Chapter 5 THE DATE
CLARA
My thumb remains on the screen as my heart pounds loudly. Another message comes in before I can figure out who it is.
YOU’D BETTER REPLY BEFORE I DO SOMETHING SILLY!
I stare at those scary words, my throat clenching and sweating dripping from my forehead like water.
As I look closer at the unknown number, I discover something. The display picture is not blank, I tap on it and a photo of a guy with blond hair pops up. He is standing by the beach, with a mixed-colored shirt revealing his bare shirt and also grinning into the camera with a broad smile.
It’s Drake. The guy Elena has just spoken about.
A huge wave of relief engulfs me that I almost laughed out loud. He must have been in a hurry to reach out as soon as Elena gave him my phone number. The message isn’t a threat from my stalker afterall, Drake was just pulling my legs with it. That might probably be his own way of being flirty and funny.
My lips broaden with genuine smile. Elena doesn’t even notice I’m staring at her because she is so engrossed with her phone.
I quickly respond to Drake and my phone buzzes seconds later.
DRAKE: Took you so long to respond. I almost concluded Elena gave me a wrong number.
I reply immediately, giggling and gritting my teeth like a child that has just received chocolates.
“I’m really starving, Babe.” Elena yawns loudly, throwing her legs over the arm of the sofa. “What do you have in that kitchen?”
Without taking my eyes off the screen, I give her a soft response. “You can go make something by yourself. I guess there’s pasta in the cupboard.”
The room goes quiet completely, I wink, realizing I have just said something very unusual.
I would host Elena whenever she came over, cook her favorite meals, serve her drinks and all.
She literally stares at me with her mouth agape, looking confused. Her expression said everything.
“What’s so important on that phone?”
“I’m just busy… editing a client’s picture. The lighting was awful and the deadline is tomorrow.
Elena narrows her eyes, she obviously didn’t buy that crap because she knows what my work habits seem like. My expensive laptop is right here without issues, so why would I be editing final pictures on a tiny phone screen?
“Fine. I see…” she mumbles, walking into the kitchen to prepare something.
Days progress into weeks, life begins to feel perfect, Marcus hasn’t found me and my phone has been safe from scary messages in a while, the best part of everything becomes my everyday routine —talking to Drake.
A month after numerous conversations, he finally asks me out on a date.
“You are wearing the green dress, no objections!” Elena says, throwing the third outfit onto my bed. We have spent hours trying on clothes that my bedroom becomes a mess, with gowns and hangers littering around. “Drake will surely drool when he sees you in this, trust me.”
I grin and look in the mirror, finally, the perfect outfit has been found!
The date is an awesome one. Drake takes me to a dimly lit, private and cozy restaurant where we talk and laugh about a lot of things, especially college.
Watching him speak passionately about his job, the photographer part of me admired his slant eyebrows and sharp jawline under the dim chandelier.
“You know…” I clear my throat as I place a hand on my chin. “You would be the perfect model for my next shoot.”
Goodness! A fast picture of Julian flashes immediately. Those words feel familiar, I remember saying the exact thing to my ever loving neighbor just a month ago or two.
Well, I’m just a photographer looking for the perfect match for my project. Anyone can fit in and Drake isn’t looking bad.
“A model?” He smiles while leaning in. “I’ll have to see the results first.” He stops all of a sudden and throws a fast glance at my lips. “Hold on, there’s something on your lips. Must be sauce.”
I quickly pout my lips while tilting my face up in order for him to help me wipe it off.
He doesn’t use a napkin. He leans in and gives me an unexpected kiss that seems so soft, right on my lips.
My throat clenches, I feel uneasy for a second because I never fail to pull away whenever a strange person gets close, but as his lips crash on mine, the unease vanishes. Whatever just happened, I definitely love it.
The date ends and Drake drives me back home.
“I really had a good day, Clara.” He says softly after turning off the car engine. He tucks some strands of my hair behind my ear and leans over to give me a kiss on my forehead before releasing me from his arms.
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight Drake.” I whisper, getting out of the car. The elevator gives me a kind of floating feeling as it takes me up to my apartment. I jump into my bed with a big smile, lay there in the dark without noticing that my lights aren’t on, I think about everything that happened at the restaurant. The feeling of being loved by a cool and safe guy is absolutely amazing.
I don’t even realize how heavy my eyes have become when I doze off.
The sharp, loud sound of my ringtone wakes me up some hours later.
Elena…
The clock on the screen stated 4:00AM as I rubbed my sleepy eyes to check, stretching and hitting the glass of water on my lamp-stand in the process.
Why is Elena calling by this time of the day?
I quickly press my phone on my ear, my voice still thick from sleep.
“Elena? What’s wrong? Are…you…okay?”
“Clara…” Her voice comes through, like that of someone who has been crying hard. “Oh goodness! Clara…”
“Breathe… calm down. Now tell me, what’s wrong?.”
“It’s Drake. He is in the hospital. He was attacked last night and he is in a critical condition.”
My phone slips off my hand.
