I’d stuffed my mouth with a forkful of salad and the meat of red miso short ribs that had made my mouth water so I felt self-conscious about turning around and potentially meeting the owner of such a lovely voice. I kept my head down as I chomped on the food in my mouth.

The conversation continued over my head as Sheryl insisted, “Alright I won’t, but you will sit at our table after you get your food, right?”

I heard a pleasant-sounding light laugh, “Well, I was planning to just grab something to go and head home. But, of course, I’ll join you, and …”

The implicit question hung in the air for a pregnant pause, before Sheryl rescued me, “Aerin, but her mouth’s full of food right now, and she’s just too polite to turn and introduce herself to you.”

My cheeks were a hot, flaming red, I’m sure, so I kept my head down and raised my hand up in the general direction of where the voice had been coming from and waved.

I heard an answering light laugh, again, and then, “Well, I’m pleased to somewhat-meet-you, Aerin, and I’ll join you both in a few minutes.”

I waved my hand at her lamely, as I finally swallowed the food I’d been furiously chewing while the conversation had been going on. I gave Sheryl a friendly glare in response to the smirk on her face as I took a huge gulp of the lemonade to wash down whatever I’d just rammed down my throat.

I took what I hoped was a casual glance around the restaurant, sweeping past the queue lining up by the buffet. I re-set to conduct my too-casual sweep down the line of people busily filling their trays up, mentally trying to pick out whom that angelic voice belonged to.

“She’s the one with reddish-copper-colored hair,” Sheryl pointed out innocently, correctly assuming I’d been curious about Harley.

Harley had been looking over at our table also as she waited for her turn to pay.

Our eyes collided when mine finally met hers, and I swear I felt my soul shake. Or was it my head that spun out of its axis? Whatever it was, I know my heart started going pitter-patter, pitter-patter, and butterflies flutter in my stomach.