Never Say Die- Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

 

            That night the pile in my closet had grown to twice its original size. Almost nothing was left hanging. Once again, Flan picked her way through the pile and pulled out a blue paisley sun dress with a denim jacket.

            “Same shoes!” was all she said and then flitted back out of the room. For the second time today I was blown away by her uncanny knack for picking the perfect outfit, as I hurried to the bathroom to shower.

            Once I was dressed I looked myself over. I added some earrings and kept the same wooden jewelry from earlier. Satisfied with my reflection, I headed out of the bathroom and noticed that I'd left the light on in my closet.

             I stepped in to turn it off and really took in the mess of clothes I'd left. I shut the door behind me, closed my eyes and concentrated for a moment; willing the mess to disappear. When I opened them, everything was back in its place and the floor was spotless. I smiled with satisfaction, turned off the light and headed for the stairs.

            I was strangely calm, but still excited as I strained to hear the sounds of an approaching car from my stool at the counter.

            “You look great sweetie.”

            Flan smiled at me and I grinned back.

            “Thanks, my fashion guru picked my outfit.” we both laughed.

            “I thought you'd be more nervous after the way you acted before.”

            “You know, so did I, but something about this just feels right I guess.”

            She nodded as a pair of headlights flashed across the front windows. I jumped off my chair, twirled around once more for her approval and kissed her cheek.

            “Thanks Flan, see you when I get home.” She smiled and followed me to the door.

            “Just relax and have a good time.” she called after me as I approached the black Chevy truck in the driveway. I turned to wave as she closed the door.

            Rhys got out and opened the passenger door for me.

            “Hey there, I wasn't sure I had the right house, this is some place you have.”

            I smiled. “Thank you.” I replied, as I slid into the passenger seat.

Before he got in on his side, I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Tonight I was determined to answer everything he said appropriately and without sounding dumb.

            “You look really nice.” he said. I blushed, finally taking in what he was wearing- jeans and a light blue polo shirt with a pair of Docs.

            “Thanks, you look nice too. Actually, we match a bit don't we?” he looked down at himself before looking me over again.

            “I guess we do!” we both laughed and I relaxed a little more in my seat.

            We had reached the far side of town before he pulled into the parking lot of a small Italian restaurant.

            “I hope you like Italian?” He asked suddenly looking worried that he should have asked first but I nodded.

            “I love it.” I said reassuringly as he gave me a sheepish grin; getting out to come open my door.

            He offered his hand to help me out. This time when I felt the electricity, I looked right into his eyes, he didn't seem as surprised this time. He actually looked pleased, and something else I couldn't pick out right away.

            “I think that means we're doing something right.” He said and I couldn't help smiling.

            “So do I.” I agreed.

            I was surprised when he didn't let go as he shut the door behind me before leading me to the front door. But, by now, it was comfortable to have my hand in his. While he gave his name for a table I looked around.

            It was a cute little place, like something out of Lady & the Tramp. With red and white checkered table cloths and the round, green wine bottles with candle wax dripping down the sides. I also noticed that they weren't very busy, but considering that it was already after 9 o'clock, I decided it wasn't so unusual.

            “You like it?” he asked in a whisper, very close to my ear, that sent a shiver up my spine.

            I turned to him and smiled, “It's perfect.” He smiled back and looked pleased.

            The host came then to show us to our table. Rhys kept a firm hold on my hand as we followed him out to the small patio in the back of the restaurant. There was really nice ambiance with lots of small white lights wrapped in the branches of artificial trees. They were strung out from the side of the building, over the patio forming a glittering, white canopy overhead. As I looked around, I realized that we were the only ones out here, and wondered if he had somehow set it up this way.

            With a sigh of regret at having to let go of my hand, Rhys pulled my chair out for me before the host could. He then settled himself across the table. I peeked over my menu at him when he wasn't looking, reveling again at how handsome he was. He really seemed to be a complete package, kind, sweet, smart and crazy sexy. I wondered for a moment why he and his girlfriend had broken up. I mean, really, who would want to break up with a man like that?

            As I contemplated possible reasons, I didn't immediately notice that he was looking back at me with an unsure smile on his face. I blushed and wondered how long he'd been looking back at me. Goodness knows what he imagined I was thinking while I just stared at him, unfocused and lost in my own head.

            “Daydreaming again?” he asked with an easy smile that I returned.

            “I guess so. I think it's this restaurant, it's almost like a whole different world.” I lied while wishing I could just tell him that he was the only thing in the world that I wanted to daydream about.

            Our waiter arrived and I realized that I hadn't even read my menu. I studied it quickly while he filled our water glasses. I ordered the spaghetti with white clam sauce, while Rhys ordered lasagna with a side of Italian sausage.

            I took a sip of my water and set the glass back down; leaving my hand on the table in what I hoped appeared to be a casual invitation for him to hold it again. I was glad when he seemed to understand what I was going for, and grasped my hand in his. It was less electric this time, and more like a warm current flowing between us, which was actually very relaxing.

            “So what kind of work do you do?” He asked rubbing his thumb over the top of my hand.
            “I'm a debt collector.” I replied with a twinge of guilt that I couldn't tell him just what kind of debt collector I was.

            He looked mildly surprised as he laughed, “Wow, what's that like to have a job like that?”

            I smiled, “It's interesting.”

            “Are you from around here?”

            “No I just moved here a few years ago, I actually grew up in the Seattle area.” I didn't mention that it had been close to 50 years before Seattle was made official in 1853.

            “And how did you meet Flannigan?”

            I smiled at that question, thinking back to that night.

            “I actually met Flan at the University Library, I had stopped in to say hello to another friend who was studying late and she shushed us. I went to apologize for disturbing her and we got to talking. I invited her out for coffee and found out that she was about to lose her apartment because they'd raised her rent. So I invited her to come live with me and here we are.”

            He raised an eyebrow. “So she couldn't afford an apartment but she can afford to live in a house like that?”

            I laughed, pressing a finger to my lips, as if to ask him to keep a secret.

            “I'm not entirely sure what she thinks. I just gave her what I thought was a reasonable price for a starving college student.”

            My heart sank a little as he continued to press the issue.

            “She has to know that a house like that costs multiples times what she pays.”

            “I’m sure she does. But it's a thousand times better than where she was before and she doesn't have to worry about the rent being raised. Who wouldn't jump at an offer like that?” He smiled at my explanation.

            I rest my case. I thought smugly.

            “I hope it's not too forward of me to ask but how do you afford a place like that?”

            I looked sheepish as I lied again, “Inheritance.”

            That seemed to be a satisfactory answer for him. He let out a low whistle to show he was impressed, just as the server arrived with our food.

            Throughout dinner he continued to ask me questions. Did I have any pets? Plans for college? Was I close to my parents? Did I have any siblings? My favorite books, music, movies...it went on and on but wasn't uncomfortable.

            I felt more like he was trying to get to know me right down to my soul and I found I wanted to share it all with him. I also realized that I hated having to keep my secrets from him.   When it was my turn to ask him questions, he seemed so open and honest about everything. It made me feel even worse about what I couldn't tell him.

When we were finished eating we opted to share a vanilla crème brulee for dessert, he watched in amazement as our server burned the sugar on top right at our table.

            “I've never actually seen how the crust was made before.” he whispered as the server walked away.

            I smiled, “That's ok, the best part is breaking it anyway.”

            He grinned back, “I always thought so.”

            We held up our spoons and cracked the sugar at the same time. After the first bite, I had to admit that it was probably the best I'd ever tasted.

When we were finished, Rhys insisted on paying the bill before taking my hand and walking me back out to his truck.

            “Thanks for dinner.” I said.

            “You're welcome. I think that’s the best dinner I've ever had, and not just because of the food.” He gave me a wink and helped me into the truck as I laughed at his assessment of the evening. Surely he'd had better company than me on other dates.

            When he got in on the other side, he gave me a quizzical look.

            “What’s so funny about that?”

            I was suddenly a little embarrassed, and looked down at the floor.

            “Well I just figured that you've probably been out with plenty of girls who were better company than me.”

            Very gently he took my chin in his hand, lifting my face to meet his.

            “This was the best.” he said with finality and I nodded silently.
            “Can I ask you something kind of personal?” The question was burning on the tip of my tongue, and I just had to get it out.

            He nodded curiously “Of course.”

            “Why did you and your girlfriend break up?” The words came out of my mouth in a rush.

            “I realized that she wasn't the girl that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

            “How long have you guys been split up?”

            He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head clearly embarrassed. I was, suddenly, ashamed of myself for bringing it up.

            “You don't have to answer that if you don't want to, I just get nosy sometimes, I'm sorry.”

            He shook his head, “No it's alright, um actually we broke up shortly after I met you.”

            “But we just met.”

            “Yeah. She was there that day and had a fit after I helped you to your car. Don't think any of it was because of you though. It was a build-up of a lot of other things, and finally I'd had it. She was kind of a snobby b***h anyway. Who has a fit because their boyfriend is helpful to others?” He reached over to squeeze my hand in a reassuring way.

            I smiled, “I don't think there are many girls who could get past the jealousy enough to really appreciate their boyfriend being nice to another girl, simply for the sake of being kind.”

            He laughed, “I suppose you're right, I hadn't thought about that but now I'm glad I know.”

            I laughed with him, “Girls are hard to understand sometimes I guess.”

            “I know guys can be just as hard to get too. So, don't take all the blame on the women.”

            “And yet somehow, we're all supposed to find that one person in our life that gets us. How does that work when we're so different?” I asked and he laughed again.

            “That's a good question. The next time I talk to someone with a logical theory on it, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

            “I'll be waiting to hear what the answer is.” I assured him, as he smiled and put the keys in the ignition.

            He started up the truck and took my hand in his. We rode with our fingers intertwined in comfortable silence as he drove through the nearly deserted streets that led back to my house.

I paid attention to the warm current that flowed between us, and wondered what he thought it was.

            It couldn't be normal or everybody would feel it, so what was so special about us? Flan would say it was some kind of sign, or the universe was trying to tell us something, and maybe it was. All I knew, was that in the course of the evening, I'd become so comfortable with this stranger that the rest really didn't matter. All that mattered was that we were here now, together. As far as I was concerned, the rest could wait.

            He pulled in the driveway, but I found that I didn't want him to go yet.

            “Would you like to come in and watch a movie or something for a bit?”

            He grinned. “You're not ready to be rid of me yet?”

            “No! I've had a wonderful time with you tonight and I’m not sure that I’m ready for it to be over.” I blushed and looked at the ground, as the words poured out of my mouth of their own accord.

            His grin turned into that beautiful, gentle smile.

            “Well, then who am I to cut the night short?”

            I opened the front door and led him to the den, where we picked out a comedy we both liked. I threw some popcorn in the microwave, dumped it in a large bowl and went to sit beside him on the couch as the movie started. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and put his other hand in mine. The warm current had become quite familiar to us both during the course of the evening, and now it almost felt natural.

            I was curled up to his side and starting to fall asleep when the movie ended. He pushed a lock of hair behind my ear so he could see my face better.

            “Saydie? I think I'd better get going so you can go to bed.”

            I sat up with a small yawn and stretched.

             “I'll walk you out.”

            I hated that he had to go but it was late and I was sure he needed to get to bed too. Then, suddenly, I had this insane idea to ask him to stay. I quickly pushed the idea away; that would be crazy after the first date.

            I stood up and led him to the front door. I was leaning against the frame for support as he passed through, more tired than I'd thought.

I turned to him just as he turned around to face me.

            “I had a really great time tonight.” I told him and he smiled.

            “It was definitely the best date I've ever had, even with the snoring.” he winked, and I gave him a moderately gentle shove.

            “It's not polite to bring up a lady's shortcomings.” I chided him and he chuckled.

            “Goodnight Saydie. I'll call you tomorrow.” And with a kiss on my cheek he was gone.

            When I snuggled into bed a few minutes later, I ran through the evening in my head.

His last words rang out to me.

            “Goodnight Saydie, I'll call you tomorrow.”

As I slipped into the darkness of sleep, I had no doubt that he would.