Saved by the sea

Chapter 1

Looking at him through the glass door in our office was always my favorite thing to do at work. I would spend hours daydreaming about how he noticed me finally and swept me off my feet. How he would smile at me with his boyish, charming smile and give me all of his attention.

So this moment was a dream come true. It felt as if I had stepped into one of my daydreams. We were sitting in one of the fanciest restaurants in town, one of those places with bright white tablecloths and waiters in white shorts and slacks. It even smells fancy and upper class, but none of it really matters. The only thing that did... that made this a dream come true, was him sitting in front of me.

Oliver Karson has been my crush since pre-school. It felt as if had been crushing over him for most of my life, which was not so far from the truth.

He was one of the most popular kids at school. Not the athletic sort or anything like that, he was just popular and rich, gaining that popularity with his personality only. Every time he walked into a room he would draw everyone attention and he managed to make everyone like him in seconds.

He was perferct...

He was everything that I wasn't, but always wanted to be.

Funny enough, most of our lives happen in parallel. School, college and then work. Somehow, we always end up in each other's proximity and would like to think that it was fate that kept us together.

And this moment makes me think that I was right.

As parallel as our lives went, we could not be more different. I was more or less his opposite. As charming as he was, as un-charming I was. If you look up the definition of a wallflower, I'm sure you will see my picture as the description. Sure, I was not all bad. I was hardworking and responsible, but that did not really help my social life as everyone saw me as entertaining as cardboard.

So as close as I was to Oliver in proximity, in reality we lived in completely different universes.

But that did not stop my feelings from lingering and growing stronger over the years. Ever since preschool, when I shared my pencil with him after Miss Martins sat us next to each other for a few days. Even then, he had the prettiest smile that seemed to light up the room.

The only problem was that it was as far as our interactions went, as I said before, we did live in completely different galaxies that never collided until now.

He was the golden boy in our class. The guy that every boy wanted to be, and every girl wanted to date... I am pretty sure there was even a few guys that not only wanted to him... but wanted him as well. He lived the dream life as if he stepped out of a teen drama. Driving expensive cars, going to exciting places, parties, dating the hottest girls in school... all the teenage dreams and fun.

I on the other hand... well... I was below average. Most of my time was spent in the library or at work, there was no time for that even if I wanted to participate in all those things. After my mother ran off with our neighbor, when I was seven, dad and I had to take care of each other. Around the time she left, dad started his business in high-tech security systems. so wasn't making much. I used to help out in the office with all the minor tasks because he couldn't afford to hire additional personnel. After I finished high school, I went to study accounting so that I could help him run the company, but everything changed in my last year of college. We got a major contract and everything went up from there. Now, four years later, my father's company is one of the leading security systems providers in the country. Making us, not only financially stable, but even very well off.

After I finished college, I returned to work in my father's company as I initially planned. I began working as one of the accountants, planning to work my way up, learn everything there is to learn before I take over. But after all this time, I have not moved anywhere further in this plan. I was still working in the same accounting position as the one I started in.

Life was pretty boring, but then everting changed last month.

As our previous head of finance quit, my father hired his place and, to my surprise and pleasure, it was Oliver.

Seeing him again after all these years brought back memories of high school, of how I used to spend hours staring at him in class. His perfect golden looks only got better as he matured into the man he is now. Seeing him again brought back memories of longing and craving his attention as he flirted with every girl in school that was at least mildly attractive, but I as never on his radar... well until now.

On his second day in the office, he approached me, asking me to show him around the office.

Of course, I agreed and we walked around the head0counters of my father's company. I showed him all the facilities and so on. He was as charming as I remember as we chatted and laughed the whole time.

For the first time in my life, I had this gorgeous man's attention on me and it was intoxicating. I am sure that being high felt something like this.

On that same day, he invited me to meet him for lunch. I actually thought that he remembered me from high school and wanted to catch up, but I was wrong. He didn't remember me at all. It was a bit disturbing and sad, but well, I was a nobody, and he was the most popular guy in our school. On most levels, I did not exist to him. So I ignored it.

We spent lunch eating at one of the trendiest places in town, just as we are right now.

That exact moment was like all of my teenage dreams came true. I was having lunch with the Oliver Karson and I basked in all of his attention. Truth to be told I don't remember much from that lunch, I was too concentrated on him to notice anything else other then him. I could not believe that I was sitting there, having lunch with him.

At the very same lunch, he invited me to have dinner with him later in the week.

I agreed, of course.

And we have been seeing each other like this for the last month..

He asked me to be his girlfriend on our third date and he even invited me to meet his parents as well as have dinner with his family.

Sure the dinner as awkward, but arent all of them a bit awkward? It was probably a bit more awkward then it could have been because of his mother. She tried to act friendly, but it was clear that she disliked me a lot and I wasn't sure why.

His father was no better, but it didn't seem that he had any sort of emotions towards me. Just that it seemed that he wanted to be anywhere else other then here.

But I ignored it all, because it didn't matter as I felt like I was in heaven. Meeting his parents meant that he was serious about our relationship and never even in my wildest dreams did I imagine that he would want something serious with me. Sure I had delusional dreams about him, but I knew where I stood in this world, and I was nowhere close to him in any sense of the word.

He kissed me on the same evening after he took me home.

It was a sweet short kiss, but it was my first kiss and it felt perfect.

I didn't tell him that it was my first kiss, I did not want to make it awkward or make him pity me, but I will remember this to the day I die.

I know that sounds weird...

How any 25-year-old could not have had her first kiss yet, when most have kids at this age?

Well it was never intentional...

It just happened.

I was always busy helping dad or busy with school. There weren't many boys interested in me either, so the opportunity never came up. After a while, I became really insecure about and then it just never happened. And so here I was at the ager of 25, still virgin that has never even been kissed.

But Oliver changed all of that. I hoped that he wouldn't stop there, but he stepped back fast and, after that kiss and haven't made any more attempts to get intimate with me or touch me.

And so here we were at the finest restaurant in town. Or at least that's how he called it.

I am wearing one of my favorite dresses, knee-length wrap dresses with white polka-dots. I think I looked cute in it, but Oliver didn't look very impressed when he picked me. But that doesn't matter because he looked better than he ever did before. He was wearing a dark gray suit, and it fitted him like a glove. I couldn't stop staring at him the whole evening, but he seemed a bit off today and I did not know what to think of it.

"So... how are your parents doing?"

I tried to make some sort of conversation because we had been sitting in the quiet for around five minutes.

"Good I guess... Father went overseas for business and mom is preparing some sort of charity event."

"Oh, that seems fun, for which charity she is preparing it for?"

There was a clearer annoyed look on his face as I asked more questions.

"I don't know, and I don't really care."

Okay, that was a strong answer. I wasn't sure what to say to him after that, so I just sat there quiet as it was clear that he did not want to talk with me.

That was how the waiter found us as he brought out our dessert.

As we finished our dinner, Oliver stood up and knelled in front of my chair.

"Bianka West, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"