So far the pleasure had been hers? Well that was good to hear. But it seemed to be my day for saying stupid things. “That’s unfortunate.”
I could see the annoyance building in her eyes. Two words, with two simple words I had undone some of the friendship I had managed to build. Two stupid words! Wait a second, was I really gathering information for the tournament when this conversation began? Focus, Marcus. Focus. I was just about to explain my comment when she straightened her head and seemed to size me up with those flashing, grey eyes. “Why is that?”
She could slip between emotions about as easily as I could breathe, good to know. But that calmness was more distracting than any kind of emotion would have been. Wait a second, could this all be an act? Could she be probing me for my reactions? Or is she just very particular? If she was playing me she was good, and at that moment I preferred to think of her as that good, which meant I needed to pretend like she really was offended. So what to say to pull my foot out of my mouth? “To me, a simple name like Bella does nothing to signify or enhance your beauty.”
Well if she was trying to play me she certainly knew enough to get all of the details right. Because the storm that had been brewing in her eyes began to die down bit by bit. Raising an eyebrow she leaned towards me, whispering so I had to strain to make out the comment. “You do know that my name actually means beautiful, right?”
Well that was a news to me, so I shook my head and her eyes bulged out just enough to let me know that she was dubious about my convenient lack of knowledge. But she went on, “You’re either a brilliant flirt…”
“Or?”
“Or the luckiest man alive that those were the words that came out of your mouth.”
As if I was offended I asked, “Did you think I was going to say something else?”
With a wry smile she waved that finger in front of my face as she answered. “Marcus, Marcus, Marcus. We’ve only just met. So please tell me what I was supposed to think you were going to say.” After inhaling with deliberate slowness she sighed heavily and said with a wink, “Though you had been making the most pleasant contradictions, so I guess I should have had some clue. But do you know what you’ve shown yourself to be very good at?” She asked. When I shook my head she told me. “You’ve shown yourself to be quite good at provoking strong emotions in me.”
“Well that could be good or bad.”
“Good?” She asked with incredulity in her eyes.
“I managed to capture your attention, haven’t I?” Smiling back at me I could tell that she was on the verge of blushing again. Or was she? Well even if she was playing me I really was good at evoking strong emotions from people.
With a wry smile she replied quickly. “That you did, but what makes you think it’s a good impression?”
“The fact that you’re still here.” I replied flatly. She was just starting to scrunch up her eyebrows when I explained my logic. “You don’t seem unwilling to just get up and leave if I offend you. In fact you’ve tried to do just that a couple of time so far.”
“But that…”
“Granted you could be sitting here just to listen to me prattle on in the hopes that you’ll find something that you can use against me in the tournament.” She offered me a very playful grin as if to ask me, so which one is it? “In truth, I don’t know. But I have a gut feeling that you’re mostly a good person.”
“Mostly?”
Shrugging my shoulders I offered the first response that leapt to my mind. “No one is ever wholly good.”
“Is that so?”
“Okay almost no one. Is that more accurate for you?”
“What makes you think that I’m not one of the good ones?”
“Personal experience.”
“Personal experience?”
“Yes, personal experience. If you go about in life expecting the worst of everything then when things don’t go the way you expect, you’ll only ever be unpleasantly surprised.”
“Okay, but…”
“Now as for why you’re here, if I’m going to assume that you’re mostly good then you wouldn’t stoop to just scoping me out before the tournament. So if that’s not the reason why you’re here then you must enjoy the company.”
Laughing she looked at me and shook her head. Her laughter seemed to flow naturally from her, like she did it a lot. “Well despite your measuring stick. You are a good person, Marcus. It would be nice if we could become friends.”
“I’d certainly like that.” I replied as she started to lean toward me.
But she rocked back when one of the other chairs was pulled out from under the table as someone asked, “Would I be able to join you two?” The voice was slightly raspy as if he had been sick just a few days ago, or was that how he always sounded? Either way that voice sent a shiver down my spine.
Without waiting for an answer the man sat down and made himself at home, which made me instantly dislike him. And it was not just because he had interrupted a very private conversation or that he had been rude enough not to wait for a reply. There was just something that I couldn’t stand about his bearing. So when I answered him I may have used more sarcasm than I should have. “By all means join us…” I paused and started to spin my fingers in his direction, silently prompting him for his name.
“Ohhh… that’s right. My name’s Patrick Wallace. Now I know Bella here but I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet.”
“Marcus.” I replied curtly. Like I said, I really didn’t like the man.
Placing his beer back on the table the man clapped his hands together with evident cheer, “Now that we’re all introduced, hopefully we can become friends.”
“Well isn’t it my lucky day.” I said as I shifted my martini just to make sure that my dripping sarcasm wouldn’t fall into it.