Laura found herself walking alone down Fifth Avenue early next morning.
She had had a restless night, and had wanted to go shopping early, but
Amy was not a morning person. She had tried her best to get her to
wake up, because alone all she had been doing was thinking of--

"Laura?" a voice from behind her asked.

She turned around and briefly thought she might be hallucinating. She found herself once again looking at those piercing green eyes. "Stefan!"

"I hope I'm not bothering you," he said, unsure if he was imagining the pleasure in her voice.

"Not at all, I'm just taking a walk until Amy wakes up," Laura reassured him.

"I was on my way to have breakfast," he said. "Would you care to join me?"

Warning bells flashed in Laura's head, but she heard herself saying, "I'd love to." She was rewarded with a dimpled smile, and the unexpected gift made her knees weak.

"Wonderful. The restaurant is not far way, shall we walk?"

"A walk sounds lovely, but is it okay that I'm dressed so casually?" Laura asked.

Stefan didn't waste the opportunity she had given him, as his eyes traveled down the length of her body, to her sandaled feet, and back up to her face. Laura could almost swear she felt him undressing her, and she had the urge to cover her body. But that was silly, and she had suddenly lost all her motor skills.

"It's fine," Stefan managed to say. Her short, floral summer dress had left much of her white skin revealed, and he was quite breathless after his "inspection." "I'm not dressed formally, either, as you can see."

It was Laura's turn to make him feel naked as her eyes once again enjoyed the view of another tight t-shirt, this one tan. She knew she was going into dangerous territory if she went any lower than his washboard stomach, so she tore her eyes and stammered, "Y-yes, that's right."

They walked separately, neither trusting themselves to touch for a prolonged period of time. Indeed, when one of Laura's straps made its way down her shoulder, and Stefan gently placed it back, there was an intimacy there that neither was prepared to acknowledge.

"I'm really sorry about last night," Laura said, "I have to admit I didn't like the way we didn't get a proper goodbye, what with Amy's headache and all."

"There's no need to apologize. I am not what you would call great company."

"I wouldn't say that. I'm enjoying our walk. I hope you are, too."

"I can assure you I am."

They quickly arrived at the restaurant, and Stefan courteously opened the door for Laura to walk through.

The temperature was more than a bit chilly, probably overcompensating for the heat outside. Goosebumps quickly appeared on Laura's bare arms as she shivered.

"It is fairly cold in here, isn't it?" Stefan whispered into her ear, as he helped her sit. Laura suddenly felt warmer. She nodded. He moved to the chair in front of her. Wanting to avoid his gaze, she looked down, just to find a sight that only served to raise her body temperature even more.

The shirt couldn't hide the fact that his nipples had become firm. Laura took her glass of water and drank from it. To cover, she said, "That's a beautiful medallion you have. What part of Europe are you from?"

"My family resides in Greece, but our ancestors were Russian, hence the name Stefan. In Russian, as a term of endearment, your name would be Lasha."

"Lasha. I like that. What about your name?" she asked.

"Steeva, but no one calls me that."

He couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes, and she wished she could do something to help him. She wanted to take away his pain, she realized. 'It's none of your business,' she thought. 'Let it go.' Despite her own warning, she found herself asking, "Not even your mother?"

Stefan winced. "That is not a subject I wish to discuss."

"I'm sorry," Laura whispered.

"You needn't be. There are some things I do not wish to burden you with. We've only just met, and we'll probably never see each other again after today."

"That's true... we should order our food."

Stefan nodded and motioned for the waitress. She promptly took their orders and left, leaving them alone again. After a few minutes of silence, Stefan asked, "Have you bought your wedding dress?"

Laura smiled. "Not yet. Amy and I are going to go looking again once she gets her lazy butt out of bed. I want it to be perfect."

"I'm certain anything you choose will only serve to enhance your beauty."

Laura blushed. "Thank you. That's very sweet. I definitely want it to be different from my first--" She stopped as she realized she had revealed more than she had planned.

"You've been married before?" Stefan asked.

"Yes, when I was seventeen. I know what you're going to say, 'You were so young--'"

"Actually, I was curious as to why it didn't work out. I'm sorry, if that's too personal..."

"No, it's okay." She took a deep breath and let it out. "Um, different reasons, really. We really were very young. Not that I'm the epitome of maturity now, but... We... we argued all the time over money. And then there was Luke..."

"Luke?"

"The man I'm going to marry."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I, um, I cheated on my husband with him," Laura said. She dreaded the look of disappointment that she was sure would be coming soon. It didn't.

"You're marrying out of love then," Stefan commented.

Laura was surprised at his statement, and a little insulted at his implication. "Of course I am. I wouldn't be marrying him if I didn't love him."

"I'm sorry if I offended you. From my experience love is not always present in marriage."

Laura could have kicked herself for being so defensive. "Were you married?" she asked gently.

Stefan grinned lopsidedly at the absurdity of the idea. "No, no. I doubt I ever will. I wouldn't want to bring anyone into my family."

"They can't be that bad."

Stefan's expression darkened as he thought of his parents and brother. It softened as he thought about Alexis. "Not all of them," he said softly.

"I don't seem to be saying anything right."

"It's not your fault," Stefan reassured her. Changing the subject, he said, "What music do you prefer? I suppose you're a fan of the genre known as Disco."

"I hate it," Laura said vehemently. The tone of her voice took Stefan aback. He reached across the table, gently took her hand and undid the fist that she had created. Her hand trembled.

"It would seem it's my turn to say the wrong things."

Trying to regain her composure, Laura said, "No, no, it's just my overreaction." But the way she nearly yanked her hand from Stefan's belied her words.

He could see she was still deeply troubled, but he didn't want to pressure her. He couldn't help wondering what had caused her to have such a violent reaction.

Laura said a silent prayer of thanks as the waitress showed up then with their food. "Wow, that was fast!" Laura forced a cheerful exclamation. "It smells wonderful."

"Yes, the service and cuisine here are excellent," Stefan agreed.

They were both still starving, and they quickly ate up the delicious food. It was only after they were done and the dishes were taken away that they regretted eating so hastily. Their time together was drawing to a close, and neither was ready to go.

Laura looked at her watch, knowing she couldn't put it off much longer.

"Your sister is probably waiting for you," Stefan said.

Laura nodded. "Yes, probably."

Stefan was the first to get up, and he walked around the table to help her out of her chair. An incredible urge to smell her hair came over him, and he allowed himself the pleasure. After paying, they walked out of the restaurant in silence, back to the busy New York street.

"Goodbye, Laura," Stefan said sadly.

"Call me Lasha," she asked, not really knowing why.

"Lasha," he said hoarsely.

"Goodbye, Steeva. I hope you find happiness." She kissed his cheek. Her lips lingered longer than they should have. As she pulled back, their eyes met, and suddenly so did their lips. His arms encircled her tiny waist and pulled her to him, as she buried her fingers in his soft, brown hair. Their tongues savored the new flavor, a mixture of them with a touch of blueberry syrup, as they explored each other's mouths, their kisses growing more and more urgent... until Laura's guilt broke through the spell and she stiffened in his arms.

Thinking it was quite possibly one of the hardest things he'd ever done, Stefan removed his arms and stepped back, his breathing shallow, which matched hers. That and her swollen, lipstick-less lips reassured him that he hadn't dreamt it all.

Laura's blue eyes filled with unshed tears, as she whispered, "I'm sorry." She turned and ran, her heart beating a mile a minute.

Stefan looked wistfully after her. He raised his hand to his lips where her warmth and taste remained. It would be another sleepless night.