I don't believe we've met...
"I've never felt this way before about a... stranger," she said without looking up from the image of her reflection in her wine glass.
"I don't believe I've ever known of anyone -- who has felt this way -- feeling for anyone other than someone who was a stranger at first; or, at least it's true that no one else has ever told me what you just did and they've all got me convinced that they knew how they felt when they first met. In other words: the feeling is normal though not terribly frequent; however, you're perceiving it quite unlike most," he replied.
He paused as the waiter brought another bottle of wine. After a moment she glanced up at him and her look reassured him that she wasn't annoyed that he was talking so much; nonetheless, he hoped for more than a one-sided conversation.
"I used to worry about how other people handled their emotions. Do they at least balance their motivation for action with rational thought? Like a philosopher I once read, I asked, 'do people take responsibility for their feelings?' But now I just want to make sure I still have my own," he added.
"I see. A man once told me that he was a socialist of the heart; you'd be a... libertarian?"
He chuckled and said, "Oh, the free market draws too much opportunity for monopoly; but, you didn't really think I'd say yes, did you?"
"Insightful; I was just testing your boundaries. You're not an extremist but far from moderate."
"You're quite right. There was a time when I took the principle of honesty so far that I felt myself come around the other side, like I was on a circle. That's another story entirely; still, secrecy leaves a bad taste in my mouth." He took a quick breath and added, "It seems to me that extremists and moderates think they've found the answers, so they set themselves a pattern for promoting their views; I'm still searching."
"There's a lot to learn from them, though."
"Agreed," he replied and she smiled slyly at him. She then opened the new bottle of wine; he noticed the scars on her wrists. "We're not complete strangers, I suppose."
She raised an eyebrow and said, seeming to repress a laugh, "But you've seen the sun."
"Yes, and I've met a man named Jesus."
"Did he save your soul?"
"No, my faith wasn't strong enough -- too unfocused. He did teach me polemics, though."
"Hmm, maybe you'd like to share what he taught you."
"Gladly, but I fear that we have little to offer one such as yourself. Maybe you'd just prefer the baptism?"
Even though the night went well, he regretted saying so much all at once, even if it was cryptic; somehow, he knew she'd understood, but he couldn't comprehend why. He felt a shiver and realized that she didn't attract him as much as she frightened him. "If I follow my heart now I'll be alone forever," he thought to himself. He called his friend to thank him for introducing them.
"You called her Sarah; that's not her name."
"Right; Scarlet -- her hair is red."
"Yep."
"Still, her eyes are green."