A Serendipitous Encounter

It's an ordinary day at work at the Marina Tower Hotel in Waikiki. You're walking through the lobby when you encounter the person who is about to change your life.* Rose: (talking to her assistant while looking down at her phone) “I really hope this meeting goes well. There's a lot riding on this new client—Ouch!” *Rose bumps into a stranger. She looks up to see a handsome man.* Heath: “How much do you have riding on this meeting?” Rose: “Oh, my apologies! I’m sorry for bumping into you like this.” Heath: “Don't be too sorry. Otherwise, I wouldn't be talking to such a beautiful woman on my first day of this business trip. I'm Heath.” *Rose thinks: “A handsome and sweet talker too!”* Rose: “I'm Rose. As I said, I'm so sorry for bumping into you. But I should get to my meeting now.” Heath: “I know a way you can make up for it.” Rose: “How's that?” Heath: “Have dinner with me tonight.” Rose: “Yes, I would love to.” *He smiles warmly and raises his brow.* Heath: “Well, that was easy. Do you have somewhere in mind?” Rose: “I didn’t mean to make it so easy for you.” *This makes him laugh, and Rose finds herself laughing as well.* Rose: “The hotel has pretty good dining. We could go there.” Heath: “Good, be in the bar by six.” *Rose thinks: “He sure has a way with words.”* Rose: “I'll see you there.” *Hours later...* Rose: “I haven't been on a date in so long. Can my clothes even still fit?” *She goes to her closet.* Rose: “I don’t want to look like a prude, but I also don't want to look too sexy. There must be something here that I like.” *Rose walks into the hotel bar, feeling very nervous. When Heath turns to look at her, his eyes widen.* Rose: “Hi, it’s nice to see you.” Heath: “Let me just say wow!” Rose: “I'll allow it.” Heath: “I can't believe you almost didn't go out with me tonight.” Rose: “Would you have taken no for an answer?” Heath: “I would have to. But I'd keep asking until I got the yes.” *Rose thinks: “Just as I thought.”* Heath: “Would you have regretted saying no?” *Rose thinks: “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”* Rose: “Well, now that I’m standing here, I know I would rather be here than alone in my bed.” Heath: “That’s some fascinating imagery.” Rose: “It wasn't intentional.” Heath: “And I guess you'd say wearing that dress wasn't intentional?” Rose: “I haven't dressed up like this in too long.” Heath: “Then, I'm glad I got you to agree to see me.” *A waitress comes by and leads them to their table. Waiting there is a bottle of wine and a charcuterie board.* Rose: “This is nice.” Heath: “I thought we could start off simple before getting to the main course.” Rose: “What do you have in mind?” Heath: “Well, I haven't decided yet. What do you want?” *The waitress comes by to take their order. Not long afterward, the food arrives.* Heath: “How is it?” Rose: “It's actually good. We have a world-class chef here. I guess I made a good choice.” Heath: “I guess you did.” *The dinner goes by pretty well. After the meal, Heath orders another bottle of wine to be delivered to his room.* Heath: “How about we move this night to somewhere more private?” *Rose thinks: “Wow, he really doesn't hold back, does he? But somehow, I feel like I don’t really hate this.”* Rose: “And by private you mean?” Heath: “My hotel room.” Rose: “Things are moving too fast.” Heath: “You could think of it like that.” Rose: “Or?” Heath: “Or you could think of this as your opportunity to do something you've never done before.” Rose: “What makes you think I've never done something like this before?” Heath: “Have you?” Rose: “I haven't.” Heath: “If you'd rather, we can finish up our dinner and forget I even asked.” *Rose thinks: “I can't believe I’ve never taken a risk like this in all my years.”* Rose: “I think you're right. We should give it a try.” *He looks surprised.* Rose: “I mean it.” Heath: “I'm impressed. If you're done here, we could go now.” Rose: “Let's go.” *They walk to Heath's lavish hotel room.* *Rose thinks: “These suites are usually reserved for the most wealthy. Gosh, why do I feel so nervous? Who is this man?”* Heath: “Would you like a glass of this wine?” Rose: “Are you trying to get me drunk?” Heath: “If I did, I would offer you the bourbon.” Rose: “I'm joking. I actually like this wine.” Heath: “I also prefer my woman fully aware if you know what I mean.” *Rose thinks: “Is he always this forward?”* Rose: “I think I have an idea.” Heath: “So you'll have a glass?” Rose: “Yes, thanks.” *Heath pours her a drink and hands it to her. She drinks it in one go. He walks over to where she's standing awkwardly by the sofa, unable to decide whether to sit or stay standing.* Heath: “Did I tell you that you have beautiful eyes?” Rose: “I think you might have, but it's always good to hear it.” Heath: “And this dress is absolutely stunning on you.” *Rose thinks: “Why do I feel hot all of a sudden?”* Rose: “This old thing.” Heath: “You blew my mind the moment you walked into that bar.” *Rose thinks: “Gosh, my heart is beating so fast.”* Rose: “Thank you.” Heath: “Do you want to know what else has caught my eyes tonight?” Rose: “What else?” Heath: “Your lips. I've wanted to kiss them since I saw you this morning.” *She swallows hard as he leans in closer and lowers his head to kiss her.* *Rose thinks: “The taste of wine on his lips is so intoxicating.”* *She reaches up and wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Their lips meet, and it feels like fire.* Heath: “Oh wow. I wasn't expecting that.” Rose: “Me either.” *Rose thinks: “Why does this feel so natural?”* Heath: “It feels like this was meant to be, don't you think?” Rose: “You read my mind.” *Heath's kiss becomes more intense, and Rose feels herself being pulled into a whirlwind of passion.* Rose: “Are we taking things too fast?” *Heath chuckles, and Rose is captivated by the beauty of his laughter.* Heath: “I haven't really thought about that. But I like this.” Rose: “So we're doing this then?” Heath: “If it's all right with you.” Rose: “It's all right with me.” *He leans down and kisses her gently on the lips before pulling away and taking a step back.* Heath: “Before we go further, I think we should set a few ground rules.” Rose: “What do you have in mind?” Heath: “Well, first, I'm only here for a week.” Rose: “What does that mean?” Heath: “We shouldn't complicate things more than necessary. When the week is over, we go back to life as usual.” Rose: “I see.” Heath: “Finally, we always use protection. What do you think?” Rose: “It seems like you do this often.” *Heath laughs.* Heath: “I wouldn't say I do this often, but it isn't my first time.” *Rose thinks: “I'll just be another girl he slept with.”* Rose: “So how many times have you done something like this?” Heath: “Four or five, maybe.” Rose: “Wow, that's much less than I thought you were about to say.” Heath: “Does that mean it's not a deal breaker?” Rose: “It's not a deal breaker.” Heath: “Good, because this is about to be one amazing week.” Rose: “Yes, let's have an amazing week together.” *Heath pulls her back into him and begins to unzip her dress. After finishing, they cuddle up to each other and fall asleep in one another's arms.* ... *It's been a long day at work, but Rose realizes she hasn't seen Heath all day.* Rose: “I wonder if something happened to him.” *