Accidental Meeting (Accidental Hook-Up 3)

We’re here, I think, my emotions jumping all over the place. What the hell do we do now?

Chapter Twenty-Three – Tia

I don’t know if I should be here, honestly, I’m not sure what I’m doing. The six months in Iceland were supposed to have cleansed me, to help me get over this man, yet here I am still trying to seek him out.

And it seems that I have found him. I kinda knew that I would. I could feel it.

“Hi,” I mouth at him with a half wave of my hand. I can smile honestly at him now, it’s okay to do so. The last time we saw one another it was fraught and full of stress. There was too much pressure resting on the pair of us. It was too intense for people that had only just met one another and shared a short fling.

Going away was the best thing that I could have done. It forced separation on us. It made us re-evaluate. Now we can either start afresh with nothing troubling us, or we can walk away with a bit of clarity. But I do think that we need closure either way, so both of us can move on. I very much need that.

“Hello.” He looks understandably stunned at the sight of me. But he doesn’t have that same coldness. The last six months has thawed him out and it seems that he might be ready to face me.

I walk slowly and purposefully towards him, the memory of our first meeting flooding us. I smile to myself, recalling how different a person I was back then. I didn’t have a scrap of confidence to my name. I had a little bit of faith in my acting abilities but that was about it. In myself, I had nothing.

He changed that, he brought more out of me, but then he stripped it away when he shook his head at me. He turned me away at a pivotal moment in his life and that destroyed me. I understood it but it tore me apart. I went off to Iceland with my tail between my legs. But then I threw myself into the movie and when I wasn’t working I explored the country side and discovered more about myself. I feel like I am finally me at last. I’m strong enough to tackle anything. I no longer feel lonely and lost. I’m just doing me.

“Hey there,” I say in a teasing tone as I get close enough to him for him to hear me. “How’s it going?”

“Six months go by and that’s all you got for me? ‘How’s it going’?”

I laugh and take the seat beside him. The one that a beautiful woman vacated only moments before. I guess attracting gorgeous females will always be a part of his life. I wonder if he’s still a playboy…

“Got to start somewhere,” I tease. “So, why not ‘how’s it going?’”

“Fair enough,” he nods. “Let me order you a drink and we’ll catch up.”

I allow him to order me the same wine that I was drinking on the first night that we met and I take a sip. The moment of being still allows me to examine the crazy mix of emotions bursting and exploding through me like fireworks. They are all good, even if the anticipation is combined with a lot of terror. Just being in Shane’s presence has a wild effect on me. Again, I feel like I’m being brought to life.

“So, you have been in Iceland?” he asks. “I have seen some stuff about the movie.”

“I have, and it was wonderful. The nature there is off the scale.”

I can’t stop myself. I pull out my cell phone and scroll through the pictures I took whilst away. To his credit, Shane manages to sound genuinely interested as he looks through them all.

“How did the movie go?” he continues with his questions. “Are you going to be even more of a star?”

“That’s very much possible,” I giggle and agree. “I’m not too sure. We’ll see how it goes. It was a lot of fun anyway. I really enjoyed making it which I think is the main thing. How about you… are you still a star?”

He laughs, which was the reaction I was hoping for. That was a risky question, he could have quite easily taken offense to it. “No, no one is interested in me anymore which is good news.”

“Yeah?” I cock my head to one side curiously. “How are things with your family?”

“Really good actually. My mom and dad might actually be getting back together.”

“Oh yeah?” I laugh. “That’s awesome news. Your dad recovered well then?”

“Oh, from his injury? Yeah it was only a surface wound in the end so it was fine.”

“And the other guy? The one who kidnapped your mom?”

“He’s locked away now, unable to hurt anyone else ever again.”