A Secret In the Woods

I’ll never forget the feeling as he glanced at me from across the bar. It lasted just a second, but as his piercing brown eyes caught mine I felt a shiver, a flutter, like a flock of butterflies taking flight at once. He was perched on a bar stool, one foot on the floor, in front of who could only have been his wife. She was as strikingly beautiful as he was. Her long blonde hair pulled back from her neck with just a clip, her subtle shoulders exposed. He smiled at her while passing his index finger around the rim of his whisky glass. The passion between them was palpable. He took a sip of his drink, placed it back on the bar top and stood. He tucked a loose strand of his wife's hair behind her ear and whispered something softly while biting his bottom lip. He was walking towards me on his way to the men’s room and I could feel my heart pounding through my sweater. As he walked past he smiled, and his intense eyes latched on to mine once more. A warm breath of cologne mixed with alcohol followed him and as I breathed in the scent I struggled to catch a breath. Who was this man? Little did I know that I would soon find out and little did I know that I would wish I had never shared his gaze. Little did I know that this man would soon change my life forever.