Compulsion

Compulsion Part 8

A few minutes later, with a wine glass in each hand, Elias steadily made his way back to the table he was allocated. He threaded his way through the gaps between tables almost on automatic pilot as his eyes settled on Georgia. She was a beautiful woman. More so when she was animated. And just now she was talking vivaciously to a couple he had seen around but did not know. She was stunning. When he had left home earlier that evening he hadn't anticipated this turn of events. Now all he had to do was make the most of this unexpected opportunity. It was unlikely he'd have this chance again, anytime soon. Not when Georgia tended to avoid him, and when she did not avoid him she tended to say the minimum when they did meet.

But this evening appeared to have got off to a magical beginning. For starters if their conversation earlier was anything to go on, then this evening was clearly going to be far from the norm. Elias felt his pulse rate increase. Deep in the pit of his stomach a kernel of excitement started to grow. This was going to be an enchanted evening. He felt that keen sense of excitement and longing that went with the start of new beginnings. He knew he was on the cusp of a sensational dawn, as long as he did not blow it.

While he had stood and waited for the wine order to be filled he couldn't help but review what had transpired earlier: Georgia initiated a topic of conversation. That was astonishing. For usually he tried to initiate a conversation and she ignored him. But this evening she had strung more than a handful of sentences together and kept the conversation flowing. He was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

This was it, Elias figured as he neared the table. If they were going to move on, then tonight was going to be the night they put their history to bed. He was still debating whether they ought to have the discussion that needed to be had at the start or at the end of the evening! But he knew for certain that the conversation would take place.

With two glasses of red wine in his hands he smiled warmly as he approached. Georgia caught sight of him in her peripheral vision when he was but a few feet from the table. Her hands went clammy and her heart started pounding. There was something going on here tonight that was catching her ill-equipped to deal with things. Of course she knew that he had the ability to unsettle her nerves and make her pulse race. But this was so much more. It felt as if her future was at stake. Whatever happened here, tonight, was going to influence the rest of her life. That's what kept resurfacing in her head every time she reviewed the last quarter of an hour. Something about the way they had interacted was different to the norm. Georgia wondered whether that was his doing, or whether she had taken Caitlin's advice to heart and was subconsciously following through with that advice to get a wiggle on! All Georgia knew was that the evening felt charmed. It was going to be special. A suspicion confirmed when Georgia looked up and saw Elias, and his smile knocked the breath out of her. Oh, yes, tonight was going to be very different.

Elias put the wine glasses on the table and still smiling at Georgia he then took the seat beside her. He hauled his chair closer; almost as if he couldn't bear to have even those few inches separate them. The other two couples noticed his move for what it was, staking claim, even if Georgia had yet to see it as such.

In the few minutes he'd been away, other couples had taken up their seats at the table. Georgia was talking to two people when Elias had approached. As Elias settled in his seat Georgia made the introductions.

"Not sure if you know each other." She began and Elias, Tom and Ally all shook their heads. Georgia smiled and continued, "Tom and Ally Tichmond." Georgia told Elias and gestured across the table at the other couple and then introduced Elias "Elias Mendoca." They shook hands, smiled, said hellos and settled in their seats.

Ally was a slim woman about ten years older than Georgia and Elias. Her husband seemed a good few years older than her. Ally was clearly the social half of the partnership for she was the one who launched into an explanation, "Georgia looked after our daughter when Cassandra broke her arm a couple of years back." Ally told Elias by way of explaining how she and her husband knew Georgia. Elias knew that Georgia had specialised and now worked mainly with children. The many family dinners had seen to that bit of information reaching his ears. The middle-aged couple provided more details about the connection before another older couple took up the last two seats at their end of the table. Sara and Martin Fisher settled into their seats and from the broad grins, easy going acknowledgements and the warm handshakes appeared to know both the Tichmonds and Elias.