I shook my head and reached for her shoulder, “No. because you’re a person who interests me.”

She shifted her eyes toward the window, “Why?”

I gripped her shoulder lightly, “Initially, I’d say it was your beauty. Now? Hell, now you could be ugly as fuck and I’d still want to get to know you.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” she breathed.

I nodded my head and slid my hand down to her bicep, “Yes, I do.”

“Okay, I’m done thinking,” she sighed.

“About?” I breathed.

“You said you wanted to get to know me, and for me to think about it. I’m done thinking,” she said as she titled her head to the side.

I slid my hand up her arm and across her shoulder, “And…?”

“I want that too,” she responded as she pressed her cheek into the back of my hand.

Our getting to know each other began immediately, and continued for what appeared to be roughly an hour. After discussing music, relationships, the importance of dental hygiene, our hatred for awkward silences, and the benefits of living in a warm climate, I felt as if Chloe had finally left me, and someone else was slowly beginning to take her place.

Fully realizing Rain and I were not in a relationship, nor anywhere near beginning one, I still found comfort in the feeling of having her open up to me was providing. Even though we weren’t together, there was something about her presence that provided me with a strange comfort I hadn’t felt since I was a kid.

“Where would you choose if it could be anywhere?” she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders as if I had not thought about it much. Truthfully, I had. My dream was Monterrey, California.

“Monterrey. Out in California. It’s along the coast, but far enough north that it’s away from all of the idiots. It’s beautiful,” I responded.

“Have you been there?” she asked.

“Never been out of this shit-hole state,” I responded.

“Me neither,” she grinned.

“Grow up here?” she asked.

“Yep,” I said, “Well, basically. Pretty close to here, but in this state, yes.”

“Brothers? Sisters?” she asked.

“Nope,” I responded.

“Me neither,” she said.

As I stared at the ceiling for a moment and thought of having my own shop in the warmth of California’s sun, the room began to brighten considerably. Feeling confused, I sat up and turned toward the window. An orange glow along the dark horizon confirmed my suspicion. I chuckled, relaxed onto my pillow, and clasped my hands behind my head.

“What?” she asked as she studied me.

“The sun’s coming up,” I said with a laugh.

Still sitting up on the bed, she pursed her lips, crossed her arms over her chest, and sighed.

I tilted my head to the side, “What’s wrong?”

She gazed down into my eyes, “That means this is over. I was really enjoying it.”

“Over? As far as I’m concerned, we’re just getting started. I probably should take a shower before Cade gets up. Shit, his alarm will be going off in a half hour or so,” I said as I sat up.

“Too bad the water’s free here,” she chuckled.

“Why’s that?” I asked as I stood and stretched my arms over my head.

“Makes trying to convince you to conserve water and let me shower with you kind of difficult,” she responded.

Strangely, my mind didn’t immediately begin thinking about sex. I imagined what she might look like naked, and began to imagine washing her back and shoulders. Without a doubt, the thought of having sex with her excited me greatly, but to have sex with her would make me all too predictable. Her current situation, her background, and her complicated loveless past told me to avoid sex at all costs, at least for now. As I realized I hadn’t responded to her half-assed offer, I felt like somewhat of a fool.

“Sounds fun,” I responded.

I raised my hand in the air, extended my index finger, and coughed a laugh, “And although I hope one day we reach a point we’re both comfortable doing it, right now I’m thinking it’s not a good idea.”

“You’re probably going to think I’m full of shit, but I like that response,” she said under her breath.

As I studied the outline of her face against the glow of the slowly rising sun, I realized although meeting Rain was in no way what I had planned, it was exactly what I needed when I desperately needed it most.

Her friend Christina’s mother may have been right.

Maybe everything does happen for a reason.

RAIN

It had been a little more than a week since I first met Ethan. Every night since meeting him, after work, he stopped at my bench and I rode with him up the elevator. As much as I had come to enjoy our nights of eating dinner together, I knew at some point in time it would end. Eventually, everything in life does. For now, however, I decided to enjoy each and every minute of my time with Ethan and Cade fully, and cherish my memories of mingling with the two kindest men I had ever met.

This evening had begun differently than the others, and Cade had stopped at my bench on his way home, asking if I would help him with dinner. I eagerly agreed, and after washing my hands and listening to his specific instructions, was preparing to whip some Thai Peanut Sauce into edible condition.

“Okay, I have everything in here, now what?” I asked as I pushed the lid onto the top of the food processor.

“Here, let me show you,” he responded.

He reached over my shoulder, checked to make sure the lid was secure, and pressed the button on the front of the contraption. The mixer began to buzz, and the ingredients started to swirl. Immediately, he pressed the stop button.

“That’s it. Just press that button and let them mix until it’s smooth and creamy. Check it periodically with the spatula,” he said as he slid the spatula across the counter.

“Okay,” I said as I pressed the button, starting the processor spinning once again.

As I watched the ingredients mix together into one, I turned to him and grinned, “What if a person doesn’t keep agave nectar in their house?”

“Then they can’t make a good peanut sauce,” he shrugged.

I turned toward him and chuckled, “So, if you don’t have it, you’re screwed?”

“I suppose you could use honey or light syrup, but it wouldn’t be the same as far as I’m concerned,” he responded over his shoulder.

“What’s in that sauce?” I asked as I tossed my head toward the bowl he was mixing sauce in.

He glanced in the bowl, and shifted his eyes to meet mine, “Sweet soy sauce, chili oil, garlic, and onions. It’s for the wontons.”

“What wontons?” I asked as I stopped the food processor.

I removed the lid and stirred the mixture with the spatula. Everything appeared to be mixed very well.

“You’re going to make them in a minute,” he nodded.

Standing behind me, he placed each of his hands on my upper arms, and rested his chin on my shoulder as he peered over me and into the top of the processor. Although my first impression of Cade may have been influenced by my immediate attraction to Ethan, I saw him as cute, but cute in a puppy kind of way. After spending time with him cooking, I saw him with an entirely different set of eyes. I found it funny how my thoughts had changed, but now I was seeing him as a very attractive man who was simply neat and very well put together.

“Okay, your sauce looks good. Now, come here and let me show you what’s next,” he said as he moved his hands away from my arms.

I turned to face him. What we were doing was what I had always hoped as a girl my mother would do with me. Cade was sharing one of his obvious pleasures in life with me; cooking. In doing so, he was teaching me his techniques and processes. Although it wasn’t something I expected from meeting these two men, I was enjoying it immensely.