Flash: Blind Date

Flash Fiction for Valentine's Day on display at my local library.



Teri tapped her toes to the beat of the background music in the coffee shop.  Early, as usual, she sipped an easy-to-drink grandé something or other while watching the door.  Every time it opened, she wondered if Steve walked inside.
Sure, she studied his photos before coming.  However, people tended to embellish or downright lie on the internet, especially on dating sites.  The profile stated that Steve was six-four, blond, blue-eyed with an athletic build.  His photos showed the blond part, the blue eyes part, and the not so shabby body part (under well-fitting clothes).  But, his blond might have gone bald and his athleticness could have been long before he found the glorious comfort of cake.  If those were even pictures of him and not ripped out of a magazine.
She glanced at her half gone coffee.  When she looked up, her stomach fluttered.  A man who looked a lot like Steve’s photos approached.  She met his gaze and his smile made his blue eyes dance.
“Teri,” he said, his voice deep.
Her insides melted.
“I thought I was going to be the early one.”  He chuckled.
“Hi.  Steve,” she said.  Her mind blanked before she continued with, “Sit down.  Please.  Did you get a coffee?”
“I will.  Do you need a fill up?”
She shook her head.
“I’ll be right back.”
While he joined the line, she dug a small mirror out of her purse.  She peeked at her teeth and her make-up.  Then, she watched Steve return with long, quick strides, stirring his steaming mug.
He sat across from her, his bright blue eyes sparkling.  He spoke.  She watched his lips move, trying not to imagine them on hers.  While they chatted, he inched as close as the table allowed.  Teri focused on his rugged, blond, stubbly beard, wondering how it would feel against her chin—scratchy or soft.  Blushing, he laughed, and she laughed with him.
He tipped his mug towards him.  “You wanna go for a walk?” he asked.
Teri nodded.  His gentle hand resting on the small of her back guided her outside.
As they strolled down the sidewalk, Steve took her hand.  She noticed the trees’ light green leaves fluttering in the breeze and flower boxes spilling onto the cement.  A slight giggle escaped her lips.  The city’s beauty promised such potential.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What I Learned from My Debut Novel

My first published novel started with notes about a man learning about a woman who lived a world in-between reality and fantasy. Before I knew it, I had names, places, a plotline and subplots. I never intended to write a series. Yet, I had. My initial draft was penned on unlined printer paper. When I finally sat to type it, I needed to learn how to format a manuscript. Title page, slug lines, double spaced true type font all stuffed into a tidy package. The easy part was over. I had to write query letters to agents who I thought might want to represent my baby. The hook was written and re-written. My author bio drove me crazy. The synopsis haunted me. Still, I wrote them. And out they went. I waited and I waited. Some had the courtesy of sending a reply, even if it was a canned one. Many did not. The noes poured in. The most heart wrenching replies were the ones who said that they enjoyed my work but, it wasn’t a good fit for them. Onwards I pressed. I believed in my wo...
Read more

A Little Bit of Hope with a Side of Griffin

Image
Griffin: Artist's Rendition Epic fantasy has become my sole writing style this year.  My focus: The fifth book of the World In-between Series, Hope .   Beginning ten years after the end of Whispers (Book 4), the story centers around the magical struggles of Berty’s seventeen-year-old niece.  Since she first crossed the portal ten years ago, Hope straddled two worlds—the mundane modern world and the magical world between the portals.  As a Wood Listener, she struggles to find her place in life.  Unbeknownst to her uncle, her parents, and her innocent friend trailing her, Hope stoles into the other side only to find her place fraught with danger. For your reading pleasure: a sneak peek of Chapter 2. Hope climbed the stairs of the quiet outpost.  She figured that not many guards occupied a peacetime outpost, especially one out in the middle of nowhere.  The second door on the left sat open.  She knocked. “Yes?” came from beh...
Read more

Learning from a Book Review

I offer to review books .  Usually, I will post my review here and on Goodreads as well as post links to buy the book that I got to read.  However, every once and a while, I read a book that won’t get a good review.  This is that book. This book is the author’s first book, so I will not mention the title nor the author’s name.  I have emailed the author about my poor review before posting, and actually have agreed to review the sequel.  With that said, let’s talk about the book and its issues. The premise of the book is that the main character, whose name I can’t remember (problem), becomes a masked hero to save her city from a destructive alien.  The concept is great.  The execution has major issues.  I am going to put my editor’s hat on to critique the issues in this book. The first issue is the prologue.  It could have been a chapter on its own.  I personally feel that the book should have opened on its main character.  The openi...
Read more