He watched her as she finally looked at him. This time, she was staring him in the eyes as if she was studying him, probably checking if he was trustworthy.
She was presumably assessing if he deserved to be her friend or not. But he had not given her any reason to doubt his sincerity. Although a significant factor remained, he was still a person she had just met a few minutes ago.
"I still don't easily make friends with a total stranger." She finally answered him. "You might be a stalker, a psycho, or a criminal." She voiced her thoughts, not caring what he thought of her answer.
"You can be many things but a friend, I doubt." She concluded, judging him at that moment.
Without knowing his background, it would be hard for her to tell if he was a good guy or not. And that was a risk she was not ready to take.
He took a card out of his wallet and placed it on the table in front of her. Then, he extended his hand to her. "Then, once again, let me introduce myself to you. I am Matteo Sullivan."
He hoped that the gesture would appease her and let her guard down, even a little. But when she failed to take his hand and only glanced at his card without touching it, he knew that it did not work.
"But, I assure you that I am not," Matteo said in his sincerest voice.
He figured it would take more than that to make her trust him. Was she this tough on men, or was it just him? He suddenly wondered if he had lost his touch with making friends with the opposite sex. Then, out of the corner of his mind, something clicked.
He suddenly remembered her scent, then upon careful scrutiny of her face, he finally recalled who she was. There was a particular instance where they had crossed their path, fleeting but memorable.
"It still doesn't change that I still don't know anything about you. And it also doesn't help if you tell me anything about yourself because you can easily be lying about it." She stated, frowning at the card.
She shoved the card back in his direction, not planning to accept it. She did not even glance at the content. Besides, she believed she had enough friends to last her a lifetime.
"But..." He was about to plead his case, but she shut him down. This time for good.
He was about to tell her about that incident, but he changed his mind. Maybe it was a memory that she might have chosen to forget. Reminding her about it might not be a good idea.
"I don't think I want to be friends with you. Not wanting to be rude, but I think you should go back to your friends. They might be missing you already." She told him, wanting him to leave.
She believed she had already entertained him long enough. She did not need to talk to him any further. But when he moved at an angle and changed position in the dim light of the club, that was when she saw him.
"I'm sorry if I was a bother. I hope I did not scare you at all. Well, it has been nice to meet you, Gav. I won't disturb you again." He knew when to quit, and this was it.
He knew he had been persistent more than he intended to be. But his curiosity would not allow him to stop him from pursuing the answers to his many questions about this girl and her identity.
Now that he already knew the truth about her, he could lay it to rest. There was no more need for him to pursue her. Besides, she seemed fine. There was no need to dig up the past. It was better this way.
"Wait." She suddenly uttered in a hurry upon seeing his retreating figure. She quickly grabbed his hands and pulled him back down on the seat, preventing him from leaving.
She stared at him, fascinated with the turn of events. In an instant, he was not the stranger talking to her just a few seconds ago. But the man occupying her dreams.
He was not a total stranger but someone she had already met before. The man that had saved her from those men who wanted to do probably terrible things to her.
It was not exactly what happened. The rescue part. But in her dreams, he was her savior. The one that drove those monsters away and saved her from her demise.
"What is it?" Matteo asked, surprised by her uncharacteristic behavior.
He was confused by her hot and cold attitude. A minute ago, she could not get rid of him fast enough. Then now, she wanted his attention again.
"Wait," She said again when he gave her a puzzled look. But she just kept staring at his face.
She studied the contours of his face, the angle of his jaw, and the shape of his lips. Compared him to the one in her dreams, to the man she believed saved her from the incident.
She knew that her memories of that night were a bit vague. She even doubted if it actually happened or if she only imagined it. Then, the man remained a mystery to her.
"Are you drunk?" He countered her stare as he also studied her weird behavior.
He was certainly not expecting that she would pull a stunt like this as they sat staring at each other. He watched her as she remained quiet, and her eyes made some realization.
Did she also feel the same way as him? Did she also begin to recognize him? That was the only explanation he could think of for why her eyes looked at him with some recognition.