The Beautiful Possibility of Again

The Beautiful Possibility of Again

Season One, Episode One

She always loved herself.

Even as a little girl, she’d been quite certain that she was somebody special. Her grandmother called it confidence. Her mother occasionally called it a smart mouth.

She preferred confidence.

At this point in her life, she knew a few things for certain.

She loved a good laugh, a well-made cup of tea, beautiful hotels, and a man who knew how to carry on an intelligent conversation.

She also knew that being alone and being lonely were two entirely different experiences.

She’d never had a problem with the first and had no intention of entertaining the second.

Love?

Oh, she believed in love.

She believed in kind of love that made you smile when someone’s name appeared on your phone. The kind that felt safe, thoughtful, and wonderfully uncomplicated. The kind where two people genuinely enjoyed each other.

She’d seen enough of life to know that love wasn’t always easy, but she’d never believed it had to be miserable.

She would embrace the real thing.

Until it arrived, she had reservations to make, places to visit, books to read, and a perfectly good life to enjoy.

As far as she was concerned, the right man would recognize a good thing when he encountered it.

She certainly intended to.

She'd been in love before. At least, she'd called it love at the time. Looking back, she could appreciate those relationships for what they were without pretending they had been everything she wanted. She still believed there was a man somewhere who understood love the way she did. She wasn't in a hurry to find him. She figured they'd recognize each other when the time came.

____________

The hotel lobby was beautiful.

Soft music floated through the air, fresh flowers decorated the marble tables, and the faint scent of something expensive greeted her as she walked through the entrance.

She smiled.

Now this was her kind of place.

She’d booked the weekend for herself, and she planned to enjoy every minute of it.

A little luxury. 

A little rest. 

Maybe a little adventure.

What she hadn’t planned on was the man who would make her laugh before she even reached the elevator.

“Excuse me, ma’am. I believe you’re going the wrong way.”

She stopped.

There were few things she disliked more than being told she was doing something wrong by somebody who didn’t know what she was trying to do in the first place.

She turned toward the voice.

“Well, that depends. Where do you think I’m going?”

There was a brief pause.

“The elevators?”

“Actually, I was looking for the lounge.”

“Oh.”

“Oh…yes.”

He laughed.

She liked his laugh immediately.

“My apologies. The lounge is just past the elevators, on your left.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Although, in my defense, most people checking in head straight upstairs.”

“Well, I’ve never been particularly interested in doing what most people do.”

“I can see that.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Can you?”

Another laugh.

“Fair enough. I walked right into that one.”

“Yes, you did.”

She smiled and continued toward the lounge.

“Enjoy your evening,” he called after her.

“Thank you, you too!”

She found a comfortable chair near the windows and settled in.

The lounge was quiet enough for conversation but lively enough to make people-watching interesting.

A server approached.

“Good evening. What can I get started for you?”

“Do you have hot tea?”

“Of course. We have several varieties.”

“Wonderful. Surprise me with something good. Just nothing that tastes like somebody boiled the backyard.”

The server laughed.

“Understood.”

She leaned back in her chair, pleased with herself.

This was exactly what she needed.

A beautiful hotel, a comfortable chair, and absolutely nowhere she needed to be.

Her phone buzzed.

A message from her best friend.

You make it?

Yes, ma’am. Checked in and already enjoying myself.

Anybody fine down there?

She laughed.

Girl, I just got here.

That wasn’t my question.

She shook her head.

Some things never changed.

“Well, I see you found the lounge.”

She knew the voice immediately.

“Oh, Lord. Are you following me?”

He laughed.

“I was actually about to ask you the same thing.”

“Sir, I was here first.”

“That’s true.”

“Then I believe we’ve settled that.”

He chuckled.

“May I?”

She paused.

“May you what?”

“Join you for a moment?”

She considered it.

There was something pleasantly familiar about him already, which was ridiculous considering they’d exchanged approximately twelve sentences.

“That depends.”

“On?”

“Whether you’re going to spend the next twenty minutes telling me where I should be going.”

He laughed.

“I promise to keep all directional advice to myself.”

“Well, in that case, have a seat.”

He pulled out the chair across from her.

“I’m Daniel, by the way.”

She told him her name.

He repeated it, as though making sure he’d remember.

“Nice to meet you.”

“We’ll see,” she replied.

He laughed again.

“You’re a tough audience.”

“Actually, I’m quite delightful.”

“I believe you.”

“Smart man.”

Their conversation began with the usual pleasantries.

Where are you from?

What brings you to town?

How long are you staying?

She answered easily enough, although she had a habit of turning questions around before revealing too much.

Daniel noticed.

“You don’t give away much information, do you?”

“I give away plenty. You just haven’t asked the right questions yet.”

He leaned back.

“All right. Challenge accepted.”

She smiled.

“Go ahead.”

He thought for a moment.

“What’s something you believe in that most people would disagree with?”

Now that was better.

She considered the question.

“I believe people make relationships a lot harder than they have to be.”

He nodded slowly.

“Interesting. How so?”

“Everybody’s so busy trying to protect themselves from being hurt that they forget how to be kind to each other. People play games, make assumptions, withhold affection, and call it protecting their peace.”

“And you don’t believe in protecting your peace?”

“Oh, absolutely. I protect mine faithfully. I just don’t believe peace requires treating people poorly.”

He smiled.

“That’s a good distinction.”

“I think so.”

“So what’s your idea of a good relationship?”

She laughed.

“Goodness, Daniel. We went from hotel directions to relationship philosophy awfully fast.”

“You said to ask something interesting.”

“Touché.”

She took a sip of her tea.

“Friendship. Respect. Patience. Kindness. A whole lot of laughter. Two people who genuinely like each other, even when they don’t particularly agree with each other.”

He nodded.

“Sounds simple enough.”

“It is simple. People tend to make it complicated.”

“Have you ever had that?”

She paused.

It wasn’t an uncomfortable question.

Just an unexpectedly thoughtful one.

“I’ve had pieces of it.”

“Pieces?”

“Yes. Some relationships had friendship. Some had passion. Some had companionship. I’ve even had relationships that looked wonderful from the outside.”

She smiled faintly.

“I’ve just never had all the pieces in the same place.”

Daniel was quiet.

Then he said something she hadn’t expected.

“That doesn’t seem like too much to ask.”

She looked toward him.

“Well, thank you. I’ve been saying that for years.”

He laughed.

“Glad I could finally confirm it.”

“See? You’re already being useful.”

The server returned to check on them.

Daniel ordered tea.

She smiled.

“Tea drinker?”

“Occasionally.”

“Occasionally?”

“I usually drink coffee.”

“Oh, that’s unfortunate.”

He laughed.

“What’s wrong with coffee?”

“Nothing, I suppose. I just question the judgment of people who voluntarily drink something that smells awful and  tastes bitter.”

“That’s a strong opinion.”

“I might have several.”

“I’m beginning to notice.”

She grinned.

“And yet, you’re still sitting here.”

“Funny how that works.”

There was something in his tone that made her smile a little longer than she’d intended.

She changed the subject.

“So, Daniel, tell me something about yourself that isn’t on your résumé.”

He considered the question.

“I’m a terrible dancer.”

She burst out laughing.

“How terrible?”

“Wedding guests have asked me to sit down.”

“Oh, my goodness!”

“One lady actually moved her chair.”

She laughed so hard she had to put down her cup.

“Well, at least you’re honest.”

“I believe in managing expectations.”

“Clearly.”

He smiled.

“And you? What’s something I should know about you?”

She thought for a moment.

“I love to laugh. I enjoy good conversation. I’m a little spoiled, but that’s because I spoil myself.”

“A little spoiled?”

“Don’t interrupt my testimony.”

He threw his head back laughing.

She joined him.

For several moments, neither could stop.

Eventually, Daniel glanced at his watch.

“I’ve enjoyed this.”

“So have I.”

“Would you be interested in having dinner tomorrow?”

She smiled.

“Daniel, we’ve only just met.”

“I’m aware.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know you like tea, have strong opinions about coffee, believe relationships should be rooted in kindness, and consider yourself delightful.”

She laughed.

“Well, when you put it that way, you practically know my whole life story.”

“Exactly.”

He smiled.

“So, dinner?”

She considered him for a moment.

There was no urgency in his voice.

No pressure.

Just an invitation.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Fair enough.”

He reached into his pocket and placed a business card on the table.

“Here’s my number. If you decide you’d like to go, let me know.”

She picked up the card.

“You’re awfully confident.”

“Actually, I’m hopeful.”

She smiled.

“There’s a difference?”

“A pretty big one.”

She waited.

He continued.

“Confidence would be assuming you’ll call. Hope is knowing I’d enjoy hearing from you, but respecting whatever you decide.”

Well.

She hadn’t expected that.

For the first time that evening, she didn’t have a clever response ready.

Daniel stood.

“Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“You too.”

He started toward the lobby, then turned.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“If you decide against dinner, at least promise me you’ll give the coffee another chance.”

She laughed.

“Goodnight, Daniel!”

His laughter followed him out of the lounge.

She sat quietly for a moment, turning the business card between her fingers.

Daniel.

A pleasant conversation.

An unexpected invitation.

She’d enjoyed herself.

That was enough for tonight.

Her phone buzzed again.

Well? Anybody interesting?

She smiled and typed.

Actually…

Three dots appeared immediately.

GIRRRLLLL!!!

She laughed.

Her friend hadn’t even waited for the rest of the message.

She picked up her tea.

It had gone cold.

“Well, look at that,” she murmured.

She’d come downstairs hoping for a little peace and quiet.

Instead, she’d spent the evening laughing with a stranger.

She wasn’t about to start planning a future with a man she’d known for an hour.

Still, she had to admit something.

She was curious.

And curiosity, she decided, was a perfectly lovely place to begin.

To be continued…

_________

Well, well, well… looks like things just got interesting! 👀 💕

Will she call Daniel? Will they make it to dinner? More importantly, can he keep making her laugh?

I guess we’ll just have to see!

Thanks for joining me for the very first episode of The Beautiful Possibility of Again. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Come back for Episode Two! We’ve got a little romance brewing, and something tells me this story is just getting started.

Stay tuned, y’all. The best love stories are worth coming back for! 💕

Until next time… Forward Anyway!

— Leslie A. Council