by Mia Ford
As she heard the car being driven away by Thomas to be parked, she walked towards Calvin. She only took small nervous steps, still unsure of herself.
Calvin was dressed to the nines, and it suddenly reminded her of how hard he had tried in their initial days of being together; to please her. He was in a sharp dark navy suit and his hair was neatly polished to one side. He had a bouquet of red roses in his hand that he was gripping tightly.
She could sense that he was pleased to see her. Not only pleased, but he was excited.
“You look beautiful, Veronica,” he said, gushing, as he stepped towards her.
Veronica felt an initial instinct to step away from him when he moved towards her, but she caught herself just in time. Calvin was her boyfriend after all, and he had every right to touch her or kiss her.
“Thank you,” she said, blushing to a bright red as she accepted the soft kiss that he left on her cheek. Without a word, Calvin extended the bouquet towards her and she accepted it, hanging it from the crook of her arm. Then she felt Calvin’s hand on the small of her back as he pushed open the door of the restaurant and they both stepped inside.
Veronica was glad for the hustle bustle of the place. Surrounded by so many people, the noises and the soft background music; had put her somewhat in ease. At least they were not completely alone.
Calvin had already booked a table for them, and the host led them towards a small table for two by the large bay windows overlooking the back garden view.
Veronica noticed the changes in Calvin’s behavior. He was quick to pull out a chair for her before he sat down, a chivalrous gesture that he had tended to forget as their relationship grew old. She was beginning to believe that she had completely been right, their time apart had definitely done them a world of good.
Calvin’s eyes were bright and he had a constant smile on his face. Like a young teenager, giddy over a crush, he sat down across from her. The host came over and lit the tall candle between them, and Veronica placed the bouquet of roses at her feet on the ground.
“Is that a new dress?” Calvin said, finally breaking the awkward silence between them. Veronica wondered if it was only awkward for her or for them both. He seemed blissfully unaware of the contradictory feelings that were going on inside her.
“Yeah, it is,” she admitted, being quick to avoid looking directly into his eyes. She was aware that she felt beautiful in that dress. Was that the most expensive piece of clothing she owned? The feel of the buttery soft fabric against her skin, was also a constant reminder of who had given the dress to her. Frank Davenport. Her cheeks colored immediately.
“When did you have time to go shopping? I thought you said you were always in the house with the two girls,” Calvin continued to interrogate and Veronica crossed her brows. Back to the cross examination! She thought.
“Will you stop being a lawyer, for one second, Calvin,” she snapped at him, and instantly regretted raising her voice. Calvin’s eyes widened and then sank down. He had rarely seen her lose her temper, and she hadn’t expected that reaction from herself either. In fact the last thing she wanted to do was to infuriate Calvin.
Veronica gazed at him, blinking, as he quietly read the menu. She still hadn’t decided when and what she was going to tell him. She could feel a familiar feeling of guilt creep up in her as she watched him.
It had been several weeks since she last saw Calvin, and given how long they had been dating and how intimately she thought they knew each other - Veronica had expected at least a little more excitement when they met after so long. But she had felt nothing when she set her eyes on him. She appreciated the effort he had put into setting up the date, and how polished and handsome he looked. Beyond that however, she didn’t feel that spark. The spark she knew she felt every time she merely set her eyes on Frank.
Calvin looked up at her suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.
“Have you decided what you’ll order?” he asked and Veronica felt her mouth go dry. After the number of times they had frequented this restaurant, she thought he would have known exactly what she wanted. She had ordered the same main and same side for the past three years, every time they came to this place. She never got bored of it.
But instead of pointing that out to him, she simply nodded her head and Calvin smiled. He shut the menu and placed it with a smack on the table, which caught the attention of one of the waiters.
“I’ll have the Arancini as a side and the Gnocchi with ricotta,” Calvin said, looking up politely at the waiter when he appeared at their side.
“And I’ll have the Linguini in clam sauce as my main, and the pesto and garlic bread on the side,” Veronica said.
“Of course, I forgot you order the same thing!” Calvin said with a nervous laugh escaping his lips.
When their eyes met, Veronica looked away from him. She was feeling guilty again, because even though she was sitting in front of her boyfriend who was trying his best to be sweet and kind to her, all she could think about was being with her boss.
“How’s the food?” Calvin asked her and Veronica looked up from her plate to fix her eyes on him. They had been eating in relative silence since the food arrived. Even though Veronica wanted to make some kind of conversation with him, she couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
“Delicious, as always,” she said finally, wiping the sides of her mouth with the napkin on her lap. Calvin smiled and nodded his head, and after a few moments of silence had passed again, Veronica decided to say something too.
“And how is yours?” she asked, her voice catching a little in her throat.
“Very good,” Calvin replied.
Did they really have nothing left to talk about? They were seeing each other after nearly four weeks. Granted that they spoke over the phone every other day, surely, there would be something more private to discuss? Veronica racked her brain.
“Ashley, Mr Davenport’s older daughter…just won a dance competition,” she said. Veronica had to try very hard to remind herself to refer to him formally, instead of just calling him Frank. She didn’t want to slip up unexpectedly. Any news she wanted to break to Calvin would have to be done gently.
“That’s lovely. Sounds like you’ve grown quite fond of the kids,” Calvin said, with another one of his kindly smiles. It seemed to Veronica that he was trying to please her. They had lost a lot of their comfort and it felt more like a “first date” rather than a hundredth.
She nodded her head vigorously.
“I love them. They’re brilliant kids,” she said with a smile. She noticed that Calvin was looking at her curiously, something was on his mind.
“And what is Frank Davenport like? I’ve heard that he is quite a difficult man to work for,” Calvin said, dropping his fork on his plate. He was gearing himself up to listen to what she had to say.
Veronica felt nervous again. How was she supposed to describe Frank to him? What words could she use to tell Calvin that Frank Davenport was the most interesting and affectionate man she had ever met. She considered if this was the opportunity she needed to confess everything to Calvin.
“Umm…he’s okay. We get along fine,” she blurted out, before she could formulate any other words.
Calvin’s eyes seemed to expand.
“And I suppose you don’t bump into him very often anyway, do you?” he asked and Veronica spooned a mouthful of food into her mouth. She tried to bide her time before committing to a response. She couldn’t decide how to frame a response.
“I see him everyday,” she said flatly, when she was done chewing. Calvin licked his lips and nodded his head, before going back to his food. A deathly silence had descended on their table again. It was evident to Calvin that Veronica didn’t want to talk much about her work for some reason.
“How is your work coming along?” she asked, just as Calvin opened his mouth to ask something else. She wanted to distract him. He closed his mouth shut and nodded his head again.
“Good. The usual
. Nothing new,” he said and then cleared his throat.
Veronica was still trying to avoid looking at him directly. She was still trying to find more neutral ground to talk about.
“But, we’re not here to discuss my work,” he said suddenly and she jerked her head up to look at him. Calvin had his eyes narrowed at her, he was studying her face intently. Veronica gulped.
“What are we here to talk about then?” she asked, and she was sure that he could hear the loud thumping of her heart in her chest.
“You. Us. Our relationship,” he said, without wasting another moment.
Veronica put her spoon down lightly on her plate, wiped the sides of her mouth and reached for the glass of water beside her. Calvin was following all her movements with intent eyes. He was giving her a chance to respond.
“What do you want to discuss about our relationship?” she asked, in a voice that sounded more weak than confident. She was afraid that somehow Calvin knew that she had cheated on him, that she had been cheating on him for the past four weeks. She was guilty and afraid and upset with herself. Looking at Calvin’s narrowed curious eyes, which showed that he was trying to be patient with her; Veronica was sure now that she had taken him for granted. He didn’t deserve this treatment.
“When you took this job, you told me that we needed some time apart. You said that we had fallen into a routine…quite frankly, you were trying to tell me that you were bored of me,” Calvin said, still keeping his eyes on her.
Now that she was hearing those words, and after what she had done with Frank; Veronica could see how harsh it might have sounded to him. Calvin’s face was softened. He wasn’t accusing her of anything, he just seemed sad.
“I’m sorry Calvin, if I hurt you…” Veronica said, but he interrupted her again by shaking his head.
“No, you were right,” he said and her mouth nearly dropped open. Those were the last words she was expecting to hear from him.
“Don’t look so shocked, babe. I’ve given it a lot of thought and I know you were right. And I want to make up for what you felt was lacking in our relationship,” he continued.
Veronica still couldn’t say anything. She was dumbstruck by Calvin’s apologetic voice and his patient kind eyes. Then she saw him put his hand into the inside pocket of his jacket. In silence, with her eyes widened, she watched as he extracted a small blue velvet box.
In the next moment, Calvin was down on his knees beside her. He was opening the box, while Veronica’s hands flew to her mouth in shock. Calvin was proposing to her!
When Calvin opened the box, Veronica was struck instantly by the size of the diamond ring. It was sparkling in a hexagonal shape with smaller diamonds covering half of the platinum band on either side.
Some sighs and cheers had erupted around them, other people had taken note of the proposal and some had even begun clapping. Calvin remained on one knee on the floor beside her, looking up with an earnest face and enthusiastic dark eyes. Veronica was still dumbstruck, she still didn’t know what to say to him, except to remain in shock.
“Veronica Jane Lawrence, will you do me the honor of being my wife?” he said finally, in a loud confident voice. He wasn’t expecting a refusal, he didn’t appear to be able to think of a single reason why his longtime, dedicated girlfriend would refuse a proposal right now. And Veronica could say nothing to that.
Eventually, when she realized that there were too many people’s eyes on them, she slowly removed her hands that were covering her mouth.
“Please sit down, Calvin,” she said in a quiet voice that was tearing up. She was emotional, realizing that she would soon break into tears. The last thing she was expecting was for Calvin to propose to her. Not when she was toying with the idea of confessing to him that she had been cheating on him.
The smile on Calvin’s face dropped. He was expecting an immediate “yes”. He remained on the floor for a few more moments.
“Aren’t you going to let me slip it on?” he asked and Veronica licked her lips and breathed in a deep sigh.
“Let’s talk about it first, Calvin, this seems so sudden,” she said in a soft voice, hoping that the people who were staring at them wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop.
Dejectedly, Calvin straightened up and took his chair again. He dropped the open velvet box between them and stared into her eyes expectantly for an answer.
“I was going to wait till dessert, but I couldn’t. I had to ask you. I’m so excited, Veronica. What is there to talk about?” Calvin sounded confused, and he kept trying to catch her gaze while she tried to avoid his eyes.
Veronica shifted in her seat, and eyed the beautiful diamond ring for a few seconds before looking away from it.
“It’s so sudden, Calvin. We haven’t seen each other in four weeks,” she blurted out.
“So? We’ve been together for so many years. We’re practically married already, besides this would be a good excuse for you to come back home,” he said and over the table, Calvin reached out to touch her hand lightly. Veronica didn’t have the heart to pull her hand away from him. Instead, she remained still, with her muscles stiffened. Those electric shocks that Frank sent down her spine every time he touched her, were sorely missing with Calvin.
“Yeah, but your home isn’t my home anymore. We were taking some time out to work things out,” Veronica said and Calvin nodded his head, like he was in total agreement.
“And I’ve worked it out. I can’t…and I won’t live without you. You’re my girlfriend and I love you. Your place is in my home, in my bed. I want to be able to wake up every morning and see you by my side,” he continued and Veronica felt her heart drop to her stomach. This was too overwhelming. First Frank and now Calvin. She had waited for so long to hear these words come from Calvin. She had given up on them. She had just assumed that men in the real world, outside movies and books, just didn’t say things like these.
“But, I need some time to think, Calvin,” she said.
“You had four weeks. Don’t you miss me?” he asked, squeezing her hand now. Veronica didn’t pull it away.
“I do miss you, Calvin. I had four weeks to clear my head but not four weeks to think over whether we should be married,” she said and Calvin drew his hand away and sat back in his chair. He suddenly looked disappointed. His features were darkened again, with a steady narrowed gaze, he stared at her.
“I thought you would be more excited about this, Veronica. I mean, isn’t this what you wanted? More stability? Isn’t this what your parents want for you?” he prodded her and all Veronica could do was stare back at him. At the mention of her parents, she looked away from him. She couldn’t disagree with Calvin on this. He was right. This was exactly what her parents wanted, especially her father. They wouldn’t be happy or satisfied without knowing that their precious daughter was well settled. The prospect of marrying a successful man like Calvin, was the dream. Wasn’t it?
“I have to go now, Calvin,” she said abruptly and got up from her chair.
“Go where? Back?” Calvin asked, standing up with her.
“Yes, I have to be back for the girls. I have a job,” she said and picked up her purse.
“Promise me you’ll think about this, babe. Please take the ring with you,” Calvin said and she felt him thrust the box into her hands. Veronica had no choice but to accept it, and with that she turned away from him and started rushing towards the doors of the restaurant.
She could sense that a lot of eyes were on her, on them, but she didn’t care right now. She needed to breathe, she needed to think.
“Veronica, I love you,” she heard Calvin’s voice behind her. She turned to see him standing next to their table still. He had called it out to her, loudly, for everyone to hear. She gulped and tried to force a smile on her face.
“I love you too,” she said, more to herself than to him and she didn’t wait to see if he had heard her.
When Thomas pulled up outside the mansion, Veronica got out of the car quickly. S
he was feeling suffocated and was constantly too aware of the velvet box in her purse. She hadn’t taken it out or looked at the ring once since she got into the car. Her mind was dizzy with thoughts, her knees felt weak as she hurried towards the front door.
It was way before midnight, but the house looked dark. She was certain that the girls were asleep and also hoped that Frank had gone to bed.
Just as she was about to push the front door open though, she found Frank swing it inward. He was standing on the other side, with one hand pushed deep into the pocket of his pants. He was casually dressed, in a thin plaid shirt and khaki pants. He looked handsome and relaxed, with his thick beard covering most of his face. He still had his reading glasses on, so Veronica assumed that he had been working in his study and had been alerted of her arrival by the sound of the car.
“You’re home early,” he said gruffly and stepped aside to let her in.
Veronica could barely control her emotions. Seeing Frank was just too much. Carrying the diamond ring in her purse was a whole other ball game. Why hadn’t she just said no to Calvin, there and then? Why hadn’t she confessed everything to him? Surely, he wouldn’t have wanted to marry her if he knew that she was sleeping with Frank Davenport all these weeks!
“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling too well,” she said, stepping past him into the darkened foyer. The crystal chandelier was above them, an instant reminder of the world of difference between Calvin and Frank.
Calvin was successful, ambitious and young. Frank was rich, established and much older. He was looking at her curiously now, with his dark brows crossed. He didn’t buy her excuse.
“How did it go?” he asked, stepping towards her.
Veronica didn’t step back, she was under his spell again. Just setting her eyes on Frank was enough to remind her of just how he made her feel. Her body was reacting to his presence already.
