by M. H. Soars
I was taken aback by his answer. I had spent most of my week feeling miserable and resenting Ethan’s dad, when in fact he had spent the last three days preparing something special for me.
I looked over his head at the gallery where everything had begun. “I should have known that the final clue would lead me here. The fact that you picked downtown should have been the only hint I needed.”
“Nah, that's not true. I could have picked any other spot that I liked, but I wanted something that would be important to both of us.” He looked at me expectantly, like I was supposed to agree with him.
I did agree, but I was still having a hard time believing that what I felt was real, that I could indeed fall head over heels for someone, so I didn’t say anything.
“Come on. I want to take you to one of my favorite restaurants. It’s very small and only known by locals.” He whirled away in his wheelchair, and I had to walk faster to keep up with him. Boy, he was quick on that thing.
We went down several streets, turning left and right so many times that I soon lost my sense of direction entirely. We stopped in front of a nondescript open door, and as we walked through the threshold it seemed we were transported to another era or country.
The restaurant, if you could actually call it that, looked like a grandmother’s living room. There were several couches spread strategically throughout the space, and coffee tables that were being used as dining tables. The walls were covered in floral wallpaper that looked like it belonged to the 19th century. It was just perfect.
We were greeted by a plump woman in her fifties wearing an apron that said, “Kiss the chef.” She immediately recognized Ethan and bent down to give him a hug. She looked at me appreciatively and when her eyes zeroed in the flower in my hand, her eyes twinkled joyfully, and she gave me a hug too. I couldn’t help but return it with the same enthusiasm.
After Ethan introduced us -- she was the owner of the place -- she took us to the outside sitting area. I gasped at the sight. There were six tables in total under a wooden pergola, surrounded by a lovely garden. The pergola was decorated with ornamental vines and twinkling lights. I could imagine the effect after dark. The tables were at the edge of a circular open area that I suspected served as a dance floor, and there was a gazebo converted to a stage with several instruments set up on it already.
“So, do you like it?” Ethan asked once we were seated.
I looked around admiring everything before I answered his question. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
He took my hand and looked into my eyes. “I’m glad. Wait until you try the food.”
I smiled and felt myself blush. Our waiter came to introduce himself and offer us the menu. As I scanned it, I noticed that the dishes listed were simple, but everything sounded delicious. I would have a hard time picking anything. Ethan, noticing my dilemma, made some suggestions, which I gladly accepted.
“Today it's your turn to ask me questions,” he said.
I had forgotten about our deal, and suddenly I got very nervous. Everything was going so perfectly, I didn’t want to ruin the evening by asking him uncomfortable questions. I bit my lower lip. “Can I get a rain check on the questions?” I pleaded.
“What? Nonsense!” He waved his hand. “We made a deal. I told you that I’m not as fragile as you think. Don’t worry.”
I was still not certain this was such a great idea, but I reluctantly asked my first question: “How do you know this place?”
He took a sip of water. “This was one my mother’s favorite places. My parents used to live in Santa Barbara before my mother passed away.”
I reached for his hand across the table and squeezed it. “I’m sorry.”
He squeezed back and gave me a sad smile. “Don’t be. It was a long time ago, and I never knew her. She died when I was a baby.”
I smiled sadly. “That’s something we have in common. My mother died giving birth to me.”
“I know. What a pair, huh? But hey, at least you have a crazy uncle and a bunch of cousins your age. That must count for something.”
“It does. But sometimes I miss having a mom, you know?” We stared at each other in mutual understanding. I shook my head gently, as if trying to snap myself out of my self-pitying mood. “But enough of that. How about you? No brothers or sisters? Your dad didn’t remarry?”
“You’re not going to believe this, but I’m the youngest of seven kids.”
I almost choked on my water. “Seven?”
He looked at me with a wide grin. “Don’t look so shocked, it wasn’t like my mother got knocked up six times before me. My parents did have a TV in their bedroom.”
I blushed at his comment. Silly me. “Multiple twin births?” I asked.
“No. My parents had problems conceiving, so they decided to try in vitro. They got lucky on their first try -- six healthy baby girls.”
“Oh my God! You have six sisters? What was that like growing up?”
Ethan got serious then, and I thought he wasn’t going to answer me. “Well, I don’t know. When mom died, my father was a mess. He couldn’t cope with six toddlers plus a baby. So, he sent my sisters to live with their godmothers.”
“Oh, Ethan. I’m so sorry. That must have been hard.”
He shrugged. “For my father maybe, but not for me. I was a baby, so I don’t have any memories of growing up with them. Of course we see each other now during holidays and such.”
The waiter came with our dinner, and I welcomed the distraction. As I had feared, our exchange had veered toward a topic that was painful for both of us.
We dined in silence, each of us consumed by our own thoughts. We didn’t feel the need to fill the void with meaningless chatter. We were comfortable with each other, and that made me happy.
I was almost done with my dessert when the band started to play. I noticed that some couples were taking the dance floor. I watched them dancing and was lost in my thoughts again when Ethan asked, “Would you like to dance?”
I would have loved to dance with him, but I didn’t know how. He noticed my uncertainty and added, “We can dance if you don’t mind sitting on my lap.”
As we approached the dance floor, people gave us curious glances but I ignored them. Ethan looked happy, and I was, too. That was all that mattered. I carefully sat on his lap and placed my arms behind his neck, gazing into his eyes. He started to twirl his wheelchair around, trying to match his movements to the rhythm of the music. The band started a new song, and Ethan smiled.
“This used to be my mother’s favorite song. Do you know it?”
It was also one my favorites, Nobody Does it Better by Carly Simon. My heart felt like it would overflow and I found myself unable to answer him out loud, so I nodded. As we were “dancing,” I couldn’t help thinking that this was a moment I would remember forever.
I could see from Ethan’s face that we were about to have our first kiss. His gaze shifted from my eyes to my lips. As we started to lean closer to each other, I felt a cold drop on my cheek. I looked up. A second later, rain started to pour down on us heavily. I quickly got up from his lap with a squeak, and we sought cover.
We didn’t get completely drenched, but we could no longer sit at our table outside. We scrambled inside the tiny restaurant with everyone else, and we soon realized the restaurant was way too small to accommodate that many people.
We decided to go someplace else for a nightcap. As we made our way to the next destination, I felt light-hearted despite the rain and our interrupted almost-kiss. So when Ethan’s ringtone pierced the night, it was like our own private happiness bubble had been burst. Before he answered the damn thing I knew that our magical time was up. Ethan pinched the skin at his throat as he spoke on the phone in a serious tone.
“What’s wrong, Ethan?”
“I’m sorry, Alexia. I must get home right away.”
“What happened?” I asked, feeling scared.
“One of my aunts just had a stroke. She’s a
t the hospital right now, but the doctors don’t know anything yet.” Ethan had gone very pale.
“I’m so sorry. I'll take you home. My car's not that far away.”
We reached my car in heavy silence, and this time there was nothing remotely comfortable about it. I felt terrible for Ethan. Couldn’t life give him a break? I clutched my beautiful flower, and thought that this was not how I had envisioned the night ending.
CHAPTER 12
Samantha
After my conversation with Zach, I decided to give Julian another chance. It would be difficult to forget Matthew, but not having him around made it easier. Also, Julian was an incredible guy, so thoughtful and smart. He had the gift of making me forget my problems. He made me feel like a regular teenager, and I needed those precious hours of normalcy. After experiencing so much angst, it felt good to have a guy like Julian pamper and appreciate me.
I had gone out with him every day since Matthew’s departure. In the process, I had neglected everyone else, including Alexia. I felt guilty about it, but every time Julian called suggesting we do something together, I found myself unwilling to say no.
Alexia wasn’t too happy about my absence, but her sour mood also seemed related to the fact that her love life wasn’t going anywhere. So I was glad that she had finally gone on a date with Ethan today, and I hoped it had gone well. Anything to wipe that frown off her face.
Julian picked me up for our own date after Alexia left. He told me that he had helped Ethan with a surprise for her. He wouldn’t tell me what it was, though. He said I needed to wait for Alexia to tell me. I didn’t like it when people started to tell me something just to stop before the end of the story. That was such a tease, and I told him so, which didn’t bother him that much. If anything, I thought he was pleased.
Julian was taking me to a fancy downtown restaurant, and I felt giddy with excitement. My heart might still belong to someone else, but I couldn’t deny the effect Julian had on me. It was like a drug. The way he dressed, his body language, even his aftershave, seemed tailored to make girls fall in love with him.
There was something different about him tonight, though. He looked dangerous, and oddly, that thrilled me. Suddenly, I didn’t feel like going to a restaurant anymore. What I wanted was right there in the car.
Julian glanced at me, and I could see my sudden and inexplicable hunger reflected in his eyes. He exited the highway and drove a few more minutes before he found a parking space. I looked outside the window, but I didn’t recognize the street. I didn't see any restaurants nearby, either. I turned to him with a questioning stare.
His eyes glinted with a need that I had never seen before, not even on the several occasions we had kissed this past week. My heart raced in my chest, and I had to bite my lower lip to keep it from quivering.
“I can’t believe we’re finally alone, Samantha,” he said in a husky voice as he unbuckled his seat belt.
He leaned over me, and without breaking our gaze, he unbuckled mine too. My breath caught from his closeness and goose bumps ran down my arms. He leaned back in his seat but kept his body facing mine. I had involuntarily turned my own body toward him, like I had been pulled by his magnetic field.
His eyes travelled down me before settling on my face again. Then he offered me his hand. “Come here, Samantha.”
I took his hand, and in a swift motion Julian pulled me to him. I found myself straddling him, my hands resting on his wide chest. One of his hands was at my waist and the other traced my face with the softest touch. In the back of my mind there was a nagging feeling that things were escalating too fast, but my body thought otherwise. I wanted him to touch me like my life depended on it. Our lips met in a hungry kiss making me forget my own name.
I laced my hands behind his neck as he unzipped my dress. I had never gone this far with him, and he had never been so daring. I knew I should stop him before it got out of hand, but I just couldn’t. I had been taken over by a force that I didn’t recognize. I was burning up in an ice cold fever.
Julian pressed a button, and his seat reclined to an almost horizontal position. The skirt of my dress had hiked up to the edge of my underwear, and Julian had already peeled the top part away to reveal the lace bra I wore underneath. When he cupped one of my breasts with his hand, I gasped in pleasure and closed my eyes. He pulled me to him again for another smoldering kiss, and he moaned against my mouth when I shifted on top of him. I broke the kiss and pulled away to have better access to his pants.
I finally succeeded in unzipping them. Just then Julian’s appearance changed from hunger to confusion. “Sam, what are you doing?”
His question was like a bucket of cold water. All the heat of the moment vanished, and as I looked at my exposed bra and his unzipped pants, all I felt was embarrassment. What had I been thinking? I quickly scrambled back to my seat and readjusted my dress.
Julian returned his seat to a normal position and rubbed his face with his hand. When he turned to me, the dangerous look from before was gone. He was back to the good old Julian that I had come to know this past week. It was like a switch had been shut off.
“Sam, I’m so sorry. I should have never let things get this far.”
“It takes two to tango. You didn’t do anything I didn’t want you to,” I replied, even though I wasn’t so sure anymore what I wanted.
Julian closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, there was a new resolution in them.
“Please, Sam. I don’t want you to think this is my normal behavior, that I’m the kind of guy who would just fool around with you in a car.” He paused to look straight ahead, gathering his thoughts, then turned to me again. “I know that I have a reputation, and I won’t deny that I’ve played the field before. But it’s different with you. I know that this sounds like what a player would say to his next victim, but it’s the truth. I care about you, Sam. More than I should.”
I didn’t know what to say. For the first time since I had met Julian, I wasn’t too quick to believe him. I could see the sincerity in his eyes, but was that enough? The comfortable feeling I felt when I was with him was gone. It was like I was seeing him for the first time. He was still undeniably attractive, but I just didn’t want to be around him anymore. At least not until I could figure out what had just happened.
“I’m tired, Julian.”
With a resigned nod he turned the car back on, and took me home.
I found Mia, Zach, and Sean hanging out in the game room. I hadn’t talked to Zach since he told me everyone was aware of my feelings toward Matthew, so I had avoided them out of sheer mortification. But I didn’t want to be alone right now. I was still feeling weird about my date with Julian. I didn’t understand how I could have wanted him so badly one moment and then suddenly felt nothing at all.
Sean and Zach were playing a video game while Mia was surfing the net on her new tablet. The boys didn’t even notice when I entered the room, but Mia briefly glanced my direction when I sat on the other side of the couch, facing her.
“Back so soon? I thought Julian was taking you to a fancy restaurant,” she said.
“He had an emergency back home,” I lied, hoping she would leave it at that. No such luck. The word “emergency” got not only her full attention but also the boys’, who stopped their game to look at me.
“What kind of emergency? Is everything okay?” Sean asked.
I rolled my eyes, trying to downplay my lie. “The kind of emergency that rich people have. I don’t know, and I didn’t ask. His mom probably had a nervous breakdown over the price of tea in China or something.”
“Huh?” I heard Sean say. Zach just shook his head and resumed the game. Mia looked at me questioningly, but I ignored her.
We were still hanging out there when we heard Alexia’s voice. She was looking for us. When I saw the look on her face as she entered the room, I got up from the couch and walked over to her.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
A
thousand things went through my mind, and guilt settled in the pit of my stomach. If something bad had happened to her it would be our fault. We were supposed to be her protectors. How come it hadn’t occurred to us to have her followed tonight? Just because we knew she was with Ethan didn’t mean she was safe.
She walked past me and sat where I had been sitting. Her body language screamed disappointment and defeat.
“I must be the most unlucky girl in the world,” she said as she slouched deeper into the couch. The boys paused their game again and traded a confused look. I was feeling a bit lost myself.
“Explain,” Mia chipped in, putting aside her tablet and resting her elbows on her knees.
“My date with Ethan was going great. He prepared the most wonderful surprise for me and took me to this great little restaurant that used to be his mom’s favorite. We had a lovely meal there, but then it started to rain. Our table was outside, so we decided to go somewhere else. Then his dad called to say that one his aunts had had a stroke. I dropped him off at his place, but before I got back here he texted me, saying that he's leaving for Portland in the morning to see his aunt.”
“That’s what I call a real emergency.” Sean glanced meaningfully at me. I stuck my tongue out at him and turned to Alexia.
“That doesn’t sound like the end of the world. It sucks that his aunt had a stroke and all, but that had nothing to do with you. He'll be back soon, you’ll see.”
“I know I sound like a whining brat, but it took the entire week for us to see each other, and when it finally happened, Bam! Destiny puts another obstacle in our path. This is the worst summer ever.”
“Hey,” screamed Sean, faking indignity. “Now I’m hurt!”
“Whatever. I’m going to my room.” Alexia got up from the couch.
After she left, Sean turned to Zach. “What’s gotten into her? I’ve never seen her so moody.”
“Maybe Sam’s personality is rubbing off on her.” Zach looked at me. I threw a pillow at him in response but hit Sean instead, inadvertently starting a pillow fight. Sean attempted to hit Mia with it, but without even looking up she stopped the pillow in midair before it reached her.
