An Affair of the Heart

Chapter 3: Only A Day

What a difference even one day can make!

Throughout the day, Alex and I were with other people but very aware of each other's presence. I took covert glances at Alex wherever he happened to be. Curious about him and definitely finding him attractive to look at, my eyes kept searching him out. Several times when looking over to him, I would find him already watching me. His candid scrutiny, while a bit unnerving, nonetheless pleased me. I welcomed his attention but wished I knew what he might be thinking as he looked at me so intently. Perhaps he wondered the same of me.

Several times when our eyes met, there was direct and prolonged eye contact for several seconds.  We did not smile or nod at each other. We just looked. After three months of phone calls and emails, we were meeting in person for the first time. Naturally curious, we were watching each other's body language, listening to language patterns, making note of interactions with the other people around us. Learning about one another. Seeing one another from a new perspective. The dynamic between two people takes on a different character when you meet in person, as opposed to talking on the phone or reading their e-mails. One incident in particular comes to mind.

Alex and his colleagues were riding with me in our company van as we headed to the next meeting on the schedule. Alex sat in the passenger seat directly behind me. Each time I looked in the rearview mirror, Alex was directly in my line of sight. When a cell phone rang, I heard Alex's voice. He answered the call with his military rank and last name. After that, he spoke in Spanish for the remainder of the conversation.

I understand a few words of Spanish and was fascinated listening to this beautiful, musical language spoken with such ease and fluency. My mind began to wander as I listened to the tone in Alex's voice. Daydreaming, I imagined how his melodic voice would sound if he was flirting with me or paying me a compliment in Spanish. Then I found myself thinking of how thrilling it would be to hear him speak words of love in my ear while holding me in his arms. Where did that suddenly come from? My imagination had really taken me somewhere else!

Stopping at a traffic light, I glanced into the rearview mirror and found Alex staring right into my eyes, as if he could read my thoughts. I felt my face begin to flush and could tell Alex noticed this too. Actually, he seemed pleased at my reaction, like he fully expected me to be tuned in to him, paying attention to him, totally aware of him. This private moment between Alex and me was intimate, seductive, exciting and felt kind of naughty. Like we were both being totally inappropriate given the situation and that was very probably true.

It shocked me to realize how Alex and I were looking so openly and frankly at each other. It was an even bigger shock that it felt natural. Not awkward or uncomfortable at all. It should have really been a little of both given the fact that Alex and I had never seen one another before today. Ingrained in my head from childhood was the frequent admonition from my mother that, "It is rude and impolite to stare at people". But Alex and I made no pretense of following this unwritten rule of supposedly proper etiquette. We ignored what one might be expected to do in this setting and simply allowed our natural curiosity to have its way.

Throughout the day, Alex was a model of good manners, courtesy, and professionalism. He conducted himself with an Old World elegance and charm. Qualities that are rare and woefully lacking in the so-called gentleman of our modern age. The colleagues with Alex were all Air Force officers. Even though one outranked him by two grades, Alex managed up the chain of command with amazing finesse. It was mesmerizing to watch how he handled himself in this situation. Like a seasoned, experienced diplomat, Alex never made a wrong move, spoke a word out of turn, or failed to be deferential to his superior officer. However, it was still obvious that he was in control of the day's agenda and smooth as silk when dealing with any questions or issues. I was even more impressed than I had been before meeting him today. 

The day was full with a packed agenda. It began with an early-morning breakfast followed by five different meetings at various locations. It ended with a de-briefing and next steps discussed over an early evening meal at a locally-owned Italian restaurant. Before I knew it, the day was over and it was time to say good-bye to Alex and his colleagues. It was way too soon for my liking. From the contact and interaction between Alex and me for the three months which led up to this day, the experience of finally meeting him did not disappoint. I liked what I had seen very much and wanted to somehow get to know Alex better, on a personal level.