seemed to follow their own advice. "I didn't get a good night's rest," she replied finally.

"Was it a bad dream?"

"Yeah." She walked away then to retrieve her pot. It was going on four o'clock and she needed to get home. Plus, her bad dream was something she wasn't inclined to talk about.

"You can talk to me you know. Let me take that for you."

She smiled sheepishly as he tugged the pot from her hands, and they began slowly making their way out of the auditorium. "Thank you. I had fun."

Andrew cracked a smile. "I'm glad you did."

"Yes."

"So what are you going to do now?"

"I have to get ready for a gig tonight. My brother and cousin are in a band, so, whenever they have a performance I go to root them on. This one came up suddenly out of the blue."

"That sounds cool."

"What about you?" she asked when they'd reached outside. A breeze had picked up causing Adina to reach up and button her shirt all the way up to her neck. The one button at her breasts refused to stay put though. They walked down the stairs silently, her clutching her arm against her breast and him wondering if what he was thinking of was alright, to the parking lot towards Adina's car and she pulled out her keys to unlock the back door. She waited patiently for his answer while he set the pot on the backseat floor.

"I'm going to stay and help them clean up, and then I'm going to go visit my parents. Though I'd rather go with you to see the show," he said seriously, his gaze intense.

Completely thrown by his honesty, Adina lips twitched. 'Say it isn't so.' Though she stood there staring at him boldly on the outside, on the inside Adina was off balance. He was so interested in her; she could tell this after spending a few minutes with him, but she was just sorry that she couldn't be mutually interested in him, and...

She had another man on her mind, a man that she would possibly never see again. She smiled politely and said, "When I get wind of another performance ahead of time, I'll be sure to call you to see if you're free."

"I'd like to see you sooner than that," he said huskily as he took a step closer to her. "You've changed very much, Adina, from the scared young girl I once knew to a very positive and social person that I'd personally like to get to know."

He reached out to gently rub her arm with the back of his fingers. She winced at the sudden contact and edged away. Andrew appraised her for a second. "I'm sorry. I was too forward."

"No, it's okay," she replied abruptly, worried that she'd caused him to think she was afraid. "How about lunch, later next week? As friends," she added quickly.

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Lunch sounds great. As friends."

"Great," she sighed.

"Excuse me, Ms. Richards." Adina turned around to see Lacey standing there wringing her hands.

"Ah, yes? And please, call me Adina," she replied.

"I think I might be interested in makeup after all. I didn't realize how bad I was at it," said Lacey who was staring at some invisible spot on her shoe.

"I don't think you're bad at it. It takes practice. Here, wait right there while I get you one of my business cards." Adina turned around to find Andrew still there leaning against her car watching her. "Andrew, I have early classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. One of those days would be good for lunch."

"Okay," he nodded.

She opened the passenger's door, reaching in to pull one of the business cards from the glove compartment. They were double sided with her beauty consultant info and Herbalife contacts. Smiling as she stood to hand Lacey the card, she was elated that the woman changed her mind after all. "I hope to hear from you soon."

"Thanks Adina. I'll give you a call later on this week." Lacey said grinning ear to ear looking at the pink card. It was the first real smile Adina had seen from her.

"'Kay."

"Hey." She started when she felt Andrew take her hand and turn her around to him, wrapping her in his arms for a long intimate hug. There was no space between them and Adina was sure he could feel her heart hammering. He rubbed her back up and down for a moment, sighing contentedly. "You get home safe. I'll call you later on this week to schedule lunch."

"'Kay," she whispered, her face aflame with embarrassment and concern.

After what seemed like an eternity to her, he finally let go. She, aware that Lacey was still standing there watching, walked awkwardly to the driver's side and got in. "Bye," she waved at them both.

"See ya," he waved. Lacey waved back rigidly.

THE SHOW HAD been long, and for once, Adina was glad that they had all driven in their own cars. While the others stayed to watch the rest of the performances, she decided to call it a night, the tiredness of the day washing over her.

When she got home, she was grateful that Stephanie was out for the evening. Had she had been home, she would have been bombarded with questions.

Andrew was a nice man and handsome too, with a smile that could outshine a thousand stars, but Adina wasn't ready to move on to the next. She wanted to find James, but she didn't know where to begin her search and fell asleep thinking about it.

The lone patio looked over the calm waters of the ocean as a light evening breeze whispered in the air. Stunning black sand sloped evenly downward pausing at the very edge of the deep blue sea. All that was missing was the luminance of the breathtaking moon that was somewhere off in the universe, taking a well-deserved break from Earth. She took a deep breath inhaling the salty scent and dug her toes deeper into the sand reaching her hands up to the night sky. If only everyday could be like this.

A mist was rolling in before she knew it, but she just wanted a few more minutes. It swept up the shore like a massive wave and she finally looked back towards the patio again to find it encapsulated in fog. Just a few more seconds, please! To feel the grains of sand between her toes and those little specks supporting her weight.

She looked over her shoulder toward the clear side of the beach. A cozy little hut beckoned for her to come, but then she heard it.

"Adin."

The soft voice was coming from the mist rolling off the patio, almost inaudible, sending a chill down her spine. Something was telling her to stay away and to go towards the nonthreatening hut instead, but just like an invisible force, she found that her feet had managed to pick themselves up, the cozy housing becoming even tinier.

Looking down at her body she finally took note of what she was wearing; robes. The tunic was beige and thin and went down to her ankles. A pink sheet-like sheer material was draped across a shoulder covering her bosom and hips and fell to one side at her feet. Her hands traveled over the material that felt like wool, soft against her skin, all the way up to her neck.

Then she reached up to her hair with shaking fingers and found that it stopped short at the nape of her neck in wispy curls. She pulled the pink covering onto her head, sending one end over her shoulder.

"Adin."

Adina jumped at the sound, though nothing about it was startling. It was calm and patient and so very soft and inviting. She stood and gazed up at the purple curtains separating her from the entrance. When had she gotten to the patio? She wondered who was calling to her and something in her had to know.

Swallowing her hesitation she stepped forward onto the platform and like magic they drew open for her presenting her with a tempting golden room. The floor was made of shiny marble and the walls and columns were unlike anything she'd ever seen, as if they were carved out of gold and jade. Each held a lit fire sconce that illuminated the placed. "So beautiful," she whispered in awe.

She put one sand covered foot forward timidly wishing she had a towel to wipe them off. Well, it shouldn't matter since the location was a beach. The more Adina thought about it, the stranger it became. It was completely isolated and eerily comforting at the same time. And what was with this get up? Like she'd just stepped into a different era.

And who was Adin?

The sound of doors closing snapped her out of her reverie. She turned around to find that there was no longer a view of a beach covered in jet black sand. A gust of wind blew in from a different direction tickling her feet and she saw that the sand was being blown away. She stared down at her pristine feet for a long time trying to regain control of her heartbeat, but then looked up in time to see the sconces dim.

Her breath caught in her lungs as the feeling that she was no longer alone became apparent.

"You came," the deep rich voice said in relief from behind her.

Adina let out a shuddering breath clenching and unclenching her sweaty hands, too afraid to turn around and face him.

"This isn't the first time that I've tried to contact you. Why do you ignore me?" the unseen man asked in an even cold tone. Heat prickled her skin in an instant and she could feel his eyes boring into her back. His entire presence filled the room and she was flailing around in it trying to gasp for air.

Her heartbeat was pounding against her breast and she squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't mean to," Adina heard herself squeak. She was so nervous that it felt like ants were crawling over her skin. "There's a lot for me to do other than," she swallowed hesitantly, "think of you." The last part came out as a whisper as moister broke out over her upper lip.

James chuckled softly without any humor. "So you think of music and iguanas instead? Or, let me guess, your thoughts are filled with that detective guy?"

He had no idea what he was talking about and she had no idea how to take his assumption. He reached up and took hold of the head cover on her hair and slid it gently away. His breath tickled the back of her neck while his chilly voice made her hair stand on end. She shook her head slowly and whispered desperately, "It's not like that, Khalid."

Halting, she realized what she had just called him. The name was foreign to her, but somehow it felt right to call him this.

"Oh yeah? You've lost weight, which I can't begin to understand why you have been working out so much. And what's with this new hair style? That's for him too?"

She didn't know how to answer that, because in reality her hair actually had extensions and went about her shoulders, looking the exact same way it had when she'd gone to Wicked Vine that night. She could somewhat see a reflection of herself as she looked down at the floor. She thought the short hair suited her.

"You don't like it," she said disappointedly completely ignoring the bit about her efforts to be healthy.

It was silent for a moment and she turned around. He seemed so much handsomer than she remembered now that she was able to behold him again. His beard was nicely shaved as was the hair on his head. He looked different, definitely never looked forty-nine and if it was possible looked younger somehow, still hard as stone with his features, but more attractive.

"It could be worse," he replied nonchalantly. "We could be listening to your brother's poor attempt at playing the piano."

Heat rose to Adina's face at the mere mention of her brother. The remark was snide and misplaced. "He's a very good pianist, for your information. It's just that the band needs work."

He chuckled darkly, "That band serves as a cover up for his lousy skill."

Enraged Adina's palm collided with his jaw. The slap echoed in the room halting anything he would say next. "Don't you dare talk bad about my brother to me," she gasped drawing in deep breaths to quell the uncomfortable feeling of angry tears gripping her throat and ignoring the sting of her hand.

James' eyes, alight with fury, brought her back to reality, so, she made to run. He roughly seized her shoulders in his hands and spun her to face him. "Don't ever do that again."

She swore that smoke was steaming from his nose. His jaw clenched; his eyes grew dangerous as he glared at her. "Why didn't you come? Why did you run away when I tried to touch you? Were you hoping for him?" he sneered, his lips pulled back exposing his teeth and what she thought to be fangs that weren't there before. They were elongating right before her eyes.

"What are you talking about?!" Adina let out the breath she was holding in her lungs cowering under his ferocious appearance. It was animalistic, beastly, unbelievable, and downright scary. Perhaps it was his true nature, she thought frantically. Maybe this dream was trying to show her his true stripes. She thought to scream, but nothing came out, fear and mostly shock freezing her vocal chords.