The Proposal (Forever Bound Book 2) (13 page)

“And now?” he asked.

She didn’t even hesitate, immediately expressing how much she enjoyed herself.  “This was nice.  I meant what I said.  The food was amazing.  The company was even better.”  She smiled, blushing through her entire body.

He stood up from his chair and moved around to her side of the table.  He grabbed the bottle of wine and filled up his glass and poured the remaining in hers.  “Why don’t we go where it’s more comfortable.”  She grabbed her glass and stood up.  They moved out of the dining room and entered the living room.  He waited for her to take a seat on the couch, then he joined her.  He was pretty close to her, as she could feel his breath every time he exhaled and was looking at her.  “Much better.”  He replied with a smile.  He took a drink from his glass, and she immediately followed.  “Now…you were saying?”

“I’ve struggled with calling this a date because I didn’t want to make things even more awkward and I definitely didn’t want to get even more nervous than I already was.  But the truth is…I deep down knew that’s what this was.”  She smiled, taking a slow drink of wine and letting things settle in.  She swallowed the drink down and continued.  “I still care about you, Derek, and I’ve tried not to.”

He smiled, lifting his hand up and softly brushing his fingers on her face.  Together, they both moved in closer and their lips connected.  It was just a simple moment, without either one pulling away.  The kiss deepened for a few seconds and then she slowly parted from the intimate connection.  She smiled and nodded.  She wanted it to continue, but she also wanted him to know that she wasn’t ready to fully commit.

“I want this, Derek, but I also want to be responsible and not jump into something when I’m still trying to figure things out.”  She reached out and touched his hand, and he got that boyish grin back.  “Do you understand?”

“I wouldn’t want to rush you,” he softly replied.

She sighed.  “So we’ll take things slow and see what happens.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”  He smiled, moving closer to her.  His body pressed against hers and with her hand that wasn’t holding the wine glass, she wrapped it around his neck.  Their lips gently touched, and they stayed on that couch, just enjoying the sweetness of the way things could be.  It was passionate but mostly tender. 

“I should go!” she whispered, standing up.  He immediately stood up and was by her side.  He grabbed the glass from her hand and placed them both on the table.  She moved over to the table and picked up the vase of flowers.  “I’ll return the vase.”

He laughed.  “Don’t bother.”

She smiled, smelling them once more.  “They are gorgeous.”

He shook his head.  “Not nearly as gorgeous as you are.”

She looked away from him, and she felt herself growing warm by his words.  He grabbed her hand, and they walked to the front door.  She turned to face him.  “Will you still keep this a secret?” she asked.

He nodded.  “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.”  She figured it would be easier this way.  She didn’t want Ana to get ahead of herself and start planning their wedding when they were taking things slow.  She kissed him softly one last time.  “Goodbye!”  She turned away from him and left his house.  When she reached her car, she turned back around and waved at him.  He remained in the doorway.  This turned out much better than she could’ve hoped for.  She was excited to see what was next.

Charity couldn’t sleep, as she tossed and turned and stared at the flowers on her dresser.  Ana wasn’t home yet and if she was being honest she wanted nothing more than to talk to her friend, but she couldn’t.  She was the one that made up the silly rule of not telling Ana and Jesse.  “In due time,” she spoke, staring at the flowers.  She felt so giddy, and she had Derek to thank for that. 

She heard her phone signal a text message and snatched it from her nightstand.  A smile crossed her face when she saw Derek’s name.

Derek:  Can’t sleep!  I had a wonderful time tonight.

She quickly sent him back a reply.

Charity:  I can’t sleep either.  I had a really nice night, too.

The messages went back and forth like that for a half an hour.  The messages were simple, each stating how much the other person couldn’t wait to pursue a relationship.  Or, talking about their own personal life.  They hadn’t discussed the mall project, since groundbreaking on Monday, so Charity made sure to ask him about it.  He responded with:

Derek:  It’s going really well and I’m still grateful you chose to come to the ceremony.  You made the day even that much more special.

He completed the message with a smiley face, and she felt the beginnings of a true relationship forming. 

Charity:  I wouldn’t have been able to miss it, even if I wanted to.

She didn’t care how corny she got.  She wanted Derek to see she was trying just as much as he was.  When the phone signaled another message, she looked down, but her face fell.  It wasn’t from Derek, but the other man currently in her life.

Damian:  Hey, Babe.  I miss you so much.  I feel like it’s been FOREVER!!  In fact today I was thinking about you, and it dawned on me…I’m about forgetting the taste of your skin.  I need to see you.

She hadn’t forgotten Damian, as she’d never be able to, but she felt this pull towards Derek, and she had, to be honest with him.  Damian always was just a friend that was providing her with what she was lacking.  He needed to understand that.  They said that if either one needed to stop it, then it would be alright.  Before she could comment on his text, she received another one.

Derek:  Good answer! 

She sighed, first pulling up Damian’s name.

Charity:  I need to see you, too, actually.  Tomorrow night?

She then went to Derek’s name and wrote a comment. 

Charity:  Ana’s not home yet…her evening out with Jesse must be going well.

Charity nearly got lost and confused with the texts coming through, trying to keep them all straight, but then Damian replied back to her.

Damian:  I’m free tomorrow after eight o’clock.  Want to come over and have a nightcap?

Charity:  I’ll be there.

Derek:  I’m sure things are going well with them.  I know every time I talk to Jesse he says how amazing things are between them, perhaps even more than they were when they moved in together.

Charity was glad to hear that.  Ana had kept pretty quiet about things, but she figured that was because she didn’t want to throw it in Charity’s face that she had a love life. 

Charity:  So glad to hear that!

She tossed her phone down and leaned back against her pillow.  She didn’t get to relax for too long before another message rang through.

Damian:  Glad to hear what?

She cringed.  The worst case scenario happened, and she typed a message to the wrong guy.  She quickly tried to fix her mistake by typing Damian a message.

Charity:  Glad to hear that you’re free tomorrow night.  It’s been a long time coming!!

She read the message and felt confident that he would believe her.  She then typed Derek a message, double checking to make sure Derek’s name was pulled up. 

Charity:  Glad to hear that things are going well with Ana and Jesse.  She keeps me out of the loop when it comes to their nights together.

She had barely placed the phone down on her bed when another text came through. 

Ana:  Staying over at Jesse’s place.  Didn’t want you to wait up. 

Charity smiled at the message.  It was very clear that things were going well with them, indeed.  It was only a matter of time, and she might just lose her roommate.

****

Derek:  Jesse definitely doesn’t keep me out of the loop.

He typed in the message and hit send.  He couldn’t believe how quick the time was going.  He started texting Charity because he couldn’t sleep and now an hour later and he didn’t want to stop.  Before Charity could respond to his message, he sent her another one.

Derek:  Getting any sleepier? Lol

Charity responded to his last message quickly.

Charity:  No, so you best be willing to talk to me for anotherhour.
 


He laughed.  It was so strange to think about how their lives had been flipped so quickly.  Before their date, he would’ve said someone was crazy if they told him that he would be lying in bed and talking to Charity about just about anything.

Derek:  Baby, I’m willing to talk to you all night, if need be.

The minute he sent the message, he worried she would be offended.  He called her
baby,
and it was the most natural thing in the world, yet he still felt like it would cause discomfort for her.  He waited a minute, then two, then it turned into fifteen minutes, and he started to send her another message and tell her to just ignore his comment.  He wasn’t about to push her.  He started his reply.

Derek:  I’m sorry…that was a foolish

He erased his message and tried it again.

Derek:  Just ignore my crazy word, I

He sighed, erasing the message again.  Then Charity came back with her message and kept him from typing anything else.

Charity:  Baby, huh?  I like the sound of that.

He grinned at her response.  It was the perfect response she could’ve given him.  They continued texting one another until he noticed it was two o’clock.  He shot her a text message.

Derek:  Has Ana come home?

Charity:  She texted me three hours ago and said she wasn’t coming home.  You know what means, lol.

Derek snickered.  He knew exactly what that meant.  His friend Jesse was getting his wish answered that evening. 

Derek:  Ahhh…yes…coming across loud and clear.
 
  We’ve been talking for just over three hours.  Time has certainly flown.

Charity:  Yes, it has, and I’m finally starting to feel a touch of sleep coming upon me.  How about you?

Derek:  Yes, I am.  Talk to you later this weekend?

Charity:  Of course.  Good night, Derek!

Derek:  Goodnight!

He put his phone down on the stand by his bed and settled back into his pillows.  Things were going to be even better than they were because they were starting off their relationship fresh and new.  He couldn’t wait to talk to her again.

****

Charity spent all day Saturday practicing what she was going to say to Damian.  She stood in front of the mirror and pretended as if he was staring back at her.  “Damian…what we’ve had has been amazing, but we always knew one day it would all come to an end.  I met someone else, and it isn’t fair to you to continue this charade.  I know you’ll understand.”

She was so engrossed in her conversation with the invisible Damian that she hardly noticed she wasn’t alone in the house.  “What in the world are you doing?” Ana asked.

She jumped and turned around to find Ana staring at her from the hallway.  There was a grin on Ana’s face as she gawked at Charity.  Charity shrugged.  “Nothing!”  She left the bathroom, and Ana followed her.  “I didn’t know you were coming home today.  Thought maybe your rendezvous would last all weekend.”

“Oh…it is…” Ana replied with a chuckle.

Charity turned around and stared at her friend.  “Then what are you doing home?” she asked.

Ana smiled.  “I have to get some clothes.  After all, I didn’t anticipate the weekend turning out like this.”  She winked at Charity.  She moved past Charity and went into her bedroom.  Charity waited out in the living room and couldn’t wait for Ana to get her things and leave so she could get back to her conversation with the mirror. 

“So, what were you doing when I came in?” Ana asked.  In no time she was back out in the living room and had a small bag with her.

“I told you…nothing,” Charity replied.

Ana laughed.  “You were talking to yourself in the mirror.  Didn’t look like nothing.”

Charity wanted to know what Ana heard her say, so she pressed forward.  “Did you hear anything?” she asked.

Ana tilted her head and scrunched up her nose.  “Not really.  By the time I reached the bathroom your conversation had ended.”  She laughed.  “But it looked serious.”

Charity breathed a sigh of relief that clearly Ana hadn’t heard anything.  “Haven’t you ever talked to your reflection before?”

Ana nodded.  “When I have some great life mystery I want to be solved.”  She grinned.  “Do you?  Maybe I can help.”

Charity chuckled.  “You can help.”

Ana’s eyes brightened.  “How?”

“You can go back to your boyfriend and enjoy the rest of the weekend.  I’ll be fine here, besides I’m kind of enjoying the time alone,” Charity lied.  Most of the time she hadn’t been alone, so that would be a huge falsehood.  Ana just snickered and moved to the front door.  “Have fun!”  Charity replied.

Ana turned around, and they locked eyes.  “You’re sure you don’t mind me leaving you alone all this time?”

Charity laughed.  “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big girl.  I can take care of myself.”

Ana rolled her eyes and grabbed the door handle.  “See you later, then.”  She waved as she left the apartment and finally Charity was alone.  Charity went back into the bathroom and continued her conversation.

“You have been great, Damian…you have, but you have prepared me to love someone, and I can’t block out that feeling, even if I never expected it.”  She groaned.  Everything she was saying sound like a bunch of words thrown together and she wasn’t even sure she bought them.  “I could just text him,” she muttered, but even Charity knew she couldn’t do that.  He deserved more than that.

As the hours crept by and she wasn’t any closer to having her conversation mapped out, she heard her cell phone signaling a text message.  She left the bathroom and went into her bedroom.  She grabbed it from the stand and saw Derek’s name on the screen.

Derek:  Thinking of you.  Can’t wait until we see each other again.

She smiled at his message.  She needed it more than ever, and it gave her a little strength to push on.  She typed back her reply.

Charity:  Thanks, Hon.  Thinking of you, too.  We will soon see each other, and our past will be behind us. 

She slipped her phone into her pocket and left her bedroom.  She got back into the bathroom and started over.  “Damian, when we first got together I was in a bad place.  You helped me to get out of that place, and I could never thank you enough, but things change.  I’ve found someone, and while I wasn’t looking for it, I know that it’s what I want.  Please understand that I would never want to hurt you.”  That was the last thing she would want to happen, but it wasn’t like they anticipated this being forever.  He would understand, and they would end the evening knowing it was behind them.

Figuring she had the words in her mind, she left the bathroom and worked on putting it behind her.  She put a TV dinner in the microwave for supper and aimlessly ate it, while she waited for the time to tick by.  She left the apartment earlier than she needed to and when she got to Damian’s house, she saw he was already home.  She glanced at her clock.  She still had a half hour until she was due to be there.  She parked a couple of houses down from his and just sat in her car.