That Green Gaze

By Tom J. Hyde

A Random Prompt

October 8, 2009
VB2 Edit: October 10, 2009

Prompt:
When his brother dragged him to their wedding, he had hoped to just stay in the background unnoticed. But Cassandra definitely noticed him, her eyes catching on the small trident pin on his lapel. He never went anywhere without it.

Stupid wedding.

I had a great weekend planned out. After I got off the job site, I would head by the store, grab a few drinks then cruise back to the apartment. Then, I would simply sit in my leather recliner for the next thirty-six hours. The world wouldn’t exist save for the changing light outside the shuttered windows.

But before I even managed to get to my truck, my phone rang. Usually, I like my brother. He’s a good guy. Always willing to help out when something needs doing. And we had some pretty wild times once we graduated from high school. But ever since he met Lynda, things haven’t been the same.

I think he might just be falling for the brunette. She’s cute and all, but she usually seems like a mouse with delusions of humanity. She’s so quiet whenever I’m around. Verne swears she’s this wonderful, amazing girl who loves to go out dancing at nightclubs and hiking through the forests. I’d be worried some hawk might try to get her.

I shouldn’t have picked up the phone. But it was my brother. And I hadn’t seen him in at least a few weeks. I thought he might want to join me for a beer and play a video game. If I was only so lucky.

No, Lynda’s sister was getting married. And one of the ushers had the stomach flu. So Verne, being the helpful older brother that he was, volunteered me. I spent almost an hour trying to get out of it. I didn’t want to drive three hours just so I could seat people in some stuffy old church. I had plans. And those plans that didn’t involve reality in any way, shape or form.

But when your brother is an advertising executive, it’s hard to say no to him. After all, it’s his business to convince people to do what he wants. So finally, kissing my weekend goodbye, I caved.

The drive wasn’t that bad. Just a straight shot up the sixty-five freeway. And because it was a Saturday, there wasn’t much traffic. When I finally pulled up in front of the tiny blue church, I wondered if a blind man painted it. Thick swashes of blues blasted across the plain walls of the church, shimmering in the late morning sunlight. And every possible shade of blue was used. It looked as if someone had bought the entire blue paint supply of a hardware floor, then tossed it all up there randomly.

I just shook my head and drove into my appropriate slot inside the cracked parking lot. I adjusted the mirror for a second to check my reflection. Boring brown eyes glanced back at me in annoyance, framed by thick brown eyebrows, a slightly crooked nose and week-old stubble. I wasn’t going to shave at the last moment for some silly wedding for people I barely knew.

With another sigh, I grunted and headed into the back of the church, my jacket brushing against my back as I held it up with a single finger.

Verne was there, waiting for me in the crowd of three or four dozen people. He lifted me up in one of his famous bear hugs.

“Mickey! You’re a great guy for coming like this!” I wheezed a little and nodded in response. I wasn’t a small guy, but Verne could match a grizzly blow for blow.

He fired off some instructions about what my ‘duties’ were and ran off to find Lynda. I didn’t know a single person here and I wasn’t feeling exactly personable, so I made myself comfortable against a dark wood wall near one of the open windows. A bird tweeted from somewhere in the rafters of the lobby.

I let my mind wander and mourned my lost weekend for a few minutes. Then I felt a strange shiver. It was like the energy of a thunderstorm before a single bolt struck. I glanced around the room until I saw two brilliant green eyes boring into me.

For a second, I was shocked at the sheer intensity of the gaze pointed in my direction. I stared back in open surprise when I realized those emerald orbs weren’t focused directly upon my own eyes, but on the little silver pin on the left lapel of my maroon dress shirt.

The owner of the green eyes slid up to me. I was able to pull my attention away from them for long enough to see the body that held them. Jet black hair hung in a sweeping ponytail that reached the middle of her back. The white cotton blouse was snug against her chest, while her knee-length navy skirt fluttered in an invisible breeze. A short expanse of peach skin ran from the hem of her skirt to the small heels on her feet.

The eyes twinkled at me, echoed by a smile upon two pink lips. A faint dimple appeared on her left cheek. Then, those emeralds enveloped me again.

“Nice pin,” she commented. I fingered it distractedly. It was hard to pay attention to anything else besides those eyes. “It’s a…trident right?”

I nodded slowly. “Uh, yeah.”

“Strange thing to be wearing to a wedding.” Her voice was low and quiet, as if we were discussing some special secret. “Especially one five hundred miles away from water.”

“It’s got sentimental value,” I muttered. I nervously ran a hand through the mop of brown hair I used to keep my head warm.

She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything else about it. She did, however, offer her hand. “I’m Cassandra.”

I reached out to shake it. Her hands were like the touch of velvet gloves. “I’m Mickey…I mean Mick.” I cringed a little. I hated being called Mickey.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Mickey, I mean Mick,” she chuckled. I chuckled in response. It’s something you just had to do when a girl like this makes a joke like that. “Want to take a walk?”

I thought about mentioning my duties as an usher, but there was something in that green gaze that called to me, like a Siren of ancient Greece. So, I simply nodded and followed her down the dim hall.

Maybe this weekend wasn’t going to be so bad after all.