“I saw Mystery Patient yesterday,” she blurted.
Dan stood and raised his arms in triumph. “I knew it! I knew there was something. Okay, tell me all about it.”
Mallory laughed and then took a sip of her coffee to stall. She wasn’t even sure what to say. Just thinking about the encounter gave her butterflies, like some pubescent teenager. The way she reacted to him was ridiculous.
“I ran into him at the gym. Apparently, we joined the same day. I was doing my first class as he was finishing up his tour. Dan, he looked even better than I remembered. His eyes … those dimples … those lips!”
Dan was back in his seat, leaning forward as he listened intently. He drank his coffee and nodded for her to continue. There was nothing he loved more than some gossip or girl talk, and she loved him for it.
“There’s not really anything to tell. I was finishing class, looked up as I was packing up, and locked eyes with him. He has a name, by the way. It’s Christian.”
“Okay, but did you talk to Christian?”
“Yes,” she answered with a sigh. “We even worked out a bit together. He’s really easy to be around.”
Dan got up to pour himself a refill, then leaned against the counter. “So, when are you seeing him again?”
Mallory’s stomach dropped at the thought. She still wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. She’d had no reason to suddenly leave, but the thought of him thinking she was interested in him was too much, even if he wasn’t wrong.
“I’m not.”
Dan patiently waited for her to go on. “We didn’t exchange numbers or anything,” she explained.
“Let me get this straight,” Dan finally interjected. “The man was watching you in your Pilates class, you worked out together, but you didn’t exchange phone numbers?”
It sounded even worse when he said it out loud. “I didn’t exactly give him a chance. I asked where he worked, and hemade a comment about me looking for him. So, I panicked and left a bit abruptly.”
“Why are you so upset at the idea of him knowing you’re interested?”
He hit the nail on the head. She was upset at the thought of him knowing. She wasn’t sure why, but she went straight into panic mode the second he made the comment about her looking for him. Okay, maybe she did know why. Ever since her big messy breakup, she was determined to avoid getting involved with anyone she felt real feelings toward. A therapist would point to her mother’s death and her father’s remarriage as the reason behind her behavior, but she chose not to worry herself with the details … It was one thing to have a good time and go out on dates, but to feel a pull toward someone wasn’t something she planned to repeat.
“It’s not that,” she protested.
“Are you interested?” he asked her directly.
“I’m not sure. I don’t even know him.”
“Then why not just tell him that?”
“Because he hasn’t asked,” Mallory said, pointing out the obvious.
“Exactly!”
She stared at her friend. She was quite certain he made a point, but she refused to admit to seeing it. He hadn’t asked her anything. He hadn’t even asked her out. As usual, her reaction had been way over the top. She always had such a visceral response to emotions. When most people described being in fight or flight mode, they meant figuratively. When Mallory experienced it, it was very literal. She was prepared to physically fight or immediately leave a situation. There was no such thing as working through that emotion for her.
“Well, none of that matters anyway,” she said with a sigh. “It’s not like I’ll be seeing him again.”
“You don’t know that. But even if you don’t, it was good practice. Maybe next time you’ll realize that it’s okay to just live in the moment. It doesn’t have to be scary.”
“You’re right,” she agreed. “I think I’ll add that into my affirmations. Now tell me about Ian!”
Dan pulled out his chair and rejoined her at the table. The smile he shared with her was contagious. “He’s not bad, right?”
“He’s gorgeous!” she agreed. “But tell me about him. You’ve told him all about me, and I know almost nothing about him.”
“Well,” he began before hesitating a moment. “The way we met was a bit unorthodox.”
It was Mallory’s turn to pry. “And? You know how I met Christian. I’m not one to judge.”
