"Hi," she said, getting up from the table and extending her hand. "You must be Jeremy."
Wow, this woman is absolutely breathtaking, I thought and chuckled. "Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you, Anabelle," I replied returning her greeting.
"Please, call me Ana," she chuckled as we sat.
I took a brief moment to pursue my surroundings while I scooted my chair. The low lighting was comforting, yet only second to the salty wisps of mist that blew from the waves. I pictured the elegant curves of each crest and trough as the gentle tide lulled me to a calm stupor.
"I'm so glad you were able to come tonight," she said, wrenching me from my trance.
"Y-yes of course," I said, quickly reaching for my water. Oh god, she's looking isn't she? Ok, make it look normal. Yuuuck, disgusting!
"Oh, are you ok? You spilled a little bit," she said picking up her white cloth napkin and dabbing the mess that had spilled from my cup.
"Sorry," I replied. "I had a dentist appointment this morning, and they pumped me full of nitrous." I'm a terrible human being... "So tell me something about yourself?"
"I just finished law school at Standford, I swam competitively for 16 years of my life, I want to see as much of the world as possible and ... I still live with my parents," she finished with a sigh as she clasped her hands on her lap and bowed her head.
I took advantage of this lapse to add a few pinches of salt to my water. "Please, Anna don't be embarrassed. So what do your parents do?"
"My mom is a florist actually, and my dad is a s-"
"Pardon me, are we ready to order?" asked the waiter as he filled our glasses with wine.
"None for me, thank you," I said.
"No, thank you," she started as she picked up her glass and took a drink. "I called in an order. I presume it'll be ready shortly."
The waiter bowed slightly before briskly walking to his next task.
"So, you were saying..."
"Right," she started wrinkling her brow in remembrance. My dad is a squid fisherman, and has been for as long as I can remember."
My heart lurched in my chest as the reality of the situation sunk in.My entire family could have been captured by her father. My head started spinning and my breath quickened. My throat became rough and dry, I swallowed and nearly choked. I reached for my water, but it slipped from my sweaty palms. "I need to- I need to use the restroom," I said, hastily taking my napkin from my lap and rising from my chair. "Excuse me."
I rather hurriedly ran to the bathroom, locked the door and turned toward the mirror. A 25-year-old started back. His sandy blonde hair was matted and his face a flushed red. His shirt clung to my torso and forearms as beads of sweat pooled under his eyes and forehead.