Un Encuentro Casual

[My POV.]

It seemed like it was going to be another uneventful day as I drove to work. I liked to leave early to avoid the morning traffic but today it looked a little busier than usual. I was at a red light when my car suddenly stopped. ~Ah, **!~ I turned on my hazard lights and took the key out. I popped open the hood and got out to check what was wrong. I waved at the cars behind me to go around before I walked over to the hood. I propped it open and waved off the smoke that was coming out. ~Great, just my luck.~ I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to avoid a mental breakdown. I suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice call out to me.

Stranger: ”¿Estás bien? ”

I opened my eyes and turned to look at the stranger. ~Oh, hes cute.~ I awkwardly smiled and nodded.

Me: ”Yeah, Im okay but my car… ”

Stranger: ”Ya veo. Is it okay if I help you? ”

Me: ”Do you know anything about cars? ”

Stranger: ”{laugh}I know a little. ”

He smiled cutely and turned towards my car. He checked on a few things before standing up straight as he wiped his hands.

Stranger: ”Do you mind taking a ride with me? ”

I looked up at him, confused as I wasn sure what he meant.

Stranger: ”I can fix your car at my shop. But if you - ”

Me: ”Oh, yeah. Sorry, I don mind. ”

He smiled at me again as I was suddenly feeling shy by the strange feeling he gave me. It wasn a bad feeling but I just had never felt it before. It wasn butterflies, it was familiarity but I didn recognize him at all.

Stranger: ”Ill bring my truck over. Just give me a sec. ”

I nodded and watched him walk to his truck that was parked behind my car. He brought it over and hooked up my car to his truck. He wiped his hands and motioned for me to follow him. He opened the passenger door for me and I thanked him as I climbed up. I buckled myself in as he ran around and got in the drivers seat. He buckled up and started driving as he started talking to me.

Stranger: ”My shop isn too far from here, but where were you headed? ”

I suddenly remembered I hadn notified my manager and grabbed my phone as he laughed subtly. ~Ah, should I wait to be able to send a picture as proof?~ I was debating whether or not to call yet when he spoke again.

Stranger: ”Were you going to work? Or… Were you on your way to meet someone? ”

I finally snapped out of it and turned to face him.

Me: ”Oh, I was going to work. I just wasn sure if I should call my boss now or at your shop to be able to send a picture as proof. ”

The stranger smiled and nodded to himself.

Stranger: ”Have you ever called in for no important reason? ”

Me: ”No, I don think Ive ever called in at this job. Its still fairly new. ”

Stranger: ”What did you do before? ”

Me: ”I worked at a cell phone store. ”

Stranger: ”¿Y ahora? ”

Me: ”At an accounting firm. ”

Stranger: ”Wow… Beautiful and smart. ”

I felt my face get hot and quickly looked out the window to avoid him noticing me blushing. ~Why am I blushing?!~ I heard him chuckle softly before clearing his throat.

Stranger: ”We
e almost there. ”

Me: ”Oh, okay. ”

We were quiet the rest of the drive until we arrived at a large mechanic shop. ~Whoa… This looks fancy as **.~ I was in awe as I looked at the outside of the shop causing me to jump when the stranger opened my door.

Me: ”Oh! Thanks. ”

He smiled and helped me down. We walked over to the front entrance and he again opened the door for me. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by a bright lobby that looked and smelled clean as well as a small group of handsome men talking by the front desk.

Stranger: ”William! Ayúdame afuera. ”

The man named William poked his head out from the small group and nodded. He ran right over and briefly looked at me.

William: ”Oh, hola. ”

I looked at him with an awkward smile as I returned the greeting.

Me: ”Hola. ”

He stared at me curiously before looking back at the stranger.

William: ”Ella - ”

Stranger: ”Her car broke down in the middle of the road. Lets get it fixed quickly. ”

He motioned for William to leave then turned to me. However, William hadn been paying attention.

Stranger: ”You can take a seat anywhere. We won take long. ”

He smiled again then dragged William away. ~What was that?~ I shrugged it off and went to sit down at a random chair. I took out my phone and took a picture of a business card that was on the coffee table and sent it to my manager along with a message.

Voice: ”Aquí tiene. ”

I looked up to see one of the other guys handing me a cup of coffee.

Me: ”Gracias. ”

Voice: ”De nada. ”

He smiled at me cutely and turned to leave. ~Wow, everyone here is charming as hell…~ I quietly took a sip of the coffee as I scrolled through my phone. After about 30 minutes, the stranger came back inside and stood next to me.

Stranger: ”¿Lista? ”

I turned to face him startled by his sudden question. He had changed into a mechanic jumpsuit in which he had the sleeves tied around his waist and only had on a muscle shirt. He was wiping his hands on a towel and smiling at me flirtatiously.

Me: ”Uh – um… What? ”

He laughed quietly and repeated his question.

Stranger: ”¿Lista? Your car is ready. ”

Me: ”Oh! Thanks so much. How much do I owe you? ”

He shook his head as he stared at me.

Stranger: ”Nada. ”

Me: ”What? No way, I have to pay you for your work. ”

The stranger looked at me with obvious intentions as he continued to smirk.

Stranger: ”But… I don want your money. ”

I stared back at him blankly, unsure of what to do or say.

Stranger: ”Are you free anytime this week? ”

Me: ”I – um… I don know. ”

He smiled even wider as he grew more shy. I had to admit, I really wanted to say yes but I didn want to feel like he could control me on a whim. I cleared my throat but he spoke up first.

Stranger: ”No la quise ofender. ”

Me: ”Está bien… Solo no quiero que piense que quiero aprovecharme de usted. ”

He looked away shyly as he smiled before looking at me curiously.

Stranger: ”I would never think that of you. ”

Me: ”But still… Ill just pay for today so we don have any misunderstandings. ”

He nodded and motioned for me to follow him. We walked over to the counter where he whispered something to the man at the register who just nodded then looked over at me disinterested.

Cashier: ”Your total is $35. ”

Me: ”That cheap? What was wrong with it? ”

The cashier shrugged his shoulders as he looked back at the screen. ~Hes obviously giving me a big discount…~ I gave in and paid with no other arguments. The stranger came back out and handed me my keys. I turned to walk away but heard his footsteps behind mine. He quickly ran towards the door to open it for me again.

Me: ”Thank you. ”

He smiled at me and walked me to my car.

Stranger: ”Do you have a business card? ”

I looked at him curiously.

Me: ”You just want my number, don you? ”

He smiled widely. ~Ugh… Hes doing this on purpose. He must know he has a killer smile.~

Stranger: ”No… What if I need a new accountant? ”

I stared at him and smirked as he laughed.

Stranger: ”Was it that obvious? ”

Me: ”A little bit. ”

I walked over to the drivers side door. I opened it but hesitated.

Me: ”Are you really interested in me? Or is this some joke? ”

Stranger: ”Ive been interested in you since I first saw you. I don joke about my feelings. ”

He was staring at me intently and I felt my heart skip a beat. ~What the hell…?~ It took me a few seconds to gather myself.

Me: ”Well, if you really are serious then look me up. See if you find me. ”

He smirked as he nodded then held out his hand after taking a business card.

Stranger: ”Deal. ”

~Is he really that confident?~ I smirked and shook his hand before getting into my car and heading to work. I was swamped with work for the whole day. Since I was still fairly new to the company and to my team, my coworker usually left me with all the work by the end of the day. I didn mind since I didn have much to do otherwise and I had gotten there late. I was finishing up when my phone suddenly rang. ~What the hell? Someone else is still here at work?~ I answered the phone and heard a semi-familiar voice on the other end.

Voice: ”I found you. ”

I was stunned as I tried to register who was on the line. ~I don know if I should be impressed or scared.~

Me: ”So you did. ”

Stranger: ”Do I get a reward? ”

Me: ”You already got your reward. ”

Stranger: ”Really? Is it you? ”

Me: ”{laugh}No, its my work number and just talking to me. ”

Stranger: ”Alright, Ill work harder then. ”

Me: ”What do you mean? ”

Stranger: ”Ill work harder to win you over. ”

I could feel my face get hot as I blushed and I couldn stop smiling. But I tried my best to keep calm.

Me: ”Hm… I don know if you can though. ”

Stranger: ”¿Tienes novio? ”

Me: ”No, mejor sola que mal acompañada. ”

Stranger: ”I can respect that. Are you interested in anyone at the moment? ”

Me: ”At this time, no. Im focusing on work. ”

Stranger: ”I respect that too. Would you mind if I kept in touch with you? ”

Me: ”I mean you can try, but Im pretty busy during work. ”

Stranger: ”Would it be possible to call you outside of work? ”

Me: ”Hm… I don typically like to give out my number. ”

Stranger: ”If you aren interested in me, you could just say so. Ill respect your choice. I wouldn want to waste your time or make you feel uncomfortable. ”

Me: ”I would have told you at your shop to not even bother… But I admit, you are charming. ”

Stranger: ”Just charming? ”

Me: ”Well, Id say more but not on my work line. ”

Stranger: ”So then? ”

Me: ”Ill get your number. ”

Stranger: ”Are you actually going to call me? ”

Me: ”Wanna make a bet? ”

Stranger: ”If you do, then what? ”

Me: ”Ill take you up on your offer. ”

Stranger: ”And if you don ? ”

Me: ”What would you like as an apology? ”

Stranger: ”How could I ask you for anything? Wouldn that mean you
e not interested in me? ”

Me: ”Not playing games, but I could forget. ”

Stranger: ”Then if you forget, you would still owe me a date. But youd pay. ”

Me: ”Oh, I don mind that. I could wine and dine you too. ”

Stranger: ”Then, I hope you forget. ”

Me: ”Why? For free dinner? ”

Stranger: ”I wanna know if its true. ”

Me: ”Ill pay even if I do text you. ”

Stranger: ”Maybe you pay for date number two if you do text. ”

Me: ”So, can I have your name and number? ”

Stranger: ”You can have my number. ”

Me: ”Not your name? ”

Stranger: ”When we go on that date. ”

Me: ”You
e teasing me with your name? ”

Stranger: ”You
e making me want to say things I shouldn . ”

I felt my face get even hotter as he said that. ~Oh **… Now Im really interested.~

Me: ”No one says you won get the chance once I call you. ”

Stranger: ”Then, I can wait for your call. ”

He passed me his phone number and I saved his info on my phone. We said goodbye and I finished my work before rushing to my apartment. I kept internally debating whether or not to call him or wait. I didn want to appear too easy or desperate so when I got home, I showered and ate a light dinner before getting comfortable in bed. I stared at my screen with his number displayed. But instead I checked on my social media for a short while before finally getting the courage to send him a message first.

Me: *Hey stranger.*

Stranger: *Hm… And who might this be?*

Me: *Are you interested in more than one girl?*

Stranger: *No, but I just want to confirm if its really you…*

Me: *Do you know my name?*

Stranger: *How else would I find you?*

Me: *True, then let me confirm that Im Marisol.*

Stranger: *¿Marisol que? If its not too much to ask…*

Me: *LOL OMG… Marisol Alvarez.*

Stranger: *Hm… Im still not sure I believe its really you…*

I chuckled to myself knowing he was fishing for a picture. I turned onto my stomach and fixed my hair before setting up the camera timer. I tried a few different poses before deciding on what kind of photo to send him. I captioned the photo with a request for his picture in return. A few seconds later, I received his photo. I clicked to enlarge it and saw he was also in bed but shirtless. Another message came in so I exited out of the picture to check it.

Stranger: *Was that enough proof?*

Me: *Definitely… But Im curious about something.*

Stranger: *How am I so good looking?*

I laughed out loud. ~Hes definitely charming.~

Me: *How did you find me without even knowing my name?*

Stranger: *I could tell you… But Id rather tell you on our third date…*

Me: *Third? How do you know well make it to a third date?*

Stranger: *I told you, Im going to work hard to win you over.*

Me: *Yeah, but do you think you can? What if you change your mind?*

Stranger: *Then, Ill tell you before that happens… But honestly, I don think I will.*

Me: *Why do you think that?*

Stranger: *Just a feeling…*

Me: *Come on… Give me something more concrete than that…*

Stranger: *You give off wifey vibes*

I blushed again and I realized that I had been smiling the entire time we were texting. My cheeks were beginning to hurt, but I couldn help it. He was continuously drawing me in and I was genuinely becoming attracted to him.

Me: *Is that right?*

Stranger: *One day youll realize I would never lie to you.*

Me: *That sounds like a confident promise.*

Stranger: *It is a promise and I am confident.*

Me: *You are too charming. I can believe you said you
e only interested in me.*

Stranger: *I only need one woman so Im only pursuing you.*

I laughed again and noticed the time. ~I need to go to bed soon.~ I wanted to keep talking to him but I also wanted to keep him at a distance in case he turned out to be a creep.

Me: *You
e so corny… But I have to go to bed now.*

Stranger: *Can we talk again tomorrow?*

Me: *Well see…*

Stranger: *Then, Ill wait for your message.*

Me: *Okay.*

Stranger: *Que descanses.*

Me: *You too.*

I put the phone down and turned onto my back and sighed. ~What am I going to do?~ It felt like today had been a rollercoaster of emotions as I kept thinking about him. I grabbed my phone and looked at the picture of the business card. I looked up their social media but I couldn find his information on the site or even a picture. ~How is that possible? Is he private?~ I kept going through the page hoping to find a clue but I grew frustrated and decided to try again tomorrow.

[Strangers POV.]

I was on my way to my shop when my brother called me asking me to stop for some food. I was still on the phone with him when I noticed the line was stuck in traffic.

Me: ”Wait, I think there was an accident or something, todos le están sacando la vuelta. ”

I was about to go around them when I saw her getting out of her car. I put my emergency lights on too and put my truck in park.

Me: ”I won be able to get your breakfast. ”

Brother: ”What? Why not? ”

Me: ”Youll see. ”

I hung up before he could respond and went out to see if it really was her. I was feeling anxious since I hadn seen her in about 10 years. She was my high school crush and the first girl I had ever admitted to my family that I liked. Of course, after 10 years I had gotten over her but seeing her now, that nagging feeling came back. It was a lingering feeling that I guessed never really went away and seemed to grow again as I saw her standing there with her eyes closed. Her hair swept across her face as the wind blew and the smoke added a dreamy effect as the image of her back then crossed my mind. I spoke to her, hoping to reconnect but she didn seem to recognize me at all. ~She doesn remember me at all…~ Then again, 10 years had gone by and I was no longer the small, shy kid I was back then. I never got to confess to her personally as I had seen when she went to confess to someone else. But I was hoping to use this encounter as a fresh start and my second chance. I was able to talk to her and at first I thought I had mistaken her for someone else as she was a little different from before. ~Its been 10 years, people change…~ She had been so innocent yet funny in school despite being quiet. She didn have many friends but thats what I had liked about her. She was humble, down to earth, reserved, intelligent, and cute to top it off. She never saw her worth which led to her being a loner most of the time. We were similar in that aspect but to see her now, she was almost the complete opposite. But she still made my heart jump and she still had that pure look in her eyes. She seemed to still be guarded and I couldn blame her after what had happened. When we got to my shop I called my brother over and was thankful that most of the others weren there. William recognized her too but I stopped him from saying anything. We went outside to fix her car and he asked me what had happened.

William: ”Give me all the details! ”

I laughed and told him how I coincidentally found her.

William: ”Wow! ¡Qué locura! ¿Y entonces? You
e going to confess this time? ”

Me: ”If everything goes well… Im not letting her go so easily. ”

William: ”Eso hermano. Mis bendiciones. ”

Me: ”{laugh}Don jinx me… ”

William: ”Nunca. But… What about - ”

Me: ”Ni lo digas… ”

William: ”I don think you have anything to worry about… After what happened… ”

Me: ”I just want to focus on right now… I don want to think about that. ”

William: ”Alright. Lets get her car fixed. ”

We finished up as it wasn anything serious and I went back inside. ~Lets see how she answers this.~

I wanted to test out how shed respond to me offering to waive the payment but as I expected, she declined. ~She always hated feeling indebted to others.~ I asked her out but again as expected, she was cautious even when I asked for her contact info. She challenged me to find her which was easy considering I already knew her name. ~Am I already winning you over or are you just playing with me?~ I kept getting ahead of myself but she seemed to be playing along as we talked on the phone later that day. I made William promise not to tell the others anything about her. He seemed to be able to keep quiet for now but after I hung up with her, our roommate Santiago came into my room.

Santiago: ”Oye, esa mujer - ”

Me: ”Did William tell you? ”

Santiago: ”No, tu y tu cara de enamorado. ¿Quién es? ”

Me: ”Después te digo. ”

He smiled and nodded as he left my room. I didn want to say anything until she was actually mine. I was waiting for her text as I recalled all the memories I had of her. Suddenly that memory came back.

{Flashback: I was on my way to class when we all heard a commotion in the hall. We went to take a look and saw a fight going on. As I wasn interested in the fight, I headed back to class and saw her at her locker. She was hesitating in front of it. She finally took out an envelope and closed it. The envelope was pink and had a big heart on it. ~Ah… Is she confessing to someone?~ I was about to follow her but soon several teachers were approaching, calling for everyone to get to class. But after class was over, we heard an ambulance arrive. I had assumed that it was for one of the kids that had been in the fight but it was shockingly for Marisol. My heart sank and soon the school was filled with rumors. I had approached one of the few girls that she would talk to and asked if she knew the truth. She took me aside and explained quietly.

Girl: ”She was on her way to confess to her crush when she got in an accident. Thats all I know. ”

Me: ”What?! Do you know who she was going to confess to? ”

Girl: ”No, he graduated last year though…. I think she said his name was… Ah, sorry, I can really think right now… ”

Me: ”No, its okay. It doesn really matter. Is she alright? ”

Girl: ”Im not sure, her parents aren letting anyone see her… I just know shes going to be homeschooled from now on. ”

I thanked her and ran over to the hospital after school but I wasn able to see her.

I kept going back but I never saw her again.}

~Ya no importa… Ill never let anything happen to you…~ She suddenly sent me a text and those negative memories vanished. She seemed to be more happy and carefree through her flirty texts and I couldn stop smiling. ~This is how you should always be, happy and confident mi bella Marisol.~