Page 16 of The Call of Azure (Unexpected Love #3)

What in the hell just happened? I stand, frozen in place and staring at the street corner where the gorgeous man disappeared behind a building after literally snatching his dog out of my arms and practically running away like hellhounds were snapping at his heels.

I stare for way longer than I’d like to admit.

It’s not like I’m going to be able to will him to come back just by hoping, but I’m too stunned to remember that normal people don’t just stand and stare down the sidewalk like they can see ghosts or are having a stroke.

I have absolutely no idea how to process what just happened, and no clue why we shifted so abruptly from laughing together to him running away.

Okay, obviously it was because I asked if he wanted to grab coffee, but it’s a bit strange that could have scared him off so quickly.

I know virtually nothing about him, but he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who scares that easily.

I mean, he was wearing a burgundy silk corset to walk his dog in the middle of the summer.

That takes a level of bravery I definitely don’t have and can barely begin to fathom, and I’ve spent time in actual war zones.

I don’t think it’s that he finds me unattractive or annoying to spend time with.

He’s the one who approached me in the bar the first night we met, and he was laughing and complimenting me before he ran just now.

I mean, having the attention of a man like him focused on me makes me uncomfortable, sure, but he seemed to be having a great time for a second.

Maybe he doesn’t remember that we’ve met before, and he just doesn’t like it when strangers ask him to get coffee?

After all, our encounter was quick, and it was a dimly lit club.

I recognized him in an instant, but it’s possible I’m just more forgettable than he is.

Oh my god, maybe he does remember, it was a terrible experience, and he just didn’t know how to tell me.

He didn’t seem like it was a bad experience when he kissed my cheek and took off that night, but he could just be a really good actor or have felt bad for me.

Maybe he’s just that scared of commitment?

It’s not like I was asking for more than a few more minutes of his time to get to know him; grabbing coffee with someone isn’t quite the same thing as asking someone to get married.

Still, I suppose that could be it. I really wish I could come up with an explanation that offers a bit more optimism or hope after his cartoon-like exit, but everything I can come up with leaves me believing that if we ever find ourselves in the same position again, he’ll try to hide behind a pillar or large plant in order to avoid talking to me.

Anyone else would probably take that as a sign that the guy is one hundred percent off-limits and put any fantasies they’d been harboring about their hot hookup a year ago firmly aside now that they’ve realized he’s either too scared of commitment to even have a conversation or he’s batshit crazy.

Not me though. I’m a sucker for punishment, I suppose, because all today’s encounter has done is leave me even more intrigued.

What does he do for a living? Where does he get his fancy shirts?

I’ve never seen anything like them in stores.

Probably because I grab T-shirts and Henleys in bulk at the same giant warehouse store I get groceries when I don’t have time to hit the organic market with the good produce, but I still want to know where he gets his.

Why is his dog named Cupcake? There has to be a story behind that, and I’m willing to bet it’s a funny one.

He seems like the kind of guy who has funny stories.

The few moments we spent together today were the absolute opposite of those we spent together the first time we met, yet I’ve enjoyed every one of them.

He’s vibrant and confident and sassy. He’s everything I’m not, and I find that far too fascinating to simply forget about him, even if running away is a pretty clear sign that he’s not interested in spending any more time with me, even as a friend.

In a city this size, unless you run in the same circles or live in the same area as someone else, your paths aren’t likely to cross often.

Every day, new customers visit the bakery for the first and last time, even though we have the best sourdough bread and German chocolate brownies in the city.

Some are looking to eat every sugar-filled carb they can find while they’re on vacation or in town on business for a few days.

Some have found themselves across town interviewing for a job they don’t get or checking out an apartment they won’t end up renting.

Three-quarters of a million people call this place home, all of them going about their lives every day without giving much thought to the fact there are so many interesting people hovering in their periphery.

So many stories swirling close enough to touch that they’ll never get to hear.

So many connections that might just change their lives that are missed by one minute, one wrong turn, one held breath.

For a few weeks after that night at the club, I kept my eyes open everywhere I went, because I never want to be the type of person who misses something or someone important just because they aren’t paying attention.

And for some reason, even though we’d only stolen a handful of moments, this man felt important.

Hell, I’m not ashamed to admit that I even went back to the club twice more on the off chance that he’d be back.

It was my first time there after all. For all I knew, he was there every weekend on the prowl, and I was simply the lucky man he chose for one night.

Eventually, I let go of the hope that I might see him again, and the memories of his scent and his skin and his lively brown eyes shifted from…

maybe I’ll get to experience them again one day…

to pure fantasy. Now, though, everything has changed.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that I’ll never see him again - for the second time - but the tiniest ember of hope has sparked back to life.

After all, he said his friends just moved in a few blocks away.

Maybe if I’m lucky, the universe will let me run into him again.

When I finally manage to pull my attention away from the now-empty street corner, I’m struck by the astonishing realization that I’m…

okay. Even if I never see him again, I’m thankful that I did today, because somehow, between the feisty little dog trying to climb up my leg and the way he’d charged toward me filled with adrenaline and determination before softening into laughter and cheekiness, the pair of them was enough to pull me out of my panicked spiral.

I still don’t feel completely normal. There is a light buzzing under my skin, and I still want to sink under the water until my anxiety washes away, but I don’t think I need to rush to the aquatic center anymore.

Instead, I think I’ll head home and linger in a long bath with a cold beverage and closed eyes, and if my mind wanders to thoughts of animated brown eyes and a strong body in flowing silk and tight, tight corsets… well…maybe that will help too.