He shrugged. “Don't get me wrong, I'd be happy to live my life without having to experience another one. But if it wasn't for that wreck, I wouldn't be sitting here right now with you. Seems to me like that's something worth praising.”
“I guess I never thought of it that way,” she said, as she slowly twirled the wine in her glass. “So how about this: here's to happy accidents, the kind that bring you some place that you'd never have expected. The kind that transform our lives for the better.”
Oliver stared into her eyes as she spoke, causing her to melt.
“I couldn't have said it better than that if I'd spent weeks rehearsing,” he said. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” Elsie lifted her glass and clinked it against his.
“This is the first sip of alcohol I've had in quite awhile,” Ollie said, after taking a drink of the wine. “In fact, the last drink I had was the night of the wreck, right before we left the club.”
Elsie drank some of hers and set the glass down. With a smile, she said, “They have boxed wine at the club? That must have been a fancy place you were partying at.”
Oliver laughed, seeming relieved by her joke. “Oh yeah, we only party at the best places. If they don't have boxed wine in the VIP section, we get the hell out of there.”
“A VIP section without boxed wine?” Elsie asked, playing along. “I can't imagine a place so barbaric.”
The two of them laughed and then began to eat their meals. There was a pleasant tension between them. Elsie could feel it in the air. There was a magnetic pull, drawing her toward the man across the table from her. It caused a tingling to shoot through her body, radiating from her core. It felt familiar. It was a similar sensation as the one she'd experienced when she'd given Oliver his back massage.
Maybe it was the sip of wine kicking in, or maybe it was the fact that they had the privacy of her apartment. Or, she thought, it could have simply been that the moment was finally right. But as she ate her meal, she couldn't stop thinking about how badly she wanted Oliver physically. And she knew that if it was going to happen between them, then this night would be the final chance.
“How's your food?” Ollie asked, interrupting her thoughts.
She swallowed her bite of sesame chicken, followed by another sip of red wine. “It's really good. Nothing is as good as the Thai chili pizza we had, though.”
“Agreed,” Ollie replied. “That pizza was amazing. I remember that night so well. It was the first time you came over that wasn't for therapy.”
“That was a strange evening for me,” she admitted. “It was the same night that I found out about my uncle's diagnosis.”
“How is he doing anyway?” Oliver asked.
“He's doing alright, given the circumstances,” Elsie said. “The doctors are trying to decide whether or not they should do surgery, or try chemo first and see if it shrinks the tumor. But, as is always the case with Uncle Frank, he's somehow in good spirits about the whole thing.”
“I wish him the best,” Ollie said. “I didn't get to meet him, but you've painted him as an amazing person.”
“Maybe you can meet him before you leave, if it works out.” Elsie swallowed another sip of her wine. It made her stomach feel warm and fuzzy, helping her to relax.
“I'm really going to miss you, Elsie,” Ollie said, setting down his fork. “It's kind of crazy how fast this time has flown by. I hope that we can stay in touch after I leave.”
“I hope so, too,” she said. “But I know you've got a pretty complicated life back home, so I understand if it doesn't happen. I'm well aware that most people don't live the simple, small-town life that I do.”
&n
bsp; Elsie fought back some tears. Every minute she spent with Ollie was another minute closer to him leaving. It was a double-edged sword. She wished she had some magic powers, something that could allow her to stop time and live in the moment forever. But forever wasn't an option. Not for anyone.
“Are you finished?” she asked, looking at his empty plate.
Ollie patted his belly. “Yes, I'm stuffed.”
He stood up and cleared the table, while Elsie finished her wine.
I could seriously get used to having a man around the house, she joked to herself. I feel so spoiled right now.
“What do you want to do next?” she asked. “I can put some music on and we can pretend it's the club? As long as we turn it down by ten, the neighbors won't mind.”
Oliver popped back into the living room. “How about we just relax on the couch for a minute and decide? I'd be up for watching a movie here. Just something simple. I don't really care what we do, I just want to spend the time with you.”
“That sounds great,” Elsie said, standing up from her chair.