HEART OF THE CHOSEN (CASTE BOOK 1)

Chapter 6

Thomas arrived at 8 p.m. sharp, but we hadn’t agreed on the formalities to adopt for his arrival. I had hoped he would honk his horn to signal his presence, and I could join him in his car, and we would have left. A knock on the door dashed that hope. My heart started pounding. I raced down the stairs and arrived just in time to stop Sam from opening the door. I glared at him as he turned around, looking amused.

“Ready?” Thomas asked me in his enchanting voice.

“I’ll get my bag, and let’s go.”

At full speed, I grabbed my purse and slipped away. I wanted at all costs to avoid the Thomas/Sam confrontation on the first date because Sam and his natural suspicion could for sure jeopardise all my chances of having a good night.

Thomas had a metallic black Golf, a sporty model. Fascinatingly attractive with his dishevelled hair, his azure eyes examined me from head to toe. He wore dark jeans over black shoes and a matching dark coat whose wide collar, up to his ears, gave him an ultra-sexy look. As I approached him, I never took my eyes off him. I could feel his desire, a sign that he liked my appearance. Again, I couldn’t explain the ability to guess his emotions. But it was perhaps only a mirror of my feelings because I desired him passionately. He gently put his arm around my waist and pulled me against him. His hands finally landed on my cheeks. He kissed me. A simple lip kiss, soft, romantic, voluptuous, in total contrast to the fire that was smouldering inside me, but oh so delicious. He looked down again and looked at my outfit. I took Olivia’s advice and wore my turquoise dress, tight on the chest and vaporous to mid-thigh, so light that I felt naked. In my ears, large silver hoops adorned my loose hair.

“You look beautiful, Eve,” he whispered.

A big smile appeared as he waved me into the car.

During the trip, I was very nervous. Thomas seemed focused on the road. Once again, I didn’t feel ready to break the ice or end this silence. How hot it was in this car, for God’s sake!

“Have you had dinner?” he said suddenly.

“No. You weren’t clear about what we would do tonight, and my stomach was too tight to eat anything.”

“In that case… I’d be happy to take you to dinner.”

“Okay.”

“Why was your stomach in knots? I make you nervous.”

“A little.”

“I wonder why. I’m a lamb.”

“I doubt it,” I replied, amused.

“You doubt me!” he said, pretending to be affected.

“I realise I’m not myself when I’m around you, so yes, you make me doubt.”

“So we have one thing in common,” he said, suddenly serious.

We soon arrived at Southbank, and Thomas turned towards Covent Garden. The entertainment hub in London’s West End welcomed us with open arms. Onlookers walked to admire the fashion stores and the excitement of the London night. I only had eyes for Thomas. The traffic was dense, but he managed to get into the Q-Park parking lot, where we went to park the car.

Once we both left the car, Thomas was already standing in front of me to kiss me again, his left hand not loosening the vice that bound me to him. After a few minutes of kissing, we were interrupted by a small group of people, and one of them cleared his throat. I came to my senses as a sudden fear crossed my head. Thomas was perhaps going to think that I wasn’t shy! But I wanted him so badly that I couldn’t think of anything else. I could have sworn that this attraction was abnormal as my body was on fire for this man, and I wanted to touch him so much, to caress him. I was certain he felt the same way. Was this, then, true love? Could we say we were ready to take the next step? I pushed him away, thus stopping the feverish dance of our two bodies which undulated against each other.

“You want to drive me crazy, right?” he said when my lips left his.

I answered him with a confident smile, while inside, I told myself that he was the one driving me crazy!

We were walking across the street from the Coliseum. He stopped a hundred metres away in front of a very bright entrance where he invited me to enter. I was stunned. Bright colours mingled with the neon lights, and a large designer bar overlooked the dining room. The Blind Spot was a very trendy bar, and I had read good reviews about it in the last Cosmo. Thomas answered all my desires that evening. Indeed, I wasn’t a fan of small romantic restaurants with candlelights everywhere. I preferred a late-night speakeasy atmosphere with lively and shimmering colours. He appreciated my enthusiasm and invited me to follow him. The waitress sat us down at a small table in the corner of the restaurant. We were seated on one side of a very comfortable corner sofa and secluded from the other guests. Our knees touched, perfectly hidden under the table, radiating heat down my leg.

“I hope you like the place?”

“Oh yes, it’s perfect!”

I consulted the menu and decided on grilled scallops, while Thomas opted for grilled salmon. As soon as we ordered our meal, he put his hand on my thigh. I felt his warm hand on my skin, and as I wasn’t wearing pantyhose, I had every opportunity to feel the movement of his fingers. I was swept away in a whirlwind before coming to my senses again. It was maddening that a simple caress could cause me such a surge of sensations. Unless I was more than a metre away from him, I was doomed to experience this endless boiling. I might as well be frank with him before going beyond my limit.

“Thomas… Can we slow down a bit?” I suggested in a soft voice.

“Alright, I’ll stop. Excuse me, Eve. Whenever I’m with you, it’s hard to control myself.”

“Oh! Uh… I feel the same way, you know.”

Part of me found it strange that we were so fused as if our two bodies had found each other in the universe. I had shivers just imagining going further with him, and I thought, what a hypocrite! Still, Sam was right. I didn’t know anything about him. I then began questioning him about his life to get my salacious ideas out of my head.

“Where do you live with Eric?”

“We have an apartment at Hyde Park.”

“Are your parents from the area?”

“No. We’re like you, Everliegh; we knew our parents only a little. They died young.”

“I’m sorry you had to live through such a tragedy,” I said, stunned and far from suspecting his misfortune.

“Maybe that’s why I feel so close to you,” he added. “You’ve been through the same thing, Eve. You’re a strong person.”

“But of course!” I sneered before continuing my questioning, “but who do you live with, then?”

“We’ve both been living alone for almost two years. Before, we were with our uncle Joseph, but he died of an illness, and now we’re alone.”

His face had suddenly closed, so I knew he wouldn’t say any more about it, and I would never have dared to force him to. I fully understood how he might have felt all these years, but I was still curious. They had the means to have an apartment at Hyde Park, an Audi A6 and a Golf, both super recent; moreover, they always wore designer clothes. I concluded they must have inherited a nice sum of money to get by. I stopped thinking about it to focus on the present moment. Thomas was wonderful, and hearing him talk about his family opened up an even bigger horizon.

“I’m going to have a hard time leaving you after this evening,” he said, his gaze feverish.

“We haven’t even been served yet.”

“It’s just that time flies by your side way too fast, Eve.”

He smiled as his left hand again ran along the curve of my leg, making me feel like I was melting like snow in the sun. Unwilling, this time, to break this physical contact with him, I began to control myself more seriously, which was much easier once the dishes were served.

The meal was delicious in every way, and we finally had the opportunity to discuss our mutual hobbies. I knew he loved soul music and action cinema and was passionate about history through his anecdotes on the various subjects we had discussed. He was thrilling. He also explained to me, and I was surprised, that he had never attended high school until now. That is because a tutor educated him and Eric, who was none other than their uncle, an Italian named Joseph Ferloni. The death of Joseph and the reorganisation of his and Eric’s life temporarily cancelled any exams and, in particular, the senior year. They had therefore enrolled in high school to complete their course. I asked him why not study with another private tutor, and he answered that they both had the desire to taste the life of a high school student before embarking on the job market. At the end of the meal, I ventured a question that had tormented me since our meeting.

“If you didn’t know the joys of high school like me and, believe me, you were lucky, then how did you meet people?”

“I went out with my brother, and Joseph travelled often. We have lived in Rome, here in London and United States. I was able to meet a lot of people.”

Since he hadn’t understood my allusion, I took a deep breath before asking him the question that had been burning my lips for a while:

“Have you ever been in love?”

“Not really.”

Okay. Well, he wasn’t going to let go easily.

“But have you ever… uh… dated girls intimately?”

“A few, but it’s been a while since…,” he trailed off as I listened, “what exactly are you getting at?”

My cheeks were visibly flushed.

“Well… I’m a bit inexperienced, and I don’t want you to be disappointed, that’s all.”

He glared at me with his burning eyes and laughed.

“Baby, there’s no risk.”

He kissed me and pulled back a little, inches from my face. He imbued me with his transparent gaze and made his left hand run along the top of my thigh, barely touching the lace of the only underwear I was wearing. I closed my eyes; my whole body was at his mercy. The waitress interrupted us during this moment of pure escape to give us the bill. I blushed when I realised she had surprised us until she discreetly gave me a subtle nod of approval, a sign of feminine solidarity which meant: Take advantage, my girl, this one is a catch! Thomas paid the bill like a true gentleman, and it was almost with regret that we left the Blind Spot, both aware that the evening was ending.

The return trip was as quiet as the outward journey, even though his right hand had only lifted from my thigh to shift his car’s gears. He accompanied me to the front of the house. All lights off, I concluded that Sam had gone to bed. On the doorstep, Thomas left me with a fiery kiss. With limp legs and a pounding heart, I no longer desired to let him go. Yet he took a step back, letting me go with the taste of his lips on mine.

“We have to do this again very soon.”

“I agree,” I replied.

“See you tomorrow, pretty Eve.”

“Yes. See you tomorrow.”

He got into his Golf and then disappeared around the corner. I went back into the house, still trembling. I began to take off my jacket and hung it on the hook behind the door. Drunk with happiness, I collapsed on the sofa. That’s when I discovered a note on the coffee table.

Went for the weekend to the Lakenheath military base. Left some money in the first kitchen drawer. Sincerely, Sam.

Fortunately, I hadn’t known five minutes earlier, or I would have cracked and invited Thomas to come in. Who knows how it could have ended the way we were going? Questions bombarded my brain. Given the situation, how would I restrain myself from taking the leap with him for the necessary time I had set myself to respect before going any further? And who said you have to wait a few months? After all, all the girls I knew of didn’t wait so long. Still, would Thomas have the same feelings for me if I broke down after a week? I had only known him for three days! Finally, I resolved to remain cautious, for a while at least.

The next day, I went to school, still in a pleasant mood. As the weather was mild on this sunny morning, I had immediately seen Thomas at the school entrance, waiting for me. He only wore a simple T-shirt that emphasised the shapes of his sublime musculature. Unshaven, his budding beard made him sexier, if that was even possible. When he saw me, a devastating smile appeared on his lips. He walked over to me, cupped my cheeks in his hands, and placed a long kiss on my lips. After this moment of pure delight, I discovered all the surprised faces fixed on us, including Sophia Chang’s icy one (which wasn’t displeasing to me). I would be lying if I didn’t admit to relishing being seen in Thomas’s company. Unable to know why such a handsome man had set his sights on me, I decided to enjoy every second of these enchanting moments without asking myself any more questions. I had never been happier since meeting him, and after a long year of hardship in this school, I deserved my share of happiness.