She sat down across from him, surprised to find that he too was early. She was never on time herself. In fact, one of her biggest vices was that she was always late. For some reason however, she had gotten ready in a hurry and made it to the café with about 15 minutes to spare. She had expected to have a few minutes to herself to calm her nerves and maybe even smoke a cigarette or two before he arrived.
“Glad you could make it.”
Jessica wanted to reply but strangely found herself unable to. Instead she forced a smile, her expression a mixture of both awkwardness and nervousness.
Nick noticed her blue eyes as they flitted back and forth between his face and the table. There was a sadness about them and something that he could best describe as a mysterious glimmer. He was certain that there was definitely more to her than met the eye. For a moment Nick was enthralled by her eyes, desperately trying to read them.
“So Nick, you invited me here. What are we going to talk about?” she asked her voice surprisingly confident as she smiled again. This time her smile was only slightly more genuine but the tone of her voice almost made it seem as though she were challenging him. Challenging him to say something crude or inappropriate so that she could get up and walk out of there. She had promised herself that the moment he said or did something that made her feel uncomfortable she would be gone. She wasn’t even quite sure why she was here in the first place.
“Tell me about yourself,” he said simply. It worked an all the girls he dated. When they arrived they pretended to be demure but the moment they were given the chance to talk about themselves, they were off and running.
“There’s really nothing much to tell,” she whispered back, suddenly very uncomfortable. “I’m actually a pretty boring person,” she said nonchalantly, a nervous laugh escaping her throat.
Apparently it wasn’t going to work on her. “Somehow I don’t believe that,” he responded.
She looked up expecting to find a smile upon his face but insteadhis expression was one of utmost seriousness. She felt stifled by his gaze and quickly looked away.
“Why don’t you tell me about yourself?” she asked, her expression one of false brightness.
“There’s really nothing much to tell. I’m actually a pretty boring person,” he said, a smirk upon his face as he mocked her.
Despite charming smile that was plastered upon his face he was uncharacteristically nervous. Another one of his rules was that he never talked about himself on dates. The moment his date learned that indeed he was the son of one of the most prominent business tycoons in New York, they suddenly became a lot more interested in him.
“Somehow I don’t believe that,” she countered with her first genuine smile of the day.
They shared a laugh and Nick couldn’t help but notice the way her entire face lit up when she smiled. There was a brief pause between them giving Jessica just enough time to note that she felt very much at ease with him. It was like they were long lost friends or something. It was unnerving however as she hadn’t felt comfortable around anyone since she had moved. No matter whom she met, even if it was just in passing, she couldn’t help but be suspicious of them. Somehow though, as she sat across from Nick she wasn’t the least bit suspicious.
Nick watched her intense gaze carefully. Usually the only time a girl looked at him like that was because she was trying to get him into bed with her. None of them ever looked at him like that on a first date. On dates they barely paid any attention to him. At least they didn’t pay attention to what really mattered. They always noticed his fast car, muscled body and expensive clothes but never the far-away look in his eyes or his often cool, nonchalant exterior. Somehow however, Nick had already ascertained that Jessica was very different from all the other girls. She didn’t seem the type to be attracted or interested by fancy cars and expensive clothing. He guessed that she couldn’t care less who his father was or how big the Carter empire was. Then again, Nick learned that appearances were often deceiving. You really could never be sure about anything.
For a moment, Nick felt a sense of unsettling confusion within him. At once, he wasn’t sure how to act around her. He didn’t know what to say or do.
“Can I ask you a question?” she said breaking him from his reverie. He nodded his assent, strangely unable to find his voice.
“Why did you really follow me that night at the club?”
He cleared his throat loudly, taken aback by her forwardness. He hesitated before answering her, a series of conflicting emotions running through him. He couldn’t very well tell her the truth could he? At the this point, he wasn’t even sure what the truth was. All he could remember was this all-encompassing, powerful feeling which had driven him to follow her. He couldn’t explain it even after hours of contemplation.
“ I don’t –“ he began, his voice low as he paused. “I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. He watched her expression in silent contemplation, part of him expecting her to just get up and leave.
Jessica eyed him inquisitively aware of his penetrating gaze but yet somehow unfazed by it. His answer, although not what she had been expecting, was strangely satisfactory. She intuitively sensed that Nick was aware of his many charms and often used them to his benefit. But also somehow decided that this time he was telling the truth. Possibly it was the simplicity and sincerity of his answer. There was no long-winded explanation, no attempts at justification. Just a plain, simple, honest answer.
Nick cleared his throat, breaking the silence between them. “New York is great, isn’t it?” he asked unenthusiastically.
She nodded in reply, forcing a nervous smile. Inwardly she cringed at the prospect of idle chit chat. Invariably it would lead back to North Hempstead and why she had left. That was definately something she did not want to talk about.
“I’m sure you’ve had a chance to tour the city by now,” he remarked, silently praying that the conversation would soon pick up.
“Not exactly,” she said carefully.
He was amazed by the coolness with which her words were delivered. Her eyes however betrayed her composed demeanor. There was more than a hint of nervousness in them as they flitted from his face to the table. “Work?” he probed somehow intrigued by her apparent nervousness.
“Actually I don’t work,” she said slowly. She hesitated slightly before adding “I just haven’t had time to find a job yet.”
He nodded calmly, vaguely remembering that she had told him that she had been in town for a few months already – ample time to go job hunting. They both knew she was lying.
As Nick sat across from her he decided that just as easily as she had fed him the lie, for her sake he too could ignore it.
He watched her closely as he rested casually against the side of a nearby building. He was disguised only by his casual appearance and an assumed look of unimportance.
His eyes followed her lithe figure as she slowly entered the building. Observantly they noticed that she outwardly carried herself with grace and confidence yet there seemed to be a slight almost unnoticeable hesitation in her step. He also quickly noted the way she clutched her purse tightly to her chest, her free hand fidgeting nervously with a lock of blonde hair.
As the last of her retreating figure disappeared through the glass doors of the building, he glanced down at his watch. 2:26. He made a mental note of the time also taking notice of the fact that she was alone. He would definitely be back tomorrow.