Meant for Me | ✔️

13) candles keep burning

Saturday 17th August.

A D D I E

The Austin Healy was gorgeous. It was from the fifties with that retro rounded look and original wire wheels, so Zac explained. He drove out of the barn and up a gravel path until we came to a long stretch of narrow road. The top was down and the sun was bright.

"It was my grandfathers's car first," Zac said, shifting through the gears. The muscles in his arm flexed and I tried not to stare because it would make listening to him impossible. "He passed it on to dad and dad never had much interest in cars so he gave it to me."

"It's beautiful," I said.

Zac, who was wearing a pair of shades, looked in my direction and smiled before he picked up speed. We flew past tall trees that flanked either side of the road and the wind was loud, which made it harder to talk, but that was fine because I sort of wanted to embrace the peace that came with the feeling of floating.

I pulled my hair out of its bun and let it loose. It was wild and curled because it had been damp when I did it up but I didn't care. It felt amazing to have the wind whipping at it.

Without asking, I wiggled up out of the seat and sat on the top of it, holding the windscreen so that I could experience the full effect of driving with the top down. It was surreal. With my eyes closed, I could smell the river behind the trees, hear the birds, feel the sun and absorb the exhilarating sensation of being weightless. Nothing had ever felt closer to flight and I hadn't felt this at peace in weeks.

When I opened my eyes again, Zac was moving his attention between the road and me. His grin was full and he had the most beautiful smile. I'd met a lot of good looking men in my time as an event planner in Beverly Hills. There was no shortage of gorgeous singles. But Zac was a rugged, effortless, stand out sort of beautiful and he made me a little bit breathless.

We drove for a while, slowing when we left the road, drove through a narrow passage that was so overgrown with trees that Zac had to put the top up so that our hair wasn't caught on branches and came to a stop at an opening. It was a waterhole with a fall pouring from the top of a cliff. It was gorgeous, secluded and quiet apart from the tree leaves rustling and the constant whoosh of the waterfall.

Zac switched the car off and settled back in his seat, hands rested on his spread thighs. "Not bad, huh?"

"It's beautiful," I watched the sight in front of me and dared not to turn toward him in case I complimented him instead of the water hole.

"Well?"

I turned to him and raised an uncertain brow.

"I was just expecting a few thousand questions."

I laughed and twiddled with the soft center console lid. "I would have gotten there eventually."

"Alright, well, I have one for you."

I nodded, gesturing for him to go ahead.

"Are you single?"

I ducked my head, feeling heat creep up from my neck and into my face. "Yes. Surely that's obvious."

"For the most part. I just wanted to be sure."

I still couldn't look at him. "Why?"

"Just because."

Finally, I looked up but I couldn't see his eyes. That didn't mean I couldn't feel them. "How about you?"

"Single."

"How come?"

He laughed, slowly shaking his head with a shrug. "Nothing has worked out so far I suppose. I don't get out a lot. Have to get out to meet people."