Excerpt: E.rror 404: Discordia of the <3

PROLOGUE

Annalisa Benson took a deep breath as she pulled into the parking lot of the Fairport Inn. It had been twelve full years since she had met Miller Harrison in an online chat room - forever in internet terms. So long, in fact, that the chat room had shut down years before and she couldn’t quite remember what it was called. Now, everything had aligned just right. All the years of moving around and never being able to meet in person were over. Miller was in town for business and they were finally going to get together for dinner and a long overdue face to face.

She saw him almost instantly, surprised at how tall he was outside of the messenger window. In all their talks and all their conversations, height had never made its way into anything. Not that it mattered, of course. They were friends and nothing more. As he turned his head, she busied herself with the process of parking her car. Picking the farthest spot, she parked her Focus and took another deep breath. This is ridiculous, Ana. You’ve been talking to this guy since you were fifteen. Get out of the car and go say hello already.

It was true that the twenty-two hundred mile distance had put up a more than theoretical barrier. Cleveland to Boise wasn’t exactly driving to somebody’s house for a special dinner. Neither had ever planned to pony up the airfare or spend a day on the bus to get to see the other. Now, she was in Nashville and he was in Seattle, even more distance to separate them. As she neared, he made eye contact. There was no turning back now.

Miller Harrison was more than aware that the beautiful woman driving past was Annalisa. It had to be. Over the years he had seen more pictures than he could even count, but the transformation from shy, introverted teenager to a beautiful, confident woman caught him off guard. Now, she was walking towards him, and he felt a lump rise in his throat. He was suddenly nervous of his every move. She walked at a snail’s pace, but he attributed that to time standing still and used the moment to take her in.

She had dyed her hair again, and it shone bright red in the late afternoon sunlight. Her argyle t-shirt showed off her bust perfectly, and was topped off with a simple necklace in dark purple - her favorite color, if he recalled correctly. The dark wash of her jeans accentuated the curve of her hips, and he could hear the heels of her boots click against the pavement as she neared him.

Miller was now all too aware of his rumpled clothes. Why didn’t I change as soon as I got here? he chided himself. I look like a bum, and here’s the most beautiful woman in the world, perfectly pulled together and headed right for me.

Just how slowly can I walk across this parking lot before he thinks I’m trying to delay this? Annalisa wondered. They had known each other for more than a decade, so long that they shared triumphs and failures, had discussed everything imaginable twice, and now she was incredibly nervous. She reminded herself of the basics - he’s just a friend, we’re only having dinner - but still felt as afraid as if she were on a first date. With every step, the butterflies multiplied.

She took in the goatee, rumpled Dave Matthews Band t-shirt and baggy jeans. The laces of his left sneaker had come untied. The only accessory was a black banded watch, no doubt functional above everything else. And he was so tall! As she neared, she judged his height at six foot six or even taller, certainly tall enough to dwarf her as she stood. Annalisa was infinitely grateful for her heels, but nothing else of her wardrobe. Here he is, casual and comfy, and I’m dressed up like a fool.

A delivery truck drove past and she had to wait, seconds ticking by like hours. Unbelievably, they had waited twelve years for this moment and now every second was an eternity. As the van pulled away, they made eye contact.

Her feet pounded the pavement as she ran the last ten steps directly into his arms.