by J. Lea
“Honey, I’m so proud of you!” Mom exclaimed as I stepped through the door of the locker room to the hallway where my family was gathered. Dad grabbed me around the waist and spun me around.
“Well done, pumpkin,” he said, bursting with pride, when he finally set me down. My fourteenth birthday was around the corner, and I couldn’t wait. That victory was the best present I could hope for.
When we finally arrived back home, dusk had already fallen. After a quick dinner, I crashed into bed, exhausted, and fell asleep in the blink of an eye.
Chapter Three
July 2014
18 years old
I was lying in bed on my stomach, immersed in a book, when suddenly my phone rang. Elias’s picture filled the screen.
“Get dressed, we’re going out,” he sang into the phone.
“Hello to you too,” I responded sarcastically.
“Yeah, yeah. Listen, I have something special prepared for us. Take off your sweats, put on a sexy dress, and come pick me up.” I dropped my gaze to my stretched sweats and a shirt, stained with ketchup. How does he always know?
“I’m reading,” I protested.
“Sure you are.” I could imagine him rolling his eyes and shaking his head on the other side of the line. “Well, I have this thing planned, and I want you to go with me.”
“A thing?” I inquired.
“Nothing terrible. Who do you take me for?” he exclaimed dramatically. When it came to his things, I had always been either forced to watch him make out with some random chick, or I was stuck with complete strangers while he was off…umm…doing his thing.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for any more of your things,” I groaned.
“Don’t be such a bore, and get your sexy butt over here. I promise you won’t regret it.”
“Fine,” I admitted my defeat. “But, I promise you, if you leave me alone again, I’ll have your balls for breakfast.”
“Babe, that sounds so dirty coming from your mouth. I doubt you and I have the same scenario in mind about balls and breakfast.” He undoubtedly wiggled his eyebrows at the phone.
“Perv,” I giggled.
“What? You started it,” he responded innocently.
“I mean it, Elias.”
His laughter filled my ears. “Okay, okay, you have my word.”
Twenty minutes later, I was ready to go. I slipped into a simple, red, figure-hugging dress that ended halfway to my knees, and complimented my copper hair. Black high-heeled sandals and a black purse completed the look I was going for. Elias said I had to look nice, so I chose a simple, yet sophisticated and youthful outfit.
“Can I borrow your car?” I asked my mom, who was sitting at the kitchen table, doing the crossword. She looked up at me.
“Of course, sweetie. Where are you going? You look beautiful.”
“I’m just going to hang out with Elias.”
“Have fun, you two. And don’t stay out too long.”
I nodded. “I won’t. Bye,” I waved at her as I walked through the door.
Not even ten minutes later on the road, I heard a loud ‘thunk’, and the car started jerking sharply one way.
“Just perfect.” With a roll of my eyes, I stopped the car by the side of the road. I suspected I had a flat tire. When I saw the evidence, confirming my suspicions, I kicked the tire angrily. I reached into my purse to grab my phone. For a second, I thought of calling Elias, but I doubted he would possess the knowledge and the ability to change a tire. After all, he wouldn’t want to mess up his manicured hands. I giggled at the thought. It was so funny that his nails always looked so much better than mine. Not just his nails, from head to toe, he always looked like he stepped off of a magazine cover.
I threw my phone onto the passenger seat, opened the trunk, and tried to drag out the spare tire. It proved quite a feat in my short dress and high heels. I couldn’t let my dress get dirty—not that I worried about ruining the dress; I just didn’t want to look like a slob in public. Huh, when dad changed the tire that one time, it didn’t look so heavy, I grumbled. After a few attempts, I could finally lift the tire out of the trunk. I dropped it to the ground and wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. Despite the dusk setting over the city, the air was unbearably humid. The temperatures were unusually high, even for summer.
I slowly rolled the tire to the front side of the car, and searched for the car jack. When I finally located it, I stared at the tool as if it was an alien and tried to remember how my dad had used it. When I finally admitted defeat, and came to terms with the fact I wasn’t cut out for changing tires, someone spoke.
“Need any help?” The unfamiliar voice made me jump. I looked up and saw a motorcyclist, removing his helmet. How is it possible I didn’t hear him drive up to me?
“Um... I... It’s oka…” My voice carried away as I stared at the most perfect male specimen in front of me. His sexy, disheveled dark brown hair was calling out to me, inviting me to touch it. The handsome stranger ran his hand through his hair, trying to fix it. He regarded me with a straight face, but there was a spark of humor in his eyes. No wonder. I doubted he’d ever witnessed a scene such as the one that was playing out in front of his eyes—a girl, dressed in a miniature summer dress, trying and failing miserably at changing a tire. An interesting sight, I would bet. He seemed older than me, but not by a lot. Yet, looks could lie. You could never tell I was only eighteen, especially with the heavy make-up I was wearing.
“Okay,” I finally managed to swallow, and find my voice again, still shocked at the sight of the handsome man in front of me. I was still awkwardly holding the car jack.
“Everything set?” he pointed his hand to the tools on the ground by the spare tire. I could only nod. He shrugged off his leather jacket and set it on his bike. He stood by my side in a white V-neck T-Shirt and washed out jeans. Holy shit, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. His biceps, not too pumped or too wide, filled up the short sleeves of his T-shirt perfectly, and he had wide shoulders and a flat, taut stomach.
He turned his back to me, already managing to lift the front side of the car, but I just stood frozen, and stared at him, drooling. My eyes couldn’t get enough of him. Lori, get a grip. This is not like you, I muttered to myself.
“Did you hear what I just said?” his deep voice brought me back from my haze.
“Huh? Sorry, what?” Did he notice me staring? Am I so obvious?
“I asked if you could pass me the tire gauge.” I could tell I was caught at blatantly staring, since he was looking at me with a ghost of a smile on his lips.
“Tire gauge! Yes, of course!” I exclaimed overenthusiastically, forcing myself to unglue my gaze from his oh-so yummy chocolate eyes. They sparkled as the brightest stars on the night sky, and brought out his natural beauty. “Here you go.”
His fingers grazed mine at the exchange, and my skin turned to goose flesh at his touch. I’ve never experienced something like that before. What was that? I usually shied away from other people’s touch, but, around him, it was quite the opposite.
He continued changing the tire like nothing happened, and I stood beside him, thinking how I was likely to burst into flames if he touched me again.
“Have you ever done this before?” His warm breath tickled my cheek, when I kneeled beside him.
“Yes… I mean, no,” I stuttered in response.
“It looked like you were about to tackle the problem yourself.” His voice was full of humor.
“Well, yes. It didn’t appear to be that hard.” I crossed my hands across my chest, because I didn’t like the tone of his voice, and stood up.
The stranger chuckled, shaking his head. “If you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, you could do more damage than good. It’s better to let someone else handle it. Besides, it would be a shame if you got grease all over that pretty dress of yours.” His eyes traveled the length of my body.
“I’m not afraid of a little grease,” I
replied gruffly. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but I needed to assure him I wasn’t just some silly bimbo who’d flip out at the sight of a little dirt.
“I can see that,” he responded with a grin.
What was that supposed to mean? I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes at him. He reached out his hand, and brushed his thumb right above my lip. I inhaled sharply at his touch. “You had something…” He pointed his finger at my cheek. “...there,” he finished. I could still feel his feather soft touch on my skin. It felt amazing, for a change.
He then nonchalantly handed me some lug nuts as if his fingers hadn’t just been touching me a few seconds ago, and got down on his knees in front of the damaged tire. With the flat tire off the car, he put the spare in place.
“The lug nuts,” he turned his head to me, extending his arm. I gave him a small smile—my skin was still burning from when he touched me earlier—and handed him the nuts one by one. “The tire is ruined. You were lucky you didn’t veer off the road.”
I shrugged, my thoughts still hazy from his closeness, even though I was still mildly irritated because of his scolding earlier. I took a few steps back, putting some distance between us, to clear my thoughts. Soon after, my phone started ringing from the passenger’s seat of my car.
“Where are you?” Elias asked, as I answered the phone, but he sounded more impatient than worried. “We have to be there in an hour.”
“I’m on my way. Don’t be so nervous, we have plenty of time.”
“Hurry.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled and hung up. The stranger was still busy tightening the lug nuts when I stole a glance at him. His slightly tanned skin blended perfectly with his dark hair. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. I smiled to myself, biting into my lower lip as I covertly took a picture of the beautiful stranger and sent it to Elias.
Lori: I’m a little busy :)
A few seconds later his text came in.
Elias: What the hell? You said you were on your way. And, who is this hunk of meat?
I replied with a grin.
Lori: I had a flat. Long story, but at least something good came out of it ;)
Elias: You hussy, why do these things only happen to you? When will I get an Adonis to come to my rescue, too? I hate you!
Lori: Love you too :) I’ll tell you all the dirty details when I see you ;)
Elias: Don’t be a tease!
Lori: I’ll be there soon. Bye :)
Musing to myself, I lifted my gaze to the car and “Adonis.” To my surprise, he stood right in front of me, regarding me with a small smile. He was wiping his hands on a rag I used for taking the spare out of my trunk.
“Are you finished already?” I exclaimed in surprise, as he gave me a nod. “That was fast. How much do I owe you?” I broke the eye contact to go fetch my purse. “Thank you so much for your help.” I handed him a twenty because it was all I had on me.
“It’s okay.” He waved his hand, and headed to his motorcycle.
“No, seriously, take it. I don’t know how to repay you. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be stranded here, waiting for Triple A.“
“Put the money away.”
“Well, thank you.” I lowered my eyes, and smiled gently at him.
“Drive carefully.” He winked at me, put on his helmet, and drove into the sunset.
~ * ~
“Finally,” Elias sighed as he got into the car, when I stopped at the entrance of his house.
“Don’t be so annoying, I’m here, aren’t I?” I protested. “Where to?”
While he directed me toward our destination, he wanted to know all about Adonis.
“What’s his name? Did he give you his phone number?”
“Elias, he only replaced my tire. You’re acting like we were on a date, for Christ’s sake.”
“You could go on one. A little fun wouldn’t hurt you.”
“I am having fun!” I protested.
“A book in your hands is not fun, sweetheart.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Nevertheless, tell me—was the rest of him as sexy as his butt?”
“Elias! I didn’t have time to check him out. We were busy changing the tire.” So not true.
“Yeah, right. Don’t tell me you didn’t undress him with your eyes the whole time. You’d have to be blind not to notice how sinfully hot he is. Damn, even I got hooked, and I only saw him from the side.”
“Okay, fine,” I threw my arms in the air. “He was incredibly hot. Happy now? But I’ll never see him again, so don’t get your panties in a twist.”
I sighed with relief when Elias told me we’ve arrived; I was more than fed up with his inquisition. “You can’t be serious.” I stared at the entrance of a building where dancing nights were usually hosted. “Why didn’t you tell me we’re going dancing? No way I’ll be able to dance in these.” I extended my leg to Elias, showing him my high heels.
Elias gave me an eye roll. “Relax, girl. We’re not dancing.”
“Oh, okay. Great. What then?”
With a big grin on his smug face, he took my hand and said, “Speed dating, baby.”
“What did you just say?” I asked incredulously, my nose turning up in disgust.
“Speed dating,” he repeated.
“I heard what you said. But what are we doing here?”
“Well, you’re the only girl I know who reads all nights instead of being out and having fun. Lori, you’re eighteen, and you act like you’re seventy. Start living a little, relax and meet new people. Am I asking too much?” he shook his head.
I knew he was right, and that he only wanted the best for me, but I wasn’t comfortable in a crowd of people. They made me feel beyond uncomfortable. “You are such a pest, you know that?” I sighed with resignation. He was right, I needed to loosen up, and stop thinking about the past—after all, I was turning over a new leaf in life.
“Who else, if not me?” Elias winked. “It won’t be that bad, you’ll see. You don’t have anything better to do at home, anyway. Maybe you’ll like it.”
“Fine. I might as well pull something good out of this if you already dragged me here.”
“That’s my girl.”
In front of the entrance, there was a giant board with directions to the rooms in which the speed dating would take place. As soon as we entered the lobby through the glass turning door, we were asked if we had any coats to hang into the wardrobe. We both shook our heads since it was hot as hell outside. There were also a man and a woman sitting behind a table, who gave each participant a Hello, My Name Is sticker, and two sheets of a questionnaire we had to fill in. Elias and I were directed to the room with participants younger than 30. There were also two other groups—30 to 50 and over 50. When we finally arrived to the right area, it was already full. They served us a drink, and the organizer’s voice, explaining the procedure, filled the room.
“For those of you who are not yet familiar with speed dating, let me help you. Each date lasts for five minutes. When you hear a bell go off, your date is over, and gentlemen, you move to another table. If you are particularly interested in someone and wish to see that person again, you may write his or her name down on the sheet of paper. You then hand us the list of names when the event is over. If both of you write down each other’s names, you will be notified, and you will get the chance to go on a real date. Is everything clear?”
We nodded our heads, and then the women sat down at our tables. Leaning back in my chair, I crossed my legs as I waited for the first date. I was hesitant, since I didn’t know what to expect.
“Hi,” a chubby man approached me, and from his posture, and the sheen of sweat on his forehead, I could see he was beyond nervous. He awkwardly reached for my hand. “I’m Bill,” he added hastily.
“Lori,” I gently smiled at him, and pointed my hand to the empty seat across me. I had nothing against bigger men, I didn’t mind if they had acne or wore glasses. I was the last person on Earth to be picky. Every person deserved a chance. You
never knew when someone could surprise you.
“So, Lori,” Bill cleared his throat. “How old are you?” He leaned his elbows on the table, wringing his hands together.
“Eighteen. You?”
“Twenty-nine.” He regarded me with interest. “How come you came to the speed dating event?”
“Just to meet new people.” I didn’t plan on telling him my best friend had tricked me into coming.
“Oh, I understand…” A few uncomfortable moments of silence followed. “What do you like to do for fun?”
“I love jogging,” I shared.
“Uh, jogging’s not really my thing.” He flashed me a somewhat embarrassed smile.
“That’s okay. What is it you like to do?”
“I read a lot,” was his answer.
The dates soon blended into an endless blur of questions and answers, and five dates later, I was totally worn out by the one and the same questions. When the bell announced the end of date number six, I wasn’t capable of anything more than a smile as the man stood up from my table. My head sagged to my chest, and I wearily examined the nails on my left hand. I rubbed my other hand over the nails. I should paint my nails a different color, I thought to myself.
“Hi, there,” a deep, baritone voice greeted me.
I took a deep breath; I really didn’t want to raise my head. Sick and tired of the same questions being asked over and over, I just wanted to grab a drink or go home.
“Hi,” I muttered, and waited for him to sit down.
“You look like you’re bored,” he said as he took his place across me.
I snorted and shook my head. “You have no idea. If I have to answer the same questions again, I’ll put a bullet in my head.” I heard his soft chuckle at my response. Finally, I lifted my gaze to meet his, so he wouldn’t think he was the reason for my bad mood. It wasn’t his fault these dates were verging on boring, even though they only lasted five minutes each. But as my eyes found his, I immediately straightened up in my seat, the expression on my face turning from bored to surprised.
