Valarie fell back on the bed in frustration. She whined about having absolutely nothing to wear yet her eyes gazed upon a packed closet. A decision was hard to come by. Nothing appealed to her. She scolded herself for not asking further details about the meeting. Was it really formal, semiformal? Should she really dress up or keep it toned down? The unknowing irked her.
The sound of the doorbell aired in the distance. Valarie's eyes flung open in horror. She shuffled for her phone to watch the time. It was an hour before the agreed time to pick her up. How could they have come so early? The bell rang again and she hurriedly rose from her bed and headed outside towards the door in only her underwear.
When she was about midway, realization struck her and she paused in her tracks. "Ugh!" she grunted looking down at her almost bare body. Her legs made a 360 and headed back to her room. Three consecutive rings were heard and she grunted in frustration.
"Coming!" she shouted.
There was no way she could find something to wear that quickly. Her hands shuffled for her towel and she wrapped herself in it and headed back towards the door. Her hands smoothed her wild hair before opening it.
Grey eyes scanned her from head to toe. Dimitri cocked his head to the right and brushed his thumb finger over his lower lip.
"Sorry I'm late. I got caught up finishing some of the documents and cleaning and-"
"You're not late" he responded.
"Ohh. So why are you-"
"Here?" he finished her sentence. "Am I not invited to come see you?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Um no, definitely not."
"Good answer" he smiled then pushed his way past her to enter the door.
Valarie looked at him in amusement. "What in the world. You can't just walk in someone's house like that without being invited."
"I can."
"No you can't."
"Yes I can. I just did."
She paused to absorb the reality of his statement. Her eyes narrowed on him and she scrunched her nose.
"What do you want?"
"I came to pick you up."
"An hour early?"
"Yes, problem?"
"Sort of yes."
"Why?"
"I am not ready."
His eyes scanned her again "Yes clearly" he commented and smiled.
Her cheeks warmed instantly and she suddenly felt exposed. Valarie tightened her grip around her towel and cleared her throat.
"Well I better go get ready. Don't touch anything, don't go looking for anything. Just stay here and don't move" she instructed.
Of course he would never take such instructions from a woman. As soon as she went out of sight, he started cruising around the room, exploring the space.
Valarie sat on the bed and mentally slapped herself for letting him see her like that. She placed her palms over her cheeks in an attempt to cool them. There was not much time to loath. She needed to find something to wear and quick.
Her eyes fell on a black and silver dress on the rack directly in front of her. She looked at it skeptically and opted for trying it on. The stretchy fabric clung to her skin revealing the smooth edges of her curves. She slipped her feet into her pair of black heels and modelled to the mirror to fix her hair.
She stared loathly at her dark, wild, ringlet curls spiraling around her head. Her hands smoothed it into a high pony tail and she stared back at her reflection. The skin of her neck and shoulders were fully bare and she felt too exposed. She released her grip and allowed her hair to fall in cascade around her again.
Some eyeliner and extremely blotted down lipstick was all she settled for. She wasn't quite a fan of face painting. Mindlessly, she stashed some necessities into her purse and took a few deep breaths before returning outside.
Dimitri stood at the space saver looking at the ornaments she had atop it. Valarie folded her arms and cocked her head slightly to the right. Her shadow stopped at the base of his feet and he looked up. She stood in the same position, tapping her foot on the floor. Dimitri's eyes scanned the silhouette from head to toe. Her body imprinted wickedly under the dress. His mouth went dry and he swallowed a lump in his throat. His lips shifted to comment but all that escaped was a breathy "Hmm."
"Hmm?" Valarie raised an eyebrow and questioned.
"Nice dress. It can definitely stand on its own."
"Oh." For some reasons she felt disappointed that he'd only kept his attention on the dress. She forced herself to pass off the thought.
"I thought I told you to stay out of my stuff moron. What were you doing there?"
"I thought you would have figured out by now that I don't exactly take orders from people, especially women. Well, not unless-"
"Shh, shh, shh" she raised her hands up in defense. "I don't want to hear it."
"You don't have pictures of your family?" he asked out of the blue.
"What?"
"I only see pictures of yourself in here. You don't have pictures of your mom, dad etc.?"
Her eyes sunk slowly to the floor and she bit down on her lip.
"Umm, no."
"Why not?"
"Because my parents are not around."
"So what? Many people live away from their parents but they still have pictures of them. I think the distance is was actually give the incentive.
"My mom died giving birth to me and my dad died when I was six in a car accident."
His eyes widened and it looked as though he punched himself inside from bringing up the topic.
"Oh, I'm sorry" his voice was soft.
"It's okay. My aunt took care of me over the years but now she-"
"She?"
Valarie's thoughts surfed back to the bank and the amount of money she had owed them because of her aunt. Her hands balled into fists.
"Nothing. It's getting late. We should really get going."
His eyebrows knitted into confusion but he agreed. She gathered her things and they headed out the door towards his car.
Valarie placed her hand on the back door in an attempt to open it.
"What are you doing?" Dimitri questioned.
"Opening the door" she explained.
"At the back?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"Get in the front seat" he commanded.
"Excuse me?" she placed a hand on her hip.
"I said get in" Dimitri said between clenched teeth.
"I am not a dog, ask nicely. Besides, the front should be for your dearest Adrianna."
"She's not coming."
"What?"
"I mean she's not coming with me. She'll be meeting us there. Some things came up."
"Ohh I see."
Valarie still proceeded to open the back door.
"I said get in front!" Dimitri scolded.
"I said no."
"Why not?"
"Because you want me to."
He paused and his lips shifted up into a small smile.
"Okay Ms. Lauryn, get in the back seat."
She immediately slammed the back door shut and opened the front door where she sat down. Dimitri shook his head in disbelief and his smile widened further. He got into the driver's seat and looked at her sideways. She could see him off the corners of her eyes but she kept her head forward and focused on the road ahead.
Valarie knotted her fingers and stared down at her shaking legs. Dimitri observed her skeptically.
"You seem uncomfortable."
Her adorable eyes peeked up at him from behind her long lashes but she remained silent.
"I won't kill you. If I wanted to I would have done it a long time ago. Just relax."
Her eyes shifted to the speed-o-meter. He was already hitting 100km/h.
"What too fast? You scared?" he asked.
Although his question couldn't be a more accurate answer, there was no way she was going to let him think of her as some little mouse. She swallowed a lump in her throat and replied.
"You call this fast? Pfft!"
Her comment pinched his ego and he darkened his eyes. He kept her eyes fixed on her as the meter shifted further to the right. Surrounding cars seemed as though they were on stand-still as they flew past them. Valarie held her breath and secretively gripped onto her seat. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She could hear her heart screaming at the back of her ear. All her bones were turning to jello and her muscles liquefying.
His hands gripped tighter around the steering wheel and it forced the veins to bulge more beneath his skin. Her mouth suddenly went dry. She coached herself to look away before dehydration brought death upon her.
The drive seemed longer than it should have been. Her heart had already made its way into her mouth when the car came to a stop in front of a high ended French restaurant. Valarie released a sound sigh of relief. Her muscles slowly deflated from the sudden burst of tension they were dosed with.
Dimitri turned to look at her. The sweat threatening to bead down her forehead, the paleness of her skin, the dryness of her lips. They were all too prominent to go by unnoticed. His eyes zoomed in as she swallowed a very audible gulp. A smirk slowly shifted his lips sideways and upwards.
"Are you okay?" he asked
"Yes, yes. Of course I am." Her voice was an octave too high.
"Okay so maybe we should do it again then. Let's go."
Like a reflex action, her hand reached for the handle and clicked the door open.
"Maybe next time. We'll be late for dinner" she said quickly.
Dimitri looked at his watch. "We still have fifteen minutes left, it'll be quick."
He literally had spoken to an empty seat. Valarie had already stepped foot outside and waited patiently for him to join her. Dimitri laughed and shook his head.
"I thought so" he murmured to himself.
He locked the car and walked around the front to where she was standing. A ridiculous grin consumed his face. Valarie rolled her eyes and stomped her way inside. He smiled contently and followed her.
Chandeliers hung from the ceiling in a magical way. The reflection of the light on the crystals was dazzling and caused lips to crease open in awe.
Valarie stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Dimitri. He got the cue.
"Come on, this way" he took the lead.
Dimitri led her to a large twelve seater dining table. It was already almost filled.
"Ahh Valarie!" Nikolai greeted as they came to a stop.
She replied with a warm smile. "Good night" she then greeted all heads at the table. They all regarded her politely.
Dimitri sat her down in the seat next to his father and he found his own directly opposite them. An empty seat stood next to him for when Adrianna arrived.
His eyes gaped at her from across the table and she occasionally looked back and rolled her eyes. A small smile played across his lips as the look of annoyance took form on her face. He continued to stare at her for just that purpose.
Mr. Carson called the table to order. All heads turned to face him.
"Is this everyone now?" he questioned.
"No, my date still isn't here" Dimitri informed.
"Ohh well we can wait for her to arrive."
"No it's okay. Carry on. I messaged her a little while ago. She was caught up in traffic and should be here soon."
"Okay well we can order food in the meantime."
They all reviewed the menu. Nikolai lowered his head down to Valarie.
"What would you like to have?"
She raised both eyebrows and scanned the menu. "I've never been to this restaurant before. I have no idea how anything taste here so you know it's be hard for me to decide. I'll go with whatever you order and trust that it's good."
He smiled at her "Of course it'll be good. I have excellent taste my dear."
"I didn't once doubt it sir."
He looked across the seat next to Dimitri which was still empty. His eyebrows knitted. "Valarie can you tell me something. What is Dimitri's date like? I haven't met her yet and she still isn't here."
The worse thoughts of her came flooding back. Valarie swallowed a lump in her throat and held her tongue. She mentally placed a filter in front of her lips before speaking.
"She's bold...but in a good way. Red hair, model type. Exciting and spontaneous, which Dimitri likes."
"Hmm, I was just wondering. The suspense is killing me" he chuckled.
"Haha, don't worry about it. She'll be here soon."
His attention diverted back to Mr. Carson and they drifted away into conversation. Valarie lifted her eyes up to meet an intense grey. Her stomach twisted as she peered back at them.
"What?" she mouthed to which he gave no response. Her face morphed into annoyance and his face shifted up into a small smile. He leaned back into his chair and allowed his mind to make a mental analysis. Most woman he'd been with, bowed at his feet. Others stood tall but took action to make themselves stand beside him. They knew to themselves that they were good enough for him. Some were on the opposite end and felt a great deal of insecurity around him but they still gave some clue that they would try anything to have a chance with him. Valarie was so far none of the above.
She challenged him but not in a way that other women did. She's not exactly fond of him like how all other women he'd met were. She dared to insult him when all else deemed him flawless and wouldn't dare to.
Valarie's eyes shifted from his for a brief moment to look towards the entrance. At that very moment, a familiar face walked in at a slightly crouched position. Her head panned the surroundings before stepping further into the building. A man in black clothing walked in behind her. She turned around and whispered something to him then walked off towards the ladies wash room.
About thirty seconds after, the guy took off into the same direction that she did. Valarie furrowed her brows and bit down on her lips. It couldn't be who she thought it was. She diverted her attention back to Dimitri once more.
"Call Adrianna and find out where she is" she instructed.
He pulled out his phone and dialed in her number. It rung until the answering machine came up.
"She's not answering."
"Hmm, I see..."
He looked at her skeptically. "What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing, nothing. I just think that she is taking quite a while to get here."
"I think it's just her. Last time she was late when we had a date too. Very contrasting to Rebecca thankfully."
She forced a smile forward "Hmm."
A few minutes later, the woman returned from the washroom. She smoothed her hair and straightened her dress. The man came out shortly after with a smug look on his face. She smirked and watch as he existed the building. The woman then began walking towards them. As she closed in, her identity became more apparent.
"Adrianna!" Valarie screamed silently.
A bright smile played across her face when Dimitri turned to notice her. He stood up from his seat, walked towards her and kissed her lightly on her cheek. He led her to stand near her seat.
"Ahh, the date is here" Nikolai exclaimed.
"Hi, Adrianna. It's nice to meet you." she smiled and shook his hand in greeting.
"I'm so very sorry that I'm late" she apologized.
"It's okay. You're not that late. The food haven't gotten here yet. Dimitri ordered for you I believe."
"Aww" she nuzzled her nose in his shirt.
Valarie looked at her in disgust. Her eyes had already transformed into beast mode. Adrianna glanced at her and the witch beneath her skin began clawing out of its cover. She immediately looked away and plastered an exaggerated smile on her face.
The two took their seats the very moment the waitress returned with the food. Everyone was distracted settling their food on the table while Valarie kept her gaze on the two. Dimitri turned to look at Adrianna and cocked his head slightly to the right.
"You put your lipstick on in car again?" he questioned.
"Oh no, no. I took my time at home this time."
His brows knitted. "You don't have a mirror in your house?"
"Oh course I do. That's a silly question."
"Hmm then I can't find another reason for why half of your lipstick is off your lips and on your face."
Her eyes widened and she picked up a silver spoon from the table to look at her reflection.
"Ugh! God damn this brand of lipstick. I should sue company. They said they don't smudge. I wiped my lips after I drank water so I guess it smudged."
She took a napkin up and wiped the lipstick off. Dimitri bit down on his lip and scratched his chin as he continued to stare at her. It was difficult to figure out what he was thinking. Valarie mentally cursed the lying brat. She fisted both hands tightly in an attempt to control her anger.
Valarie looked down at the chicken in her plate. There was absolutely no form of sauce or gravy on it. She could already imagine how dry it would feel doing down her throat. For as long as she could remember, she couldn't enjoy any meal without some extra form of moisture on it. As the waiter was about to walk off, she signaled him to stop and he looked at her.
"Excuse me. Do you have any ketchup?"
The entire table busted out into laughter and she sank a little lower into her chair. Her cheeks became slightly red but she tried to ignore the attention she had just brought upon herself.
The waiter smiled politely. "Yes ma'am. I believe we do have ketchup. Would you like me to get you some?"
"Yes thank you."
She could still feel all eyes on her and bent her head while a smile played on her face.
"So Adrianna, where did you meet Dimitri?" Mrs. Carson asked.
A smile played upon her face and she looked at Dimitri before replying.
"It was sort of by accident. I met him in the elevator back at the office. He uh-. He offered me a job as a model, I accepted and I guess we kicked off from there."
Valarie balled her hands into tighter fists for she could sense the lie rolling off her tongue. She stared at the 'couple' intently as they soared deeper into conversation. Her eyes shifted to Adrianna's right shoulder as it began moving slightly. She couldn't see the rest of her arm but she could create a mental image of how it would move in correlation with her shoulder. Her arm moved back and forth as if she was sliding them against her thigh.
Her upper arm then moved sideways, creating a space between her underarm. It continued raising until it was at about a 45 degrees angle. Her eyes shifted up to Dimitri's face. It looked like he'd just seen a ghost but the intensity of the expression diminished in seconds. His face hardened and he pressed his lips tightly together. His eyes darkened and it looked like he held his breath. He shifted in his seat and brushed his fingers over his lips in an attempt to suppress his reaction.
Adrianna's face gave nothing away. A bright smile was plastered on her face as she continued in conversation. Her arm now moved in a slow discrete rhythm. Dimitri's face was now flaming red and his eyes darker.
Valarie would be a fool to not decipher exactly what was happening. Her blood crawled and her appetite was thrown out of the window. She could barely chew the food she'd put into her mouth. The fact that they were exactly opposite to her made it even harder to ignore. Adrianna occasionally glanced at Valarie and smirked. She knew well that she was the third eye in their little secret. That fact only gave her more pleasure in continuing.
She could bare sitting through the motion no more. It disgusted her and the air around her suddenly ran out. Valarie swiftly pushed her chair back and excused herself. Dimitri immediately pushed Adrianna's hand away from him. Everyone looked on in utter confusion as Valarie disappeared into the washroom.
A sly smile played upon Adrianna's face and she feigned a look of concern. Nikolai and his son's eyes made four and a silent understanding was made. Dimitri pushed his chair back and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Adrianna questioned.
"You stay here and continue to enjoy the meal. I'm just going to see if everything is okay."
"But-"
"It's okay" Nikolai smile politely at her.
She smiled back and swallowed a knife.
Dimitri walked towards the washroom and waited right outside for Valarie to return. Her features changed immediately as she saw him. Both anger and disgust possessed her face and she walked past him as though he wasn't even there. Adrianna looked on intently from the table. She felt the urge to go meet them.
"Valarie wait" he called out and reached out for her hand.
She pulled away immediately. "What do you want?"
"What's wrong?" he questioned.
"Oh nothing. I just can't imagine eating in peace while simultaneously playing with certain body parts."
"Oh shit you noticed?" he sounded surprised.
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. It doesn't matter what I notice. You should just know that Adrianna wasn't late because of traffic."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait what?"
Valarie folded her arms and sighed.
"Yes what?" Adrianna also questioned as she emerged from behind. It was like she'd teleported.
Valarie glared at her and turned to walk back to the table without a further comment.
"What's wrong with her?" Adrianna questioned.
"Oh nothing. The food just made her sick" Dimitri lied.
He narrowed his eyes on Adrianna for a second then diverted them back to the table.
"Come on. We should get back" he instructed.