I didn't have many clothes to choose from, so I put on a light white knee-length tunic; it came to just above my collarbones and matched my flat sole sandals. I dried my hair and pinned up my bangs. There wasn't anything else I could do with them. I put on some make-up and checked the mirror. Not bad, and my tanned skin goes well with the light fabric.
You shouldn't care... Do you want him to like you?
A knock at the door banished these thoughts, and my mom came into the room. "Sweetheart, you look beautiful! My little flower, how fast you've grown up! Eighteen years old... How the time flies..." Her voice was trembling, and I rushed to comfort the sentimental old woman. Otherwise, I would start crying too.
We entered the living room, where the young man was still waiting for us on the couch. At the sight of us, he stood up and smiled, then held his hand out to me. Why? I looked away and moved aside to get my backpack, then hurried to the front door.
The air was fresh, though the day was quite stuffy before. The mountain air smelled of purity and freedom! I would love to cast off the shackles of the past, flutter about, and head toward the sun, burning in its tender embrace. Sadly, I am not a bird, and I do not know if I will trust anyone again...
I had a magnificent view from where I stood over the lower part of the resort, where I had planned to rest. Its lights twinkled as if telling me what I was losing out on while I was staying here at the top...
I heard steps behind me, looked around, and met Mike's gaze, examining me from head to toe.
"We didn't plan to go to a restaurant and didn't bring appropriate clothes. Maybe now you'll change your mind?" I asked, feeling awkward. In response, I got a slight grin.
"You both look beautiful. Don't even worry about it, Alana..." Mike said my name as he exhaled, stretching the sounds as if tasting them. "We have to go, Grandma must be tired of waiting."
At the mention of her, I beamed with joy. Mike Norton didn't lie after all, and Amanda will share this night with us. I did not know why I had such a reaction to her, but it felt like we were twin souls.
Our cottage was on the resort's outskirts, but from there we could see a beautiful central alley bubbling with nightlife.
We walked along an illuminated street that looked more like a gallery, and it felt like everyone was getting ready for Christmas. Garlands stretched above us, we saw various sculptures made lights about every five yards. The musical fountain in the center of the square had gathered quite a crowd of people, each desperate to take a selfie with it.
Looking at the smiling faces of the passers-by, I involuntarily envied them: at least they had a reason to smile.
And what about me?
A mousy person with no friends and with a broken past. Of course, I would have liked to believe things will get better, but reality has a habit of punching you in the gut.
As far as we went, Mike was rustling with some small mint candies and kept offering them to us. He differed from how he seemed before, actually absolutely the opposite: open and sociable.
Pretending? Why?
"I want to quit smoking. They say mint candies can be a substitute for cigarettes, but so far, I don't see any results. I just got another habit," he answered my silent question.
It felt like we walked for ages. Mike strolled along, trying to brush against my hand from time to time. I couldn't stand it and moved to the other side of my mom, casting a puzzled glance at him. He bit his lip and continued walking, deep in thought. We passed one restaurant, then another one, then shops, a nightclub, and recreation areas. I was toying with the idea that Mike Norton simply forgot where we were going when he halted.
"Here it is," he said, with his hands in pockets as he looked at the building in front of us.
He doesn't know where he's taking us? Or was it Amanda who chose the restaurant?
It turned out to be the latter. A pleasant woman met us at the entrance and showed us to our table. I instantly appreciated Mrs. Norton's choice - there was no pretentious interior, no expensive decorations or crystal chandeliers. The furnishings were that of a decent coffee house: instead of round tables and hard chairs, there were comfortable couches, dimmed light, and beautiful live music. This wasn't a place that required evening dresses and expensive suits, and for that reason, the restaurant was full. Its atmosphere was very inviting.
"Does anyone mind if I order?" No one objected, so Mike called the server over and placed an order.
What he's hoping for, I can't get. To impress me with his financial position? This evening is a mistake. We have to go home, under any pretext...
The conversation at the table became animated. My mom fit in perfectly after she found common ground with Amanda. Of course, I thought it was impossible not to get along with her. Through the course of the evening, I learned a bit about Norton; who and what he was, where he was from, where and how he lived. The young man willingly shared details and put my mother at ease. Such openness put me on guard. Either he was lying, or he has something on his mind. I barely took part in the conversation and answered in monosyllables whenever I was asked anything.
My mom liked Mike almost right away, despite the horror that she felt when she saw me in the hotel lobby after the incident. Why? Is he actually a decent person? Back then, my parents were aggressive about him, and I cursed them for being overprotective. They felt it back then...
I leaned back from Mike and could take a better look at him: beautiful deep-blue eyes, their shade sometimes changing to light-blue, depending on his mood. Above them were his thick dark eyebrows that always appeared to frown. A long face with gaunt cheeks, a neat, pinched nose, and straight lips. Norton always grinned with one corner of his mouth, and I do not why, but it always caught my eye.
Soon it became obvious, not only mine.
Close to our table, there was a group of girls. They tried to attract Mike's attention the whole evening, but he acted as if he had an invisible wall between him and them. He seemed not to notice anything, except for the person in front of him - and that was me.
One girl got desperate and decided on a bold move - she came right up to him, not paying attention to anyone else.
"Hey, handsome," she whispered. Mike tensed up and close his eyes. She saw she had his attention, and she continued: "Wanna join us at our table? I'm sure we're gonna have a great time."
"No, I don't want to," came the harsh answer, and the girl stood back, confused.
"But..."
"Open your eyes and look carefully: I am in the company of a charming girl and two beautiful ladies. Do you expect me to give this up for you? Get lost."
Flabbergasted, the girl returned to her table. She sat in silence with her friends for a while, then she grabbed her purse and fled the restaurant in tears.
"That was very rude, Mike," Amanda said, breaking the drawn-out silence.
"Stupid is what you meant. Not on my part. She was the rude one, and if she didn't have enough between her ears to understand or at least see that I am not alone, that is not my problem."
I breathed out nervously and, by doing so, drew unwanted attention to myself. Damn...
"Please dance with me," Norton said. He held out his hand expectantly, and I stared at it like a fool, trying to invent a reason to refuse.
"I don't dance," the answer came. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my mom was staring at me, shocked at the blatant lie.
"Oh, come on! I don't bite."
Unable to control the urge, I rolled my eyes.
"Mike, I'm afraid I'll tread on your feet, and embarrass myself in front of everybody." I scanned the room and then looked back at the young man and his outstretched hand. "Please, don't make me..."
Mike Norton stared at me, head tilted, eyebrows in a frown. His jaw muscles gave away his tension. I felt his anger and the fierce resentment in the penetrating stare of his icy eyes. Unable to bear it, I turned away, looking down. I had nothing else to say.
"I'll be right back..." He turned around and left our company, heading towards the way out.
"Alana, baby, why did you lie? We're in a public place, and Amanda and I are here. Nothing would happen after one dance," Mom started carefully, and I glanced at the woman I barely knew. She didn't need to know about my weaknesses.
"Ok," I interrupted her before she said too much. "When he comes back, I'll apologize for my behavior."
"Darling," I heard Mrs. Norton's voice. "Mike is quite a handful, but he has a big heart. And now that he likes you, he will do nothing against your will, trust me. Don't wait for him to come back, go talk to him. I'm sure he's soothing his nerves with a cigarette."
My mom squeezed my hand as if saying that it was my choice and she wouldn't insist.
Ok, I'll go. What can he do to me? The restaurant was his idea. I don't owe him anything...
I took a sip of wine, nodded to myself, and without paying attention to the women, I left the table.
Outside was a bit more chilly than before we came to the restaurant. As I thought, Mike was at the entrance. With his head thrown back, he blew out a dense cloud of smoke. Without saying a word, I approached and folded my arms across my chest.
"Why are you so difficult?" he asked, cutting through the silence.
"Rephrase it, I don't quite understand you," I answered and turned away. I felt very awkward; it's been a long time since I talked normally to the opposite sex.
"You are stiff. It's impossible to get along with you because you avoid me like the plague."
"So many compliments." I sneered sadly at his statement but still turned to him to catch his eyes on me. "There's a certain group of people that I have no desire to communicate with. Though, frankly, I prefer to go by unnoticed."
"Why?"
"Because." It was getting hard to stay there. I was trying to control myself and not race off. In my head, I was going through Amanda's words, and I believed Mike would not hurt me.
"I'm fed up with your curt answers. Can you say anything that resembles a sentence?"
"Why?"
"I want to know more about you than just a couple of dropped phrases."
"What for?" I tiredly looked into his eyes. I saw his sincere interest in me, but it frightened me.
"You are unbearable," he sighed and then turned toward me. "Alright, I'll be honest: I like you and I would like to get to know you better."
"That's impossible. We're leaving in a few days, and our paths will never cross again. Forget it, Mike. Find yourself a girl that is not as damaged as I am. You seem decent enough and you have a beautiful family."
"Alana," Mike whispered and took a step towards me, caressing my hand.
"Please, d-don't..." I turned away and headed to the door. "It's been a busy day, and I'm exhausted. It's time to go back."
Mrs. Norton's driver took us almost all the way back to our cottage. We only had to walk about fifty yards. Mike tried to walk us, but Amanda hinted it was unwise.
"Alana." I turned my head and looked at the dark-haired man who had spoken my name. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you for the gift and dinner," I said. My mom and I hurried home, leaving the hard day behind us.
Author
Leaning his elbow on the car bonnet, the man was watching the girl leave. She was pretty, but she sure had some issues. She even refused to take his money. How is that possible? Where did she come from? Too many questions and not a single answer, but something clicked in the young egoist's soul.
Amanda was watching her grandson's reaction and tried to imagine Alana as his partner. She understood quite well that this beautiful girl would never pair off with someone like Mike. She was a riddle and seemed to have a broken past.
"Am I that terrible?" Mike asked and made a helpless gesture, pretending nothing had happened.
"I'm only appealing to your conscience, my darling."
"Oh, come on, too many words in one phrase," he said as he waved his hand, "I'm not that hopeless!"
"What do you have in mind? It would be better not to touch her, seems like she's been through a lot."
"I like her... Is that a crime?" Mike threw her a disdainful look, waiting for an answer.
"I will pray to God that this girl has enough brains to never look in your direction," Amanda replied. She turned and made her way into the house.
"Thank you, Grandma! I always knew that you love me!"
All this ignited excitement within the young man as if someone yanked out the safety pin in one vicious tug. Alana Moore will be his new goal. It's going to be an interesting game...