5 - Give him a chance

It's him.

A coincidence?

It probably was.

There was no other explanation for it as she readily recognized the man even in the dim lights. It was him, no doubt about it.

On the other hand, what if it was fate?

The idea suddenly popped into her head. "Hmm!" That was something she would have never considered, especially after her heartbreak.

She had become a pessimist. She had stopped believing in fairy tales and destinies when none of her wishes and dreams ever came true.

Instead, she had to deal with the reality of disappointments, one after another.

"Nah, who was she kidding?" She silently mumbled, keeping her thoughts to herself.

A man like him would never be interested in a girl like her. Well, at least, not seriously, remembering what Collin had done to her.

He might look interested, but she believed it was superficial. He would only play with her feelings and throw her away like trash once he had his fun.

"Don't be ridiculous, Anna. He is not interested in me." She dismissed her friend's suggestion, ignored the man's stare, and continued dancing.

But still, she could not help but wonder why he made such an impression on her. She had never forgotten their encounter since she had bumped into him, especially his face and expressive eyes.

"Are you sure about that?" Her friend sounded doubtful. "I swear he looked like he could not take his eyes off you."

"You're just drunk, Anna. You're seeing things." She did not want her friend to develop some crazy ideas.

But if she was being honest, she believed something about him kept her intrigued, but she could not pinpoint what.

Strangely, though, thinking about him distracted her from dwelling on her broken heart. Truthfully, she did not know if that was a good thing or not.

"Hey, Charlie, I think he is coming over," Her friend excitedly said a few minutes later, giggling beside her as they returned to the bar to order another drink.

Before she could react, she had already felt his overwhelming presence as his clean, crisp, woodsy perfume wafted in the air and went straight to her nose.

Damn! His scent! It was so freaking intoxicating.

It seemed his aroma had a peculiar, masculine fragrance that she had somehow associated only with him. She could not help but feel drawn to him, even if that was the last thing she wanted.

"Fuck it! Charlie. Snap out of it. Stop daydreaming." She silently chastised herself for entertaining her unwarranted thoughts.

Quickly, she shook her head, thinking she must be more drunk than she realized. How else could she explain her uncharacteristic behavior around this stranger?

"So, we meet again." The distinct, confident, manly voice resonated in her ears as he stood, too close for comfort, behind her at the bar.

Damn it! That husky tremble in his tone had her body shaking like a leaf.

Even his voice had become quite familiar.

What was it with this man that had her enthralled and enchanted? Indeed, there was no doubt he was a charming man, but she thought she was already immune to his kind.

She believed she had met more attractive and fascinating men than this man in her line of work. Still, he appeared different as he had captured her undivided attention.

Oh, be damn!

Oddly, he had piqued her interest. At least enough to captivate her. But still, she could not let her guard down around this man as alarming bells rang inside her head.

"Wait! You two knew each other." Her friend curiously asked as she looked between her and then at the unknown stranger.

"No, of course not." She quickly answered, not wanting her friend to jump to a silly conclusion. She believed her friend had quite a tendency to do that.

"Well, maybe not by name." The man replied simultaneously, seemingly unfazed by her denial.

"But we already met before." He smiled at her friend before turning to her, reminding her of their unconventional encounter.

"Anyway, let me rectify the situation." He hastily added as he offered his hand. "Call me Isaac, and this is my friend, Ivan." He pointed to his companion, who quickly waved his hand to them.

"And your names?" He asked when he did not immediately receive a response from her.

"Hi, Isaac. Ivan. I'm Anna." Her friend abruptly greeted them instead. "And this is my dear friend, Charlie." She grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to turn and face them.

She knew she had no choice because her friend would not let her, as she forced a fake smile on her lips. "Hi!" She pushed the word between her teeth.

"It is lovely to meet you, Charlie." Ivan smiled at her before turning to her friend. "Hey, Anna, care to join me for another dance?"

Of course, her friend did not hesitate to accept his offer as she readily took his hand and allowed him to lead her away.

"Anna..." She tried to stop her, pulling her friend back into her side. "What are you doing? You can't just leave."

She only came out tonight because of her friend. Now, Anna was abandoning her for some dude. No, she would not let her.

"Charlie, give yourself a break." Her friend tapped her on the shoulder. "This is your chance to loosen up." Sighing exasperatedly.

"Besides, just look at him. He is perfect. Exactly what the doctor prescribes to heal your broken heart." Anna convincingly whispered into her ear. Of course, not too discreetly.

"Trust me." Anna confidently winked at her before glancing at the handsome man behind her. "Now, go have fun." Her friend cheerfully said. Then, she was off with that other man.

She admitted her friend had a point as her eyes stole a glance in his direction. He was indeed perfect if she was being honest.

"I'm sorry about that." She apologized for her friend's brazen behavior.

But seriously, she could not help but be jealous of her friend and her carefree demeanor. Sometimes, she wished she could be like Anna, free from all her fears and inhibitions.

"But you don't have to stay to keep me entertained." She did not want to be his charity case. Besides, she was not exactly good company. "You can leave..."

However, he interrupted her.

"I think I'll stay." He took the empty seat next to her and made himself comfortable. "What about a drink?" Isaac offered, signaling for the bartender to give them another round.

"Or we can...?"

Could she trust him? Or, more importantly, could she trust herself around this stranger? But her friend's words nagged at her, persuading her to give him a chance.