Love Train Pt. 01

"Theodore?" I say sweetly, letting the name linger.

"Yes, ma'am," he replies, handing me napkins and silverware. He splits the tacos, so we each have one chicken and one fish taco. I can dig it.

"Do most people usually call you Theo? or?" I ask, taking my time watching him prepare the food.

He casually shrugs, handing me a plate. "Most do, yes. It's not necessarily my name of choice. What about you?"

"Just Sienna, I don't really have any nicknames," I state, taking another sip of the tea before trying the food.

Theo. Theodore. I let the name roll around in my head a hundred ways. It looks like it suits him. I watch the way he devours his plate, the way those hands handle the meal and letting my eyes find their way back to his plump pink lips. They look just attractive as the food in front of me.

"Nothing, other than Mama?" He asked. I found it slightly odd when others referred to me as 'mama', but that changed the moment it rolled off his tongue. I wonder what else sounds nice rolling off his tongue, or what else he could do with his tongue. Feeling instantly jealous of the food. I shifted, crossing my legs in an attempt to contain the thoughts swirling around in my head.

"Mmhm," I say, changing the subject. I nod towards a man who appears to be fresh out of college. "He definitely looks like a Chad," I continued, looking at his pullover, shorts, and loafer combo.

Theo chuckled again, causing me to laugh. "I'd say he's a pledge trying to leverage tacos to climb up the ranks in his frat."

I chuckle. "That seems oddly specific, Theodore." I notice his smile at the mention of his name and the immediate reaction it has on me.

"That's because it was me 8 years ago," he admits.

I'm intrigued. "Hm. Interesting. A man who's not afraid to clean and run errands," I say, bemused.

"Now, that stuff I don't actually mind," he says, his warm eyes hanging onto mine. "In some ways more than others."

A man who pleases or serves? Interesting, also.

"I'm listening," I say in a flirtatious manner. Let's see what he ends up revealing.

He slyly smiles as he finishes his last bite. He wipes his face with a napkin before he continues speaking.

"I grew up in Mercer Island and filled my summers doing few odd jobs around town." He said. "I got my hands dirty helping out around the farm. Early mornings were spent caring for our animals and tending to the farm every evening."

"Sounds like a summer at Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket". I replied.

"Not that kind of island," he replied. "It's not too far from Seattle."

"How are you liking Atlanta so far?"I reply.

I'm curious and want to know more about the way he saw the city. I wonder if we were interested in the same things. Trying to read the situation so I could better prepare myself. It's what I do, I analyze things.

"The people or the culture?" he asked, not bothered by my quizzical nature.

I chuckle. "A mixture of both. Atlanta wouldn't be the same without either,"

"It wouldn't be the same without the food, either," he agrees, licking the sauce off of his finger. I remind myself to look at the taco left in front of me.

"Mmm. I was in North Dakota for 9 months and I can easily say my love for food and appreciation for Atlanta quadrupled," I said.

"North Dakota. A place lacking culture, real food, and happens to be full of people who look like they belong in Trumps family," he jokes.

I laughed so hard, I end up doing the vacuum sounding laugh that I'd been trying to avoid. He joins me in laughter and starts mocking me, causing me to laugh even harder.

This was nice. A welcome change. I genuinely feel warm and in good company. All with Theo. I start to notice his features, the shape of his jaw-bone, the slight curve of his cleft chin, soft cupids bow. Not a bad sight to look at. So why was he single? Or, if he was, what was the catch?

He grabs our plates, clearing the table as I check my phone for an update.

"Well, fuck. We need to talk when you get home," the text reads. Of course, I shake my head in amusement. Leave it up to Cassie to be both loving and blunt.

"Everything okay? He didn't break too many things, did he?" Theo asks, light-heartedly.

"Nah," I say smiling, "not yet, anyway"

He places his hand back on the small of my back as we make our way out of the restaurant. This feeling is one that I welcome and I could get used to. He has a clean, slightly sweet yet woodsy scent. I casually try to stay close, so I am surrounded by it. He doesn't seem to notice, and if he does, he didn't comment on it.

We make our way back to the parking lot, chatting about some of our favorite activities and hobbies. He has an affinity for comedy movies and likes to run on the weekends. I was right about the athletic tendencies, but the others I didn't predict.

As we make our way back to my silver Honda, I'm apprehensive about leaving.

"So this is Miss. Sienna's spot," He says, his eyes never leaving mine. His hand keeps its place at the small of my back, his other hand mimicking the placement.

My chestnut colored skin couldn't reveal my sudden blush, "So it is," I say, pausing to assess his next move.

He leans in closer, "How about we see what fate has in store?" Pausing to innocently kiss the area where my neck and shoulder meet.

I feel myself shiver from pleasure, reveling in the feeling of his lips on my skin. His scent is, even more, intoxicating up close. He grabs my hands, making eye contact while kissing their backs. I feel the familiar chill reverberate throughout my body.

Then he just walks away.

I smile to myself opening my car door, running the series of events through my head again.

-

"And he just left?" Cass says incredulously.

"I know," I let out an exasperated sigh. I pick Augie's scattered toys up again, for the 5th time today, placing them back into his toy bin.

"Well, fuck. I wish something like that would happen to me."

Sunday is our cleaning day. The 2BR apartment we live in is perfect for the 3 of us. It has a nice location and it's not too expensive. We split everything from our uber rides down to groceries. We've only been best friends since college, around 5 years ago, but we've always shared a bond that felt like it was a lifetime.

When I left school to get married, we disconnected for a while, breaking our promise to always be roomies. I sent her a message when I found out Hunter, my ex, was cheating on me. Again. I asked if she wanted to move down from Lexington to Atlanta and she agreed. We quickly picked back up where we left off, laughing and lamenting about boys and memories from The University of Kentucky, where we'd attended college.

In true Cassie fashion, she announces she's going to take a cleaning break. I didn't mind really, as I accessed the semi-decent living room situation. There wasn't much left other than vacuuming and wiping things down. Not long after, I hear her TV start playing American Horror Story.

Of course, I think to myself rolling my eyes. As I alternate between vacuuming and picking things up from the ground, my mind wanders back to Theodore. What he's like. What kind of person he is. But most of all, if I will run into him again somehow. I need a sign. I don't want to hold out if nothing will come out of it...

What did he even mean by, "If fate will allow?"

He left me damn near nothing to go off of. No amount of Googling, 'Theodore, 26 Atlanta' would help. No picture. No job. No number. Just a memory. I'd be lying if I didn't attempt to linger at the office 5-10 minutes each day more than the usual, hoping I would run into him again.

Typical Sienna.

It's exactly what I'd do in high-school, except I'd just walk different routes hopping to catch a glimpse of my numerous crushes. Only this time, there was no guarantee. Just fate.

I press down on stop pedal, closing my eyes and run through our brief moments together. Again, for the 100th time. I savor the memory of his lips on my neck, and his soft but masculine scent. I say a silent prayer to my angels, hoping for fate to be on my side.

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Monday, Theo sits in his open office, staring out at the Atlanta skyline. His black pen taps at his knee, impatiently. Mindlessly.

Unable to focus on anything on the screen- responding to emails, reviewing spreadsheets, double checking the calendar to see if I'd missed anything important- again. My gaze shifts from one paper outlining a new project, another highlighting key notes from last week's team building meeting. Somehow that was even more boring than just staring out of the wall. Nothing pops out as I attempt to focus. I try looking at my calendar for an easy distraction, but I don't see anything that I haven't already taken care of. Out of defeat, I scroll through my emails. Mostly consisting of short replies and some unnecessary cc's.

It was all a simple routine, not that being a Co-Founder was anything other than exceptionally challenging and rewarding. Of course, it had come unexpectedly when I stumbled upon a solution to a problem that everyone usually just accepted without a further notice. Partnering with local high-schools and college kids who didn't have the illusive in's and knows' to land a steady job was a simple solution and provided the company with fierce and loyal talent, on top of priceless business connections.

Seeing the difference in the lives it made to them alone, without seeing the difference it would make to customers, it had all been worth it. And it was- exceptionally.

But it didn't shine a candle on the encounter he had with her yesterday.

If I weren't so efficient at multitasking, I was sure I wouldn't haven't gotten anything done at work. Thankfully, the work was mindless, menial, for the past few days. Nothing too pressing, due to a highly competent and skilled staff, no doubt. Which reminds me, they were due for a treat soon.

Perhaps a good lunch? Tacos or dessert seemed to be a clear winner among my jovial office, with TAP being their go-to for happy hour. A spontaneous treat would serve as another helpful distraction. Maybe everyone would be a little more productive. Or cheerful- at the very least.

An image of her soft, delectable skin working in her office flashes across my mind. Tight pants, revealing her shapely legs and an office-friendly shirt, unintentionally sexy. Just like her. Perhaps she was also thinking about me? A vision of her eating at the office with colleagues made me smile. What she was like around other people? Just as friendly or more outgoing? She did strike me as the more reserved type, but that depends on the office setting- of course. Perhaps she even went back to Tap. I pictured her cinnamon-colored lips turn upwards into a smile, then her kind demeanor while introducing some friends to the bar. The image of her and an imaginary man sitting at the table eating tacos turned I stomach a little more sour than I was willing to admit.

There went my focus. Again.

I pushed the image to the back of my mind, remembering the note I left in her pocket.

"Fate thinks you should call me," the note read along with my phone number. Somewhat romantic and slightly ironic, though I could've been misreading her signals?

She did seem to be a bit reserved when we met, her earth brown eyes sparkling but there was always something behind her smile and laugh. I could tell when it was genuine, but I could see that there was pain in between the lines. Her body language seemed open- enough. Still not completely relaxed but it was only a first date...

Unless she was just being polite. Had I mistaken her for flirting back? The playful banter for flirtatious?

Of course she didn't shy away from my touch, but it seemed natural and habitual. Like it belonged, surprising me, even. I didn't usually make a habit of touching strangers. Only my mother and people closest to me, but even then...

I was used to female attention, welcomed it, even. But not in the way that most my age would. Being close to my mother, watching her grow as she watched me, seeing the lasting effects the sperm donor left on her wasn't something I could forget.

Or live with myself as being.

Never.

It had the opposite effect on me, I being a magnet for the damsels in distress. Always knowing, subconsciously that I couldn't always save them. Finding myself attracted to her type the most, wanting to prevent it from happening all over again.

In a way, it was my drug. My tether to this world. My purpose. Feeling as though I was actually making a difference, never enabling as much as I wanted to believe...

But the aftermath of the situations were never quite perfect. Everything I could do was always slightly out of reach, or when it was, I'd become bored. Wanting the next person to save. Someone new to help or partially heal.

My own God complex. I chuckled at the thought.

But could she be like that? Would she be another I was only drawn to for potential problems?

Tap tap.

No, there had to be something....else.

She was a mom, yes. Not like I haven't dated a single mother before, or like I wasn't raised by one, but still. From the moment I saw her, I watched until I let the glass door hit me. I was all too gleefully knocking my to go box down and allowing the contents spill on the floor.

It was amusing, actually.

Not a sight you'd seen often, although with living in a city like Atlanta, it was easy to feel like you could see everything. Especially now, with my window overlooking the ever-crowded Peachtree Street, only a block away from her building.

I seized the opportunity to get her attention, also not something I'd done before, but not something I wasn't confident could work. It was hard laughing at the face she'd made, still beautiful, but her mouth forming a perfect "o" and eyebrows raised in shock. She was witty, quick to respond to my sly comments and the jokes I'd made. At the very least it was entertaining, a nice surprise. But I was still taken aback at how comfortable it felt. How the conversations flowed casually, not contrived. Even when we'd talk my own mother, something I didn't talk about often.

To the sound of her laugh, as her perfectly straight teeth made their appearance when she smiled. The way she would bounce as she ate her food, always moving slightly. Especially when she was cheerful.

Though I saw no hint of self-loathing. No depreciating jokes like those would normally make. The tell-tale signs of low self esteem in the way she carried herself- no.

She stood on her own, and proudly. This was a woman who was comfortable in her own skin. I wouldn't doubt it if she was highly skilled or even if she was an entrepreneur in her own right, especially since she worked in this area. You could just tell she was different...

"Sup Theo!" Jack called. I could see his blond hair making his way to my office before I saw him enter. "I was just going to order something for the office, need anything?"

"Nah, I was just about to order the Cabana Special," I replied, wiggling my brows.

Usually when we'd ordered food, it ended up being a buffet. With 50 people working in the office, it was surprising how close we'd gotten. The atmosphere was laid back, like family.

"Just don't get the beans this time," Jack joked, "I know we're family, but there were just some things that the whole office shouldn't hear."

"I'll see what I can do," I answered to his retreating back.

My eyes briefly flickered back to the window, taking in the open view. Of course, I could make my way down to the local Mexican restaurant on foot. Conveniently, the trip would mean that I could walk right by her building. Perhaps even stop by...

Seeing her surprised face again would make the trip worth it, but I know I wouldn't want to leave again. Never less, bring the team back their lunch. Another day. Another time might even be more convenient, and I wouldn't distract her from work. After hours would be a good idea. It would give me the time I needed. She was outside of her building after 4 last time, so I could conveniently happen to be outside of her building.

Could I be so bold as to just wait? Better that than to chance missing her. I glanced back at my calendar, seeing which date would be best. Today, I was attending a community event. Wednesday and Thursday were clear for the most part. My vacation starts Friday and I would be in Texas until next Wednesday.

So tomorrow it is.

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