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Chapter 3
Claire had finally broken away from the party at one-thirty am and felt she did a good job making the rounds to most people that were at the party. She spent a lot of time thinking about Kevin for the remainder of the evening and could not wait to have him all to herself for dinner the next day. She realized that she really enjoyed Kevin's company and secretly hoped that something would come out of their meeting that night.
Claire finally rolled out of bed at noon. She was not a morning person at all, and wished she could have slept longer. But she wanted to go grab a light lunch and ensure that she made it to the gym later that afternoon. Just as she was putting on her shoes, she was startled by a knock at the door. She walked over to the door and smiled when she saw Kevin through the peephole. She opened the door and said, "Well this is a nice surprise."
"You're first mistake was telling me your room number. I was just on my way down to get some lunch, well actually breakfast for me, and was wondering if you would like to join me." Kevin asked.
"First you were following me last night and now you're reading my mind. I was just on my way down to get some breakfast as well." Claire said as she invited Kevin. She sat down on the bed and finished tying her shoes and felt the bounce in her step as the left her room with Kevin right behind her.
As they stepped into the elevator, Claire asked Kevin, "What are your plans before our dinner date tonight?"
"Probably catch a few more hours of sleep and go work out for a while." Kevin replied.
"Ok, now I know you're reading my mind." Claire said with a smile.
"Which part, catching sleep or working out?" Kevin asked as he looked down at Claire. She looked like a normal woman standing in front of him. She had her long light brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and she was wearing no makeup. Yet he was still so attracted to her.
"The part about working out. I could use some more sleep, but already wasted half of the day doing that." Claire said as the elevator came to a stop on the second level. They both exited the elevator together and walked towards the hotel's restaurant. They were able to get a quiet table in the corner, near the window. It was a beautiful afternoon in Chicago. Or at least it looked like a beautiful day to Claire. She promised herself that she would make it outside for a walk that afternoon.
Kevin watched Claire as she looked out the window. "What ya thinking?" Kevin asked.
"It looks like a beautiful day out there. I really should get out and enjoy the warm sunny weather before the summer is over." Claire said as she continued to look out the window.
"They tell me there's this really beautiful park a few blocks from the hotel. I'm sure if you asked the front desk they could give you directions." Kevin said.
"Thanks Kevin. I think I will do that." Claire said just as the waitress came to take their order. She hadn't even looked over the menu yet, but took the chance that they had a club sandwich.
Through out lunch, Kevin and Claire talked about a variety of things. Kevin started by asking her questions about her father and her up bringing. She was honest with Kevin and told him that she loved her father dearly, but didn't enjoy that lifestyle at all. She was anxious to be her own person, and her father didn't give her the chance to be just that. She continued to tell him that her father had already picked out her husband and had the wedding planned before she met the guy. She went on to tell him that she was furious with her father and didn’t talk to him for almost a year. That was when her father realized that he would rather keep his daughter than force her into something she so adamantly did not want. "So here I am. You won't meet someone more independent than me. I have a great apartment in New York, love my job as an editor, and spend the majority of my time curled up on my couch with a good book. What about you?" Claire finished.
"Let me start by saying that I have a hard time believing that you don’t have men knocking your door down. I know I will every time I'm in New York." Kevin kidded lightly. "On a more serious note, I have to say I had a very normal up bringing. What I remember the most is the years we spent in our log cabin. My father owned a camp that took over our summers and I remember spending the winters in front of the out-of-tune piano we had in the food hall. By the time I graduated from high school though, I was ready to do bigger and better things. I was having a hard time deciding between being a pilot or an entertainer. I finally moved to Orlando and worked my way up at Walt Disney World. I started off as a tour guide and worked my way up to playing Aladdin and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle." Kevin said as he laughed along with Claire. He loved the way Claire's face lit up when she laughed. "So here I am today. A part of a widely popular group and living life to it's fullest." Kevin continued.
"A very different life, but somehow it led us to the same party last night." Claire said, thinking how ironic it was.
Kevin just looked into Claire's eyes and thought about the irony in Claire's last remark. Like so many other things in his life, had his meeting with Claire been fate? He liked to think that was the case.
After lunch, Claire insisted on paying for lunch if Kevin agreed to pay for dinner later that day. Kevin agreed, but had to admit he was not used to women being so independent. He had dated several women in the past few years and not once did one of them ever insist on paying the bill, nor did they ever offer. Kevin had good feelings about Claire and was looking forward to their dinner that evening. They had agreed to meet in the lobby at 7pm and Kevin promised her a night to remember and told her to dress up for a night on the town.
Claire decided to skip the workout and just go for a lengthy walk that afternoon. She found herself extremely drawn to Kevin and she didn’t think she could handle running into him while she was working out. She already felt vulnerable enough around him. Claire was confused about her sudden feelings for Kevin. She had never felt such intense feelings before. Whenever Kevin was close, her heartbeat would quicken and she would become weak in the knees. For the first time in her life, she was actually nervous about her dinner with Kevin later that night.
Claire came across a small, yet very interesting clothing shop on her walk that afternoon. She knew she needed an outfit for dinner that night and Kevin didn’t give her any clues. Claire was never one for dressing outrageously and she didn’t want to stray too far from being herself that night. So Claire finally decided on a conservative pair of black pants with a body hugging white tank top. It was still warm in Chicago at this time of the year, but she made a mental note to remember to bring her white sweater.
Kevin was disappointed when he didn’t run into Claire while he was working out, but he decided it was probably for the best. He already was nervous enough about their dinner together, so he figured a workout without Claire’s presence was probably just what he needed. After his workout, Kevin had planned to catch a nap, but he got interested in the movie "Shawshank Redemption". It was one of his favorite movies, and he would have just enough time to get ready once the movie ended.
