Chapter Five
Zach
I walk away from the table only slightly disappointed I didn’t get that dance with Sia, but still, I made progress. Any man knows if he wants to win a woman over, he’d dang well better get her best friend on his side. If he’s not in good with the bestie, he might as well tuck tail and run. I’ve never played this game before, but tonight I’ve enjoyed it.
I didn’t have to fake my conversation with Nikki. Sia’s best friend is engaging and fun, and it shows a lot about who Sia is. Who a person surrounds themselves with says a lot about them. She’s the Yin to Sia’s Yang. I might be getting that slightly wrong, but I like it anyway.
Back upstairs, Blaze sits back as he watches me approach. He’s wearing his typical grin. He thinks I’ve struck out. I might’ve slightly struck out, but it wasn’t a no-hitter by any means. I consider tonight great progress.
“How did it go?” Blaze asks. The waitress immediately shows up and I order another drink. I’m about ready to go, but one for the road won’t hurt.
“It went well,” I tell him. My drink arrives and I sip on it. My slugging time is over.
“She’s not with you,” he points out.
“That wasn’t the plan. I wouldn’t have been opposed to that, but I’m not crushed either.”
“It looked like you had the friend eating out of your hand.”
“Of course you were watching,” I say with a chuckle.
“It isn’t every day I get to see my brother turned down so effectively.”
“You’re enjoying this a bit too much.”
“Like you haven’t enjoyed those rare moments when I’ve been humbled,” Blaze says.
“That’s a fair point.” I run my hand through my hair. “I thought I could get at least one dance out of her.”
Blaze laughs. “It’s good for you to be knocked down a peg or two.”
“I could say the same for you.”
“There’s no doubt about it. I now have Courtney to humble me on a daily basis though, so I’ve already been knocked down. I have to admit it’s good. Life’s been easy for us, for the most part. Sure, we’ve had some bumps in the road, but nothing compared to what others have gone through.”
“That’s a fair point.” We lost our parents young, but we had Gramps and that kept us grounded and surrounded with love. Money was never an issue for us, and with our looks, women have always come easily. Maybe we need more of a challenge in life. Good times make weak men, and I don’t ever want to be considered weak.
“What comes next?” Blaze asks. He holds up his hand for the check and soon has it in his hand. He signs it, leaving a very generous tip. He’s ready to get home to Courtney, and I’m ready to leave now that Sia’s gone. There goes my idea of finding another woman attractive. I should’ve known from the moment I approached the woman that it was Sia. It seems no other woman can draw me in... at least for now.
“I have no idea. The entire situation is complicated. I can’t shake the feeling that I know this woman. Maybe that’s why she’s so hostile toward me.”
“Did you sleep with her at some point?” he asks. Something in my mind triggers at this question, but I still can’t place it.
“I know I’ve been with too many women, but I can’t imagine I’d forget someone like Sia. She’s so unique, so beautiful. She’s not a woman a man forgets,” I say, but I have doubts about this.
“You better figure it out quickly, because if you were with her before and forgot her, you don’t have a shot.”
“I’m well aware of that. I’ve searched my thoughts, but can’t place her. I just know I’ve seen her before. It’s driving me absolutely crazy.”
“I think women were brought into this world to drive us crazy. It’s their single most important task in life,” Blaze says.
I laugh. “Don’t let any woman hear you saying that or you’ll be brutalized. Women have many talents, and the world would be much poorer without them in it,” I tell him.
“Believe me, I know. Courtney’s incredible. My world would be a much worse place without her in it. She makes me a better person, and I’ll be forever grateful I’ve met her.”
“I’ll spend more time with Sia. I’ll figure it out. If I have to redo the entire place three times over, I’ll do it. I’ll keep her around and get her walls to come down.”
Blaze gives me a long look. “It’s so odd to see you so focused on a woman. I know this past year you’ve been saying you want something more serious. Maybe she’s the woman to get through to you... if you can manage to keep her in a room with you.” He laughs again, highly amused by all of this.
“I don’t know where to start. We’re doing the decorating in the house and that will take a while, but I want to get her out of the work world. I want to take her on some dates.”
“Are you asking for some advice, brother?” Blaze asks.
I sadly shake my head. “I might just be,” I grumble. “I have to have this woman.”
“My first piece of advice is you’re going to have to step up your game. I don’t mean you have to play games, I mean that you have to throw out the playbook and try something totally new. Maybe try being yourself. You’re a great guy and if you let the real you show, you could easily win her. When is the last time you did that?”
I lean back as I try to remember being free. It’s been so long I can’t put a date on it. I realized young who I was and how easy it was to win women over. It took all the fun out of the chase. Maybe I need this.
“It’s been so long I don’t know exactly what it’s like to be carefree. It might be a good change to live in the moment.”
“It’s exhilarating. I’ve lived my life that way for a long time. Ripping off the ties of normal society is freeing. To simply be yourself with no thought of consequences is great for the soul,” Blaze says.
“There are always consequences. We can’t throw out all of the rules.”
“We can throw out the stupid ones,” Blaze insists.
“I sort of agree with that.”
“That’s progress right there,” Blaze says. “Let’s get out of here. It’s getting too loud now.”
As we walk toward the exit, my thoughts are still whirling. I’m not one to dwell on a woman, but since meeting Sia today she’s consumed me. I do need to change my approach. Maybe I should take Blaze’s advice to heart. It can’t hurt since my usual charm is getting me nowhere.
We step outside and the cool night air feels amazing on my cheeks. I’m not drunk by any means, but the stuffy atmosphere of the club gets to me after a while. I need a long walk. Sometimes that’s the best way to clear my head.
“How serious are you about this woman?” Blaze asks.
I take a moment. “Serious enough to want to see where this might lead,” I admit.
“Well then, show her the real you, show her you’re interested, that this is more than a game of cat and mouse. If she thinks you’re going to lose interest as soon as you catch her, there’s no reason for her to let you in. If this happened in the past you have a hard road ahead of you.”
“I wish I could remember,” I tell him.
“You’ll figure it out.”
We say goodbye and I make my way toward home. My mind’s a whirlwind of thoughts, and I’m feeling emotions I can’t ever remember feeling before. It’s so damn odd. Sia came out of nowhere. I don’t understand it. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours and I’m obsessed with her. Is this what Gramps used to talk about? Is this what my brothers have talked about? I have no idea, but the path I’m on isn’t very fun at the moment.
I have to admit I love the chemistry between Sia and me. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. At this thought, another memory tugs at my brain, but I can’t quite bring it into focus. Have I felt this before? Was it with Sia? If it was, I’m in bigger trouble than I realized.
One thing for sure is this has nothing to do with the damn mystery box, and fate isn’t leading me. This is about what I want, not about magic, and not about a game. What I’m feeling right now is different than anything before. I know what I want in life, and I’m not letting any outside influences change me. At least I hope not.
As I pull up to the family home, a new determination settles over me. I’m not a puppet to fate, but that doesn’t mean I won’t listen to the little voices nudging me along a path I might otherwise not travel.
I assure myself that I’m a strong man who’s simply found something worth pursuing. That’s all this is. At the end of it, it will work out or it won’t. Good. Now that that’s settled, I feel much better.
I enter the home I’ve entered thousands of times before and feel relief. My life’s good. It’s had some ups and downs, but overall it’s been good. It’s better now than it was years ago. I miss Gramps and wish he was still here, but one good thing that arose from tragedy is that my brothers and I are closer than we’ve ever been.
No matter what happens tomorrow, I have family, and that’s so much more than many can say. It will all work out. I’m sure I’ll be feeling a lot steadier by tomorrow. I might even forget all about Sia. Not a fat chance of that, but you never know what might happen. Tomorrow is a brand new day.