He'd been stumbling around Dublin for around two hours when his phone had finally gone off. Normally, he would probably ignore it for a while because, let's face it, it was mostly always something from either his mother or Chrissy, nothing too interesting.
However, he was in too deep, now, that one notification could easily be Juliette and he couldn't risk ignoring something that might possibly lead him to her. Alex stepped aside and into some random shop so that he wouldn't hinder people trying to pass by and to get a better view of his screen.
*JC1990 posted a photo*
His finger tapped the notification immediately, his eyes stunned at just how stunning the photo she'd taken of herself was.
A good minute or so had passed before of him simply admiring Juliette before he realized that she had turned her location on. He became giddy with a childish excitement, the kind of excitement that one gets in grade school when spotting the one they fancy across a crowded room and somehow managing to make eye contact, if only briefly.
Juliette Carter was a once in a lifetime experience and he'd be damned if he didn't give his everything to find her again.
Being terrible with just about any type of automatic navigation, and even map reading, he made his way to the front desk of whatever shop he was currently in, "Excuse me, could you possibly tell me how to get to the uh the Central Hotel Library Bar from here?"
The guy kind of gave him a look that made him feel a bit stupid for asking, "Just keep heading straight up this way until you get to the Nando's on the corner, then take a left and it should be somewhere on the right lad."
Considering that he'd taken time from this precious man and his thriving business, he thanked him and left some coin on the counter for his help before forcing himself to exit in a normal way, when really, all he'd wanted to do was spring down the street.
...
His hands were trembling considerably as he stood just outside the doors, his heartbeat pounding in his ears, and his chest tight from holding his breath.
Alex ran a shaking hand through his hair and released a deep breath; it was now or never, with his luck, she was probably gone already anyway.
The moment he'd stepped foot inside he was astounded, the atmosphere was very ambient and calming and he found himself wanting to remain in the quaint building forever.
And then he spotted her. The woman who'd singlehandedly had him chasing her around the world with just a few simple words uttered at his best friend's wedding reception.
She was seated at a well lit table near the back, but not too far back kind of more in the middle, she had a good sized book in her hand and a glass of red wine beside her on the table. Her dark hair was settled in nice curls that almost cascaded to her shoulders like the flow of a steady stream and her lips, oh God how he wanted to kiss her rosy lips so desperately that it was all he thought about late at night when lie awake counting sheep to pass the time.
He was frozen in place and all he'd done was lay eyes on her.
Someone in his general area cleared their throat, "Can I get you something to drink?"
Alex was partially out of it and hardly thinking rationally. He shook his head, his nervous laugh quick to slip through the cracks, "No thank you, I'm actually here to meet someone." He nodded in Juliette's direction, a shy smile breaking through the surface.
The man nodded, "Oh, I see. Well, you know where to find me if you change your mind about that drink."
Alex nodded, his hands were sweating more by the second. He'd gone a whole three steps before turning right back around and taking a seat at the bar, "I think I've changed my mind. Just a shot of Vodka please."
The man chuckled lightly at his sudden change of mind, "Sure thing mate, one second."
A brief silence ensued, save the sound of bottles clinking together and the small chatter that floated around the room, before the bartender inquired with a grin, "Nervous?"
Alex rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat awkwardly, his voice coming out sounding far croakier than he had intended, "No?"
Somewhere in the room, a woman giggled softly, the sound resonating in his very bones and catching his immediate attention. He turned his head toward the direction the sound had originated from only to catch Juliette pulling her book up and over her lips to cover her smile, her eyes quickly darting to the print after they'd met with his briefly.
He turned back to the grinning bartender, "Did I say no? I meant extremely."
In seconds, he'd downed the shot and placed more than enough fair on the counter, his throat numb and his confidence now in full bloom, and made his way over to her table.
He'd reached the table only to find her, literally, biting back a smile and trying harder than she should have been to read her book.
Alex took a seat and offered her a toothy smile, "So, which one am I?"
Juliette released her lip, her smile now prominent and making it much harder for him to breathe properly as she set her book down gently and leaned her chin on her now folded hands, "Whatever do you mean Alexander?"
Her hands dropped and the wine glass met with her rose petal lips, the dark liquid swishing around for a bit after she'd taken a sip and set it down in it's previous spot.
"Am I the cat or the mouse?"
Her light eyes bore into his so deeply that he'd almost forgotten to breathe.
"What do you think?"
Alex laughed, he was rather enjoying the banter going on between them even though it was mostly questions, "I'd like to think that I'm the cat, however, you've led me to believe that I'm quite the fearless mouse, chasing after the clever cat only to realize that she's got me in a trap that I can't quite seem to escape."
Juliette laughed at his rather clever and deep response, she enjoyed how playfully he'd said it and the smile he'd retained as he did so, "Why ask if you had it all figured out, hmmm?"
Alex fumbled for an answer, his heart was racing even though he was only sitting down and talking.
Juliette continued for him with a radiant smile, "Right. Well, now that you've found me, what would you like to know?"
YOU ARE READING
Counting Sheep
Short Story"You don't have to know someone to fall in love with them. You can fall in love with the way they talk to others, look at others. Hell, you don't even have to talk to them to fall in love with them. Sometimes, you just look at them, you look at how...
