A Drink
It a started with a drink. A nervous joke. A laugh. The joke hadn't been a very good one, but she laughed just to have something to do. She looked Tony over carefully, as he took another drink of his beer. There was something about him tonight, something that made her feel, well, attracted to him? Maybe she was just drunk? No, that couldn't be it - she'd barely had anything to drink at all.
Did she really have feelings for him? No, that was impossible. It was Tony, come on. He did an impersonation, this one was actually funny, and she laughed again. It seemed to boost his confidence, and he slowly relaxed back into his usual Tonyness, rather than the shell of a perfect person that he had been trying to project.
They continued to talk, mainly about work, because God knew they didn't have time for actual social lives. As they conversed, the nagging feeling that she liked him grew bigger and bigger. Should she say something? But after all, it was just a drink. Two adults chatting at a bar. It didn't have to escalate to something bigger. Maybe she didn't even want it to, it was hard to say.
He walked her home, a true gentleman. His beer seemed to have loosened him up a bit, just enough for him to not be as nervous as before. It was nice, the air was chilly, and they walked along in silence, watching the first few flakes of snow beginning to fall around them.
Now
there was no denying it, she was definitely falling for Tony. What
was it about him? His smile? His laugh? No, those were the things
that any woman could see in him, but there was something more for
her. As she glanced over at him, she realized what it was.
It was his eyes. Well, not just his eyes, but the brimming emotions
behind them. Every day, she watched those eyes, saw them face
murders, crimes and countless other of the world's cruel injustices,
but still those eyes shone, not with righteous anger, or fear, but
with love, laughter, and
compassion.
They reached her apartment and she looked into those beautiful eyes. Tonight they shone with something new, something she couldn't quite place. They said their goodbyes and she turned to enter the building. A warm hand on her shoulder stopped her, though, and she found herself once again staring up into his eyes. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into a kiss. She practically melted into his arms, and realized that this was that something that she had seen in his eyes. The snow was falling all around them as they kissed, and it had all just started with a drink.