Sparks flew, literally, on the night that Josh and Sadie met. Josh was at a party at a friend of a friend’s house, he hardly knew anyone and was wondering just what the hell he was doing there in the first place. Some boorish dude with an oversized ego was dominating the conversation, which had just turned to politics. Small knots of people had their own side conversations going on. Josh took this as his cue to head into the backyard for hopefully more stimulating company. 

Several people were standing around the fire pit, a crackling blaze cast a warm glow on their faces. It was a chilly night, the first snap of autumn turned his breath steamy. He eased his way into the circle just as someone threw a large log onto the fire. The flames flared briefly sending a column of sparks straight up into the evening sky. It was at that exact moment when he first became aware of Sadie. The temporary flare-up illuminated the body of a tall, slender woman bundled up in a dark blue Patagonia jacket, the puffy style that makes the wearer look like the Michelin Man. Sadie’s long, wavy auburn hair spilled out from under a LA Dodgers cap, her dark eyes sparkled in the firelight. Their eyes met, smiles were exchanged. Years later when Josh would tell the story of this night, he swore that at that moment his heart literally skipped a beat. The scene around the fire was subdued. A joint came around and Josh took a puff, he figured being a bit stoned would add a little extra glow to things. He knew a few more people out here, the weed, the crackling of the fire and the easy buzz of conversation lulled him into a dreamy state of mind. He and Sadie would occasionally steal a glance at one another, but quickly look away, smiling when their eyes met.

After a while most people began to gravitate back inside. As nonchalantly as possible Josh walked around the fire to say hi to Amy, a woman he knew from around town who just happened to be standing next to Sadie. He hugged Amy and she introduced him to Sadie. Josh put out his hand but Sadie gave him a hug instead, briefly pressing her Michelin Man body against his. He reciprocated, making this hug mutual. Their three-way conversation was relaxed and easy. Josh was glad to have Amy there as a buffer, he tried playing it cool hoping that his casual energy didn’t belie how intensely attracted he was to Sadie. Up close he noticed those fire sparkly eyes were hazel, a light dusting of freckles covered the bridge of her nose. Sadie smiled with her eyes, she had a quick wit and a  wicked cackle of a laugh. Sensing the obvious, Amy went inside leaving Josh and Sadie alone at the fire.

Tired of standing, Josh suggested that they pull up a couple of chairs. The fire was beginning to die down so Josh quickly built it back up with a couple of medium-sized logs. Sadie chuckled and said, “Nice job Prometheus!” The glow of the fire masked his blushing cheeks. When there’s a mutual attraction between two people both parties know it, nothing needs to be said. So it was for Josh and Sadie around the fire that autumn night. Their conversation flowed like a lazy river, some not-so-subtle flirting did occur. At one point, Josh pulled out his phone and took a selfie, thinking to himself even if this never goes anywhere, he wanted to remember this evening. At one point he asked her if she was really a Dodger fan. Her reply: “Naw, I just like the cap.” There’s something so sexy about a long-haired woman in a baseball cap!

A few more people eventually joined Josh and Sadie at the fire which broke the spell between them. Sadie said she was getting tired anyway and had to get up early the next day for her yoga class. Josh offered to walk her out front of the house to her car. At the driver’s side they shared another hug, this one longer and a little deeper than their initial coupling. Phone numbers were exchanged. “This movie, thought Josh, is just beginning.”