Chapter 3 A Spark in the Crowd

Ah! That's the sixth one today! Do they think avoiding eye contact makes them invisible? Marcia thought to herself with a cheerful chuckle. "What? What's up?" the student beside her asked. "Hold this, June," Marcia replied, handing her water bottle to the student who had just spoken. June took the bottle and followed Marcia's gaze; she gave a small knowing smile, "Get 'em, tiger!" she said, slapping Marcia lightly on the shoulder, as they both focused on the runner.

Marcia jumped in front of the runner. "Hello, how are you? We're getting new people to join the wine-tasting club. Would you be interested?" she said cheerfully, sticking a flyer under the student's nose. Turning his head away, the student walked past Marcia without saying a word. "Hey, hold on," Marcia said, grabbing the runner's arm as he walked past. Wow, that's some muscle he's got under there, she thought, momentarily distracted, you wouldn't know just by looking. The runner half-turned sharply, raising his gaze to meet hers. Marcia, stunned by the expression on his face, hurriedly let go, apologizing immediately, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, that was...that was too much, I'm sorry. That was wrong of me." Her breath suddenly came fast – and not from the short run just now, she had not been breathing this hurriedly when their conversation started. "I was just...I was...I just wanted to...," she stammered, trying to find the words to say, and subconsciously rubbing her hands against her slim thigh as if trying to wipe dirt off them to apologize for touching the runner with unclean hands. More than his expression, the intensity of his gaze shook Marcia to the core – the sudden and unexpectedly light blue eyes that seemed to be looking right through her hit her first, then the strong brow, aquiline nose, strong jaw, and cheekbones set with lips that looked like they needed to be kissed, all hit her at once. As she fumbled for words, the runner's frame softened and he turned fully to face Marcia. "What is it?" he asked, looking away from Marcia, staring over her shoulder. "Uh, I, uh, wine tasting, uh, club, uh, join, uh, would you?" she blurted out, stumbling over her words. He snatched the flyer from her and walked away. Marcia exhaled, hunching over, placing her hands on her knees, her heart racing. "Woah! What was that? What was that?!" she said to no one in particular, patting her chest, attempting to calm her beating heart. "Hey! Marcia! Flyers! hurry up!" shouted Steve, the president of the wine-tasting club. Marcia straightened up, rushed back to the table where the rest of her club members were, and resumed handing out the flyers. "What happened?" June asked, her brow furrowed as she handed out flyers beside Marcia. Marcia looked down at her, smiled slightly, and shook her head gently, giving no reply. She glanced back up at the passing crowds, smiling and passing out flyers. I wonder if he'll come to the semester opening event this evening. June, who had watched the whole exchange from a distance, shook her head as well, thinking I wonder if he'll show up tonight, as she continued handing out flyers and looking for the next target.

It was evening, and the wine-tasting club's semester opening event was in full swing, attracting a lively crowd. The garden, where the event was being held, was tastefully decorated with white and yellow party lights and round cocktail tables scattered throughout, allowing guests to chat and sip wine for a bit before moving to another table or strolling through the garden. At the back of the venue was a long table with at least thirty different types of wines from around the world, and a few beers for any heathens that may have made it into the venue. The wine table was manned by the executives of the wine-tasting club, who gave brief histories of the wines presented and explained the art of wine tasting to the guests who came for a drink or refill; and gave brief side glances to heathens who picked up the beers instead. Soft classical music was playing in the background, Concierto #3 Allegro, by Sebastian Bach, and many people were standing in groups or mingling around, creating a nice atmosphere. The runner entered the venue, scanning the room from the entryway. He slowly made his way inside, moving in a quiet, unobtrusive way, avoiding all groups, and any eye contact. Many people didn't even notice as he walked past them. His gaze landed on a group of wine-tasting club members – a group of people with the same gold-colored badges pinned on their chests – his eyes rested on one person: Marcia, who was talking and smiling with the group. That magnetic smile on her face that felt like it was pulling you in. He continued glancing around the garden, but his gaze kept coming back to Marcia, drawn to her black hair blowing softly in the evening breeze, her warm brown eyes, and the soothing sound of her voice, which he could hear even from a distance – not the words, but the vibrations of the sounds, soft and inviting. As Marcia was chatting with her friends, she suddenly noticed June's voice. "Um, hi, yes, um, welcome, do you need help with anything? I can show you around..." June said nervously to a student who had just arrived, a stark contrast to her usually boisterous and energetic tone. She and the other two club members she was standing with looked toward June's voice and clearly understood why June sounded so strange. Ah! It's him! Marcia thought, as she excused herself from the others and started to walk toward the student she had met earlier that day while handing out the wine-tasting flyers – the runner. "I'm here for this," the runner said, showing June the flyer. His eyes flicked around as he spoke to her. "Oh yes, yes, of course! We have the wines all set up at the long table over there," June replied, gesturing toward the executives standing and talking with guests in the inner part of the garden. The runner lifted his gaze to follow June's hand and after half a heartbeat assessing the wine-dispensing table, he turned to move in the opposite direction. As he glanced away from the wine table, about to walk away, he saw Marcia heading towards him.