Dating in the Dark (Dating Trilogy Book 1)

by Alexandria Bishop

  “Did you not hear anything I just said? Just come in, you’re already here.”

  Tinley starts to hesitate, but Tara grabs her by the arm and drags her inside anyway. She does need help figuring everything out, so she doesn’t protest too much when her sister drags her into the living room. She sits down in her recliner and motions for Tinley to take a seat in the room. For being so far along in her pregnancy one thing can definitely be said for her house. It’s still impeccably cleaned as it always is. Tara is a bit of a neat freak, and Tinley can’t help but wonder if some of the exhaustion affecting her sister is because she won’t let herself relax at all.

  “So, what’s going on? You never come over.”

  She takes a deep breath and asks, “Do you remember Marek? The guy I work with?”

  “How could I forget. What about him? Did he do something to be mean to you?”

  “No, nothing like that. He was actually one of my dates for the speed dating thing. And well we’ve been seeing each other ever since.”

  “Okay?”

  This is the part where it gets kind of awkward. There’s added drama on their relationship, and she’s not sure if that’s something her sister would understand. She pauses for a moment and then just spits it out. “It’s kind of a secret. He’s a supervisor at work and could get into serious trouble for dating me even potentially lose his job, so even Dakota doesn’t know.”

  “Well are things serious or are you just hooking up? Please tell me you’ve gone there and that it’s amazing. I haven’t had sex in a month because it’s so uncomfortable at this point Clark is paranoid and thinks he’ll stab the baby in the head with his dick.”

  Tinley cringes. That is not the kind of thing she wants to picture at all. She shakes her head and says, “First off, I really don’t need to be hearing about yours and Clark’s sex life or lack of. And second, I’m making an appointment on Monday to go on the pill, so yeah I’d say things have gotten pretty serious.”

  “I’m not going to try and understand what kind of friendship you and Dakota have that you can’t trust her enough to tell her about your relationship, but we’ll save that conversation for another day. Outside of that, if things are getting serious what’s going on? Why are you here?

  “We had kind of an intense night last night. He was in love with his best friend, and she died of cancer. That was four years ago, and he hasn’t been with anyone since then. I’m just worried that I won’t be enough and he’s not ready for a relationship.”

  Tara mulls that over for a minute and then asks, “Did you ask him about it?”

  “He said he was ready and that he wants to be with me. But I don’t know what if that’s not true.”

  “I think you need to stop second guessing things. If he says he’s ready for a relationship and he wants to be with you, why are you questioning it? Has he given you any reason to believe that he wouldn’t be one hundred percent truthful with you so far?”

  She shakes her head because Tara’s right. This entire time Marek has been forthcoming about everything. This is her own insecurities talking and has nothing to do with him at all. She’s just using that as an excuse when in reality she doesn’t feel like she’s good enough for him. She’s always considered herself plain and unremarkable which is why she’s never pursued anything career wise or really in all aspects of her life. Being twenty-nine working the same entry level position, still living with a roommate, and never getting seriously involved with someone, that’s all been her doing. She’s in a rut with her own life, and the only person she has to blame for that is herself.

  “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  Tears drip down from Tinley’s eyes as she looks at her sister. “My life is kind of shit.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “No, it is. I’m stuck in this horrible rut of watching my life pass me by, and it’s all my own doing. I haven’t done anything to be proud of, and it’s all because I told myself I wasn’t good enough. I’ve been second guessing this entire relationship with Marek because I’ve been telling myself he’ll leave me eventually. How messed up is that? I sabotage my own life because I don’t think I’m enough.”

  “So, what are you going to do about it?”

  “I’m going to go home and get ready for the date that my gorgeous boyfriend is taking me on. Because I am good enough and I need to stop looking for issues where there aren’t any.”

  “Damn right you are. Tinley, you know I love you, and I want nothing but the best for you. But you are only as capable as you believe you are. I know you could do anything you want to in this world, but you have to want it and tell yourself you can actually do it. Stop second guessing yourself and let yourself live. Truly live.”

  And then the damn really breaks free. Tinley and Tara never really had supportive parents growing up. It wasn’t like they are bad people or anything like that, they just weren’t involved or very encouraging. They had their own lives to worry about and never really took the time to make sure their children turned out okay outside of providing them food and shelter.

  With a little extra effort, Tara pushes herself up and out of her chair and makes her way over to the couch where Tinley is breaking down. She wraps her arms around her and calms down her sobs. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  Tinley calms herself down and stops her sobs in order to tell her sister what’s going on. “No, you don’t get it. These are happy tears. I didn’t even realize what I’ve been doing this entire time. I could have completely sacrificed an amazing relationship because of my own stupid head. I obviously have a lot to think about for everything else in my life, but I’m not going to ruin things between Marek and myself. I want to see where this goes.”

  “Good, I’m happy for you. You deserve to be truly happy.”

  And that’s what Tinley takes with her as she leaves her sister’s apartment to get ready for her date. She wants to be happy, and there’s nothing standing in the way from Marek and her truly being happy together.

  Chapter 22

  Tinley’s hands shake as applies her eyeliner. She doesn’t know why she’s so nervous. Sure, she had some nerves before the speed dating event and again the night when she and Marek finally saw each other face to face, but this is different. They’ve already been dating, albeit in secret, so what makes tonight so special? She ignores that little voice inside her head that tells her it’s actually real now and that’s why she’s tense. She finishes off her makeup and gives herself one last look in the mirror when her phone goes off.

  Marek: I’m outside.

  The butterflies within her start turning into bats at the excitement. When Marek mentioned taking her on a real date, he wanted to do the whole nine yards including picking her up at her front door, but with Dakota around, that wouldn’t have worked out. So, he agreed to wait in the parking lot for her. She peeks out of her bedroom door and hears her roommate talking on the phone in her bedroom. With her heels in hand, she makes a mad dash for the front door. Shutting it behind her, she puts her shoes on and makes her way over to her waiting date.

  “Wow, you look amazing.”

  Her entire neck and face get hot, and she can imagine the redness building up in her skin. The look on his face alone is enough to make her drop her clothes right here in the parking lot, but they have a date to go on, and she’s not about to ruin that. “Thank you. You look pretty incredible yourself.”

  And he absolutely does. She can’t deny how turned on she is right now. He’s got on a pair of nice black slacks and a button-up shirt. Just like the day she saw him with her sister, he has the sleeves rolled up, showing off those forearms in all their glory. She’s tempted to run her hand along his arms but refrains from actually doing so. Might be taking it a little too far.

  “So where are you taking me on this ‘real date’?”

  “Now if I tell you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

  “Marek Outlaw, are you getting romantic on
me?”

  His cheeks turn red, and she can honestly say she’s never seen him embarrassed or blush before; she finds it very attractive. She leans over and places her hand on his cheek then pulls his face toward her. Her lips slide against his and just as quickly as she placed them, she pulls away.

  “What was that for?”

  “For being you.”

  She reaches down and tangles her hand with his own as they start walking toward his waiting vehicle. It’s freshly washed on the outside, and when he opens the door to let her in, she notices the inside is equally as clean. He definitely went all out for this one. She smiles as he runs around the front of the car to get in on the driver’s side. They haven’t even left her apartment complex parking lot and already this has been the best date she’s ever been on.

  He hops in and takes off. With how secretive he was being, she half expected him to put a blindfold on her, but she’s happy he didn’t actually do that. As they’re driving down the highway, he pulls her hand into his own and brings it up to his lips for a gentle kiss. He then lays it on the center console and doesn’t let go. The simple things like that are absolutely perfect to her.

  When they pull up to the valet outside the restaurant, she is completely shocked by where he’s taking her. “Oh my gosh, how did you get a reservation here? They’re always booked months in advance.”

  He offers a sly smile and says, “I have my ways.”

  As cheesy as it sounds, she feels like a princess being completely swept off her feet by a prince, and the sweeping is going way better than she ever could have imagined. The host leads them to a private table near the back of the restaurant. It’s completely sectioned off in its own little room, and the music playing drowns out the noise from outside. There’s already a bottle of wine chilling in a bucket next to their table and a basket of bread sitting in the middle. The host announces that the waiter will be in shortly with their first dish and exits the room.

  Tinley’s eyes are wide at all the opulence of their date, and she demands answers. “Seriously, what is going on here? How did you make all of this possible?”

  He shrugs and simply asks, “Truth?”

  She nods her head vigorously, eager for an answer.

  “I own part of the restaurant.” Her eyes go wide, but before she can ask anything, he continues. “One of my friends from college owns Big House Bookstore. It didn’t always have the bar in the back, and when he got the idea to create it, he couldn’t get a small business loan. I offered a chunk of my savings to him and became an investor. I don’t have anything to do with the actual operations, but I receive a modest check every month. When business over there became profitable, he decided to step up his game and open this restaurant. Even though he didn’t need the money this time around, he asked if I wanted a piece of the pie and I invested again.”

  She sits on that information for a bit and is completely shocked. If he’s made such incredible business decisions, why does he stay at the call center? “I just have one question for you.”

  “Why don’t I quit my job?”

  She nods and laughs. Either he already knows her really well, or it was a predictable question—probably a little bit of both.

  “I like the stability of the regular income. I rely on what I make from the call center to pay for all my everyday expenses. All the bar and restaurant money goes into savings for a college fund.” He picks up the water glass in front of him and takes a drink.

  “So you want to have kids someday?”

  He chokes on the water in his mouth, and his eyes go wide. “Yeah, don’t you?”

  “I used to think I didn’t, but I think that had more to do with not being in a relationship with anyone more than anything else. Now the idea is starting to grow on me.”

  There’s a lull in the conversation as the waiter brings plate after plate of delicious food. Tinley can’t remember the last time she had such a good meal, and afterward, she is stuffed. She can barely move, but she doesn’t regret a minute of it. In fact, she would go back in time just to savor and enjoy every single bite again.

  Marek comes around to her side of the table and slides her chair out to help her up. He brings her hand up to his mouth, and gives her a gentle kiss before leading her outside of the restaurant. She starts walking toward the valet and with a gentle tug he leads her away toward a park across the street. It’s a little chilly outside but not incredibly unbearable, but she has to ask him anyway.

  “Are we going for a walk?”

  He smiles down at her and says, “Have a little patience. You’ll see soon enough?”

  “You mean the dinner wasn’t our entire date? What else could you have planned?”

  Marek continues smiling which does nothing but drive up Tinley’s anxiety. She has no idea what else could be going on when they suddenly stop walking. And there, right in front of them is a freaking horse-drawn carriage. Including a blanket and a chilling bottle of wine. How the heck did she win the boyfriend jackpot?

  Her mouth drops open as he drags her over to the carriage. “Are you kidding me right now? How is it possible that you just took the most perfect date I’ve ever been on and escalated it to ultimate level? Sorry for the cliché, but is this real life right now?”

  He leans down and gives her a gentle kiss on the lips and asks, “So I did good?”

  All she can do is nod her head as he helps her into the carriage. They snuggle together underneath the blanket and he hands her a glass of wine. Perfection. That is the only word she can think of to describe this date. Absolutely perfection.

  She turns toward him and smiles. “Thank you so much for the most perfect night I’ve ever had. I would never have guessed you were a secret romantic inside.”

  “It’s not really a secret, I’ve just never been in a relationship with someone I could spoil before now.”

  “Are you trying to make me fall in love with you?”

  “Is it working?”

  “Possibly. The jury is still out on that one.”

  He leans over and pulls her in for a kiss. She one hundred percent lied because she knows with all her heart she has already fallen head over heels in love with this man.

  Chapter 23

  Today was rough. For some reason, they suddenly had a surge of business at work, and the phones were ringing off the hook. Tinley completely missed her afternoon break because she couldn’t break away from her phone and she didn’t get a chance to talk to Marek at all today. All of the supervisors were taking calls to help out with the call volume. To say the day was madness is a complete understatement. On the upside, she was able to book quite a few vacation packages and will be getting a hefty bonus next month. Her brain literally feels like mush, and she’s been sitting on the couch staring at the wall since she got home. She took her shoes off and just collapsed right after walking in the door.

  Tinley is contemplating ordering a pizza when her phone lights up with a text notification. Oddly enough, it’s a text from her roommate, and she looks at the time on her phone. Dakota should have been home at least an hour ago. She opens the message and is surprised by what she finds waiting for her.

  Dakota: Hey, I know this is super last minute but I just wanted to let you know I’m going out of town. Well actually, I’ve already left.

  Me: Thanks for telling me?

  Dakota: Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. I came home at lunch and packed a bag. I’ve got some stuff going on this weekend so I just wanted to let you know I won’t be home at all.

  Me: What kind of stuff?

  Dakota: Can’t talk about it right now. Actually, I’m getting on a plane so I’ll see you on Monday.

  A plane? This whole situation is weird and so completely uncharacteristic of her roommate. She can’t even remember the last time Dakota was on a plane, or if she’s ever flown anywhere. Sure, they’ve talked about taking vacations together, but they’re both always too broke to actually take that thought process seriously. So, instead, they just dream t
ogether and plan trips they’ll never take. It can actually get pretty depressing, now that she thinks about it.

  She’s got the whole place to herself for the entire weekend, and there’s only one person she wants to spend it with.

  Me: Dakota is going to be gone all weekend. Feel like having a sleepover?

  Marek: Gone? Where is she going?

  Me: I don’t know, she’s being super weird and mysterious. All I know is she told me she won’t be home all weekend and not to worry about her.

  Marek: Has she ever done anything like this before?

  Me: Nope, never, but I don’t want to waste my weekend speculating on what my roommate is doing. Do you want to come over? Or I could pack a bag and come over there.

  Marek: I’ll come over there. Just give me a few hours. I’ve got some stuff going on that I need to finish up and then I’ll be over.

  Me: Sounds good. Can’t wait to see you.

  Marek: You too.

  She puts her cell phone down on the couch and can’t help the giddy smile on her face. Everything about that man makes her smile, and now she gets to spend the entire weekend with him, completely uninterrupted. It’s only then that she realizes he’ll be here in a few short hours and the apartment is a disaster, and she hasn’t shaved. She immediately jumps up from the couch, forgetting about the blanket she has wrapped around her legs. She tumbles to the ground and her butt slams down on the floor—hard. She whimpers in pain, but if anything, she’s just happy she missed the coffee table. That would have been tragic. She stands up, now in full freak-out mode because she needs to get everything ready.