Chance Encounter

Samantha was quiet, and just let him rant, which he did for the better part of an hour. She nodded at the appropriate times, and basically listened. That's what he needed. Finally, he had talked enough. He laid down and put his head in her lap. She softly ran her fingers through his hair.

"Samantha, let me make love to you," he said, looking up into her eyes. She looked down at him. She could see the hurt in his eyes. She kissed her finger and brought it to his lips.

"No, baby," she said, shaking her head. "That's not what you need, and you know it."

He nodded. "You're right. I know you're right. But I just need to be close to somebody right now."

"You can be close without having sex," she said, running her finger down his strong jawline.  She laid down beside him and wrapped her arms around him. He rested his head on her shoulder. She couldn't get over how good he smelled.

"Do you wear cologne?" she asked, smiling a little.

"Nope."

"So that's just you, huh?"

"Yep."

"You smell good."

"Thanks. Samantha, I'm glad I came over tonight."

"Me too, Brian."
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Over the next three months, Brian tried to keep as low a profile as possible in the media. Of course, they had gotten wind of the divorce proceedings, and it had been on every tabloid and entertainment show there was. They were all speculating on why the Littrell's happy marriage was on the rocks. Brian never commented directly on their problems. Of course, Leighanne did. She was everywhere. Trying to drag his name through the mud. Each time he was asked about her, he always said the same thing. He respected her, and he cared for her, but they just weren't meant to be. In the end, the old adage, She who screams the loudest usually has the most to hide came home to roost. Brian ended up looking like a prince, and Leighanne ended up looking like a witch.

The afternoon that they were to sign the final divorce papers, Brian called Samantha.

"Hey!" he said, cheerfully. "Well, it's over. I'm a free man."

"How do you feel?" Samantha asked.

"A little sad. It's always sad when a marriage ends. But then again, it's been over for a long time anyway."

"That's a good way to look at it," she said, shuffling through the papers on her desk.

"So... how about the two of us getting together for dinner tonight?" he asked. "You get to pick the place."

"Sounds like fun. But I've got this monster case next week. I don't think I'm going to be able to leave the office tonight. I'll probably end up sleeping here. If I sleep, that is."

"Well, how about I bring you dinner?" he asked.
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Later that evening, after everyone had gone home except Samantha, Brian showed up in the doorway of her office, carrying an armload of bags.

"Hey. Come on in," she said, smiling a tired smile over her mound of paperwork.

He walked in and began setting up dinner on the table. He pulled out a bouquet of fresh flowers and a vase. He walked to the sink in the corner of her office and ran some water into the vase, then placed the flowers into it. He then took out two crystal candlesticks and two long white tapers and lit them. Then he took out several cartons of Thai food and a bottle of wine. Samantha smiled.

"What's all this for?"

"Celebration," he said simply.

"A celebration? Brian, you're nuts. Did you know that?"

"I've been called worse. Come on. Let's eat."

She got up and walked over to table. "Looks good. Do you mind if I go get a Coke?"

"No. But why?"

"I don't drink," she said, smiling.

"Not even a little glass of wine?" he asked hopefully, putting his arms around her waist.

"Not even a little glass of wine," she replied, patting his cheek. She unwrapped his arms from herself and walked down to the drink machine to get a drink.  When she returned, her office was dark except for the candles in the center of the table. Brian had moved the couch and chairs away from the coffee table, and he was sitting on the floor. He motioned for her to sit across from him, which she did.

"It's hard to be graceful while sitting on the floor in a skirt," she said, laughing.

"Don't worry about being graceful. It's just me, and I don't care if you're graceful or not."

"So how are you really?" she asked, digging some noodles from one of the cartons of food.

"Really? I'm relieved. I'm a little sad. But not too bad. You know, she ended up only getting a fifth of my stuff."

"Too much if you ask me. I don't know why you didn't fight harder," Samantha said, taking a bite of curried chicken.

"Well, I didn't want a long, drawn-out thing. I probably won't even miss it."

"Miss what? The money? Or her?"

"Neither," he said, smiling. "She spent more than that shopping." His southern drawl was just so charming. She loved to listen to him talk.

Samantha laughed. She stared at Brian across the table. His blue eyes were sparkling, and she just had this overwhelming urge to kiss him. She quickly looked back down to her plate.

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