Instant Attraction

Ainslee waited until she saw Mark's car pull into the parking lot before getting out of her car. She got ready, half-heartedly, at her house. So, she thought she looked fairly decent. She wore a nicer, name brand top she found at a thrift shop a few years ago & her favorite pair of leggings. She & Damien exited the vehicles at the same time. When she saw Damien, she got goosebumps & stopped right where she was... confusion written all over her face. Damien met her gaze & he stopped, too. They both stared at each other, looking puzzled. When Damien had met Ainslee's gaze, she felt her stomach do a backflip. She felt like she knew him somehow. Ainslee didn't realize it, but she started walking. Walking towards Damien. She had not even glanced at Mark. When she got to his car, it was Mark's not-so-cholent cough that caught her attention. Ainslee came out of her trance & slowly looked at him, not wanting to break Damien's gaze. "Uh, Ainslee, this is Damien. Damien, this is my cousin Ainslee." Damien didn't say anything at first. He finally came out of his trance & greeted her. "Hello, Ainslee. It's really nice to meet you. Mark has nothing but good things to say about you, for the most part, anyways." He gave a half grin, looking at Mark. "Don't listen to him Ainslee, it's always good things." Mark laughed. Ainslee doubted that, & with a casual wave of her hand, said, "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure." But she smiled at both of them. "It's really good to finally meet you too, Damien. Mark & his mom truly only have good things to say about you. According to Mark's mom, you are the perfect gentleman." Damien seemed a little flattered, maybe even embarrassed. "Ah, is that so? Well I do try." "Alright, who's ready to eat? I'm starving. I haven't eaten all day." Mark said as he clapped his hands together. They started walking towards the door. Damien quickened his pace to open the door for Ainslee & Mark. Ainslee smiled at Damien, & gave him a "Thank you." He looked at her straight on & smiled back. "You're welcome, Ainslee." His voice smooth as velvet. Oh, Lord. She really didn't acknowledge his looks until just now. He was incredibly good-looking. He had stunning hazel eyes, Ainslee's favorite color eyes. Ainslee's breath caught, she was going to say something else but couldn't. They walked to the host stand & were immediately seated in a booth by a window. Perfect, Ainslee thought. The amazing smell of mexican food overwhelmed her for a moment. The smell was absolutely divine. Especially to her empty stomach. Thankfully, the server came by right away & asked what they wanted to drink. Ainslee answered first, "Water for me & an order of chips, queso & guacamole, please." She gave the waitress a huge smile. "Thank you." Mark was thrumming his fingers on his chin, trying to look indecisive, but he & Ainslee both knew what he was going to order, Mark was definitely a creature of habit. "Yeah, I'm gonna do a Corona." His go to beer at any Mexican food place. As Mark was talking, the waitress nodded but was looking at Damien the entire time. Damien looked up at her, smiled politely & said "I'll have a water, please. Thank you." The waitress, either realizing it or not, was giving Damien a once over, obviously pleased with what she saw. & although Damien didn't give her another glance, Ainslee felt an irrational pang of jealousy radiating throughout her. Ainslee spoke in a tone that was tense, "Thank you so much." Trying to indicate that there was no reason for her to linger at their table. She gave the waitress a stiff grin. The waitress smiled back, giving Damien one more look, probably hoping she would catch his attention or meet her gaze again. He did not. Damien, staring out of the window, seemed like he was deep in thought about something. Ainslee put her elbows on top of the table, folding her hands together & resting her forehead on top of them. She was embarrassed with herself. Jesus Ainslee, what the hell is wrong with you? You've known Damien for all of five minutes. Who cares if the waitress thinks he's good-looking? She thought to herself. He really is good looking, though. & she felt the sudden impulse to glance up at Damien, he was staring at her. She blinked & looked away, feeling her cheeks rush with blood. "Are you alright Ainslee?" Damien asked, genuine concern in his voice. "Oh yes" she said. "Just hungry." She gave a half hearted smile. But Ainslee's appetite had diminished significantly. "Damn girl, you & me both" Mark said. "What are you guys going to order?" Ainslee took this opportunity to regain her composure. She looked at the menu. "Well my heart says white chicken enchiladas, but the empanadas also look excellent." Damien was still looking at Ainslee. It seemed like he wasn't satisfied with her previous answer. But, he looked at his menu as well & said "I think a smothered burrito with queso is calling my name." "Well, I'm having the-" "White chicken enchiladas." He & Ainslee said at the same time. They all laughed. "Mark is a creature of habit." Ainslee said. "He has never ordered anything except the white chicken enchiladas." The waitress had come back with the drinks & the chips, guacamole & queso. Ainslee's stomach growled at the sight of food. Her hunger coming back with a vengeance after getting a whiff of the cheesy deliciousness, knowing it was only seconds away from being devoured. The waitress was staring at Damien while she set the food & drinks down, not taking her ostentatious gaze off of him. This time, Ainslee looked out of the window. She could feel the jealousy boiling up inside of her & was adamantly pushing it back down. She kept reminding herself she had no right to be jealous. She was being ridiculous. "Are we ready to order?" the waitress asked, only looking at Damien. Her flirtation was so obvious & obnoxious. Ainslee looked at Damien, to see if she could read his expression, but again, he was staring at her. She flicked her eyes down back to the menu. "Um, yes, I believe so." Ainslee replied "I'll have the empanadas, please. Rice & beans for the side. Thank you." "White chicken enchiladas for me," Mark said, "With rice & beans." Then Damien spoke, "Smothered chicken burrito with queso, please. Rice & beans for me as well. Thank you." "You got it" the waitress said, picking up their menus. "If you need anything else, just let me know." Her gaze was still only on Damien. Ainslee started looking out of the window again, her cheeks were hot, but this time it was because of the anger she felt in the pit of her stomach. How unabashed can one possibly be? "I can't dig into these until you do, Ainslee." Damien said. Still, she looked out of the window. "Speak for yourself." Mark said, as she heard the crunch of a chip. The smell was overwhelming, Ainslee slapped on a smile, pushing the jealousy out of her mind, took a chip & dipped it in the queso. She put the chip in her mouth, mmm, heaven she thought. "God I missed their queso." Ainslee grabbed another chip & this time went for the guacamole. Ainslee pushed the basket towards Damien, "please, try some. It's better than I remember." He tried a chip with the queso, "Oh, yeah. That's amazing." Damien reached for another at the same time Ainslee did. Only the tips of their fingers touched, but Ainslee felt a shock radiate down her arm. Her stomach did a small backflip. She cleared her throat, "Sorry Damien, go ahead." & pulled her hand away quickly, her cheeks going red. She met Damien's gaze, his cheeks were red as well. She wondered if he felt it too, & at the same time, knew he did. Ainslee sipped her water, just realizing how parched she was. She took several large gulps & placed her glass back on the table. Ainslee could feel Damien's eyes on her, & she was fighting the urge to meet his gaze. A few minutes later, the waitress came with their food. They all immediately started eating with enthusiasm. "Mmm, this is just as good as I remember" said Mark, "if not better. God, I miss this place." He was, quite literally, shoveling food into his mouth. Ainslee started to eat hers, her stomach & taste buds doing a happy dance, so much so, that she gave an involuntary wiggle in her seat & a heavy sigh. "Oh man, I am in my happy place." All of them getting their fill & then some, the atmosphere had shifted. They all felt heavily satiated. Mark burped & said, "Damn, that was good." "So good," Ainslee said. "I could definitely use a nap now. It's been a long day." She checked the time; It was after 7 o'clock. They would have to leave for the party soon. The waitress came by with the check, Ainslee & Damien reached for it at the same time. Again, she felt the electricity radiating throughout her. "Please," Said Damien, not pulling his hand away, "Let me pay for dinner. It's the least I can do." She had slid her hand back a little but said, "Damien, you're a guest. I already told Mark earlier I've got dinner." Damien still didn't move his hand. He looked at Ainslee & gave her a half smile. He said, "please" again. "Well alright then, if you insist." Ainslee said. "I do." "Thank you, Damien." She folded her hands under her chin & smiled at him. This time their eyes met for a long time. "Yeah, thanks Damien." Mark slapped him on the shoulder. "Ainslee, when we leave, do you just want to follow me to Dekka's house?" Ainslee had barely heard him, still locked in Damien's stare. She glanced at Mark & said, "yeah, sure. That works. How long is the drive?" "Hmm about half an hour or so." The waitress came back to collect the card holder & said "I hope everyone enjoyed their meal." she smiled, only looking at Damien. Again. But he was still staring at Ainslee. "It was great, thank you." He said, holding Ainslee's gaze. Ainslee felt her cheeks get warmer, along with the rest of her body. She stood up suddenly, needing to move, to do something. She felt crazy, but she wanted to lean across the table & kiss Damien, right then & there. Although she was unaware of it, Damien had the same exact feeling.