"A Chance Encounter"

a dit :

single paragraph, 609 words

Eve sat in the corner of the Atelier pub, a favourite restaurant of her's since she was young. Her spotted fur was wet, soaked with the rain falling outside for the past hour. Today was miserable for the city, and so was she. Such an awful day today, with the rain and occasional harsh winds. She was just going to hide here until the storm subsided, no matter how many days it would take. She just hated the rain...
She closed her eyes briefly, letting the warmth of the whiskey she had just sipped from flow through her body in an attempt to stop her from shivering. As she lowered her head against the table, her ear brushing the table, she heard the clink of a plate as it was placed in front of her.
"I didn't order anything, Fernando," Eve whispered softly, her bright blue eyes wandering up to meet the waiter, who she had known for almost a year now.
"It was paid for by the young man in the corner." Fernando jabbed a thumb towards the back, where a young mouse with tiger striped fur sat reading a book. She squinted, trying to discern the text on the cover. "Advanced Shamaneering Techniques" was what it said, after she stared at it long enough. Long enough for the male mouse to tuck it under his arm and walk towards her.
"You better eat before it gets cold," he murmured, pushing the plate closer so it would touch her arm. Her ears twitched, and it was in this moment she realised it was some sort of roast, with potatoes and carrots. This was not cheap. And here, this stranger had bought it for her? "I'm Dan by the way."
"Eve..." Wearily raising her head, she offered him a smile. "Thank you for dinner."
"Any time. You looked sad and lonely and hungry." Eve offered a nod. "No pretty girl should look or feel that way." She felt her breath hitch, her eyes wandering up to him and locking with his. What a warm brown his eyes were...warm as the food he bought was making her. After half a plate, she nudged it away; not because she was full, but because she felt bad for eating so much without knowing the stranger well. He had spent a lot of money on her without even knowing her name until this moment. "I've seen you around town and I've wanted to speak to you, but I've just been too shy."
"Why?" Eve questioned.
"Well..." Dan's voice was soft, almost a whisper. A faint smile had crossed his lips as he looked down into the female mouse's eyes. "You were so beautiful, and I was sure a mouse like me would stand no chance of even speaking with you, nonetheless getting to know you."
Eve was flabbergasted. All this talk of her being beautiful was so surprising. Nobody had ever said these words to her before, or at least in a way that they felt true. All she could muster as a reply, after quite a few minutes, was a soft spoken "thank you." Without another word, Dan pulled a piece of paper out and wrote something on it, leaving it on the table. She watched as he offered her a wink and blew her a kiss, and walked out the door.
As she watched him, all she could think about was how she wanted to see him again. Her eyes wandered towards the paper, and she squinted again.
It looked like an address.
Chuckling to herself, she tucked it in her bag. Seemed he wanted to see her again as well.