Between Desire and Power

Chapter 1 - First Sight

~ 7 Years Ago ~

I am an introverted, shy freshman at the University of Washington. I never enjoyed bar life and preferred the company of books.

That day, the first Friday of the winter quarter at UDub, my friend Rachel took me to a bar in Capitol Hill so that I could get out of my shell for a bit.

The bar was dimly lit, with light jazz music playing in the background. Rachel, being the confident girl she is, was already talking to a group of guys next to her.

I will stay a couple more hours, then go home. I was not feeling that comfortable in here anyway.

I took another sip of my drink, feeling it warm my throat and the blood pumping faster in my veins.

I can do this, just a couple more hours.

I scanned the room, more out of nervousness than curiosity, when my eyes met his.

He was leaning against the bar with a group of friends around him, but his eyes were fixed on me. The man had unruly brown hair that I had the overwhelming urge to touch. The light stubble on his sharp jawline brought out his deep blue eyes. The gray sweater he had on was nicely fitted to his well-built form.

God, this man is attractive.

I felt my cheeks start to flush.

Oh my, I am blatantly checking this guy out… Stop it, Kate!

Quickly averting my eyes, I focused on finishing my drink. But my curiosity was peaking.

Rachel walked back to me then. “Who are you looking at?”

“No one,” I immediately replied, but not quickly enough to turn away from the guy’s direction.

“Oh my! An Adonis is staring at you!” Rachel squeaked loudly.

Noooooo!

I was so close to burying myself right then and there when she started talking again.

“Kate! Kate! Kate! He is coming over!” She gave me a suggestive wink, then slipped away from me again.

“Hi,” the most angelic voice whispered in my ear. I immediately froze. Looking up, I saw the Greek god himself smiling down at me.

“I’m Andrew,” his voice deep and smooth.

“Kate,” I replied, my voice barely audible over the music.

“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked, his eyes not leaving mine.

I hesitated, but nodded. “Sure.”

He ordered the drink without breaking eye contact. The corners of his lips curled up when I thanked him, making my stomach flip.

With my drink in hand, we started talking. It turned out he was a lot more than his good looks. He was from New York and studied finance at New York University. His family was vacationing in Seattle and would go back to New York in two days. Surprisingly, he had a soft spot for literature as well.

“I’ve always had a thing for classics,” he said, leaning in slightly so I could hear him over the music. “My parents thought I’d become a writer, but... well, life led me down a different path.”

I smiled, “I can see the writer in you, so what changed?”

His gaze softened, “My family has been in finance for generations. They expect me to follow the same path. But I still love reading; it’s like an escape, you know.”

“Yes, it’s like you can live a thousand different lives through books.”

“Exactly.” The crowded bar faded away, leaving just the two of us in our little bubble. “You get it,” he said quietly, as if saying it to himself.

He took a long sip of his drink, looking deep in thought.

“Do you like Seattle?” I blurted out, getting uncomfortable with the long pause.

Andrew nodded, “I love the blend of nature and city here. You can walk from skyscrapers to the waterfront, and then the mountains are just a short drive away. It’s… different from New York in that way. It feels like the city breathes with the land.”

I relaxed a little. “Yeah, it’s one of the things I love about it too. If you’re tired of the city, you can always find peace in nature close by.”

He leaned closer, his voice lowering a little. “I get that. Seattle can be intense and overwhelming at times, but when you need it to, it brings this quiet energy that makes you calm.”

I was struck by how well he seemed to understand things I’d felt but never put into words. “You’re good with words,” I said, the comment slipping out before I could stop myself.

Andrew laughed, a deep, throaty sound that hit me in my core. “Maybe that’s my love for literature showing. I'd like to think that every place has a story, and I try to read it.”

I smiled back, feeling my earlier tension melting away. Instead, I felt a strange but warm sense of connection to him, like electricity, numbing my fingertips.

“Agreed,” I murmured.

We sat there for what felt like hours, talking about everything from our favorite books to the places we’ve been. He talked about reading The Divine Comedy in Italian in the narrow streets of Rome, or how he got lost in Les Misérables while sipping coffee at a café in Paris. I shared my passion for the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet and how I hoped I could travel to New York one day to see the Statue of Liberty.

“You’re living in a novel yourself,” I teased. “You should be writing a story for yourself.”

He chuckled, “Maybe, maybe one day.” He was deep in thought again. There was something unreadable in his eyes, as if he was thinking about a future that was inevitable.

By the time the night began to wind down, I was no longer the shy freshman who had been pushed out of her comfort zone. With him, I felt at ease, like I had known him for many years instead of just a few hours.

When the bartender announced that the bar was closing soon, he sighed and looked back at me. “It’s getting late. I should probably head out.” For some reason, I felt my heart drop. He might have noticed my face, and his dazzling eyes immediately softened. He paused for a few moments, then said, “Would you like to join me? My hotel is only a few blocks away.”

His words hung in the air, an invitation filled with uncertainty. I hesitated, torn between the magnetic pull from him and the small voice in the back of my head reminding me to be careful.

For some reason, my mouth answered before my brain had processed everything, yet it felt right.

“Sure,” I answered, smiling up at him. He smiled back.