apartment." I whisper. He nods and sits across from me. I finish my call and hang up with a sigh. "I think I found one." I say as I shove several french fries in my mouth.
"I was thinking, well, that maybe you'd like to come to my place for dinner?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"That sounds nice." I reply trying to control my enthusiasm.
"One more thing." He says opening the curtains, "Come look."
"What am I looking for?" I ask.
"I got your car out of impound this morning." He says. It takes every ounce of control I have not to jump into his arms and kiss him. I just look at him, no words will come. "Ok, I guess this is you happy?" He asks, with an unsure look on his face. I nod and stare out of the window. We finish our lunch with few words and it's time for him to go. "Six o'clock, sharp." He says handing me a piece of paper with directions to his apartment. I smile and hug him tightly, breathing in his alluring smell.
"I'll be there," I say already trying to figure out what I'm going to wear. He leaves me with my heart racing and more nervous than I have ever been.
It's a few minutes until six and I find myself outside his apartment, hesitant to knock on the door. I stand there staring at the numbers on the door in a trance like state thinking of all the things that could happen. A giggle coming from the doorway across the hall breaks my concentration and I look behind me seeing a couple clearly in love.
The sweet sounds of "I love you's" echoes down the corridor, and I find that these two make me jealous. I've never had a love like that and fear I never will after what I endured. My heart is scarred and walled up, guarded more heavily than Fort Knox. I don't know that anyone will ever be able to penetrate those walls again.
I reach my hand up to knock as the door swings open. Brandon is standing there in jeans and a tight t-shirt. I avert my eyes away quickly, trying not to stare. His dark hair is messily styled and his soft green eyes are bright in contrast to the dark hue of his lashes. "Hi," he says, stepping to the side so I can enter.
His apartment is definitely not what I had pictured. I smile at him and shake my head. "What?" He asks with a smirk.
"I thought. . . Well I assumed you were the typical bachelor. You know, messy and all." Brandon just laughs and places his hand on the small of my back, guiding me further in the house. I flinch at the contact and he sighs.
"I'm sorry, I should have been more thoughtful knowing how your last relationship was."
My mind goes into overdrive at that word "relationship". An overwhelming sense of panic washes over me. I breathe in deeply and ask, "So, what's for dinner? That is what you invited me over here for, is it not?"
His eyes grow wide at my matter if fact tone and he breaks into a fit of laughter. "Are you always so blunt and serious?"
"Pretty much. I've learned to just say what needs to be said and be done with it."
He just shakes his head and motions me to follow him. Upon entering the kitchen the aroma makes my mouth water.
"Thai?" I ask with a smile.
"Of course, I asked around work." He says rubbing the back of his neck with a hint of red coloring his cheeks.
I stifle my laughter. "That was very... thoughtful." I reply, genuinely impressed. He pulls out my chair so I sit and open the container in front of me. I close my eyes and breathe in the aroma. "This looks delicious, did you order from..."
"Tam," he says before I finish my sentence.
"My favorite," I reply.
"I know," he says with a wink.
After dinner he cleans up as I finish my tea and hit the restroom to freshen up. The think pink scar running down my jawline is a constant reminder of what men are capable of. Instantly I find myself building my walls back up. Trying to stop it is useless, as it's fed by fear.
He looks at me strangely as I walk out of the bathroom. "Are you ok?" He asks cautiously reaching for me. My first instinct is to step back but I hold my breath and let
"I was thinking, well, that maybe you'd like to come to my place for dinner?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"That sounds nice." I reply trying to control my enthusiasm.
"One more thing." He says opening the curtains, "Come look."
"What am I looking for?" I ask.
"I got your car out of impound this morning." He says. It takes every ounce of control I have not to jump into his arms and kiss him. I just look at him, no words will come. "Ok, I guess this is you happy?" He asks, with an unsure look on his face. I nod and stare out of the window. We finish our lunch with few words and it's time for him to go. "Six o'clock, sharp." He says handing me a piece of paper with directions to his apartment. I smile and hug him tightly, breathing in his alluring smell.
"I'll be there," I say already trying to figure out what I'm going to wear. He leaves me with my heart racing and more nervous than I have ever been.
It's a few minutes until six and I find myself outside his apartment, hesitant to knock on the door. I stand there staring at the numbers on the door in a trance like state thinking of all the things that could happen. A giggle coming from the doorway across the hall breaks my concentration and I look behind me seeing a couple clearly in love.
The sweet sounds of "I love you's" echoes down the corridor, and I find that these two make me jealous. I've never had a love like that and fear I never will after what I endured. My heart is scarred and walled up, guarded more heavily than Fort Knox. I don't know that anyone will ever be able to penetrate those walls again.
I reach my hand up to knock as the door swings open. Brandon is standing there in jeans and a tight t-shirt. I avert my eyes away quickly, trying not to stare. His dark hair is messily styled and his soft green eyes are bright in contrast to the dark hue of his lashes. "Hi," he says, stepping to the side so I can enter.
His apartment is definitely not what I had pictured. I smile at him and shake my head. "What?" He asks with a smirk.
"I thought. . . Well I assumed you were the typical bachelor. You know, messy and all." Brandon just laughs and places his hand on the small of my back, guiding me further in the house. I flinch at the contact and he sighs.
"I'm sorry, I should have been more thoughtful knowing how your last relationship was."
My mind goes into overdrive at that word "relationship". An overwhelming sense of panic washes over me. I breathe in deeply and ask, "So, what's for dinner? That is what you invited me over here for, is it not?"
His eyes grow wide at my matter if fact tone and he breaks into a fit of laughter. "Are you always so blunt and serious?"
"Pretty much. I've learned to just say what needs to be said and be done with it."
He just shakes his head and motions me to follow him. Upon entering the kitchen the aroma makes my mouth water.
"Thai?" I ask with a smile.
"Of course, I asked around work." He says rubbing the back of his neck with a hint of red coloring his cheeks.
I stifle my laughter. "That was very... thoughtful." I reply, genuinely impressed. He pulls out my chair so I sit and open the container in front of me. I close my eyes and breathe in the aroma. "This looks delicious, did you order from..."
"Tam," he says before I finish my sentence.
"My favorite," I reply.
"I know," he says with a wink.
After dinner he cleans up as I finish my tea and hit the restroom to freshen up. The think pink scar running down my jawline is a constant reminder of what men are capable of. Instantly I find myself building my walls back up. Trying to stop it is useless, as it's fed by fear.
He looks at me strangely as I walk out of the bathroom. "Are you ok?" He asks cautiously reaching for me. My first instinct is to step back but I hold my breath and let
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