“Hot date?” The words slipped out, teasing, but I was nosy.
He looked amused. “Not quite. A work commitment.”
“Ah, yes, you have things to fix,” I joked.
“Yeah, something like that.” Jules pulled a receipt out of his pocket and reached for my pen.
I watched him write his number and slide the paper across the table. “Just in case.”
I stared at the receipt. “In case of what? A digital emergency?”
“In case you want to continue this conversation, no pressure.”
I picked up the receipt and tucked it inside my notebook. “I’ll think about it,” I replied, noncommittal.
He stood, and his scent drifted my way. Sandalwood.
“See you soon. You’ll want to.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a statement of fact, delivered with such confidence I didn’t think to be offended by his presumption.
Then he was gone, and I realized I’d been holding my breath.
“Well, damn,” I muttered. What made him so sure I’d want to see him again, and why didn’t the thought of proving him wrong feel like a missed opportunity?
Later that night, I scrolled through my Facepage comments on my latest post about the upcoming new moon. My followers were deep in their feelings tonight, asking about divine timing and soulmates, which hit a little too close to home after today’s encounter.
@celestialbody, do you think some connections are predetermined?I stared at the question. Usually, I’d have an answer ready, but tonight, all I could think about was Jules.
I closed the app and reached for my journal, pulling out his phone number like some lovesick teenager. I placed the receipt back inside my journal and closed it. Not a no, but a not yet.
I pulled my knees to my chest. There was nothing supernatural about Jules. He was just a man, perceptive with unusual eyes. Still, there was nothing normal about him either. Normal men didn’t notice moonstone rings.
My phone pinged with a text from Toni.
Toni:
So?? Are you going to tell us about the mysterious man or what?
I smiled.
Me:
Nothing to tell, we shared a table.
The response was immediate.
Toni:
Bullshit. I want details tomorrow!
I set my phone down without responding.“See you soon. You’ll want to,”he said.
The annoying thing was, he was right. I did.
Notes App- Being seen is easy. Being felt is the hard part.
Zanaa’s stillnesswas noise I could hear even after I left the room. Like a song I couldn’t get out of my head that she continued to play on repeat when everything else went quiet.