I uploaded anyways...hehe. But sorry this chapter is shorter than others, I forgot to post this yesterday and I'm in the process of writing another one right now. Enjoy!
“A date?” I asked hesitantly.
He nodded and shrugged, “Why not?”
I wanted to yell. This was exactly what I had been trying to avoid with him. “I don’t think I can.”
“Fine.” Preston said, “Don’t call it a date. Call it a dinner between friends.”
“We’re not friends.” I snorted.
I half expected him to frown or fake sadness but instead, he grinned even broader. “You’re right.”
“I am?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“We’re lovers.”
I made a face at him and went back to my book, “No, we’re not. We’ve never had sex together.”
He moved closer to me and whispered in my ear, “That could change. Right here, right now.”
I groaned and pushed him away, “Preston, what is it that you really want?”
He shrugged, “A date.”
I glared at him, looking for any signs of lying or humor. Unfortunately for me, he was telling the truth.
Preston pouted his lips and attempted to look sad, “Pwease, Auden?”
“What are we going to do?” I asked him carefully, wondering what he had planned for us.
He jumped and pulled me into a hug, “Thank you!”
I gasped for air, “That wasn’t a yes, Preston.”
He kissed me swiftly on the lips and ran out my apartment screaming, “I’ll pick you up tonight at seven!”
I stared at my apartment door long after he had left. My hand instinctively ran up to my mouth, still feeling the tingles his kiss gave me.
I shook my head and closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. I refused to let myself have emotions for Preston. He was just a client of interest that I intended to keep coming back for more.
I reluctantly put down my neglected book and got up to go to the bedroom. I shuffled through my clothing and was a little disappointed to find that I barely had any clothing other than sweats and lingerie. I walked off to take another shower with a sigh. Preston hadn’t told me where we were going, so I had no idea what I was supposed to dress for.
After a quick bathe, I wrapped myself in a slightly damp towel, cringing at the coldness of it on my skin. I padded across the hallway and back into my room, facing my pathetic wardrobe once again.
I lifted out a few items that had been pushed to the back from lack of use. After a long string of mental debates, I decided upon wearing a pair of high-waisted denim shorts, a black and white striped shirt, and a black blazer. I slipped on a pair of black and white converse, feeling like a teenager all over again.
As I dried my hair I realized that I still had about two hours until Preston would be here. I took my time drying my wavy hair since I was too lazy to straighten it. I put on a bit of eyeliner and mascara, not bothering to do anything more. All the makeup I wore to work was starting to take a toll on my skin.
I looked in the mirror and surprised myself by seeing a slightly different girl than I expected. She looked a little happier, a little cleaner, and a little less tense. I figured that this is what the non-working Auden looked like on her days off.
I don’t know why I had been ready so early, but now I had plenty of time to kill. My book was sitting on the coffee table, staring at me. I picked it up slowly and opened to my last page, making a decision that I was going to finish at least two chapters.
Seven paragraphs into the chapter, my mind drifted towards him. Kellan had called me not too long ago, which mean he wasn’t very far. I racked my brain as I tried to figure out which little café he had been at. Why was he so close to home? Why now? Unless he was trying to find something…
Or someone.
My heart soared at the possibilities. I hadn’t moved since I was little, so it wouldn’t have been hard to track me down. But if he had hired someone to find me, then did that mean he knew what I did for a living? I mentally crossed my fingers that his love for me would overrule any negative thoughts of me. It had been so long since I last saw him. It made me wonder if he still looked the same.
Damian had been nineteen when I last saw him, making him about 28 now. I wondered if I was a sister-in-law or an aunt. Even when I was little I was still able to see Damian having a perfect little family, girls loved him, children loved him, and I loved him.
I was twelve as I sat on the floor watching the cartoons with a bowl of cereal in front of me. The front door banged open revealing my brother and a girl intertwined with each other as they walked inside. Gross slurping and kissing sounds came from their mass and as they walked by me, I smelt the alcohol. I tried my best not to be noticed so I stayed quiet until I thought they were gone.
I wasn’t unused to this occurrence for it happened almost every weekend. My big brother would go out on a date and come back to finish it. The girl would leave in the morning thinking that no one would notice her, but having a bedroom next to the stairs meant that I heard everything.
Then there was Sarah. When my brother was getting ready for his date, I sat on his bed, watching him pick out an outfit.
“Damie, what’s this girl’s name?” I asked like I always did. Sometimes he would take longer than others as he struggled to remember.
He turned around and smiled at me, “Sarah.”
“What’s her last name?” I asked curiously, even though it held no importance to me.
“Hertel.”
“Is she pretty?”
My brother beamed and playfully hit my shoulder, “You ask so many questions, Aud. But yes,” He grinned, “She’s one of the most gorgeous girls I’ve ever met.”
I watched him drive away as he left to pick Sarah up for their date. I resumed my normal spot on the floor in front of the television as I waited for them to come home.
And by “them” I meant Sarah and Damian. I never expected my parents to ever come home when I was around. My mother was probably off drinking at some bar, spending all our money, and our father was either at work or with his mistress. We all knew, even Mother. I had always thought that it was the main cause of her drinking problems.
After a few hours the door opened, but not as forcefully as usual and I heard laughter downstairs. Damian and his date must be making out or something again.
“Auden?” Damian called out, his voice not raspy from kissing, “Can you grab two towels for us? It’s pouring out there and I don’t want to get the carpet wet.”
I reached into the linen closet and grabbed two of our fluffiest towels, knowing that Damian would appreciate it.
I saw him and a light haired girl standing on the front door mat with arms wrapped around their own bodies and shivering. They weren’t all over each other like I was used to, however I wasn’t disappointed at all.
“Hi!” The girl smiled at me warmly, “I’m Sarah. You’re Auden, right?”
I nodded shyly and handed her a towel.
Damian took his and grinned, “Yeah, this is my fourteen year old kid sister slash best friend forever.”
“You’re really pretty, Auden.” Sarah said to me, wrapping the towel around herself.
I looked at her in disbelief. Couldn’t she see that she was the pretty one here? Damian was right, she was gorgeous.
“Thank you.” I beam because a stunning girl thought that I, Auden, was pretty, even though I knew I was nothing but plain.
“Come on, Sarah, I’ll get you some clothes.” Damian said to her pulling her hand along.
I went back to the living room and sat on the couch, absentmindedly staring at the TV. Not minutes later, Sarah came downstairs, dressed in Damian’s t-shirt, and shorts and saw me.
“Hey, Auden.” She said walking over to me, “Mind if I hang out with you for a bit? Your brother takes longer than anyone I know to get ready.”
When I nod, she smiles and sits next to me, laughing at something on TV.
I sneak a peek at her and realize that she was perfect. Although I was usually shy, I felt comfortable around her.
“Do you like my brother?” I asked her, but not accusingly.
She grinned brightly and nodded enthusiastically, “I really do.”
“Good, ‘cause I think he really likes you too.”
Just then, my brother came down the stairs and saw us sitting together.”Hey, girls.”
I kept watching the TV since I expected him to whisk my new friend away to his bedroom.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he plopped down on the other side of me and wrapped an arm around the head of the couch.
The three of us laughed together at the funny parts and commented on the stupid parts for a while, then Sarah suggested that we play a board game and let me choose.
I felt like a kid again.
Although I was already a teenager, I felt younger. My brother always took care of me and I didn’t have many friends to help me mature. But I wasn’t a baby, I just enjoyed things that other kids my age thought weren’t cool anymore.
After the night was over and Sarah called a cab to go home, I gave the two some privacy. The front door gently clicked shut and Damian ran up to me where I was sitting in my room.
“Auden, I just kissed her!” He grinned widely.
I laughed, “It’s not like you haven’t kissed any girls before.”
He shook his head, “No, but Sarah is different. I was so nervous the entire night to make any move on her and I finally built up the courage. I like her…a lot.”
I nodded, “She likes you a lot too.”
“How do you know that?” He asked suspiciously.
“She told me.”
Damian smiled, “Do you like her?”
“Yes.” I say, a little too afraid to admit it since I was scared she wouldn’t be coming back like the rest of these girls.
“Then I guess we’ll be seeing a lot more of her then.”
I beamed. Damian was right, Sarah was different and changed a small part of our lives for the better.