Live Alaska

1. Something Adventurous

Xyla was leaning against the counter, waiting for her friend to finish her shift in her family’s coffee shop so they could go home together. She had entered not too long ago and was people watching while Jenna was cleaning up the machines and workspace for the next shift.

She noticed a large, bearded man in a business suit rushing into view and then looking around him like he was looking for something before he seemed to lose hope as his shoulders slumped and he stood in the rain, just staring at the ground. Something about him made her heart go out to him; he seemed so despondent.

“What do you think has him so sad?” She asked Jenna, who glanced up and then made a slow grin as she pushed a take-away coffee towards her with the daisy cookie that they had as promotion for the first day of Spring.

“I know how you can make it better.” She answered with a wink.

Xyla huffed; Jenna knew she was much too shy to attempt something like that. So, she gave her friend a longsuffering look to remind her of her intense bouts of muteness whenever she was faced with a stranger and making small talk.

“Don’t even try it, Xyla. You signed the deal!” Jenna reminded her of the drunken deal that was still stuck on her fridge as a reminder of their bender when she had received the news the first time. “Something Adventurous, there it is.” Jenna stated with a flourish, indicating the poor soaked stranger still standing there like he had lost his world.

The way he seemed so dejected tugged at her heart strings and she hesitantly reached for the coffee and the daisy cookie. Maybe he needed these and it would be a kindness to a stranger. The complete misery he exuded was what convinced her; not Jenna’s attempt at coercion.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she could already feel the blush rise to her face as she walked to the door. Taking a moment to steady her nerves, she finally pulled the door open and stepped out into the street, taking care not to step out from under the awning that kept her out of the downpour.

Xyla opened her mouth, but her selective mutism took that moment to shine in its awkwardness, so she cleared her throat, but he seemed lost in thought. She took another tiny step forward and then tapped him on the back of his shoulder; which was what she could reach. He was very big and apparently had long hair that he had tied up in a bun.

He spun round at her touch, the rain flying off his wide shoulders and she took a quick step back to avoid it. Then she topped her performance in social grace by giving him a small awkward wave while he stared at her in complete shock. Was this guy OK?

When he seemed to not react, she finally just shoved the cup of coffee with the plastic wrapped daisy cookie on top into his hands and gave another tiny wave with a tight-lipped smile while she felt her face flush with the embarrassment of her social anxiety making her look like a fool.

Then she rushed back into the shop with her red face and shaking her head to herself while Jenna giggled at her embarrassment.

She was at the counter and glancing at the guy out of the corner of her eye, who seemed to only then remember to step out of the rain while he stared at the cookie and coffee in his hands like it held the treasures of the world.

“Well, you managed to give it to him. And he seems so amazed. I’m sure you made a great impression on him.” Jenna attempted to soothe her embarrassment.

Xyla rolled her eyes. “It’s just….words…and strangers…” She answered and then sighed while she hid her face in her hands. It was ridiculous how difficult she found it to talk to strangers. Thankfully her work as a researcher for a law firm meant she didn’t have to talk to strangers; she could do most everything via email and internet searches.

“Well, I think you did great!” Jenna smiled at her. “I mean you walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder like a girl boss.”

Xyla’s only reaction was to drop her arms onto the counter and her head into her arms. Jenna always tried to make her feel better about embarrassing social situations. But no matter how hard she tried, they both knew she was awkward and embarrassing. She had no hope of even meeting someone and holding their interest long enough to get into a relationship, and she was running out of time for that anyway.

She was so embarrassed, she didn’t even raise her head when she heard the bell above the door chime when it opened. There was a moment of silence before Jenna tapped her shoulder.

Xyla ignored her, not wanting to face anyone else when she already felt like crap. But then Jenna shoved her so hard that she nearly toppled over and she raised her head to glare at her, but then froze when she saw the giant, soaked man smiling at her like she’d hung the moon.

“Thank you for these; you have no idea how much this means to me.” He looked at her with these gentle whiskey colored eyes that focused completely on her in such a way that had the blush rise to her face again.

She opened her mouth again and – surprise, surprise – nothing happened. So, she nodded her head like a bobble head and gave an awkward smile-shrug combination that had Jenna slap her forehead behind him.

The guy was looking at her like she was something between a steak and the bringer of his dreams and she wasn’t sure what was going on so she glanced around for any help with what to do.

“I don’t want to be presumptuous, but could I ask you out for dinner?”

The question came so out of left field that she actually stared at him with her mouth hanging open. He was going to ask her out just like that?

Suddenly Jenna came to stand beside her, shoving her jaw up with a snap and smiling beguilingly at the stranger. “She’d love to!”

Xyla’s eyes shot to her in confusion and terror. How were they supposed to have a conversation when she couldn’t even get a word out? Was she insane?

“Adventure…” Jenna whispered in her ear while the giant of a man put the coffee and cookie aside to reach for his phone. “Could I have your number? Then I can phone you to make arrangements.” He smiled hopefully.

The look in his eyes, like he was actually afraid she might refuse him melted her heart and before she realized what she was doing, she took his offered phone and tapped her name and number into it.

When she handed his phone back, he actually called her number and then gave her the biggest, happiest smile that turned her insides to mush. “Thank you, Xyla. I’ll let you know when and where as soon as I get settled.”

With that he took up the coffee and cookie like they were treasures and left the coffee shop with one last lingering look at her. OK, he was completely out of left field, and so adorable with his open expressions…and so big.

Why was he so big?

“OK, where can I get one of those!” Jenna all but swooned and then suddenly gave a squeal that startled her. “You’re going to have a date!”

Xyla rolled her eyes. “It will be awkward and painful. I can’t even talk to him!” Xyla protested with a flush of embarrassment; their interaction had been painful.

“We’ll figure it out. Remember, you signed the contract!” Jenna answered with a finger pointed threateningly at her. “You’re going to do something adventurous!” She all but bounced in her excitement while Xyla rolled her eyes.