That Friday afternoon, Annalise padded around her bathroom barefoot, desperately trying to keep her hair pinned away from her face. It was insanely long, falling nearly to her waist, a thick, black curtain, with a natural wave that drove her crazy. It seemed to have a mind of its own that day, framing her face in a mass of curls. She managed to successfully pin it up, only to have it spring free again seconds later. Realizing that winning small battles did not guarantee the victory of the war, she gave up and tied it into a loose braid at the nape of her neck. Her wardrobe was much easier than her hair. The party, and the general atmosphere of the whole event was said to be casual. She found herself thanking God for small miracles as she slipped into a pair of baggy jeans and a red tank top. Comfort would hopefully make the whole thing easier. Knowing that she would be on her feet for the majority of the night, a pair of comfortable Sketchers completed her ensemble. She gave herself a quick look in the mirror, checking to make sure that none of her tattoos were visible, mentally cursing her own minute professionalism. Satisfied with her appearance, she left the house and drove herself to the venue where the concert was being held. Backstage was already alive with activity as she made her way to the VIP room, stepping over cables and metal road cases. To her relief, Jade and the rest of the crew were already there, setting up tables and reviewing the menu. "It's about time!," Jade wailed as she approached.
"Sorry," Annalise mumbled, "I lost track of time."
"Yeah well...you can start by going over these and making last minute changes, then head out to the van and help unload," Jade dictated, handing her an enormous stack of paperwork. It wasn't long before Annalise got herself lost in her work. It wasn't a glamorous job by any means, but she loved it just the same. It left her with a feeling of satisfaction, knowing that this was a business that she partly owned, a successful one at that. By the time the concert began, her mood had improved considerably. She was folding napkins when Jade leaned to her and said, "Okay...I got this covered. You go ahead and head over to the Marriott and start setting up there."
Annalise just nodded, the high pitched screaming of thousands of girls had finally taken its toll...her head was throbbing. She went around the room, dodging family members and guests of the band, and spoke to four of the other crew members, telling them to get ready to head out. Her mind racing, cluttered with various thoughts. She vaguely noticed that the music had stopped, but the screaming hadn't, and she was desperate to get away.
After grabbing her backpack, her purse, and her mountain of paperwork she hastily made her way out of the cramped room, absentmindedly glancing down and flipping through papers. Perhaps it was fate that caused her to literally walk into the guy, or perhaps a blessing in disguise. At the moment though, she didn't think so, especially not with a lot of her important papers fluttering through the air. Her frustration reached its boiling point, and she opened her mouth, intent on telling whoever it was to watch where they were going. The words died in her throat as she found herself staring into the most incredible pair of chocolate colored eyes. He was, quite simply, the most stunning specimen of the male species that she had ever laid eyes on. He wasn't tall, yet still at least 5 inches taller than her 5'4" frame. He was dark all over...dark eyes framed by long, dark lashes, dark hair with just a shade of bright red, tanned skinned slick with sweat. She noticed the tattoos immediately, pausing for a moment to observe and appreciate the artwork. He was a tad on the skinny side, but on him, it looked perfectly natural.
"Sorry about that," he said, offering a slight smile, his voice clear and strong...and a tad bit throaty...never the less, she admired that voice instantly.
”That's okay," she replied, feeling like a complete fool for openly gawking at him. She shifted the weight of her backpack and knelt down to retrieve the papers that were scattered all over the hallway. Wordlessly, he kneltt down to help her. She caught herself casting sly glances in his direction, wondering who he was. As if reading her thoughts, he asked, "So...who are you?"
She had often found herself on the recieving end of that question, especially backstage at events like these. "The caterer," she responded automatically.
He laughed, a sound that sent shivers racing down her spine. "Nice to meet you The Caterer, I'm AJ...and by the way, can I call you Cate?"
She laughed, unable to help herself as he flashed her a big, silly grin. "My name is Annalise," she said "if you can somehow manage to get Cate out of that...then be my guest." They stood up simultaneously, having picked up all of her paperwork. Their eyes met and held, and Annalise had to stop herself from shivering beneath the scrutiny of those eyes. Just then, Jade appeared at her side, saying, "You still here?"
"Sorry Jay...I'm on may way out," she replied, breaking the eye contact between her and AJ.
"Well get moving!," Jade exclaimed, hastily scurrying off in the opposite direction. She glanced at AJ again, afraid to meet his gaze evenly. She stared at his nose instead.
"Well," she said, "duty calls...sorry for running into you..."
He smiled again, sending those unexplainable shivers through her again. She turned to leave, smiling to herself as he
called, "See ya...Cate," at her retreating back.
Her heart was still beating frantically when she reached her car. Her hands were shaking slightly, and she was
immedately annoyed with herself. Men rarely ever had that kind of affect on her. In fact, she hadn't felt that way since
her freshman year of high school. Yet, it was more than just petty feelings caused by an attractive member of the
opposite sex. It was definitely something...it was a physical wanting beyond belief. She mentally shook herself,
ordering her mind to get a grip. It was simply because she hadn't been with anyone in nearly two years. Even as she lied
to herself with that lame excuse, she knew it was more than that...it was electricity...it was madness. It was simply
unexplainable. She never reacted that way to good looking guys. She urged herself to not start now
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