Happenstance (5 page)

“Victoria, you can’t compare everyone to your past relationships.
You’ll never know what he wants unless you give him a shot.”

“I just don’t think I can go through another heart break right
now.”

“I know sweetie, but please don’t leave the break in your heart
there permanently. Love is a gamble and sometimes it hurts, but whether you win
or lose being in love is a beautiful thing.”

We talk for a bit about Andres and my classroom before hanging
up. What my grandmother says make sense of course, but there is just no way I am
going to let another man claim my heart and soul. No way.

Chapter Five

August 2011

Victoria

Skinny jeans with a blue floral one shoulder blouse or
skinny jeans with a gray short sleeved silk button blouse?
Decisions, decisions
.
I’m not
even sure why I am putting so much thought into this date. But I did promise
Maggie I would go and damn it if I am going to look bad. Jared’s kiss hasn’t
left my mind or the fact that he said he would call—and hasn’t—but I know this
game means waiting for the call and I sure as hell don’t want to be home when
he does. If he is just like all the other guys, then he’ll call me when it will
best convenience him and I am not about to get wrapped around his little
finger.

Finally deciding that either outfit will look good with my
Michael
Kors
black pumps, I choose the blue one
shoulder top. Shoes are definitely my obsession. They never make me feel fat or
ugly; instead they complement my legs and make me feel sexy. With the right
shoes, a woman can conquer the world—or so that’s my philosophy. Not only is my
walk in closet filled from top to bottom with boxes of shoes, but I even have
to stash some in the hallway closet. Putting on the finishing touches of my
makeup I grab my bag and leave to meet up with Steven, the banker. I just pray
that he looks like he does in his pictures; it is bad enough to go on these
dates without getting dismayed on the appearances.

We agree to meet at a public place, happy hour at a pub since it
is our first meet-and-greet. Walking towards the entrance I spot him
immediately standing by the door holding a bouquet of roses. I take a second to
take him in and I’m happy that he does look like his pictures—maybe even a
little taller than I thought.

“Steven?” I greet him, holding out my hand.

“Yes, hi Victoria it’s so nice to meet you.” His handshake is
nice and firm.

“Likewise.”

His brown eyes quickly roam over my body and he gestures with his
hand. “You are very beautiful.”

I blush, suddenly feeling shy. “Thank you.”

He extends the roses out to me. “I got these for you, I hope you
like red.”

“That’s very sweet, you didn’t have to.” I grab them and take a
whiff of the heavenly scent.

“You ready? I put my name down so we don’t have to wait.”

I nod and he extends his arm so I can loop my arm around his. He
even opens the door for me and waits for me to sit down first—very gentleman
like.

The date is actually turning out pretty good and this surprises
me. Maybe Maggie is on to something with this guy because Steven is very
classy. He’s wearing dark jeans and a long sleeved gray button down shirt. Not
overly dressed for such a casual place but a notch higher than what is normal,
telling me he cares for first impressions. And if I’m being honest here, the
conversation is flowing nicely. Aside from seeming like a nice guy, he’s also
very handsome.
Brown hair styled short—too short to run my fingers
through—no facial hair, and green eyes.
He is twenty-eight and has been
a banker for eight years, working his way up the corporate ladder since he
graduated high school.

After dessert he clears his throat. “So, what are you looking for
in a relationship?”

Uh oh, do or die. I have to
tell him the truth.
I take a sip of my drink before answering him.

“To be honest, my friend Maggie sort of set us up.” I look at him
embarrassed.

“What?” He wipes his mouth with a napkin and glances over.

“Well, she thought it would be in
my
best interest if she took a peak at
my
profile for potential suitors. The truth is
,
I wasn’t really looking for any relationship at all.”

Steven laughs, “Oh, I see. Well, I’ll have to thank Maggie at
some point then because I’m having a great time. No matter what, I’m glad I
went out tonight.”

“I am too. Actually, I had a really nice time. I just wanted to
be honest with you, you know? Relationships make me a little nervous lately.”

I hadn’t told any of this
to Jared. Oh God, Jared, why did my mind even bring him up?

Steven nods as if he knows where I’m coming from. “Thanks for
telling me. It’s hard to find honest people. I’ll admit
,
I wasn’t looking for a relationship till recently. I’d be willing to see you
again though, if you feel the same way too?”

I smile. “I’d like that.”

Steven takes a sip of his drink and then looks over at me.

“I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward, and this would be
when you’re ready of course, but I think we would get along great.”

I laugh nervously. “Oh?”

He nods. “Yeah I mean, I can tell you’d fit right in with my
family.”

I smile at him and he looks away, embarrassed. He’s shy! That’s
sweet. His words fill my heart with warmth. Coming from a small family myself I
always dreamed of starting my own someday. I was ready and willing to make it
work but Eric didn’t give us a chance.

Which of course brings me to my next thought—Steven’s words are convincing
but it’s his actions that worry me.

After Steven pays the bill, insisting he will not take any of my
money, he walks me to my car and opens the door for me. He gives me a soft kiss
on the cheek and tells me he’ll call me soon. I like that he is being a
gentleman, but Eric had been the same way too and the thought nags at me as I
get in the car. I am just going to have to be extra, extra careful.

A blinking light on my phone catches my eye as I plug it into the
car charger. I had put my phone on silent while on the date so I didn’t know it
had gone off. Quickly taking a peek I notice I have two missed calls from Jared
and a text.

Sorry, I couldn’t call you yesterday. Call me back?

My heart immediately starts thumping in my chest. So he did call
me and it wasn’t a middle of the night booty call. I wonder what he’ll say. I
write back:

Call you when I get home.

Nearly ripping my clothes off and changing into pajamas, I go
into the kitchen for a glass of water and call him. He picks up on the first
ring and for whatever stupid reason, this thrills me.

“Hey,” he says, his voice is like melted butter. What is it about
him that does me in?

“Hi,” I say back, what else can I say? I’d rather hear him talk.

“How was your night? You went out?”

Definitely not in the mood to talk about my night, I try to
switch gears so we can focus on him.

“It was good. How was yours?” I take a sip and let the cold water
soothe my dry throat.

“It was ok, better than yesterday. Where were you?”

Jeez, he sure isn’t going to let that go.

“I was just out having dinner.”

“By yourself?”
Really?
I raise my eyebrow and
I’m glad he can’t see me because I would be doing some major eye rolling.

“No, with a friend.
Are we a little
grumpy tonight?” I try my best to say this with some humor in my voice so we
can lighten up the conversation.

There is a pause and then I hear him exhale.

“I’m sorry, you’re right.
Just had a long day
since yesterday.
We had a few emergencies. I got home with a headache
just wanting to sleep. Today wasn’t much better, but I couldn’t go two days
without speaking to you.” I can’t help but feel little butterflies in my
stomach at his admission. I put the glass in the sink and walk back to my bed.

“Oh? I thought you were just following the three day rule.”

He laughs.
“The what?”

“You know, guys waiting three or more days to call a girl back.”

“Ah, well I wasn’t aware of that rule. I’ll have to remember that
next time.”

I swallow, my throat feeling dry again all of a sudden.
Next time with me or with
someone else?
I don’t dare
ask.
Because I don’t
care.

“Yeah, make sure you do,” I tell him instead, feeling my throat
tighten
. What was my deal? It’s not like I should care if he
follows any rules with any other girls. I remind myself I’m not looking for a
relationship, just a good time.

“I miss you,” he says, his voice low and husky. My room is
starting to feel hot and stuffy so I kick off my covers and I sit up in bed,
irritated at myself for even feeling anything.

“Jared . . .” I pause because I don’t want him to take this the
wrong way but I have to ask, “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” He asks confused.

“Look, I don’t know what you want but, I just can’t deal with
shit right now. I’m not going to be playing games or trying to guess your
intentions.”

“I’m not playing anything. As far as my intentions go I’m telling
you how I feel.”

“If you want to see me again, you just need to ask. I don’t need
the smooth talk crap thrown at me.”

“Jeez, Victoria!
I was just saying what
I thought.
Didn’t think you would mind hearing it.”

I exhale, “Look, it’s not that I mind, it’s that I want the
truth. That’s it.
Nothing more, nothing less.”
I
suck
in a breath trying to mentally prepare myself and ask
him, “What do you want from me?”

“Whatever you’ll give me at this
point,
I can barely get through a conversation without getting attacked.”

He’s annoyed. I know he is but so am I. I’ve been through this
before.

I don’t know what to say to his response so I just stay quiet
instead.

“I want to see you again,” he continues his voice low but
cautious. “How about I pick you up on Friday?” Well now I
really
can’t say anything. After all, I
had
just insisted that he ask me when he wants to see me.

“Alright, sounds good. Where are we going?” I ask and lie back
down on the bed.

“I don’t know. I’ll figure something out and then let you know.”

“Ok then, it’s a deal.”

“It’s a date,” he counters.

“Call me tomorrow then.” I ignore his last statement.

“Will do,” he says before hanging up the phone.

~

After taking twenty five minutes looking for parking,
Maggie and I finally find a spot and walk up to the double doors of Macy’s at
The Florida Mall. Although it’s a weekday, the mall is packed with everyone
taking advantage of the back to school sales.

“Do people not work?” Maggie grumbles, making me laugh.

“What? You think we are the only teachers who have summers off or
that there aren’t any stay-at- home moms that need to get stuff for the kids?”
I loop my arm through hers as we walk through the crowd.

“Yeah, yeah.
Smart ass.”

I smile to myself at her choice of words.

I let go of her and walk over to the suit section.

“Are you kidding? With those rug rats you’re teaching, a suit is
not your best option.”

I glance back and purse my lips. “I just want to look
professional and nice on the first day.”

I reach over and pull out a beige pant suit with white button top
and matching jacket. It’s calling my name.

“Ok, if you insist,” she says smirking and leaves me to the
racks.

Aside from the beige suit, I purchase a few more casual items and,
of course, more shoes. By five o’clock, we’re beat and decide to grab an early
dinner.

I fill her in on my date with Steven, and Maggie is delighted to
hear that we hit it off.

“After a few dates, heck maybe even the next date, you can get
some action and move on from this funk you’re in.” She takes a sip of her wine
and raises her eyebrow.

I shrug. “I’m not sure, although I told him I wanted to be casual,
I just can’t be dating two different guys.”

Immediately noticing my confession, I lower my eyes and go back
to the menu in front of me.

“What two guys?” Maggie asks.
Shit.
I can feel the hole her eyes are burning through my head.

“Victoria Rivera!
What
two guys?” she repeats.

I exhale, exasperated. “Ok, so I
sorta
,
kinda
went to dinner with Jared and he’s
sorta
,
kinda
taking me out again
tomorrow.”

“What! And why didn’t you tell me this? You whore.”

I glare at her and she laughs. “I’m kidding! Of course I am. I’m
happy for you. I just wish you would have told me sooner.”

“I didn’t want you to get on your crazy dating wagon.” I narrow
my eyes at her because she knows I’m right.

“Honey, I got on that wagon and never got off.” More gently, she
tells me, “Listen, I’m just looking out for you. I want to see you happy
again.”

I sigh. “I know you do, but please take it a little easy on me?”

She
unwraps
her napkin and points her
fork in my direction.
“Deal.
As long
as you tell me all about your dates when they happen.
Whore.”

When she smiles at me again, I smile back. I can deal with that.

Chapter Six

August 2011

Victoria

The next day, Jared picks me up at seven on the dot. I
walk towards him as soon as
he
texts me that he is in
the complex. I see him get out of his car and walk around to the passenger
side, stopping in his tracks when he notices me.