Page 101 of For Eva

FIFTY-SIX

Eric

December 2008

“Just a black coffee.” I handed the cashier a twenty and stuffed the change into the tip jar on the counter. As I stepped back to let the next customer order, I caught the woman to my right peering at me out of the corner of her eye and whispering to the man she was with before flashing me a nervous smile.

Shit, I thought, diverting my eyes.Any other time. I swear, I wouldn’t mind. Just not now when I can barely fucking function.

“Hey, man, here you go,” the barista said, placing my cup on the counter.

I muttered a quick “thanks,” then headed to the back of the coffee shop, settling on a spot with a view of the door. I retrieved my cell from my pocket before draping my leather jacket over the chair and sitting down, my eyes darting between the entrance and the phone.

9:54 a.m.

Six minutes.

I was going to see Eva for the first time in nineteen years. From the way my leg bounced and my chest tightened every time the chime on the door rang, it was clear that my plan to have a moment of Zen before she arrived wasn’t working. I’d actually gotten there later than intended and had lost all ability to remain calm about the situation.

The vibration of my phone against the table nearly sent me out of my skin. I scooped it up, relieved to see it was the manager of the band I was working with rather than Eva calling to tell me she’d decided she didn’t want to see me.

“Hey, John, what’s up?” I said, glancing at the door.

“Eric, hey, sorry to bother you, but I, uh, wanted to let you know the guys were out pretty late last night. I definitely don’t want to inconvenience you or anything, but is there any way we could start an hour later in the studio today? It won’t happen again. They’re just excited, you know? This is the big city for them, and they may have…overdonethings a bit.”

“Fine. But tell them this is their one pass. I’m not making an album with a band that can’t even show up to the studio on time,” I said, adopting a serious tone even though I was laughing to myself thinking about how the years had caused the tables to turn.

“No, of course, I completely understand,” he assured me, his voice quavering a bit. “It won’t happen again.”

He continued to apologize for the band, but the sound of clanging metal, followed by a vision of soft blond waves spilling over a gray scarf, rendered me completely uninterested in anything else he had to say.

“Yeah, it’s fine, John. I gotta go.”

Time slowed as I dropped my phone on the table and watched her turn to the left, scanning the faces in front of her. Her eyes moved past me, then shifted back and met mine. She tilted her head and a soft smile formed on her lips.

I rose from the chair as she made her way through the room, everything still moving in slow-motion. She stopped at the edge of the table, dropping her purse in the chair beside her, and before I knew what was happening, she’d wrapped her arms around me, the warm scent of vanilla filling my head as her hair brushed against my cheek.

I wanted so badly to pull her into my chest, to feel her pressed against me, but I hesitated, worried I would make her uncomfortable. But while my mind was trying to figure out what to tell my body to do, she sank into me and rested her head on my shoulder. And that was all I needed. I breathed her in and held her so close that the years between us faded away.

Eva pulled back, her deep brown eyes brightening as her smile grew into a grin so full and beautiful it caused my stomach to flip.

“So notThe Matrix, right?” She took my hands into hers, and though her skin was chilled from the cold day, my body turned warm. “You’re here? This is really you?”

I chuckled, squeezing her hands. “It’s really me. And you’re really you?”

She laughed as she hung her purse on the back of her chair and slid into the seat. “It’s me. Just a million years older.”

“You look…” I paused and thought of all the ways I could describe her: absolutely stunning, still the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on, unbelievably fucking perfect in every way. I sucked in a breath, shaking my head as I sat across from her. “I know this is a thing people say sometimes to be nice, butJesus—you look fucking incredible.”

“Oh, wait, you obviously forgot your glasses. Here, you can borrow mine.” She pretended to unzip her purse before turning her attention back to me with a wink.

But I could see her clearly. Very clearly. And it was like looking at a fucking angel.

“Eva, I’m serious, I—” I had to force myself to stop staring at her. “Well, just believe me when I say it’s true.”

Her cheeks pinked, and she dismissed me with a wave of her hand. “Ugh, whatever. But look atyou. The short hair and this whole, like, stubble thing going on.” She reached across the table and ran a finger along my jaw, sending a chill up my spine.

Was it just my imagination or was her hand trembling?

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