CHAPTER FOURTEEN | THE DATE
1835 Words
Wendy POV
I was surprised to say the least that he wanted to take me out at all. When he stood there in front of me, nervous and was about to ask me. Then he was so incredibly adorable. Even though I had accepted the offer to go on a date, I knew I had to be extremely careful. My heart can't stand much more heartache. What has happened earlier in my life scarred me enough to be suspicious and savoroid about everything that others do in my presence. I didn't trust a soul. It was an extremely bad behavior, I know, but I couldn't help it. Too much has happened to allow me to be able to let someone get too close. It was just one more way I could be screwed over and hurt all over again. In addition, I have to think about who should be in the vicinity of my children. Even though I knew there was a risk of going out with Damien, I couldn't help but feel all dizzy. He had that effect on me and I didn't like it a bit. My constant need to be in control and be able to handle the situation was as blown away as soon as he was nearby. My knees could start shaking and almost fold away when he smiled at me. And it meant only one thing. I'm in deep deep water, without being able to swim.
I stood in front of the mirror and curled my long hair when someone knocked on my bedroom door. With the curling iron in my hand, I went to open. On the other side, Damien stood in a dark blue suit with a bouquet of roses in his hand. He smiled and his eyes gleamed. It was not far from the fact that I started drooling.
"Good evening, beautiful." he said and gave me the flowers. I took them from him with a shy smile.
"I'm sorry, I'm not done yet." I said while putting my roses in an empty vase at my nightstand.
"It's alright, I'm a bit early."
"You can sit down while I'm finishing if you want."
I wanted to punch myself. Of course he could sit wherever he wanted! It was his apartment. He just chuckled and sat down on the bed. I continued to curl my hair, trying to ignore him staring at me through the mirror. Which was harder than I first thought.
When I was done I turned to him.
"I just need to change, then we can go."
"Take all the time you need." he said and sent me a dazzling smile.
I hurried into the closet and closed the door behind me. My breath was heavy and my cheeks warm, I knew I probably blushed as I don't know what. It took a few minutes before my breathing was normal and I could do what I went in here to do from the beginning. A light pink knee-length dress hung on a hanger at the very bottom of the wardrobe. I had bought it after my meeting with the "mystery man" that I called the father of my children. He said he wanted to take me on a date, like he promised me to. But like you all probably understands, that never happened. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves before I step out of the closet. His chin is almost down to the floor. He's staring at me like I'm his whole wide world. I clear my throat and he immediately looks embarrassed. He stands up and walks up to me. He takes my hand in his and kisses the upper side as a gentleman from the victorian era.
"All set?" he asks.
"Yes, let's go!"
When we reach the restaurant, there are only a few other couples there. The light is dimmed and soft romantic tones can be heard from the speakers. On the table there are candlelight and flower petals scattered. It was so beautiful that I had to make an effort not to start crying. Damien pulls the chair out for me and gently pushes it in when I sit down. He's a real gentleman.
"It's really beautiful." I say while looking around.
"It sure is." he answers, but his gaze is on me.
I blush and look away. Before neither on of us can react, a busty waitress is standing by Damien's side.
"Good evening, sir. What can I get you today?"
She looks at me disapproving in the corner of her eye but I could care less. Damien was a handsome man and there was nothing unusual that he, just like his little brother, got the attention of women he was not interested in.
"You can start by being professional." he answers without looking at her.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I would like another waiter, please."
"And why is that?"
"First of all, you made the mistake of ignoring my wife. Secondly, you behave like anything but professional and last but not least, I am good friends with the owner. Find another waiter or you'll be fired." he responds annoyed.
She scattered away so fast that I no longer could hold my laughs in. I laughed and laughed at the whole situation. Mainly because she could be so ignorant that she chose to ignore the woman this festive man was on an obvious date with. Desperate much?
"I'm sorry, but did you see her face?" I said between my laughs. He started laughing with me.
"So, your wife, huh?" I asked smirking.
He blushed and looked away.
"It was easier that way, instead of trying to put a label of this thing." he said and motioned between us. He was right of course, neither one of us knew what we were or where we were going.
"You don't date much, huh?" he asks.
"No, I don't. It's not easy to have the confidence to do it when you always here that you're a slut because I got pregnant with someone I don't know what his name was."
"You're human, you need to explore and make your own choices."
"Yeah, I know. It just hard sometimes you know. I know that people judge me about my situation."
The waiter walked up to us and I let Damien order for me, I had no idea what to choose anyways. The waiter writes down our order and scurries away. Damien turns back his focus to me.
"May I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"If you could go back and change the decision, would you do it?"
"No. I wouldn't change a thing. This man made me feel alive. I just wish that he would have called me like he promised. I only met him once but I really think we could have had a future together."
Damien suddenly looks pale. I'm about to ask him about it when our waiter comes up with our food. I moan when the pasta meets my tastebuds. Damien is looking at me with dark eyes.
"What?"
"You can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Because I have to restrain myself from not pounding you right here and right now on this table."
I look away shy and he laughs at me.
We continued to eat our food. It went quiet between us again and the thoughts of his wife coming back to me. Why did he hate her so much anyway? I knew he hadn't told the whole story. It was so obvious in his eyes. Before she could think about it, she asked.
"Damien, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"Why do you hate Laura so much?"
He sitffened at my question. A sad look overtook his face. It looked like he had a debate with himself, like he didn't know if he should tell me or not.
"I met her at a christmas party my father threw for his company. I fell for her right away. She was kind, funny and right through caring. When my father told me she was the one I was going to marry, I couldn't be happier. The first few months together were good, but then she began to show who she really was. She came home one night and told me she was pregnant, I was overjoyed of course. The woman I was head over heels in the bar of my child. Things were getting better in those days. Until I found a printout from an abortion clinic. She had an abortion several weeks earlier without telling me. Wounded and disappointed, of course, I tried to get hold of her, without results. That's why I went to her office and found her lying on my desk with my best friend between her legs. My best friend f****d my wife right in front of my eyes. As soon as she saw me, she immediately began to say that it was a mistake and that she loved me, blah blah blah. However, my then best friend told me that they had had s*x for several months behind my back. It was at that moment that I began to hate her, for real. She took not only my child away from me but also my pride, my trust and my best friend."
I could feel the tears pool in my eyes. How could anyone be so cruel? Walking behind the back of her partner that way, it's downright barbaric! We're just two broken souls, trying to put the broken pieces back in place. I know his pain and he knows about mine. I take his hand in mine and squeeze it.
"I want to start by saying that I'm sorry for your lost and your pain. No one should have to undergo such pain and you really do not deserve it. You're a good and kind man. Do not let her betrayal define who you are as a person. At the moment you stop trusting and relying on other people, then she has won. I promise that from today, it's my mission to make sure she signs the divorce papers. You're never alone."
A lonely tear falls from his eye. I brush it away lightly with my thumb and he smiles weakly at me. He looks so sad that I feel the need to comfort him. I rise from my seat and walk around the table to hug him. He relaxes in my arms and squeezes my arms around him. After a little while he moves back and looks at me.
"Thank you, Wendy. I don't have anyone to talk about this with. You understand my pain and I'm grateful to have you in my life."
"We are just two broken souls, trying to move on. It's like a blind leading a blind, but hey, atleast we're drifting in the darkness together." I say laughing and the smile that grows on his face is beautiful.
"You're right about that. I'm still grateful though."
"Same here."
We sit there and smile at each other until we brake out laughing. Laughter dies out and he's staring at me seriously. His gaze goes down to my lips and only the thought of him kissing me makes my heart flips. Our faces move slowly towards each other and before I know it, our lips are locked with each other.
- Writer
