16 - Dinner From Hell II

“No Shawn, wait – just listen to me.” I yelled helplessly and running after him when he turned around swiftly catching me unawares and nearly tripping me. I could see the anger etched on his face, the look of betrayal tainted his eyes when he looked at me and it broke my heart to have him look at me like that.

“Shawn – ” the desperatio in my voice was glaring.

“I don’t even know what to say to you anymore.” he yelled pointing at me.

“This – it doesn’t mean anything Shawn, we were just talking.” I tried to move closer to him, to will him to look at me with softer eyes.

“I have done nothing but be a good boyfriend to you Aria, I was there when you had no one, when he broke your heart and – ” Shawn was going to say something else but he stopped halfway, like he shared a knowing look with Kyle but it was only for a brief second before his eyes drifted back to me and he went on, “I have loved you every passing moment, so what now? You want to go back to him?”

“No – ” I breathed desperately, “I don’t – I love you Shawn.” but Shawn wasn’t listening to me anymore, he had whipped out his phone and dialed a number before speaking into the receiver, “Hey Janet, I’ll think I’ll be able to make the partners dinner tonight, I’m on my way.”

“Shawn wait – please!” I begged but he had stormed out already and walking past Sam who had equally been standing and she threw me a disappointed look.

“What the hell are you doing Aria?” I recognized the no nonsense tone and I knew she wasn’t playing, “You gave him a million chances, and he broke your heart every single time, but there’s always one more chance huh? Even now?”

“Sam – ”

“If this is what you want Aria, I can’t fault it but don’t bring me into it.” she said before turning her back and walking away leaving me and Kyle alone together in the cold bathroom and my eyes clouded with tears. I heard Kyle walk up behind me, attempting to place his hand on my shoulder but I stepped further.

“Don’t.” I said and I walked away.

I stood in front of the restaurant later on waiting for my uber, my eyes devoid of tears even though my heart still felt heavy. I had fucked up and I knew it. I had fucked up by letting myself feel things for Kyle again, after everything he had done to me in the past. In fact, I should have quit job the moment I found out he was going to be my boss, but I couldn’t do that, I couldn’t let him dictate my life that way.
Soon enough, I caught a car’s headlight signal at me and I sighed in relief thinking it was my uber but when the car circled around me, I saw that it was Kyle – I sighed deeply. Could he leave me alone, at least for one freaking second and stop circling my orbit.

“Get in,” he said somberly, “I’m taking you home.”

“My uber is almost here.” I said to him and he shook his head.

“I can’t leave you here in this cold, I’ll take you home and that’ll be it. You can choose not to talk to me if you don’t want to.” he said but I stayed silent and got into the car. It was a silent ride with the awkwardness wrapping itself around us but my mind had gone far to the first date Kyle ever took me on. I had dressed up in a sundress in the spring because he had mentioned that he loved my collar bones, my hair had been dutifully styled by Sam and my stomach swarmed with butterflies.

“You look stunning.” he said to me when I stepped out of the house to him waiting for me just leaning on that same damn BMW, his eyes sparkled and he had his hands outstretched to me which I took, a shy smile on my face.

“Well thank you.” I said back but he wasn’t ready to let go of me yet as he pulled me close, and just then his teeth grazed my collar bone sending a jolt of electricity to my spine and throughout my whole body.

“I could take you right here right now.” he whispered and something growled within me. I matched his look, the temptation clouding my eyes and I stared at him, daring him to actually pull up my little dress and take me right then.

“What’s stopping you.” I said to him.

“Well, I have to feed you first and make sure you’re fully satisfied before I satisfy you even further. I’m a gentleman Aria.”

My stomach growled but it wasn’t hunger for food, it was hunger for him and the words that came out of his mouth, they did things to me, things that I couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

So the memories flew in and out while I was seated in Kyle’s car after that disastrous dinner and the tears flowed silently – it was never going to be the same.

“What’s on your mind?” Kyle broke through my thoughts and I spared him a glance.

“Our first date,” I answered truthfully, “And how I dressed up in that ridiculously short dress because you told me you liked my collar bones.”

“I still think they’re beautiful.”

I looked down at my exposed collarbones still and I felt a pang in my chest, “I literally owe Shawn my life and the last thing I want to do is to hurt him.”

“Are you sure Aria?” it was a simple question but the answer wasn’t so simple. It was a question that told me I couldn’t keep lying to myself but I nodded my head still, the tears stinging my eyes once again.

“I’m sure.”

Kyle nodded while he parked just in front of my house and just before I got down from the car he said.

“Don’t think I’m going to let you go so easily Aria, you’re not married to him so it’s fair game. I’m ready to do anything to earn forgiveness because I don’t think there’s anyone else better suited for me Aria than you.”

I fell apart.