Vellaine was
strolling through the open market, waiting for her contact to show when the
rain thundered down without warning. Drenched in seconds, she raced toward the
nearest doorway shelter. She stumbled against the curb, already hidden by
rushing water, and felt her left heel give.
Oh crap! It’s not like she
could just replace these shoes. She limped gingerly under the awning without
looking up, more concerned about her broken heel. Balancing on her right, she
reached down to pull off her left shoe. The heel had split from the base,
revealing the steel casing within. She tucked it into the crook of her elbow to
hide it from the other passersby who had joined her in the small shelter.
As she
straightened, she lost her balance and started to pitch forward. A strong arm
blocked her fall, sweeping her back out of the rain. Vellaine gasped and looked
up. And up. He looked like a basketball player, exceptionally tall and
well-muscled. His face was stern, but she thought humor flashed in his eyes.
“Careful,” was all he said, pulling away. Oh boy, what if he were her contact?
He would think she was an incompetent fool.
“My shoe broke,”
she mumbled.
“I see.”
Yep, incompetent
fool. She blinked and looked around. The other storm refugees had already moved
on. There wasn’t anyone else looking like they were waiting for anyone.
Vellaine sighed. Of course it was him. Suddenly she dreaded the passphrase. It
would do nothing to dispel her new image as incompetent fool.
“I like sushi
but I can’t use chopsticks.”
Another twinkle
in the eyes, this time accompanied by a dazzling smile.
“Volcano roll
are spicy. I like avocado.”
Vellaine nodded.
“Good. There’s a sushi shop around the corner.” She looked up. The rain had
stopped. As they stepped out onto the sidewalk, he added, “And a good shoe
store on the way.”
She liked him
already. “Sushi and shoes sound like a winning combination to me!”
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Time
writing
|
~25 minutes
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|
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January
word count
|
4185
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