The Girl with the Sea Colored Eyes

"Really, Italian and a stroll on the beach," Danni asked confused. "I thought guys like you just drank protein shakes, ate miles and miles of broccoli and skinless chicken breast and then played beach volleyball in a g-string afterwards. Then again maybe you just never leave the gym, hmmm..."

Brad sighed. Danni changed the hand she was holding the phone with. She yawned. She managed to stifle a laugh a moment later.

"C'mon Danni-baby, you need to focus on this," Brad softly said, "just say yes and Brad will take you to one of the best eating places in the whole city. They have great desserts there as well."

Danni softly bit her bottom lip. She really did like this guy. She really did want Brad. He was very attractive. He was pushy, but he was pushy in the right way. She was sure he wasn't a serial killer. She broke into a smile.

"C'mon Danni-girl, don't say no to me, please: Danni-baby, don't let me down when it comes to this."

Danni sighed. What should she do and what should she say, Danni wondered. She had given this guy, this Brad, her mobile phone number at work while she was in the process of clearing away the dirty dishes from the table he was sitting at. She had been rushed off her feet. She was being bombarded by complaints. She had the manager watching her. She had fresh orders to take, she had other tables to clear, and she had food to pick up from the kitchen and deliver. Surely she had only given Brad her number to shut him up and get him and his friend out the door.

What was her next move here, what words would she use, Danni wondered. She had been in a committed relationship with Aaron for years now. How long had it been? How long had she and Aaron been together? She had given herself to Aaron and she had been satisfied and content with her situation. It was a good sweet connection she shared with a good sweet boy. It wasn't fiery and it wasn't passionate, but it was nice.

But now this man had suddenly come along out of nowhere and in the space of just a few hours upended Danni's carefully tended world with his abrupt persistent ways, his powerful rippling body and his handsome tanned face. What was a girl to do, Danni wondered. She had a gorgeous male chasing her.

"C'mon Danni," Brad repeated, snapping Danni out of her reflections, "just say yes. Come out to dinner with me. We can see a movie afterwards if you want? I know a real cool place where we can dance if you like to dance. C'mon Danni, what do you say?"

Danni bit her bottom lip. The Ferrari in front of her abruptly stopped. She was moving forward. She stomped on the brake again just in time. The car she was driving screeched to a halt. She gasped with relief. She hadn't hit the Ferrari. Danni felt so wound up. She felt so stressed out. She felt so frustrated.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Danni hissed, accidentally dropping her phone and then hammering the steering wheel with the palm of her hands, "ouch, damn it!!!"

"Danni, are you still there, baby, are you okay," Danni heard Brad ask after she has picked up her mobile phone from the floor beneath her feet, hit the speaker phone option and then lay the phone down in her lap. "Baby, what's happening there? Have you had a crash?"

"Okay, okay, okay, Brad," Danni exclaimed, rubbing her hands together in the choked traffic, tears welling up in her eyes, "I'll go out with you - just please, please stop hassling me! I'll go out and have Italian with you, okay!"

"Oh wow, that's such good news, baby," Brad said, while Danni aggressively nodded her head and wiped her wet eyes and cheeks. "You're gonna have the best time, I promise Danni-girl. I'll take such good care of you."

"You better mate," Danni softly said, "or I'll kick your ass."

"I promise I will," Brad affirmed, "I'm not a great dancer, but I'll make an effort for a chick like you, I mean a lady like you, if you wanna dance with me."

Danni broke into a grin. She laughed. She finished wiping her eyes. She exhaled with a hard burst of air. She nodded. She stepped on the accelerator pedal as the Ferrari in front of her moved again.

"Oh my God," Danni whispered, "I think the traffic's beginning to clear."

"What was that, baby," Brad asked.

"Brad, can you text me the details of our date," Danni said, after picking up her mobile phone and speaking directly into it. "The traffic is starting to move and I have to watch the road."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll make all the arrangements and let you know, baby."

Danni laughed. She put the phone down and changed gears. The traffic ahead was definitely clearing. Danni picked up her phone again.

"Danni?"

"Yeah, I'm still here, Brad," Danni said. "Hey, look, thanks for asking me out. I do appreciate it and I do like you. Just please be gentle with me, Brad, okay - I'm just a bit fragile at the moment and I don't want to get hurt by a guy like you."

"I promise I will," Danni's persistent guy said, "Brad will take real good care of you, Danni-baby."

The two of them said bye. Danni hung up and tossed her mobile phone onto the seat next to her. Danni exhaled hard once more. Danni changed gears again and again. She stepped on the gas. A gentle smile spread across her beautiful features as the fiery twilight, on the horizon line, glowed in her sea colored eyes and flashed against her divine smile. Her sedan raced along the freeway.

Danni had been caught up in the gridlocked traffic, she had been really stuck, but now she was really flying; now she was just gone.

***

PART TWO - THE HANGING MAN, THE TOWER AND THE LOVERS

Danni and Jill were sitting on the lounge-room floor at Jill's place. They were both cross-legged. They were facing each other. They were drinking wine. They were going through their usual Wednesday night ritual. Jill's beautiful tabby with large green eyes, named Aleister, was asleep in Danni's lap. Danni stifled a yawn. Jill had closed her eyes. Jill was breathing slowly and deeply. Her left hand was hovering over a deck of tarot cards which sat on the floor between them.

Danni's mobile phone beeped again. She quickly looked down at it. Jill sighed. Jill continued her deep steady breathing. Danni drank her wine.

"Sorry, it's just a message from, Aaron," Danni softly said, after swallowing.

Jill nodded. Jill was about to reach down, pick up a tarot card in her fingertips and then turn it over when Danni's phone beeped again. Danni winced and checked her mobile. The message was from Renee this time.

"It's just from, Renee," Danni whispered, "nothing to worry about."

Jill was about to speak, but Danni's phone beeped a third time. Jill opened her eyes and sighed. Danni looked at her phone. There was a message from, Brad.

"Ummm, I think I'll just turn my phone off," Danni said, picking up her mobile and switching it off. "It's such a distraction, isn't it?"

"Who was it?"

"Never mind, never mind," Danni said, "just a random annoying stranger."

Jill nodded and closed her eyes once more. She began breathing slowly and deeply again. Her left hand hovered over the deck of tarot cards once more. The apartment was silent.

"Okay, I think I finally have it," Jill softly stated, "I think we're ready to begin."

Danni smiled and scratched her head. She looked across at Jill. Her friend still had her eyes closed. Her friend was still doing her breathing exercises.

Jill opened her eyes. She reached down and picked up the first tarot card. She turned it over. It was The Hanged Man. Jill softly gasped. She placed the card face up, on the floor, between herself and Danni.

"Wow, so interesting," Jill whispered, considering the image, before picking up a second tarot card from the top of the deck, turning it over and then laying it down next to The Hanged Man.

Jill gasped again. She stared at Danni.

"Oh my God, The Tower," Jill hissed, while Danni looked at her friend with a confused expression on her face and then scratched her head again, "not so good, not so good!"

"Oh no, not so good, hey," Danni asked, "are you sure you shuffled the cards properly?"

Jill looked up at Danni. Jill sighed and rolled her eyes. Jill looked back down at the two exposed cards.

Danni yawned. She wasn't able to stifle it. Fortunately Jill didn't notice. Jill was too busy studying The Hanged Man and The Tower to notice Danni's yawn.

"Okay, last card, Danni, and then you have some explaining to do, missy," Jill stated while Danni opened her eyes wide, scratched her head again and tried to fathom Jill's deep esoteric ways.

Jill rubbed the tips of her index finger and thumb together. She reached down and took the next tarot card off the deck. She flipped it over and dropped it to the floor next to the first two cards she had drawn.

"The Lovers," Jill exclaimed, looking down at all three cards, before raising her eyes and staring at her friend, "oh my God, I've never seen these three cards pop up like this before - okay Danni, what's going on with you and Aaron? Have you met someone else? Are you going to dump, Aaron?"

Danni gasped. Her eyes grew wide again. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair. She felt her face begin to burn.

"C'mon, out with it, girl," Jill said. "Don't try and hide stuff from me. I'll get my crystal ball out and find out more if I need to."

Danni began to laugh, but then she sighed and grew silent as Jill interrogated Danni with her eyes.

"Don't get all shy and secretive on me, girl," Jill continued, "have you met someone else or not and if so, what's gonna happen between you and Aaron?"

Danni nibbled on her bottom lip. She always came over to Jill's place on a Wednesday night after work to get her cards read or watch her friend peer into a crystal ball. Jill just loved telling fortunes. Jill just loved telling Danni's fortune. Danni liked making Jill happy. They were good mates.

Usually it was just a bit of silly mid-week fun, while they drank wine, as far as Danni was concerned. Usually Danni just stifled her yawns and absentmindedly watched Jill as her friend grew animated, waved her arms about, gulped down glasses of wine and talked and talked and talked about Danni and Danni's past, present and future. Danni didn't take it all that seriously. It was just a bit of a laugh. But tonight was more than a bit of a laugh, tonight was more than a bit bizarre, tonight's reading hit Danni far too close to home.

"Well," Jill demanded, "c'mon, girl, spill it, what's going on?"

"I have met someone new, I should have told you," Danni finally blurted out, her face flushing, before she picked up her glass of wine, drank and then continuing speaking. "His name's Brad."

"Okay and," Jill insisted, pressuring her friend to give her the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Danni carefully recounted the details surrounding that fateful wet day at work. She told Jill how she had first met Brad and how Brad had demanded Danni's mobile phone number and got it from her.

"Whoa, pretty pushy guy," Jill stated, interrupting. "He does sound hot though from the way you describe him."

Danni grinned. She continued her story. She spoke about Brad's abrupt and unexpected phone call while she was driving home and caught in traffic. She mentioned Brad's dinner invitation.

"He called you just a few hours later and asked you out on a first date? When was this again?"

"Last Thursday," Danni said, breaking into a grin and playing with her hair, before picking up her glass and drinking more wine.

"Oh my God, Danni, did you actually go out with him," Jill asked. "Wow, of course you did, judging by the cheeky grin on your face. C'mon, I want all the details!"

"Well I went out with him last Friday," Danni began, before Jill interrupted.

"You mean the next day! You went on a date with him the very next night!"

"Yeah, it was so lovely," Danni softly said, a gentle smile touching her features and lighting up her sea colored eyes. "He took me to the most gorgeous spot down on the edge of the ocean. The restaurant really was very good like he promised it would be. It was very intimate. Brad booked a table overlooking the beach and the bay."

"It does sound beautiful," Jill said, "I'm glad the rain stopped and the night was clear for you."

"Uh huh, me too," Danni continued, "the rotten weather from the day before had cleared so we had a great view of the bay, the city lights and the open water. Brad looked so handsome, caught in the glowing light cast by the candles on our table. I thought he was going to be really loud and aggressive on our date. That was definitely the impression he gave me when I first met him on Thursday. He's pushy, but he's a gentleman, which is more than I can say about some of the guys I've met over the years."

"Nice meals," Jill asked, breaking into a smile.

"Yes, beautiful," Danni said, "the seafood was delicious, the desserts and the wine were just perfect. Brad took me for a walk along the beach afterwards."

"Wow, okay, a walk on the beach, woo-hoo, so romantic."

"Yes, Brad reached out and took my hand in his as we descended to the sand on these rickety wooden steps. I almost slipped. He grabbed my hand to steady me. I definitely felt a tingle run through my body when did what he did. I'm sure he noticed the way I flinched when his fingers slipped through mine. I don't think he let go of my hand while we walked along the beach."

"Did you talk much?"

"No, that was a bit weird, I guess," Danni said. "Normally that boy just won't shut up ever, but he was so quiet when we went for our stroll on the sand at the water's edge. I guess he didn't want to spoil the mood with a whole lot of aimless chatter."

"Yep definitely," Jill affirmed, "wow, how amazing. Okay, now for the first big question: so did he kiss you?"

Danni bit her bottom lip. She grinned. She was silent for a moment.

"He did, yeah," Danni softly said after a few moments.

"Oh my God, c'mon, is that all you're going to say, you tease?"

"Okay, here's what happened," Danni said, reaching out and taking Jill's hands in hers. "We had been walking along the edge of the water on the wet sand for a while. We had taken our shoes off and were carrying them. He took his socks off. I remember Brad had rolled up his pants. The incoming surf was splashing and running over our feet now and then. We were both laughing and screaming. The water was so cold. My stockings ended up getting soaked and covered in sand. They're just ruined now. I had to throw them out."

"Go on and get to the good stuff already, girl," Jill insisted.

"Okay, okay," Danni continued, "anyway, Brad stopped and turned to me. He dropped his shoes and socks on the sand. I sort of bit my bottom lip. I knew he was going to kiss me and I just wanted him to do it so badly. I ended up dropping my own shoes as he stepped in really close to me, let go of my hand and took me in his arms."

"Uh huh, getting better," Jill said, nodding, squeezing Danni's slim lightly tanned hands.

"It felt so good being held by him! Oh my God, Jill, and then he leant in and down as I looked up into his dark facial features, so perfectly outlined by the city lights and the moon. I sighed and closed my eyes. I felt the palm of his hand softly brush against the side of my face and then I gasped and jumped as his lips met mine - oh my God, Jill!"

"Wow, okay, that sounds pretty damned awesome."

"Yes, it was an amazing first kiss," Danni softly affirmed, sighing, closing her eyes and drifting away into her memories before continuing to speak. "It was just so magical. No words were spoken. There was no awkwardness. He was a man and I was a woman. He was active and I was passive. He gently took charge and I wanted him to take charge."

"Wow!"

"Yeah, yeah, wow is right, normally I'm so aloof and shy when it comes to guys like Brad. I mean I usually just insult them and push them away. I mean I'm not that experienced when it comes to sex. I mean I really haven't had many boyfriends. I've only really been with Aaron," Danni said, before wincing at the sound of Aaron's name.

"Okay, next big question," Jill said, "so did you sleep with this superman or not?"

Danni gasped sweetly.

"No, of course not," Danni stated, "I'm really not that sort of girl!"

Jill burst into laughter.

"What, I'm not an easy girl," Danni whined. "I made poor Aaron wait two years before I finally did it with him. I'm a bit fussy I guess."

"Hmmm, really, a bit fussy, hey?"

"What, I can't help it!"

"So, did superman try it on then? I bet he did, didn't he? I bet you really wanted to as well, didn't you?"

"No comment," Danni stated, putting her nose in the air and then breaking into a grin.

Jill burst into laughter.

"What," Danni whined.

"Hopeless, absolutely hopeless," Jill said with a smile, before she grew more serious. "Okay Danni, here is the last big question I have for you: what are you going to do about Aaron?"

Danni licked her lips. She let go of Jill's hands. She reached out, picked up her glass and drained the last of the wine from it. She turned back to her friend and began speaking.

"Aaron's so beautiful and sweet. He really is a sensitive soul. I've been with him for so long and we've experienced so much together. I don't want to hurt him. I just know he'll be shattered if he finds out about Brad and me. It really will crush him."

"Yeah, but he will find out, won't he," Jill cautiously asked.

Danni ignored the question.

"Aaron has introduced me to so much. He's opened my eyes and my mind to so many things. Aaron's the most talented guy. He's a gifted artist. He paints, he draws, and he writes screenplays. He can play the piano. He's just amazing. Do you know he's composing a piano sonata? I honestly don't know what he sees in me. I told Aaron and my parents that I was going to study science, but I just wait tables instead. It never happened."

"You can still do science if you want to, girl," Jill stated.

"Yeah, I suppose," Danni said with a shrug, "but I'm just not interested in science. I mean I just said that because I thought Aaron and my parents wanted me to say something like that. I mean Aaron is this ephemeral, intellectual, arty type and I just wait tables."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with waiting tables, girl."

"Yeah I know, I mean I guess so," Danni said, watching as her friend poured more wine into her glass. "Aaron and I are going in very different directions right now - that's all I'm trying to say. I feel like we're two different people now."

"You're growing apart," Jill said, "it's quite natural and normal. It happens to couples all the time."

There was a long pause in the conversation.

"Oh my God, Jill," Danni said, her voice choking, tears starting to well up in her eyes, "Brad's asked me out on a second date this Saturday night. What am I going to do? What am I going to tell, Aaron? What a terrible predicament to be in!"

"Oh wow, look it's going to be okay, girl," Jill said, hugging Danni. "What do you really want to do here? What's your gut telling you to do? What did you say to Brad? Did you say yes to him?"

Danni nodded. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Jill let her go.

"Yeah, I said yes to the second date," Danni stated after a moment. "It does feel like the right thing to do. I'm really attracted to this guy. He's really gotten under my skin."

Danni picked up her glass and drank some wine.

"So, you've made your decision then, Danni," Jill said, reaching down and picking up the three tarot cards and placing them back in the deck. "Now you have to do the big grownup thing. You have to tell Aaron what's going on and then move all your shit out of the apartment you're sharing with him right now."

Danni sighed deeply.

"You can move in here for a while if you need to, girl," Jill said, "Kelly's moved out, so I have a spare bedroom and some space for your stuff in my garage."