Theodore

He was sitting at the bar when Nadine walked in. Out of habit more than curiosity she gave him a quick once over. Her friend, Julia, had set her up on enough botched blind dates for Nadine to be wary of the men Julia so “expertly” chose. Sure enough, he was tall and dark, just like Julia had assured her he would be. But the concluding “handsome” was definitely missing.

  He had a broad forehead that bulged strangely underneath a hairline that looked like it was already threatening to recede. Though his cheekbones were set high and regal, the rest of his face looked almost as if it was made out of a pasty white clay that a vindictive artist had pinched and stretched downward like a piece of bubblegum. This resulted in sheer cheeks and a very sharp, pointed chin. All in all, his face looked rather like an upside-down triangle surrounded by black, bushy hair.

  For an instant in time she contemplated leaving, but as she turned around to walk out the door something prompted her to look up. He had also turned away from the bar and was now looking straight at her. She was unprepared for her reaction to his stare.

  No matter what his bad physical qualities, his eyes drew her in immediately, even from the distance between them. They were large and kind, and seemed to drink up every detail around him. But this was not what had captivated her so. They were the brightest shade of violet imaginable, twinkling with the reflected light of the room.

  Inexplicably, she found herself moving towards him. She felt a sudden compulsion to be next to this man, to take his hands into hers and to stare at those eyes. As she slowly moved closer to him she could see that it was not reflected light that made his eyes glimmer like she originally thought. To her amazement she discovered they were filled with tiny specks of gold that gleamed every time he shifted his gaze.

  He got up when she reached the seat next to him and pulled the chair out for her, offering her a glimpse of tight-fitting black designer clothing wrapped around his wiry frame. Once they were seated he took hold of her hand and gracefully kissed the back of it.

  “Nadine, I presume?” She felt strangely excited by this old-fashioned gentlemanly gesture. She nodded.

  “And you must be Theodore.” Internally Nadine was growing hopeful. Might he be the one?