"Hardly. College acquaintances. I am not even sure how they thought of inviting me as well. Or why I even agreed. It isn't like I had any obligations. Or like any of them had shown up for my wedding."
"You are married?" he asked, sounding surprised, and I noticed how his eyes drifted to my hands, looking probably for a ring.
.
"Technically I'm divorced. Another great decision I should have skipped out on. Seems like bad decisions are following me everywhere," I admitted, about to roll my eyes. "I was married to my ex-husband for a total of six months before I found him engaged in extramarital activities. The only good thing is that we got married in Vegas – as cliché as it sounds – and therefore I could easily get an annulment and therefore wasn't forced to fork over huge amounts of money for a divorce."
"A Vegas wedding?" he asked, looking amused. "Somehow I had figured you for someone less cliched."
"Like everything else in my life, it came down to money, to be honest. And it sort of was Dickie's idea. The whole Vegas and Elvis thing seemed to excite him more than I ever did."
"Please don't tell me you got officiated by an Elvis-impersonator."
"I'm afraid so. It wasn't even as bad as it sounds. I mean, I wouldn't have picked it myself, but somehow it was fun. Or maybe the fun was more due to none of our parents being around. We sold it as a spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment kind of thing."
"I take it, it wasn't?" he asked, and I shook my head, thinking back to my marriage. Hadn't thought about that for a while.
"Dickie planned it for months and as sad as it sounds, our wedding date was purely based on when airfare was the cheapest. What makes things even worse or sadder is that Dickie is a lawyer. And while he isn't one of these cooperate, 300-dollars by the hour ones, he wasn't doing bad. So, a pricier flight date wouldn't have been completely unreasonable."
I could see from the confusion on his handsome features that my answer hadn't been what he had assumed about me. "You let a guy pick your wedding date based on when flights were the cheapest? I mean, I get that people don't have a whole lot of input when it comes to the date and for most people, the actual date isn't as important as long as the season or month is right. But… that must be the first time I heard your reasoning. And I have been to a ton of weddings."
"Can we get back to the point where I said smart decisions might not be my forte?"
"I take it you weren't one of these bridezillas?"
I needed to laugh at his comment. "Hardly. I think all in all I spent 200 dollars on this wedding, flights excluded. And in a weird way, I found it great. No real planning, not an endless list of guests and trying to please everyone. It was just him and me, and that was it.
No extravaganza and over-the-top celebrations that would require a loan to pay for everything. It was more or less broken down to what was important."
"While I get what you are saying, there is a difference between being cheap and breaking things down to necessities. Surely this wasn't your dream come true?"
"It wasn't, but I made the best out of it. I mean, imagine how much it would have sucked to pay for some lavish wedding and then getting divorced after half a year. That would have sucked way more than getting married the way I did. Especially considering how a lot of people these days take out loans to pay for their over-the-top weddings. Imaging tying the knot, then finding out your husband is cheating on you with some arch-nemesis of yours, you get a divorce and still end up paying years later for the loan you took out. That would suck…. A whole lot more. But… enough about me. What about you? Is there a wife or girlfriend who'll wonder when you'll return to her?"
He laughed for a solid minute, and I wasn't sure what exactly was so entertaining about my question. "I'm not the marrying-kind of guy and I'm not even sure whether I'm the relationship-kind of guy either. My life can get rather complicated, and I am what people would probably classify as a workaholic. I keep odd hours and, on some days, I let my job dictate my life. There are moments when I need to leave instantly and avert a crisis, and that can be hard to explain to a partner. Sure, the first time she'll understand, the second time as well as the third time, too. But after that? They get a feeling of being second choice."
"How can someone not be a relationship-kind of guy?" I wondered. "I get if you are an ass or an arrogant bastard, self-centered and just terrible all over, but… the hours we have been together didn't display any of that. Either you are selling yourself short or you are an incredibly good actor. Even more impressive really when you think about that there isn't really anything in it for you."
"Who says I'm not being a nice guy just to get lucky?" he asked, and I had to admit, with everyone else, this could have been the truth coated in a joke. But with him? There seemed to be something genuine. Or maybe it had been such a long time since I had been with a guy that I didn't see warning signs. Wouldn't be the first time, to be honest.
"With the way you look? I don't think you even have to try to get lucky. Women probably come flocking to you left and right," I laughed. And it was true.
"I would lie if I didn't agree when it comes to women, though I wouldn't call it flocking."
"You are a piece of work," I laughed, almost admiringly. Rarely have I actually met anyone who could measure up to Carlos' sex appeal and most likely never have I run into someone who was hot as well as some kind of modest. The general rule with hot guys seemed to be that they knew it. And that they let you know that they knew.
"I think I just have different priorities in my life. Priorities that don't match with the ones most women have."
"Okay, now you have me curious. What are your priorities and what do you think women want?" I asked and reaching for my water glass just to find it empty
"I am fully invested in my job and business. And while I wouldn't say I can't make time for women and relationships, most women don't tempt me as such. I always believed that you should want to spend time with someone because it is your desire and wish and not because you have to since you are dating or… whatever you are doing."
"Seems logical. Everything you are forced to do usually ends in drama and not a happy ending. So, what about women's priorities? I guess time was one of them? Or maybe more along the lines of attention?"
"Maybe one or the other, but I seemed to have attracted women with a few askew priorities in their lives. Mainly owning the newest model of some designer bag, being able to call a specific address of their home and finding someone to foot the bill for all of it."
For a moment there was silence, since I didn't know how to exactly respond. It wasn't the statement itself, or the shock that there were people like that, but rather the fact that there were so many. And they all ran into him.
"While that certainly sucks and has me feeling bad for all sorts of reasons, is this why you think you are not made for relationships? Because some superficial women who saw more value in money than a good guy stumbled into your life?"
He laughed for a moment, making me wonder whether my outrage was the reason or my actual reasoning. "I'd like to say yes, but it is a little more complicated. My job brings certain risks with it and demands a lot of my time and attention. I wouldn't want anyone subject to the down sides of my life and job as well as giving them a feeling they need to compete with others for my time."
His arguments rang just too true, and while I certainly didn't lead a busy life, I knew people who did. But none of them seemed to have ever spared a thought about the people in their lives, mainly their partners. Not the way Carlos seemed to do, anyway.
"So, what now?" I asked after the last bit of wine had been finished and the waiter had cleared our table seemingly hours ago.
"Assuming the weather hasn't improved in the past hours, I'd say it is back to the hotel room. You could browse whatever the TV has to offer. Or call your parents, who seem to be as involved as when this started."
"And what about you?"
"I have my laptop with me and can work. Also, I might need to call in to my office. I definitely won't have any problems staying busy and for me, it doesn't matter whether I work from the office or remote."
"If… if you need me to give you some space so you can make your calls, just let me know. I don't want you to bend over backwards, trying to find some quiet time to touch base with your employer. The last I want is for them to assume this stopover might not be as unplanned as it actually is."
"While you concern and worry is nice to have, it is unfounded. No one will think anything about it. Especially since this trip was stowed upon me rather last minute and I begrudgingly accepted."
"I don't think I ever asked, but what do you do job wise? If you don't mind me asking."
"Does 'helping pretty females in distress' count as answer?" he asked playfully and with a flirtatious tone. I grinned at his question for no apparent reason and wasn't even bothered by the fact that he made this sound like I was a walking catastrophe. Well… maybe that later part was only in my head and only because on some days I actually felt like it.
"Now I'm really curious," I said, sitting back in my chair.
"I'm… I guess to some degree I do help people in distress," he mused after a while, seeming amused by the thought he had. "But not just pretty women," he clarified. "I'm in security."
"Like concerts and… bouncers at bars? Or more the range of bodyguards?" I asked, and couldn't help to notice his surprised expression.
"Yes and no," he just said, confusing me. How could it be both? Before I could ask, he clarified. "It's concerts and technically bouncers at a bar, as well as providing personal security, but… that more or less just stretches the surfaces of what we do. We provide also security systems to businesses and private property, secure venues of the political and social range and work also closely with various… government institutions."
"Does that last comment mean that you are some kind of James Bond?" I asked, astonished, realizing a moment later how stupid I probably sounded. Sure, and if he was, he definitely would confirm it to you. For sure. Eyeroll anyone?
He laughed at my question for a solid minute. But not in a "haha, you are so funny and that joke is hilarious'-way, but rather as I was amusing him.
"I don't think so, Babe," he said, still amused. "I don't really have fancy cars or various toys on my assignments and certainly no Bond Girl waiting for me at the end of the day."
"What?" I asked, in mock-shock. "No gorgeous leggy blonde waiting for your return at nightfall?"
I heard him laugh at my shock and saw him shack his head in some form of disbelief.
"You are more than welcome to audition for the part. Seeing as you already bring the part of gorgeous and leggy with you, we just need to work on the blonde. But I'm flexible," he replied, a smile still gracing his lips. I joined in the amusement, wondering when someone had called me gorgeous last.
"Well, whether or not you have toys and fancy cars, you certainly seem to lead a somewhat exciting life."
"I do alright," he said, shrugging and seeming unbothered. "Though I can guarantee you, it is more paperwork and headaches than beating up bad guys."
"Do you enjoy it, though?" I asked after a moment of silence.
"I do. But I technically also don't know anything else. I've been in the military for a long time and when I got sort of out, I started in the security business. So, it is hard to say whether I'd enjoy being an… accountant or lawyer. Probably not, since that would mean I'd be behind a desk all day every day, but… I only know this one thing."
After his statement, there was silence. A comfortable silence where neither actually needed to speak and at one point or another the waiter returned with water, despite the fact that we had technically finished and paid the bill. But neither of us seemed like they wanted to get up. And let's be honest, where would we go to anyway? The hotel room was pretty much the only thing that considered a destination. So.. we just sat in silence and waited for things to come.