Just for a moment

*Amelia* I stand in front of the mirror, getting ready. It’s one of those rare Friday nights when I’m going out on the town with my best friend, Linda… something I don’t do very often. I brush my long blond hair, contemplating whether to leave it down or put it up, finally deciding to let it tumble down my back. I finish off my light makeup, glancing into my own blue-grey eyes. This has to do. We are going to a karaoke bar, so I slip on a pair of skinny jeans and a fitted T-shirt that leaves about an inch of my abdomen visible. I’m happy with how it shows off my body without being too much. I have always been naturally slim, but until I turned 18, I was really skinny without any curves. Suddenly, both my breasts and my behind grew, and the boys started paying attention. Now, at 26, I’m content with how I look. I feel athletic without being too much, and I have curves without it getting too sexy, at least in my own opinion. ***** “Hi, Ami! Are you ready?” Linda smiles at me as she steps onto the train and flops down next to me. I nod. “Yes, well, as ready as I will ever be for a night out. This is going to be fun! Is Kasper okay with you going out?” Kasper is Linda’s boyfriend. They have been together for almost two years, and I think they are just perfect for each other. “Yes, of course! He knows I’m with you, and you would never get me in trouble,” Linda says, grinning. I have only had one real boyfriend in my life… Daniel, whom I met when I was 18. We were together for six years, and I thought we were forever, until I found out he had cheated on me again and again. I haven’t had a boyfriend since. I shake my head. “No, as always, it’s probably you who will try to get me in trouble.” “You can’t stay single forever because of that asshole, Ami. You are so beautiful and have so much to offer the right guy.” Linda gives me a sweet smile. I shake my head again. “I could easily find some guy, but most men can’t be trusted. You’re so lucky to have found one of the rare exceptions.” “But then don’t find a boyfriend. Just let your hair down, have a fling, before you turn back into a virgin,” Linda says, grinning. I roll my eyes. “You know that’s not my thing, Linda, and let’s just say that the selection of men around here is less than satisfactory.” “Or maybe you have impossible standards. No man can live up to all those criteria,” Linda teases. Do I? I actually don’t think so. I just don’t want to waste my time on a man who isn’t the right one. It’s not so much about looks… although being hot is a plus… but more about something intangible, and of course, the way he acts and carries himself. I shrug. “I don’t think I’m choosy. I just know what I want, and especially what I don’t want.” When we walk into the bar and sit down with a drink, we start looking around, and Linda asks, “Not one single interesting guy?” “Nope, can’t say there is. Haven’t seen one above a 6 yet,” I answer, grinning. Why does Linda always try so hard to find me someone? Linda takes a sip of her drink. “Let me guess, nothing less than a perfect 10 is good enough for you?” “Stop it! A solid 9 would suffice, or even an 8 if he has other talents,” I say, lifting an eyebrow. Linda shakes her head. “How will you find out about those talents if you don’t even talk to them.” “If someone remotely interesting shows up, I promise to talk to him,” I say, looking at the stage as they set up for the karaoke to start. We are having fun, laughing a little at the really bad performances. Then a blond guy comes on stage. “That one, Ami, he is really cute!” Linda exclaims. “Well, he does look kind of cute; I might give him an 8,” I reply. But then he starts to sing, and I make a face. “Okay, forget it. He just slid down to a rocky 6.” “Just because he has a bit of a shrill voice? Seriously?” Linda looks at me like I’m crazy. I glance back at the guy and shake my head. “Just imagine him moaning your name in that voice. No way, I just can’t go there.” We both start laughing at the idea. I know I have some peculiar ideas about men sometimes, but certain things just really turn me off, also I might be makin up excuses a bit. “Then that one… he is a whooping 10 if I have ever seen one!” Linda gestures with her head and almost drools. I turn my head and then look back at her, horror on my face. “Seriously? Did you see his arms? They are totally hairless. He has women’s arms!” “What is it with you and arms? You can’t seriously decide whether a man is worth a second look based on his arms,” Linda says, looking ready to give up on me. I empty my drink. “Well, I’m not going to be with someone who has arms like a girl. He shouldn’t shave his legs or chest, either. A man should look like a man.” We continue talking and watching people go by while getting a second drink. Sometimes Linda points out a guy, but I always find something wrong with them… too small, weird eyes, too self-absorbed, and so on. Mostly, I hand out scores of 5 or 6, with a couple of 7s and one single guy who could have been interesting if it weren’t for the wedding ring. “Sweetie, I’m sorry, but I have got to go. Kasper is promising me mind-blowing s*x if I come home. I guess he misses me,” Linda says, grinning. I stick out my tongue at her. “You just go home to your perfect 10 and have some amazing s*x, and leave me here with the scum of the earth. No, it’s okay; say hello from me. Iwill probably get a cab when I finish my drink.” We hug, and Linda hurriedly heads out, back to her Kasper. I sigh. It’s not that I don’t want a boyfriend; I just haven’t seen anyone since my ex, Daniel, who caught my fancy. I empty my drink and get up from my seat. But when I turn to walk out, I slam right into something very hard and fall on my behind. It feels like hitting a brick wall… who the hell put a brick wall there? “Oh, f**k! I’m so sorry!” A warm voice says in English. He sounds American, I think, and a big hand with long fingers reaches for me. I grab his hand and let my eyes wander up the person impersonating a wall. The first thing I see is a pair of really big feet wearing Converse and then long legs in nice dark grey pants. “Uhh, thanks,” I manage to say. He is wearing a snug black long-sleeved sweater with three buttons at the neckline, the top one open, giving me a glimpse of dark chest hair. His sleeves are rolled up to the elbows, revealing strong, masculine arms… nothing girlish about those arms. His voice brings me back to reality. “Are you okay? I hope you didn’t land too hard.” “No, I think I’m okay. I thought for a moment that I walked into a wall,” I answer without thinking, too occupied with studying him. His lips are quite full and look soft, and he has dark stubble, the kind that suggests he hasn’t shaved in 3-4 days. His hair is dark as well… short on the sides and longer on top, smoothed back. He laughs, and it’s a warm, soft sound that lights up his face. The huge smile that follows makes the corners of his eyes crinkle. He has the most amazing eyes; they light up the room and pull me in. They are hazel, and I have never seen that exact color before. “A wall, really? I don’t think I have ever been mistaken for a wall before. It has to be because you are such a tiny thing,” he teases. “Or maybe you’re just really big. Have you thought about that?” I shoot back at him. And he really is… at least 6’3” and broad across the chest and shoulders. Yet his slim waist and long legs give him a slightly gangly appearance. One corner of his mouth slides up in a lopsided smile. “I might be, but I’m still quite certain you’re a tiny thing.” Usually, I don’t feel small. I’m a normal 5’6”, but next to him, I feel kind of tiny, barely reaching his shoulder. “Are you here all alone?” he asks, looking around to see if someone is waiting for me. I shrug. “I was here with my friend, but her boyfriend missed her too much and talked her into coming home, so she left me. I was just about to leave too.” “Well, is your boyfriend missing you too much?” he asks, eyeing me curiously. I shake my head and grin. “Very discreet, very smooth. And no, I don’t have a boyfriend. I just didn’t want to sit here all alone.” “Was I that obvious?” He makes a cute face that says, ‘Whoops, I got caught.’ I nod. “Maybe just a tiny bit, but I guess youare not here with your girlfriend, then?” “Nope, no girlfriend, wife, or anything like that. I’m here with a friend,” he says with a sweet smile. I don’t really know what to do or say next, but then he clears his throat. “Would you like to come sit with us for a bit? I feel like I kind of owe you a drink as an apology for imitating a wall.” “Okay then, when you ask so nicely. I’m Amelia, by the way, but just call me Ami. All my friends do.” I don’t know why I say yes; there’s just something I like about him. He sends me a dazzling smile and grabs my hand, kissing it. “A pleasure to meet you, Ami. My name is Diggory, but just call me Cory. Everyone does, even if they don’t know me.”