Her face shuttered, emotion slipping into a cool mask.
“You don’t know me.” Her head shook solemnly. “The truth is, I’m never so open. I never … I’m not normally like this,” she finished.
“We cannot let this be the last time we talk to each other.”
“We’re from different worlds,” she said sadly.
This was more than just dancing and kissing. This felt like the most important thing. I couldn’t let her go without hope. There had to be more for us.
We walked in silence back to the front of her hotel.
“Thank you for a wonderful night, Sanders. I’ll never forget it.”
When I looked up at her, my sadness must have shown clear. She reached out and brushed a thumb over my cheek.
“I’m not ready for it to end,” I said.
“It’s not meant to be,” she said firmly but her voice shook.
I stood up straighter. My heart started to race with hope.
“My dad told me he knew the moment he met my mom she was the one. He was in Australia for a work trip and happened to pass her on the street. He literally stopped her just to talk to her.” Her eyes widened slightly at my words. “At first she told him it wasn’t meant to be. He always insisted luck brought them together because they happened to be at that exact place at that moment.”
“You make your luck in life,” she said.
“That’s what she told him!” I hadn’t meant to shout it but I was too excited to keep this locked down. How couldn’t she see that this connection was so real? I calmed my voice. “And so he stayed. Left his entire life for her. He showed up at her house every day for a month to help her dad on his farm. She called him ‘Farmer Charmer.’”
My voice tightened talking about my parents. They weren’t a topic I ever brought up, but if I didn’t try everything, I would regret it.
“That’s very sweet. They sound lovely. They really do.” She smiled softly.
“He never gave up and eventually they got married. They were meant to be.”
“But life isn’t destiny or magic.” As she spoke, she looked just past my shoulder, thinking about something that waited for her back home. “Life is about showing up and working hard.”
I grabbed her hands and squeezed them. “You feel this.” It wasn’t a question.
She let out a soft sigh before she met my eyes. “I feel a connection too. But look, our lives are totally different. We live worlds apart,” she said.
“I can’t believe our paths would cross like this only for this to be it.” I brought her closer to me. Her gaze flicked over my face and she dropped her head to my shoulder.
“I’m not one for blind leaps of faith. There’s a lot about me you don’t know.” Her voice was muffled and her body trembled against me.
I wrapped my arms tight around her. That tiny sign of emotion gave me hope that this was her fear talking. That she wanted more.
“Roxy,” I said. “Can’t we at least try?”
She straightened off me abruptly and stepped back. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ll get on my knees and beg.”
“Please, no. I don’t doubt that you would but this hurts me too. I’m just trying to be smart about this. If you believe it’s meant to be, then hold on to that. Okay? Maybe I’m wrong.” She fixed her fringe and spoke one last sentence. “I hope I’m wrong.”
I ran a hand over my mouth. I couldn’t speak, my emotions were too close to the edge. What else could I do? She needed to go. I wasn’t going to make her feel bad. Was this karma for my screwups?
“I’m going to go.” I closed my eyes against the pain as she spoke. “Thank you. You have no idea what this night meant to me. You’re amazing.” She pressed a palm to my cheek.
I leaned into the touch unable to watch her leave. When I opened my eyes again, she was in the lobby of the hotel. She looked back and her eyes shone as she gave me one last sad wave.
I stood there staring after her for longer than I cared to admit, hoping she’d come running out. But she never did. Whatever held her back was bigger than our instant connection.
I stumbled back across the street to the bar where my car was parked. My heart ached in my chest and I wondered how many hits it could take before it gave out.
Carillo’s was shut down for the night, the parking lot mostly empty. I was so lost in my head that I didn’t see Ty, the bouncer, until we practically bumped into each other.
“Sanders. What’s up, my brother from down under?” He pronounced under as “undah.”
“Hey, Ty,” I mumbled, getting my keys from my pocket.
“What’s wrong, man? I’ve never seen you frown before.”
“I met someone.”
“The girl from your work? I saw you talking.” He pointed to where I returned the jacket to Roxy. “I take it that things didn’t go so well.”
“Not so much.” I turned to go to my car when his words hit me. “What do you mean, from work? I just met her here tonight,” I said.
“Really? I assumed she was part of your crew since she gave me William’s name to get in.”
My head shot up. “She did?”
He looked around, my sudden shift in mood had him suspicious. “Yeah, she said she was with Outside the Box, or maybe she just said she knew him. Sorry, man, I see a lot of people in one night, I can’t remember exactly what she said.”
“I could kiss you!” I grabbed the big man’s shoulders and shook him.
He chuckled but backed away wearily. “Check with William. I’m sure that she said she
