What could go wrong?

It’s not like I hadn’t thought about him. I hoped I would see him in the crowd on my daily outings, but it has been four weeks since our humiliating encounter. I was happier than I wanted him to see so I look down the street like I had somewhere to be. I absolutely have nowhere to be… “I’ve been looking for you for a month, woman! You are like a ghost! “What??? Really??? “I’ve asked everywhere I stop, and you were either there the day before or not seen at all!” He tells me. Looking for me??? Interesting. I still got it! “I wanted to thank you for the shirt. It was very unnecessary, but I am grateful. “Oh, thats why… “It’s the least I could do. I did ruin the one you were wearing.” “And as I said that day, it was a small price to pay. Can I buy you a drink? Do you have somewhere to be?” There it is! Yes, girl! You still have it! I consider lying and playing hard to get but I dont. Something about those eyes. I can’t lie to him so I tell him my day is free, and a drink would be lovely. “Eat, Kate. Don’t drink without eating today.” I remind myself. “I have the perfect place” he tells me and then spins me around and says,” Looks like your seat is open. I’ve been wanting to be a part of your people watching past time since I saw you that day.” So, we walk up the stairs, order our drinks from Andy and take a seat at the ledge. He watches me intensely as I scan the street. It is kind of intimidating but motivating at the same time. I almost feel bad about myself. A little but it’s just me… Kate Sullivan. Asshole extraordinaire. “Him.” I discreetly point. “That man has walked in and out of that building three times. Who is he fighting with? Is he forgetting something? Is he high? Is he late to something? He is wound pretty tightly. I think it is all of it! His lady is throwing a temper tantrum over something he did last night, and he has to return the car to the rental company and catch his flight back to Memphis and she is stressing him out. Coke hangover is my guess.” Jake laughs and shakes his head. How do you come up with that after watching a guy for two minutes?” “Humans. We are all predictable. Everyone is just so self absorbed that we do not pay attention to each other. It does take everything I have to not go up and ask him if I’m right though!” He smiles and points out a woman in an oversized cover up with a silk screen silhouette of a body a third of her size. “Her. What is her story?” I watch her for a minute and slowly exhale with my thoughts in place. “Shes married to the bearded guy in the flag shirt. They married young. A few kids that are grown now. He’s in the union Pipefitter, probably. He cheats on her with any dive bar barfly that he can coax into bed after three shots of fireball. She knows and drinks alone. A lot. She is sad and this vacation is her chance to woo him back. But she will not. She will be passed out at the hotel by seven and he will end up at Sloppy Joes looking to score”. “That’s depressing as hell”, he says. “That’s small-town America, my friend. The Midwest is full of couples like that” We go on for another hour watching and discussing the passerby and their hypothetical lives until he looks at his watch and asks” Do you like Rum?” Do I like rum??? “My most successful relationship, Sir, is with a pirate named Captain Morgan.” He laughs again and we begin our walk down Caroline St. I’m a Hemingway junkie. It’s not so much his talent in writing but his excruciating self harm and the way he bleeds into his stories. Pilar is a rum distillery. It’s named after one of Key West's most famous and tragic resident’s boat. The name Pilar is the nickname of Ernest Hemingways second wife and also a gypsy heroine character in his novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” The name obviously was meaningful to him. Walking into this establishment was like walking into a time capsule. A jazz band played. The singer wore a flapper dress which is more 20’s attire but A+ for effort, girl! The nostalgia of the clarinet and ambience of this place! Hemingway is everywhere. Framed news articles. Artifacts. Pictures. I am in awe. Jake orders two glasses of Papas Reserve. I take a sip, closed my eyes and held the rum in my mouth letting my taste buds take the journey through the cane fields and vanilla orchards. This was some remarkable rum! I finally swallow and open my eyes which lock into Jake’s as he is leans in close. He inhales my breath. “You somehow make it sweeter, Kate Sullivan. I am enchanted”. I do not know what to say. I am entranced in those damn eyes! So, I just stare. Speechless. “Take another sip, Kate.” So, I do. I hold the rum in my mouth like before and slowly swallow it, never breaking eye contact and Jake leans in, kisses me and inhales at the same time. What in the actual fuck is happening right now??? Time stops. The music fades and there is only this man and this kiss. This unbelievable long public kiss with a stranger. His hand is on the base of my neck, and he stares into my eyes like he can see my soul. I think he can! Jake cocks his head, with a confident smirk and says, “I need to feed you, Kate. Let’s go find some grub” Good plan, Jake. Let’s do that before I faint on this cobblestone floor.