Chapter 2: Nikki

Nikki stared at him, wondering if perhaps she should have just turned around and went home to work instead. The man before her was not all there, it seemed. “And mermaids are a hobby of yours?”

His eyebrows bunched together over his nose as he gave her another confused look. “Hobby? I don’t…Oh.” He laughed as it dawned on him what she meant. Or perhaps he laughed at himself for not getting her little joke. Nikki couldn’t tell, because she was having a difficult time figuring this frail-looking man out. “Actually, as I said, it’s research.”

“So, you’re a mermaid professor.”

He closed the book he was reading, using the pointer finger of his left hand as a bookmark. Leaning back in his chair, he gave her what she took as a patient smile. “I’m a writer. Besides a blog, I also write fantasy novels. I’m considering using mermaids in my next book and wanted to stick as close to the established legends as I could.”

She was staring at him, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. Why would an author be in the Perk & Grind? “You actually write books that can be found in bookstores? I could pop into a Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and see your name on the spine of a book?” She didn’t believe it. The man across from her did not look like a writer. There was no Ernest Hemingway or James Patterson vibe about him.

He nodded his head and then brushed his bangs out of his eyes with his fingers. “You can. Just look for Theo D. Edwards in the fantasy section. Hopefully, you enjoy the genre.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever read anything in it, but now I’m going to have to since I’ve met someone who writes it.”

He smiled at her, his eyes soft, inviting. “Well, hopefully, I will get to meet you again, so you can tell me what you thought about it.” He pointed to the stack of folders in front of her as he reached for his coffee mug. “And what are you working on this Tuesday night?”

Nikki took a deep breath as she was reminded of the work night ahead of her. “Nothing as exciting as the adventures of a mermaid. I work for an ad agency and have to finish the end of quarter reports. It’s a battle of numbers that constantly fight with me, refusing to balance like they should.”

“Ah, yes, numbers, the vilest villain in the modern world.” His laughter brought a twinkle to his dark, hazel eyes, the light reflecting off the gold flecks around his iris’s edge, and she found herself changing her first opinion of him. He still seemed odd, but now it wasn’t in a creepy, loner, serial killer kind of way. Now, he was a creative kind of quirky as many writers were said to be and she found herself enjoying it.

They continued to talk throughout the evening, only pausing long enough for Nikki to order a mocha frappe. The entire time Theo never removed his finger from the book as it rested on his lap, as if he were ready to return to his reading at any moment. It was almost as if he forgot he was even holding it. His right hand was a series of movements, however, from picking up his coffee mug, to continuously brushing his disheveled hair out of his eyes, to simple hand gestures as he spoke. He asked her a myriad of questions about her work, as well as herself, and every time Nikki attempted to turn the conversation back around to him, he would answer her question and then ask her one right back. “It’s not all that exciting,” he told her when she asked about being a writer. “I live in fictional worlds. You, however, you help sway the real world. Your ads make people buy something or get them to vote a certain way. Now, that’s exciting.”

And she could tell he actually meant it. He wasn’t just being nice. Even after she reminded him that she was merely a number cruncher, he wanted to hear more. He could have ignored her, gone back to his writing, but instead, he kept the conversation going. Before she knew it, they were on their third drink and her reports still had not been touched. She would regret it in the morning, but, at the moment, she didn’t want it to end. It had been too long since she had found someone who actually cared about what she did or how she felt about things. It was a nice change from having someone who only wanted to talk about themselves.

The noise level inside the Perk & Grind started to diminish. Glancing around, Nikki noticed more than half the customers had cleared out, heading for home or wherever else the night called them. A peek at her phone revealed the hour to be almost half past midnight. More than four hours! How in the world had the time slipped away from her that much?

Following her lead, Theo glanced around the coffee house and then at his cell phone. “Wow. I guess I wasn’t a big help with you getting your reports done. I’m sorry. Really. Once I start talking. I don’t know when to shut up.”

It wasn’t his fault. Nikki knew she could have shut him up at any time, but she had allowed herself to become lost in the conversation. She had to admit she needed it. Living alone was too quiet—except for her neighbor’s parties, that is. Oh, it was nice that first hour home from work, but after that, the silence was sometimes louder than the classic rock she played to drown out the quietness.

She let out a quiet sigh, realizing that the night was over. With reluctance and not regret, she slid her stack of untouched folders back into her briefcase. “Actually, it was an enjoyable night. I think I needed the company more than I needed to finish these reports. Thank you for allowing me to interrupt your research.” She stood and he stood with her.

Extending his arm, Theo took her hand into his. A simple handshake, but its warmth sent a tremor of excitement through her body. Human touch was about as scarce for her as conversation. He smiled at her and she felt herself wanting to stay.

“It was a refreshing evening,” he said. “And my research will always be there. I much preferred our conversation. I hope you don’t get into too much trouble at work.”

She squeezed his hand before forcing herself to let go. “It was worth it.” She returned his smile and then turned to leave, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do right then. At the door, she turned to glance back one more time and, to her surprise, he was still standing, watching her as she left. He gave a slight wave, which she returned with a smile before stepping out into the dark, quiet night.