Cha's a beautiful lady Boo thought. "Forget it," he scolded himself. Too many months away from home and Boo desperately needed the company of a woman. "Behave, behave!" came the quiet voice in his head.
A warm, heavy night and the time had passed quickly. Before he knew it, Boo found himself one of the last few patrons at Cha's small and intimate bar. Everyone here knew each other. Cha stopped by for a last call and Boo ordered a club soda before his walk home. The other patrons passed on the last call, shouted out their farewells and left. Cha had a long day and needed a few minutes to relax with someone she trusted. She came to light on the table directly in front of Boo, comfortably crossing her legs.
"You've never stayed this late. Long week?"
"Yes, a long one Cha." Looking into Cha's warm but tired eyes Boo said, "Looks like a long one for you too. I've got to get going Cha, early day tomorrow."
"Hey, Boo, stay a while and keep me company while I close up. You can walk me to my car. It's dark tonight and I could use the company. Besides, you're different than most of the crew here." They both laughed.
Boo stayed and watched Cha's efficient but elegant moves. Picking up this, straightening that. The very sophisticated and very white blouse topping the short leather skirt and the slightly too high heels. Cha's legs and butt really didn't need any more emphasis. She was quite full figured for a Korean woman, also taller than most coming close to matching Boo's five foot ten inches when she was in her heels with hair piled on top of her head.
Cha turned off the lights, section by section, and joined Boo between the bar and the front entrance. "Oh!" she announced. "Forgot my purse." Rather than walk all the way around the bar, Cha simply backed up to the bar hands behind her and jumped up, leaning back to fish her purse from some little cranny. An innocent enough move, but Boo was now looking all the way up Cha's smooth legs to a white patch of lace. Cha's upper body still laid back, fishing. Boo was fixed on this sight, when Cha pushed up, caught Boo's eyes and smiled. Boo felt the warmth of a blush rising to his cheeks. Boo's clear brown eyes were locked with the Cha's beautiful brown doe-eyes.
How these events happen in people's lives is some combination of serendipity and desire. How long were their eyes locked to one another? Cha and Boo could not tell you if you asked them today. They moved to each other closing the slightly more than arm's length gap. It wasn't a kiss of uncontrolled passion, but a kiss of need and warmth. They held each other for a few minutes, swaying a bit to that unheard music in brains waking to desire.
"We need to go," reminded Boo. No words from Cha. The air outside was heavy - monsoon evenings could be felt as a weight on your body and breathing. No rain now, just that heavy wetness. As they neared Cha's modest sedan, the rains came. Those waving sheets of bathtub-warm water. Cha yelled over the noise of the torrent, "Get in, I'll give you a ride" while she tried to shield her perfect hair with her tiny purse.
As the car started, Boo was replaying the kiss and the long embrace with the rain drumming on the roof. "Cha is a friend - don't want to ruin that," said that little cricket-conscience voice he carried in his head. Only about five minutes to his place with some comments from Cha on the length of this year's monsoon season.