Nothing else around them mattered in these moments. Kristin’s honesty and excitement for life were hypnotic, and although he had other places he was supposed to be, he was unwilling to walk away from her. He loved the fact she appeared to have hardly any makeup on because she did not need it as she was naturally pretty. Her hair, straight and long, flowed over her shoulders and her smile was warm and left him wanting to know more. The fact that she had the most beautiful green eyes did not hurt either. Her eyes were vibrant and expressive and it was obvious when she was discussing something she was passionate about. As she talked she focused on him as if there was no one else there. Ignoring everyone else she made him feel significant in a way most women failed to do.
Slowly she looked at her conference schedule committing the next session location to memory. Closing her notebook she opened her bag and dropped her pen, water, and notebook in her bag. She could feel herself moving slowly as if she was half asleep. Even though she was willing herself to walk out of the room she was stuck in the moment. She was torn between wanting to continue talking with Jake and not seeming overly eager to talk to someone she only just met. She felt a connection with him, but there was no way to know if he felt the same thing and she could not stomach any further embarrassment today.
Without any other way to procrastinate, she knew it was time. Sliding out of her chair she lifted her head and their eyes locked. Without realizing it she froze mid movement and she could feel her pulse quicken as she tried to breathe.
Honestly she could count on both hands the times in her life when she had unequivocally put herself out to another person without having any idea what kind of response lie in wait on the other side. She assumed she was like most people in that regard, scared to jump too far without having some idea what was on the other side to land on. She related it to running at full speed and jumping off a cliff in hopes the water on the other side really was deep enough to clear the rocks below.
She would have given anything for her not-so-subtle body language to have been successful. Instead and much to her dismay, the presenter continued asking her direct questions so regularly it began to feel like this was planned. His persistence portrayed a disproportionate familiarity between them and she found him obnoxious. His behavior was completely unfounded, yet she felt paralyzed. She could not recall a time he felt so incredibly awkward and helpless to remove herself from the situation.
"So, what did you do to him?”
The voice, while almost a whisper, was sultry and deep and if she was not mistaken, a tad playful. Between the awkwardness of being repeatedly called on and hoping to melt into her seat, she had completely forgotten about Jake. He was directly behind her but quiet and therefore his presence was overlooked.
She wondered if her predicament was amusing to him. She might have found the offhanded banter humorous if she were not stuck playing a part in it. Sighing from frustration the last thing she needed was something else making her feel self-conscious. From continually being forced to answer unsolicited questions to having a stranger question her about it, she wondered if she could possibly be more embarrassed.
“What? What do you mean,” she asked, flustered by her lack of a better response.
Hoping to answer without drawing attention to herself she turned her head only slightly, speaking quietly and quickly so the presenter’s gaze did not catch her. Her response portrayed confusion but she was quite sure she knew what he was asking. Regrettably, she could not think of a single appropriate explanation. Sighing she resigned herself to hoping the universe would allow her to blend in for the remainder of the day. She had enough attention this morning to last a week.
“I mean, he CLEARLY seems focused on you. He has pointed you out multiple times and we are not even half way through the session. So my question is: what did you do to him,” he repeated, unable to quash his curiosity.
After rewording his question he watched her shoulders press forward and her appearance seem to shrink before him the same way it did when the presenter spoke her name. The last thing he wanted was to exacerbate her situation, but in all the conferences he attended he never saw a display quite like this. Contrary to his normal life, where he was normally in control, his desire to get an answer from her got the best of him.
Whatever the connection was between her and the presenter, it was obvious she was uncomfortable with it. No matter how she responded the presenter committed to keeping her an active part of the discussion. He really was a cad, pushing her by forcing her to agree with him after making a series of claims. It was clear she was being used and even though he did not know her, he empathized with her, feeling frustrated the presenter was doing this to her. He needed to know why, why her, what was it about her?