by Mia Harris
After having been in Wolfwood for three months now, Alice was almost completely settled in. She had lined up a decent paying job at a medical center before moving there, and Dalia had found them a nice old house to share.
“Yes, I’m just putting on some makeup,” she replied. “Did you pick a restaurant for dinner?”
“Yep, that’s why I was looking for you. I was thinking that we could try Gianni’s, that Italian place on the corner.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
“Who knows… maybe your secret admirer will be there!” Dalia said, teasing her through the door.
Alice giggled.
“He’s hardly a secret admirer. I know his name and what he looks like. The guy will not leave me alone! Did I tell you that he delivered more flowers to work the other day?”
“Yeah, you mentioned it. I think it’s sweet. Why not just go out on one date with him? I know you like him too.”
Alice finished touching up her eyelashes with mascara and then opened the door.
“You know why.”
“Alice, you’re gonna have to get past that one day,” Dalia said, her eyebrows knitted together in concern.
A few years ago, when the two women were in their senior year of high school, a group of the ‘popular kids’ in school had decided to play a nasty prank on Alice. Their group ‘leader’, Mark, was the most handsome, popular boy in school, and when he had asked Alice to go with him to the prom, she thought she had been dreaming.
For three weeks she had been over the moon, unable to believe that such a gorgeous guy would be interested in her. He came around with flowers and chocolates every few days and even met her parents, and she had been totally convinced that he was as smitten with her as she was with him.
However, on the night of prom, he had never arrived to pick her up, so she went alone, thinking that maybe there was a problem with his car. Of course, now that she thought about it, he would have called if there really was a problem. When she had arrived at the dance, she had seen him kissing a skinny blonde cheerleader, and it had become all-too apparent that he was never really interested in her.
All of the ‘popular’ kids had laughed hysterically when they saw her face, and that was when she had realized that the whole thing was a cruel prank designed just to embarrass her; the ‘chubby’ girl. That was another thing that she wasn’t sure she would have gotten through without friends like Dalia. It seemed so stupid and petty now, but she still wasn’t over it. People didn’t seem to understand how much an incident like that, even all the way back in high school, could scar someone on the inside. Ever since that night, Alice had lost all trust in the opposite sex, no matter who they were.
The man that Dalia had just referred to as her ‘secret admirer’ was a man named Caleb Grey. They had met him on their first night in Wolfwood. After spending the day unpacking, they were too tired to cook, so they had headed out for dinner at a local pub. Not long after they arrived, Caleb had come up and introduced himself to the two women. Alice had initially assumed that he was interested in Dalia, but soon realized that he only had eyes for her.
She had been thrilled that a man was interested in her, but she couldn’t shake the old feelings of distrust. No matter what he said or did, she didn’t know if she would ever be able to trust him, or any man. It was a shame, because he was breathtakingly handsome; tall and dark-haired with chiseled features and stunning blue eyes, and a powerfully-built body to match.
When he had asked if he could see her again, she had reluctantly said no, and that she wasn’t ready for a relationship with anyone. He had convinced her to at least tell him where she worked, and since then, he had shown up with flowers every few days, with beautifully-written notes attached asking her to go on just one date with him. No matter how many times she turned him down, he simply smiled and said he would try again later.
She had tried to tease him and say that he was as persistent as a crazed stalker, and he had laughed before replying. ‘I’m not a stalker, don’t worry. I would give up if I knew for certain that you weren’t interested. I just happen to think that you are very special, and I can tell that you feel the same way about me. I’ll give you as much time as you need to trust me,’ he had said.
He was right. She did feel the same way about him. In the brief time that she had gotten to know him, he was the kindest man that she had ever met, and he had a strangely powerful presence about him; a presence which she found mildly intoxicating. Whenever he came in to deliver more flowers to her, she would feel lightheaded and giggly for the rest of the day, and her insides would feel as if they had turned to liquid.
It didn’t matter, though. Every time she thought about finally giving in to her feelings for him and saying yes, all the memories of that night at the prom came flooding back, and she couldn’t shake the distinct fear that this would end up being a repeat episode of that humiliation.
Sighing, she mumbled a non-committal answer to Dalia and then grabbed her bag before heading out to the car with her.
***
An hour later, the two young women were enjoying veal scaloppini and a bottle of white wine at Gianni’s restaurant, and Dalia sighed happily as she looked around.
“Man, I am so glad to be living in such a nice little town. I hate the city now. Expensive and over-crowded.”
“Mmm… same,” Alice replied.
Moving to Wolfwood with her best friend had been the best thing she had done in years, and she had a feeling that she would end up settling down here forever. It was a wonderful old town with many tourist attractions, so it got busy in peak holiday periods, but never so busy that she felt like she couldn’t breathe. That was how she had felt every day back in their home city, and the only thing she regretted was not moving out here sooner.
Dalia leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach.
“I’m completely full. I really need to use the bathroom but I’m not sure if I can even get up,” she said.
Alice laughed.
“Don’t be so lazy. Besides, we’re getting dessert,” she said, before sticking her tongue out at her.
Dalia returned the gesture, excused herself and headed to the bathroom. As Alice turned and watched her walk away, she noticed a tall blond man walk into the restaurant. When he turned his head to look around, she recognized him immediately and her heart seemed to leap right into her mouth. Mark.
He saw her and smirked, and she realized that he was walking over to her. Oh god, she thought, panicking and turning back to face the other way. Why is he coming over to me? Maybe he felt bad when he saw me and wants to apologize. The persistent smirk on his face told her otherwise, though.
“Hey, look who it is! Chubby Alice. How’s it going?” he asked, standing right next to her now.
Alice swallowed, and was suddenly overcome by a wave of anger surging through her. How dare this childish idiot come over here and ruin her dinner? High school had been years ago; why would he bother continuing to mock her after he had already mentally scarred her for life anyway?
He was totally immature and pathetic, but he was also bringing back all the old feelings of humiliation and shame, and as they flooded through her mind and mixed with the anger, she felt her face turning pink.
“What do you want, Mark?” she finally replied.
She knew it was rude, but she had no idea what else to say. Besides, he deserved for her to be rude to him after what he had done.
“Oh, I’m just in town for a quick vacation and saw you sitting here eating all alone. Didn’t see much of you after high school, but I see nothing’s changed. You’re still a lonely loser,” he replied. “I guess people really don’t change.”
Alice couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It felt like she was back in high school all over again, and she cast her eyes down as her face turned an even brighter shade of pink. Please come back from the bathroom, Dalia, she wished, hoping that she would chase him away.
A smooth, masculine voice from b
ehind suddenly startled her.
“Sorry I took so long, sweetie. The line in the men’s bathroom is crazy at the moment. Who’s this guy? He bothering you at all?”
Alice turned to see Caleb standing beside the table, glaring at Mark with his fists balled up by his sides. His blue eyes seemed to flash yellow for a second, and she assumed that it was the flickering candle on the middle of the table creating strange lighting effects. Realizing that he must have overheard what Mark had said, she played along with his ruse.
“It’s okay, Caleb. This is somebody I went to high school with,” she replied, forcing a smile.
Caleb grinned and extended a hand to Mark, but his smile didn’t quite meet his eyes.
“Oh, hi. I’m Alice’s boyfriend, Caleb,” he said.
His deep voice sent shivers racing down Alice’s spine, and she had never been so grateful to anyone in her life. He had just saved her from another humiliating incident, and a real smile started to creep across her face as she looked up at Mark.
The look on his face as he shook Caleb’s hand was classic. His eyes widened, and his mouth nearly dropped open. He was good-looking, but nowhere near Caleb’s league. He clearly couldn’t believe that the girl he had mocked and humiliated in high school had actually managed to score someone better than him, and he stammered his reply.
“Err… I’m Mark. Anyway, I… uhh… I was meant to be meeting someone here, so um… it was nice to see you again, Alice.”
He quickly walked away and headed across the room, and Alice sighed with relief.
“Thank you,” she said, looking Caleb in the eyes. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes I did,” he replied, flashing her a wolfish grin. “I heard what that asshole said to you. I wasn’t going to let anyone speak to you like that. I’m happy to be your fake boyfriend anytime.”
“I didn’t know you were here for dinner,” she said, her cheeks burning.
“I wasn’t. I felt like getting dessert after having dinner at the pub and decided to drop by here. Just as I walked in I saw you and that guy, and then I heard what he was saying.”
“Oh. Well, thanks again.”
“Would you like to have dessert with me?” he asked, staring at her intently.
For the first time, Alice found herself wanting to say yes without a second thought. Unfortunately, she knew that she couldn’t. She had promised to spend the night with Dalia, and she couldn’t just abandon her best friend.
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” she said.
A look of disappointment crossed Caleb’s face, and he started to reply. She held her hands up and shushed him.
“Wait. I meant that I actually can’t, because I’m here with Dalia. But… maybe tomorrow night?”
A wide grin spread across his face, and his eyes twinkled as he reached across and took one of her hands. As their skin came into contact, Alice felt a bolt of electricity course through her veins, causing a warm tingling sensation to head down her spine and pool between her legs. She blushed again, but this time it wasn’t out of humiliation. The touch of his hand alone was enough to make her body respond like crazy, and she knew that she had made the right choice in agreeing to at least one date.
“Tomorrow is fine,” he said. “What should we do? Anything you want is okay with me.”
“Well, maybe I could cook you dinner and we could watch a movie at my house. I know it’s lame, but I want to thank you for helping me get rid of Mark just before,” she said.
“That sounds perfect. Not lame at all. Although, I’d rather cook for you. Anyway, how about I come round at eight tomorrow evening?”
“Yes, that’s perfect,” she replied.
After telling him her address, she smiled and watched him as he left. As he exited the restaurant he winked at her, and she suddenly realized that he hadn’t gotten dessert like he said he was going to. He’s probably so happy that I finally said yes that he forgot, she thought, her smile widening to a grin.
Dalia finally returned from the bathroom, her blouse drenched with water.
“I’m sorry I took so long! I went to wash my hands and the tap just exploded all over me! I’ve been trying to dry myself off,” she said.
Noticing Alice’s smile and pink cheeks, her eyes widened.
“Why do you look so happy?”
Alice explained what had just happened, and Dalia clapped a hand over her mouth in shock before replying.
“Oh my god! That’s amazing. I’ll go out tomorrow night with Damien so that you can have the house to yourself,” she said.
Damien was a local man who Dalia had been seeing for a while. It didn’t seem to be anything serious, but she often spent nights over at his house.
“Thanks,” Alice said, blushing even more furiously now that she knew she would be completely alone with Caleb.
Suddenly, she couldn’t wait for their date, and knew that the next twenty-four hours couldn’t possibly go by fast enough.
***
Alice had been right about the next day not going fast enough. It dragged by so slowly that she thought her brain was actually not working properly. Every time she checked the clock, thinking that an hour had gone by, only five minutes had actually passed, and by the time work was finally over, she had almost been driven crazy with excitement.
When she arrived home, she immediately started cooking dinner. She wanted everything to go perfectly, so she had decided on making bouillabaisse – a French dish that she had perfected last year. French food seemed nice and romantic, and now all she needed to do was choose a movie for them to watch.
She didn’t want to seem too keen, so instead of choosing a soppy romance film, she chose a comedy from Dalia’s collection. By 7:55, she was a nervous wreck; her hands shaking and her legs trembling as she waited for Caleb to arrive. What if he stands me up? she worried, and just as she was about to call Dalia for moral support, she heard the doorbell.
Sighing with relief, she composed herself and answered the door, hoping he wouldn’t notice how nervous she was. As Caleb smiled and presented her with yet another bunch of flowers, she couldn’t help but let out a little gasp. He looked even more handsome tonight than ever before. His dark hair was slightly swept back, his skin looked radiant, and his blue eyes sparkled under the porch light as she greeted him and accepted the flowers.
“Thanks. Come in,” she said, gesturing behind her. “I think I now have enough flowers to start my own floristry business.”
He laughed and followed her to the small dining room, where she motioned for him to sit before heading to the kitchen and serving up their dinner onto the best plates that she owned.
“Here you go,” she said, presenting him with the dish. “Want some wine?”
“Sure, thanks. This smells amazing. You have to let me cook for you next time, though, or at least let me take you somewhere. That way it’s a real date,” he replied.
“Oh, so this isn’t a real date?”
“No, that’s not what I meant, I meant that…”
Caleb stopped mid-sentence as he saw the look on Alice’s face.
“Oh, you were just kidding.”
“Yes,” she said, her cheeks flushing slightly.
For some reason, she already felt comfortable enough with him to tease him and joke around. It was strange, because in the grand scheme of things they barely knew each other, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had known him her whole life.
After exchanging some light banter about work for a while, Caleb’s face took on a more serious expression.
“So, Alice… what made you finally agree to a date with me?”
Alice knew that this question had been coming. She took a deep breath and started to tell him everything – about the prom incident in high school, and how it had led to her general distrust in all men, relationship-wise.
“Anyway, when I saw Mark last night, he told me that I hadn’t changed. Really, he hadn’t changed either, because he was still a pathetic bul
ly. But in a way, he was right. I haven’t changed. I haven’t let the past go. I figured it was finally time to move on, otherwise I’d be stuck in the past forever… just like Mark so clearly is,” she said.
Caleb watched her face intently as she spoke, and at the mention of Mark’s name his eyes darkened with anger. When she was finished, she paused for a moment and then asked him a question she had wanted to know the answer to for some time.
“Well, now that I answered your question, you have to answer mine. I know you said that you were so persistent in asking me out because you could tell that I was interested, but how could you tell? Why didn’t you just eventually give up? I mean… what made you so certain?”
