The Road To Bliss

by Denise N Wheatley

  Timber threw the door open so eagerly that she practically fell into the living room. She giggled at her giddiness, then looked up and froze. Every light in the house was still on. Eva was sitting on the couch with a weary expression on her face. And there, sitting next to her with his head in his hands, was Brian.

  Chapter Twelve

  Fourteen whole days. And not a word from Alex. Timber just couldn’t understand it. Hadn’t he said that he’d really enjoyed their date? It had certainly been a great date for her. Didn’t he still think she was wonderful, smart, beautiful and interesting? Hadn’t they connected? Wasn’t he still happy that he’d finally found a woman who didn’t have an ulterior motive? And hadn’t he said that he wanted to see her again?

  Timber felt crushed. The only reason she wasn’t totally devastated was because she still had hope. And so did Eva. Timber had expected to hear from Alex the day after their date, which was when he said he’d call. When he didn’t, she figured that he was busy, so she got busy herself. By the following weekend, she’d definitely expected to hear from him. When she didn’t, she absolutely expected him to call the following week with an explanation and an invitation for another date. But still he hadn’t called. So now, two weeks later, she found herself buried underneath her comforter with a box of chocolate covered mint cookies, a cup of chai latte, and the television remote control.

  And then there was Brian. Timber was trying her best to forget about the entire fiasco that had taken place the night of her and Alex’s date. The evening had been so amazing, so wonderful, and she’d felt so gratified when she walked inside her house. But the mere sight of Brian sitting in her living room immediately turned her joy into shock, then anger.

  Timber remembered the look on Eva’s face. Her expression was so pained. Timber could feel her confusion. And when Brian pulled his hands away from his face and looked up at her, his hurt and perplexed eyes penetrated her. He glared at her accusingly. “Where were you?” he asked possessively.

  “What are you doing here?” she shot back.

  Before he could answer, Eva placed her hand on her father’s arm, gave Timber an apologetic look, then got up and left the room.

  “I needed to talk to you,” Brian said, his voice barely audible. “But your phone kept going to voicemail, and you weren’t answering your business line…I figured you were ignoring my calls, so I decided to just come by. I thought you were home when I saw your car in the driveway and Eva’s out front.” He paused, then looked up at her though puffy red eyes. “Where were you?” he asked again, softer this time.

  “Brian,” Timber sighed, sitting down on the other end of the couch. “You shouldn’t have come over here. What do you need to talk to me about?”

  “I don’t like this,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t like this at all.”

  “So you came all the way over here to tell me that you don’t like this?” Timber asked, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. It was hard to believe that just a few minutes ago, she was standing outside in Alex’s arms. Who would’ve thought that she would step out of a dream and into a nightmare, just like that?

  “I came over here to talk about our relationship—”

  “What relationship?” Timber interrupted.

  “My point exactly,” he said. “I want to make amends.”

  “Look, Brian, it’s late, and I’m tired,” she told him, getting up and walking to the door in hopes that he’d catch the hint and follow her. No such luck.

  “Tired from what? Your date?” he asked, now standing up but not walking towards the door. “I can’t believe you’re already seeing another man. A womanizing, egotistical man at that—”

  “Excuse me?” Timber snapped. “Okay, that’s enough. You can leave now.”

  “Wait a minute,” he said quietly, walking towards her with his hands up as if he wanted to make peace. “I didn’t come over here to—”

  “Please leave,” Timber insisted, opening the door. “And please don’t concern yourself with who I’m seeing. You and I aren’t together anymore. Remember?”

  Brian’s expression fell in defeat. He and Timber stood there staring at one another in silence. Neither of them budged.

  “Goodbye,” she told him, suddenly feeling empowered. Brian had come over there to try and get back together with her. On a weaker day, maybe she would have considered it. But not today. Not after her date with Alex. Not after all of the things that Brian had said to her. Somewhere along the way, Timber had begun to get over him. This moment made her realize that she was almost there. Almost.

  “What happened to us?” Brian whispered. He didn’t wait for an answer. He just turned around slowly and walked out.

  As soon as Timber closed the door, Eva came running into the living room. “I am so sorry!” she insisted, grabbing Timber and squeezing her tightly. “Are you okay? I didn’t know what to do! I didn’t answer your business line when he was calling because I didn’t want him to know you weren’t here, because then he would’ve started asking me a bunch of questions. Then when the doorbell rang and it was him…I couldn’t just leave him standing out there like that! And when he started calling your name, I was afraid that the neighbors would hear him. So I let him in. Are you mad at me?”

  “No, I just can’t breathe,” Timber said into Eva’s shoulder, waiting on her friend to release her vise grip. When she did, Timber saw Eva’s darting eyes and started laughing. “Will you please calm down? I’m fine. Here, sit down,” she said, walking over to the couch.

  “So you’re not mad at me?” Eva asked, confused, and sitting so close to Timber that she was almost on her lap.

  “No, I’m not mad. It wasn’t your fault that he came over here and carried on the way that he did. But why did you tell him who I was out with?”

  “Timber, you don’t understand,” Eva insisted as she jumped up and started pacing the floor. “He would not leave me alone until I told him. He was acting like a world-class interrogator! And you should’ve seen, or rather heard the eerie silence that came over him when I told him who you were with.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, when I told him you were with Alex, as in the Alex Witherspoon, he just froze. And he sat there silently for so long. He didn’t say another word until you came home. I had to leave him in here and let him have some time alone. When I heard Alex’s car pull up, I figured I’d better get back out here in case I had to defuse the situation, because I had no idea what he was going to say once you walked through that door.”

  “Well, hey.” Timber sighed, leaning back and crossing her legs, “It’s over, and now he knows that I’ve moved on. So don’t worry about it.”

  “Look at you,” Eva said, sitting down in a chair across from Timber and staring at her intently. “This date of yours must have really been good, because it’s got you completely calm, cool and composed under some pretty crazy circumstances. Had this happened a couple of weeks ago, you would’ve been freaking out! But not today.”

  “Nope. Not today,” Timber smiled. Memories of her date began to override Brian’s surprise visit. “I really had a wonderful time tonight with Alex. He is amazing, he seems to be into me, I’m definitely into him, and at this point I can’t wait to see where all this is going.”

  “Wow,” Eva said quietly, looking down at her lap. “I’m happy for you, Timber. I really am. So I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but…I’m just a little torn, because I know my father is really hurting right now. In spite of his stubbornness, he loves you so much.”

  “I understand how you feel,” Timber replied softly, placing her hand over Eva’s. “It’s tough. He’s your dad, and I’m your best friend. You care about us both. But I think you’re doing a great job of remaining both objective and supportive.”

  Eva looked over at Timber, her eyes hanging low. “I’m trying. I know you have to do what’s best for you. And I’ve been all for you moving on from Brian, but it’s hard, because when things
were good between you two, they were really good. They were great, actually. I know that changed, and I need to come to terms with the fact that your relationship is over for good. That’s just something I never thought would happen, and...I hope that he finds happiness, too.”

  “So do I,” Timber said sincerely. “But in order for him to do that, he’s going to have to let get and stop being so bitter. Like calling Alex womanizing and egotistical. Why would he say something like that?”

  “I have no idea,” Eva said. “I didn’t tell him that. You know he’s on social media and reads the entertainment blogs, too. So who knows, maybe he read somewhere.”

  “Well why would he believe that mess? He must be crazier than I thought. Everybody knows all that gossip isn’t true.”

  Eva threw Timber a look that she chose to ignore.

  “Anyway,” Timber continued, “I’m not going to let your father ruin my night. So can we please talk about my date?”

  “Absolutely,” Eva said enthusiastically right before Timber delved in and began a blow-by-blow account of her evening, starting with the moment she and Alex left the house.

  * * * *

  A loud commercial snapped Timber out of her thoughts. She looked up and realized that she’d let her mind drift back yet again to the night of her and Alex’s date. At this point, she no longer even cared about her confrontation with Brian that evening. All she could focus on was the fact that she still hadn’t heard from Alex.

  Timber changed the channel and thought about the dozens of excuses that she and Eva had come up with as to why he hadn’t called her. Maybe he’d landed an unexpected part in a movie and had to begin shooting immediately. Or maybe there was a death in the family. Or maybe he had to go out of town to do some last minute publicity for Absolutely Nowhere. But no matter the reason, there was simply no excuse as to why he hadn’t reached out to her. All of Timber’s phones, email accounts, and social media accounts were up and running. So at this point, she was beginning to feel as though he just wasn’t interested.

  Eva had been calling her hour on the hour to make sure that she was okay. But that only made things worse, because every time the phone rang she thought it was Alex. Unfortunately, it never was. Timber wanted to get out of her slump, but she didn’t know how. Frustration and rejection were keeping her down. So was the fact that she didn’t have the power to make people feel the way she wanted them to feel. And if in fact Alex simply wasn’t interested in her, then maybe this was his way of letting her down easy. If that was the case, then it wasn’t working.

  Timber tossed the empty cookie box onto the floor, rolled over, and threw her comforter up over her head. Tumultuous thoughts began to flash through her mind. Being alone for the rest of her life was at the forefront. That’s when she sighed deeply and wondered how she would ever find the motivation to get out of bed again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I just checked my voicemail and Cameron left me a message canceling another date. He must not like me,” Eva said to Timber.

  “Wait a minute. Refresh my memory. Which one is Cameron?” Timber asked as she lay in her bathtub and tried to stay focused on the conversation. Twenty-one days had passed. And still no word from Alex.

  “You remember Cameron! He’s the music video director slash up-and-coming movie director who I met at that album release party a couple of months ago. Remember how I told you he chased me around all night long, asking for my phone number? I didn’t take him seriously at first because while he was busy stalking me, every woman in the party was stalking him. But when he kept ignoring them and asking if he could call me, I finally gave in.”

  “Okay, I remember now,” Timber said. “He’s the one who kind of looks like Will Smith and calls you every day, right?”

  “Used to call me every day. Now he only calls once or twice a week. And I don’t get it. We’ve been out several times, and each date just gets better and better. We’ve actually grown really close. But now it seems like he’s pulling away.”

  “So basically he’s acting the same way you act when you really start liking someone. You pull away.”

  “Wait, why are you turning this around and making it about me? And what’s that supposed to mean anyway?”

  “Eva, don’t get angry. But you know how you are. When you first meet a man you’re interested in, you get all excited, spend a ton of time with him, and talk to him constantly. Then the minute he seems to be into you, you start to distance yourself.”

  “That is not true! It’s just that the more time I spend with these men, the more I get to know them. And the more I get to know them, the less I like them.”

  “No,” Timber disagreed, stepping out of the tub and grabbing a towel. “You just like the newness of relationships. You like the excitement of the beginning. The initial phone calls and dates. That first kiss. Then as time goes by and the newness starts to fade, so does your interest.”

  “Please,” Eva muttered as her other cell phone rang loudly in the background. “Hold on! That might be Cameron….”

  Timber slipped on her fluffy cream bathrobe and matching slippers, then headed downstairs to clean up her workspace and check her email. When she overheard Eva confirming plans for later that evening, she ignored the sudden twitching in her chest, attributing it to heartburn as opposed to envy.

  “That was him,” Eva said breathlessly into the phone. “We’re going to his friend’s house for dinner tonight. What am I going to wear? I didn’t get my hair done this week! I didn’t think I had anywhere to go this weekend. See, this is why I don’t like making last minute plans….”

  While Eva continued to ramble, Timber went over to her desk and turned on the computer. Then she headed over to the sink and filled it with used containers, hot water and soap.

  “Are you even listening to me?” Eva squealed.

  “Of course I am!” Timber said. But in all honesty, she was having trouble getting into Eva’s excitement. Because while she was happy for her friend, all Timber could think about was spending yet another evening alone. And before she knew it, her thoughts drifted back to Brian. She wondered whether he was spending his evening with anyone.

  “So what do you think?” Eva asked.

  “About what?”

  “I just asked you if I should wear that black dress I bought last week.”

  “The one with the flared hemline? Yes, definitely.”

  “Good. Now all I have to worry about is the shoes, handbag, jewelry and hair.”

  “Red suede pumps with the matching clutch, those silver teardrop earrings and the matching necklace you bought at that art fair over the summer, and just put your hair up in a bun since you didn’t get it done,” Timber suggested, sitting down at her desk and opening her email inbox while the containers soaked.

  “See, that is why I love you. I only have about an hour to get ready. Do you think that’ll be enough time? Why am I so nervous?”

  As soon as Timber opened her mouth to answer, she stopped. There, in the midst of email messages from customers, storeowners, spa owners and friends, was a message from Alex.

  “Hello,” Eva sang into the phone. “What do you think? Should I have Cindy come over here and do my makeup, or should I just do it myself? I guess I could do it myself. It’s not that serious....”

  Timber couldn’t talk right now. All she could do was click on Alex’s message and see what it said. It read:

  “Dinner tonight? Here at my place? Let me know, AW.”

  “Eva, I gotta go,” Timber said. She quickly responded to Alex’s email letting him know that yes, she was available for dinner tonight at his place.

  “What?” Eva roared. “Why? I’m in the middle of a crisis here! You can’t just abandon me like that. I need you! I’m about to go out with somebody who I actually like. What is happening to me?”

  “Listen, Eva, now I’m about to go out with somebody that I actually like!” Timber proclaimed, jumping up from behind her desk and running upstairs.<
br />
  “Wait, what are you talking about? What’d I miss?”

  “Alex emailed me and asked if I want to come to his place for dinner tonight.” Timber beamed, grinning so hard that her jaws grew sore. She was practically shaking with excitement as she ran into her bedroom.

  “He emailed you today to make plans for tonight?” Eva asked skeptically.

  “Yes,” Timber huffed, rifling through her closet for something to wear.

  “Hold on,” Eva began. “If he just emailed you today asking if you two could get together tonight, then why are you going? That is so last minute!”

  “For the same reason Cameron just called and asked if you want to go out tonight and you agreed to go,” Timber retorted, laying a few skirts out on the bed. She was leaning towards the eggplant one with the high-low hemline.

  “Timber, wait. You know I want you to go out and have a good time and all that. But you haven’t heard from Alex in weeks. And suddenly he just pops up, via email no less, trying to make last-minute plans. Why hasn’t he called you? Where has he been?”

  Timber thought she heard Eva saying something, but her ears were too clogged with anticipation to listen.

  “Timber!” Eva insisted. “What are you doing? I’m just talking away, and all I hear on the other end of the phone is heavy breathing. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m just trying to hurry up and get myself together,” she said, heading to the bathroom to plug in her flatiron and lay out her makeup.

  “So you’re just going to ignore me? This is ridiculous.”

  “Okay, you’ve got my full attention,” Timber said, rushing back into the bedroom. “Make it quick. I’ve got to call Alex and confirm our plans.”