by N. T. Smith
Her parents and brother understood, and Cindy mentally thanked them for doing so. It bothered her that she had to rely on others so heavily, especially after all that had happened. She almost felt like she was being a burden to others, but at the same time, it seemed like it would be best if she did continue to stay here. It would give her time to recover.
Peter came over to her house, sticking around with her and hanging out. Cindy always felt better whenever Peter came over. It was nice, and she always felt like he did seem to care about her. Even though she didn’t want to get back into the dating scene as of yet, she knew for sure that if she ever did, he would probably be the one. She couldn’t forgive herself though, and she knew that it would be hard for her as well.
One day, after Peter had come over, her mother was sitting at the table, looking at her with a smile.
“It’s great to see just how much Peter has changed,” her mother mused.
“Yeah. I guess,” Cindy replied. She didn’t want to think about all the pain she had caused him. Her mother looked at her with a glance, wondering if she should tell her mother about it all.
“It’s great that he’s become successful. And an engineer too. I always thought he would end up doing something halfway decent with his life, but I never thought that he would do it so fast. I mean, I think he would be a great husband,” her mother said.
Cindy nearly choked on air. Why was her mother trying to push them together already?
“Mom, I told you that I don’t want a relationship right now,” she moaned.
“Why not? I think the tow of you would be cute together. Plus, he would be the right man for you. He’s rich too, so you don’t have to worry about money. You would be a great housewife to him,” her mother said.
She didn’t know if her mother was joking or not, but it bothered her.
“Mom, I told you that I’m not interested in that sort of thing right now. I don’t want that, and I don’t want to try and force things,” she told her mother.
Her mother nodded, knowing that Cindy wasn’t going to back down. “Fine, I was just putting it out there,” her mother said.
“Whatever,” Cindy said. She didn’t want her mother pushing anything like that on her. She probably already did ask Peter, but Cindy didn’t want to get married. She didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes. The fact that Peter still considered her a friend and someone she could hang out with made her wonder if maybe, just maybe he was worth it. Would it be worth it to go back into that again?
Peter decided a few days after that to come on over and cook for her. He decided that even though he couldn’t be with her, he would become her best friend. He wanted to be a guy who could take care of Cindy, and after work that night, he went over to her home. When he got there, her mother looked at him with a shocked glance.
“Hello there,” she said.
“Hey there Kelly. Listen, I wanted to come on over and cook some food. I know that Cindy has been through a lot, but I wanted to be there for her in this time of need. It bothers me that Tommy did this, and I think she needs a friend more than ever right now,” he told Kelly.
“That’s fine sweetie. She’s in the study. If you want to go say hi, you totally can,” Kelly replied. The glint in her eyes was obvious, and immediately she was watching as Peter went over there in a quick fashion.
Peter walked over to Cindy, who was still quiet. He smiled at her, and she looked up from her book.
“Oh hey there Peter. I wasn’t expecting you to come over,” she told him.
“It’s fine. Sorry, I kind of wanted this to be a small surprise for you. I wanted to come over and make you some food. I figured it would be a nice little treat,” he said.
Cindy smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate it,” she said.
He could see the little glint in her eyes. She was looking better, but he wanted to spoil her. He wanted to create some tasty foods for her.
“Well don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” he said.
She nodded, feeling ashamed of herself. Peter was already doing more for her than Tommy ever did. He was coming here, surprising her with special little treats, and just being a friend to her. It bothered her a little bit, and she didn’t know what to do about it. She didn’t want Peter to help her, especially with everything that’s going on.
“You don’t have to do this you know. I mean, mom can make dinner and such,” she said.
“Well I wanted to make you a special little treat,” he said with a grin.
Cindy paused, feeling unsure of how to approach this. He was being so nice to her, a total sweetie and one who cared a lot about her well-being. It made her want to cry.
“Thanks,” she mumbled.
Peter smiled once again, trying to give her composure, wondering what in the world to do with her. It had been a long time since he even seen her actually feel happy, and it bothered him in many ways. He wondered if there was something else that he could do to prove it. The only thing that he knew for sure right now, was that the best thing to do would be to treat her right.
He made her a tasty spinach pasta dinner that he learned to cook from his mother. Cindy indulged in it, and the two of them ate happily.
“I made some for your family as well, in case if they want some,” he said.
“That’s fine. I think mom and dad are out. Joe might eat it though,” she said.
He remembered that her family was rich, so doing this period was a big step in a new direction. Normally, the idea of cooking food for another was reserved to the chef that came in, but he told the guy to take the night off, that it was his turn to cook. He wanted to see her smile once again.
He made a promise to himself that he would take care of her. This was his goal, his job in life, and he was about to do that. He decided to come on over each and every day that week to cook her tasty foods.
On the second day, Cindy was the only one home, with her parents out at some business conference that they would be at for the next few days. Cindy was in shock when she opened the door, but she tried to keep her composure.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I came over to cook for you again. I figured it would be a nice treat for you,” he said with a smile.
Cindy didn’t want Peter to help her. She didn’t feel like it was right, that she was taking advantage of him, and with everything that happened in the past, this was the last thing that she wanted. However, she acquiesced, and she nodded.
“Fine. You can help I guess,” she said.
He gave her another warm smile, but she still felt terrible about it all. He was going to help her get over this. Peter then made her some lasagna and a couple of sweet treats for her. He then decided that he would continue to do this as well, at least until the end of the week. He planned on taking her to this amazing place on the weekend. There was a lake nearby and he rented out a lake house so that she could relax. He was also going to take her to this special little sanctuary nearby that would help her calm her nerves. That was what he had in mind.
He came over the rest of the week and at the same time each day, he made food for her. Cindy was amazed at the creations that he made, each of them being better than the one the night before. It seemed almost like he was showing off his skills, making food that was so good that at times it was hard to eat it. Of course, Cindy didn’t know for sure what to do about it all. The only thing she did know was that Peter was really nice to her.
On Saturday, he showed up at her house with his car packed and a smile on his face.
“Hey there. I wanted to take you somewhere. It’s a surprise. Can you pack some cloths for the night?” he asked Cindy.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked him.
“I just want to help you relax. I mean, I know that there’s been a lot going on, but I just want to make you happy,” he told her.
Cindy nodded, feeling unsure of what to say. “Fine, I’ll go grab a few things,” she mused.
She wen
t and packed a few articles of clothing, wondering what the heck she was getting into. After she packed it all, she walked over to where he was, and soon the two of them were heading to his car.
“I still can’t believe you want to take me on a trip,” she told him.
“I sure do. It’s important to me, and I don’t want you to think otherwise,” he told her.
Cindy took all of this in, trying to feel better about herself but still unsure of what to do. After they were in the car, Peter drove off, and soon they were on their way to the lake.
It was only an hour away, and when they got there he parked the car. He got out, grasping Cindy’s hand.
“You like? It’s a lake house nearby that I thought renting out would be cool. I know that this isn’t a date or anything, but I wanted to help you out. I think you need a chance to relax,” he told her.
Cindy looked around. This place was gorgeous, and the lake house was literally right off the lake.
“I still can’t believe that you wanted to take me out here. it’s really pretty,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s check the area out,” he replied.
They stowed away their bags and soon set off on an adventure. They went from the area around the lake to onto the lake, driving around on the boat until he got to a small plateau. He parked the boat there, and soon they got to a beautiful area with towering waterfalls. She couldn’t believe this place was so close and it truly was beautiful.
He then took her to another scenic place, a set of cliffs all along the edge of the lake. It was so majestic, and the colors of it were stunning. They then ended this with going back to the docks, taking a trail up to the top of one of the hills nearby, one that overlooked the lake. They could see the city in the distance, and for a moment, they both felt as if time had stopped.
“I still can’t believe all of this,” she said to him.
“Well believe it Cindy. We’re here right now. Do you feel more relaxed?” he asked Cindy.
Cindy thought about it. She did feel better, but she still hurt a whole lot.
“I still feel terrible about it all. I know that you’re trying to help, but it’s definitely painful for both of us. I don’t really know what to think of myself anymore, but I definitely don’t feel very positive at the moment,” she said to him.
“Why is that?” he asked.
“Because of everything. I know you’re trying to help me, but I don’t know if it will ever help. I don’t know what to do right now, especially with the way everything went down in the past. I know that you’re trying to move on, and I appreciate the fact that you’re so willing to help me even when I’m like this, but I still feel broken,” she told Peter.
Peter understood in a sense. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but he wanted to make Cindy happier than ever before. He wanted Cindy to stop blaming herself for it all, but instead realize that it isn’t her fault, that she can be confident and let go of the past. That’s what he wanted out of her more than anything, and that’s what he desired.
“Well, I want you to feel confident in yourself. I want you to realize that the past is the past. We’ve all made mistakes. Remember, we were kids at the time, and it was hard on all of us. I know that you’re thinking you’re the worst person in the world, but listen to me for a moment. You’re not. We all do make mistakes. I’ve made mistakes before, and I know where I screwed up in our past relationship. I just want you to feel more confident and realize that the past is the past. That’s’ what I want from you more than ever,” he told her.
Cindy nodded, but she didn’t know if she could even get past that, not with everything that was going through her head.
“I know that you care a lot, but I don’t want you to do this. I still can’t forgive myself for all the hurt that I gave you, and I feel terrible each time I think about it. It still haunts me every thought each and every day, and I hate that it’s gone that way. I know that you think you’re doing well, and I do want to appreciate it, but every time you do something nice for me, I feel like I’m the worst person in the world. I feel like I’m going to end up hating myself even more as time goes on, and I feel like with you being so nice, that I really don’t deserve you. I feel like I really don’t,” she replied.
Peter nodded. As much as he hated to hear that, he realized that it was going to be harder than he expected to win over the heart of this woman. He knew that it was going to be the hardest task in the world, especially after all that had happened, but at the same time, with her, he was willing to risk it all. He was willing to take all the chances in the world for this woman.
“Well don’t worry, I won’t give up. I’m not going to leave you alone,” he said.
Cindy gave him a small smile. She still felt like she was trying to hold back tears. He was so nice to her, and after everything that had happened, she felt honored almost. Of course, she also felt guilty, like this wasn’t the right thing for him to do, but rather something that he was forcing himself to do in order to make her happy. She felt almost like she was taking advantage of him, and that felt off.
“You treat me way too nicely,” she breathed.
“That’s because I want to make you smile, because when I see you smile, it makes me happy,” he replied. He wanted that day to come soon, but he knew it might take a while.
Cindy and Peter spent the right of the night together, talking and being around one another. Peter continued to treat her right, even though he definitely wasn’t sure of how to go about doing other things. He just wanted to help her feel confident, because the confident and sure Cindy was the one he fell for. He wanted to repair this broken girl, and he wanted to do so in due time.
After that vacation, they went on back and Peter still spent a lot of time with her. He didn’t give up, coming over to spend time with Cindy after he got off work. It felt so weird, but after a while she noticed that she was almost being protected by him. One night, they were out on the balcony of her room, looking out.
“So why do you want to continue this? Why do you still choose to protect me and not give up? I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same Cindy again,” she asked him.
Peter looked at her, a warm smile present on his face.
“Because I want to protect you, and I don’t want another man to hurt you again. I know that’s a lot for me to ask, and I know I might not get my wish, but I hope that someday you’ll be able to smile again, and you’ll be able to get over the hurt that the past has given to you,” Peter responded.
At that moment, Cindy felt like her breath had been taken away. This was the first time ever that she had felt this way, that someone actually said those words to her. She could feel the rush of caring that enveloped over her at that moment, and soon she felt her walls come down a little bit. She didn’t feel like she had to be on the defensive for a moment, and instead she could feel her heart melting.
“Thank you Peter. I appreciate it,” she said.
She could feel the barrier starting to come down, her heart melting at his words and the love that was present starting to grow even more so. Of course, Cindy still had her doubts, still had her fears, and still wondered if she should give into those. Should she open up her heart once again? Should she even try? To be honest, that was a question she still didn’t know how to answer, but she hoped that one day, hopefully in the future, the answers would be right there for her, and she would be able to finally figure out the answer to that question that she had been waiting for. She could only wait and see.
Chapter 8
Of course, things immediately started to change for Cindy. It was weird, because after that night Cindy started to feel different. She felt like maybe there was a life worth living at the end of the tunnel. Maybe she could get over these feelings. She struggled a lot, but she could feel herself pulling her body up by the bootstraps and trying to figure out how to deal with everything. She still didn’t know how to get over it all, but it was worth a shot to see where it all
might pan out.
A couple of weeks later, Cindy went over to her father’s study. He was in there, typing up a few things. He looked at her with a curious glance, wondering what was up.
“Hey there Cindy, are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. Say, is it okay if I go back to the job with the company? I’ve been feeling a lot better recently, and I know that it’s going to be hard, but I feel like I can at least work a little bit,” she told him.
He glanced at her, trying to decipher what she was trying to get at. Cindy smiled at him, trying to look sure but in reality still feeling the lack of confidence in her mind take over her.
“Well, if you think you can handle it, you’re more than welcome. I was thinking about expanding the company, since it’s already started, and I could use all the help I could get. Of course, it has to be okay with you. I don’t want you to feel pressured,” he said to her.
She thought about it. Maybe this would help her out. She wondered if it could help her get over the fears that she had. She nodded in vigor, smiling at her father.
“Let me at it. I want to help,” she insisted.
Her father beamed, happy that his daughter seemed to be taking an interest in the company. “Well good for you. I’m more than happy to have you help out. I won’t give you too much to start off so you won’t feel too pressured, but I hope this helps with everything that is going on,” he told her.
Her father loved Cindy very much, and he was excited to see her finally making a change for the better. Cindy felt happy her father was giving her this chance. She would take it, hoping that maybe she could get out of the rut that she was in. It was worth a shot at least.
Cindy started to work at the company, and soon she was feeling better about herself. The tasks were easy to start off with, and Cindy started to realize that she was able to actually be the person that she wanted to be. She might be able to finally get over her worry about everything, and instead she could look to the future.
