“Am I driving too fast?” He says as he slows down to a normal speed. I loosen my firm grip on the arm rest, as I look over at him. I flash him an awkward smile and I feel stupid that I cannot remember his name.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t remember your name.” He gently laughs at my words and then he turns to face me. His eyes lock onto mine and I begin to panic as he has taken his eyes completely away from the road ahead.
“My name is Dalton Clark,” I shoot him a worried look and then he realises that he has taken his attention away from the road. He bites his lower lip as he turns his attention back to the streets of Portland. He maintains his slower speed for a while and then he asks me where I live. “So where am I taking you to?” “Falmouth, you know the area?” He laughs and then he signals right as he heads in the direction of my house.
We sit in silence –until Dalton breaks it.
“Tell me about yourself, Rose,” I gently clear my throat as I try to respond to his question.
“I am nineteen; I live with my uncle George and his family. I work at Subway – as you know and that’s pretty much it.” I say in a soothing tone. Dalton turns to look at me and I meet his stare.
“Why do you live with your uncle?” I nervously push my loose hair away from my face, as I try to answer his prying questions.
“My parents died when I was six and my uncle took me in. I owe so much to him and his wife. Not many people would take on someone else’s kid.” I am stunned by my honesty, as I have never opened up to any one like this before, especially not to a stranger.
“I’m sorry to hear that,”
“Don’t be, it was forever ago.” Dalton presses a smile from his lips as he slams his foot onto the break. The car in front of us has stopped suddenly and I have no idea how Dalton knew to stop –his eyes were fixed on mine the whole time. I shake my head as I have no words to describe him.
“My house is here, on the right.” I say as I point out my house. Dalton stops his Porsche at the front of the small, white house, with large bay windows. I notice my uncle’s car in the driveway and then I can hear his dog barking as it runs towards the gate. The dog is letting out deafening barks and my uncle is now standing at the window –staring out at me, sitting in a Porsche with a strange guy. I look at him through the window of the car and I see that his curiosity is building. I turn to look at Dalton and I urge myself to say my goodbyes, before my uncle George comes marching out of the house.
“Thanks for the ride,” I say as I place my hand onto the door handle. I open the door and I step out into the spitting rain. I carefully close the door of his over expensive car and I am shocked when I look into the car and notice that Dalton isn’t there. I scowl in through the window, but I stop my glaring, as I feel a cool hand on my back. I turn around and Dalton is looking down at me. His eyes are burning through me and his lips are gently trembling. I smile at him and then my smile fades, when I hear my uncle shouting in my direction.
“Rose, what are you doing? Where is your truck?” I pull my eyes away from Dalton and his stunning beauty and onto my overweight uncle. He is marching along the pathway of the house and he is marching in our direction. His face is thunderous, as he approaches us. I lock my eyes on his and he frowns at me as he takes in my appearance. I am standing in the rain with only a few inches between me and this strange, stunning guy, who drives a Porsche. I can tell that my uncle is fuming, as he looks at me, I shake my head as I don’t want to cause him any more stress –he gets enough of that from Rachel. I pull myself away from Dalton and I walk over towards my uncle. I smile as I take in his looks; he is dressed in a white T-shirt and loose baggy jeans that have more oil stains on them than a deep fat fryer. His grey hair is messy and his hands are also stained with oil. His cheeks are a deep shade of red and I smile at him as I try to explain my behaviour.
“My truck wouldn’t start, so Dalton offered to give me a ride.” My uncle stares at Dalton and then he shifts his eyes back to me.
“And who is Dalton, exactly?” My face flushes hot and I know that my uncle will lose his temper with me, when I tell him that I have just met Dalton. I can feel my heart pound, but it slowly decreases when Dalton lunges forward and reaches out for my uncle’s hand.
“Hello, my name is Dalton Clark,” my uncle reaches out and shakes his hand firmly.
“Thanks for taking Rose home,” my uncle says through his gritted teeth. Dalton smiles at his reaction and then he nods in my direction.
“Rose, may I have word with you?” My eyes bolt at his question and I can feel George’s eyes burning through my back. But I am intrigued by what Dalton has to say, therefore I nod and I take his hand as he leads me back over to his car. He leans against the paintwork and he gently folds his arms as he looks at me. “This may sound crude, but I would love to take you out some time.” I cannot believe my ears –he is asking me out on a date? The gorgeous guy, who could have any girl that he wanted, wants to take me out, me, boring Rose Peterson, with the messy hair and horrible fashion sense. I shake my head at him as I feel that he is toying with me.
“Seriously?” I say in a shocked tone.
“Yes, I would love you take you out, on a date.” I burst into laughter, surly he cannot be serious. What would a guy like him see in me? I shake my head again as I cannot take him seriously.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.” I say through my laughing fit. Dalton narrows his eyes at me as he begins to question me on my reasons for not wanting to date him.
“Why?” He snaps.
“C’mon, you can’t honestly stay that you want to take me out?”
“Why do find that so hard to believe?”
“Look at me, I am a mess and you’re … perfect.” Dalton rolls his eyes and then he leans in towards me. His breath is blowing on my face and I am very aware of my uncle’s eyes on us. With that thought, I try to back away from him, but he leans in closer, forcing me stare into his eyes.
“I’m far from perfect and I will pick you up tomorrow, is seven okay?” I frown at him.
“I just told you that I don’t want to go out with you,”
“You said you couldn’t, not that you didn’t want to.” Dalton’s face is now less than an inch away from mine and for second, I could swear that I his eyes have flashed red –again. His lips are quivering as he stares at me and now I can feel his hand sliding onto my waist. I feel very uneasy around him, but at the same time, I feel drawn to him. I almost like his rude and inappropriate behaviour and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t want to go out with him. “Now go and I will see you tomorrow,” he whispers in my ear and then he pulls back from me. I stare at him as he jumps into his car. He starts the engine and then he rolls down his window, as he gently edges forward. His eyes lock onto mine and now I am positive that they are red and not blue. He briefly winks at me and then he slams his foot down onto the gas pedal and all I have left of Dalton, is the shrieking from the tyres of his Porsche.
Two
The next morning, I wake to blinding sun beaming in through the window. I frown and cover my eyes, as I reluctantly pull the covers away from my body. I slump out of my bed and I slide across the room to my chair, I lift my navy bathrobe. I throw the robe around my shoulders –making sure that I tie the string tightly and then I make my way over to the door and I smile when I see pebbles, lying sweetly in the corner. I lean down and I gently stroke the top of my cats head and then I push open the door and I march along the hallway, in the direction of our one bathroom. I reach the dark oak door and I frown as I notice that the door is firmly locked. I gently knock on the door and Rachel isn’t pleased with my actions.
“Go away, Rose,” she screams through the door. I laugh and then I knock again
–just to annoy her. “Seriously Rose, go away.” I laugh again and then I double knock on the door and I am stunned when the door bursts open. Rachel is standing in the door way, with her cute pink robe loosely tied around her tiny waist. Her huge blue eyes are narrowed an
d raging as she looks at me. “Seriously you’re so annoying.” Rachel says in a whiney voice. I smile at her and then I push my way into the bathroom. Rachel squeals and then she slams the door shut. I don’t look at her, as she stands with her hands graced onto her hips, instead I take out my toothbrush and I begin to brush my teeth. “You are so rude, I was in here and I need time to get ready for my date.” Rachel says as she moves closer to me. I finish brushing my teeth and then I rinse my mouth with some cool water. I roll my eyes at Rachel as she stands in front of me.
“C’mon, how many dates have you had this week?” I say sarcastically. Rachel narrows her eyes at me.
“A lot more than you, let’s put it that way.” I laugh at her feeble attempt to hurt my feelings. I have a very –weird relationship with Rachel and sometimes our playful bitch-fights can turn into full blown arguments. Like one time, she and I were talking about some new TV show and then all of sudden we disagreed on something, and we started to scream the place down. She is everything that I am not, she is pretty and feminine and she loves all the girly stuff and then there’s me, I am plain and awkward. I always say the wrong thing and most of the time my mouth runs away with me. But Rachel is my cousin and despite the fact that we are total opposites and always will be, I still love her to pieces. I love that we have so little in common that we find it hard to actually have a conversation, but at the same time, I have grown up with her. I looked after her so many times and she feels like my little, annoying sister, who I love to hate. I wouldn’t change her for the world, and I have come to accept that we aren’t always going to agree on everything, but as long as I live here, I will love her unconditionally.
“I have a date tonight, actually.” I say as I brush past her and wipe my wet hand on her robe. She squeals at me and then she pulls me back around to face her.
“Details, now,” she snaps. I roll my eyes at her and then I loosen her twig like arm from around my wrist. “Oh let me guess you’re going out with that loser Ryan again, aren’t you?” I frown at her use of words.
“Ryan isn’t a loser,” Rachel releases a puff of air from her mouth in disgust. “So I was right, it is him?” I shake my head at her.
“No it isn’t him,” Rachel’s eyes bolt from her head at my vague answers.
“Then who is he?” She snaps. I laugh at her urgency and then I think of him. Dalton is the most gorgeous guy that I have ever seen and I cannot believe that I have agreed to go out with him. He is so far out of my league that our incompatibility reaches to the moon and back. He is perfect in every way possible and here I am plain, boring Rose, who works a dead beat job at Subway. He drives a Porsche, so he is obviously from some rich family who has just moved to town. I am sure that he has girls lining the block to date him, so how I can compete with that?
“His name is Dalton,” I finally say after a few moments of silence. Rachel’s eyes pop out of her head as takes in my words.
“Hold on, you’re going on a date with Dalton Clark?” I narrow my eyes in shock –how does she know him? I need to know more.
“Yeah, do you know him?” Rachel smiles and then she laughs.
“Well I don’t actually know him, but I have seen him and his brother… around.” I take a seat onto the toilet as I take in her words.
“He has a brother?”
“Yeah, I think he is called Nicholas. I’m pretty sure that they have just moved to town. Every girl is swooning over them, and here you are going out on a date with the hottest brother. How did you meet him, anyways?” I gently laugh at Rachel’s words and then I run my fingers nervously through my hair, as I begin to tell her about my first meeting with Dalton.
“I met him at Wal-Mart, he rescued me from a puddle and then my truck wouldn’t start, so he gave me a ride home.” Rachel shakes her head at my explanation.
“How can you bag a guy like Dalton, without even trying?” I press my lips together and then I rise from the toilet seat, as I feel that this conversation is over. I push open the door and I step out into the narrow hallway. I clasp my hand on my forehead as I begin to panic about tonight. I rush towards my room and I franticly rummage through my clothes. I select a red checked shirt and my comfiest jeans. I quickly change into my outfit and then I run the flatiron through my hair. I slip on my converses and then I through myself down onto my bed. How I am going to survive tonight and my heart is crippled by the thought of seeing him again.
The hours slowly pass by and now it’s five o’ clock. I sit nervously at the small kitchen table as I chew on an apple. My knees are shaking and I am dreading the moment, that I tell my uncle I have a date. Uncle George has really looked out for me since my parents died and I feel that he sees me as more than just his niece. My dad and Uncle George were brothers and very close brothers at that. They spent almost every day together –working at AL’s garage. George was devastated when my dad died and I feel that he holds onto me, as the final piece of his brother. He welcomed me into his family, with open arms and he has treated me with nothing but love and respect ever since I got here. I don’t have very many memories of my parents, so George would sit me down at least once a week and he would tell me about them. He would show me pictures and videos of their wedding day, honeymoon photos and even pictures of when I was born. My mom was the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen, and my dad was adorable. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes, just like mine and George says that I have so much of him in me, that it scares him sometimes. He said I have the same smile and the same personality and I feel that he sees me as the next best thing to having his brother back. Knowing this, I try to be the best that I can be for him, as I don’t want to hurt him any more than he already is. I would hate to ruin our relationship, by making a decision that I know he would hate. I don’t want him to be disappointed with me, so I am dreading telling him about Dalton.
“Hey bugs,” George says as he rushes into the kitchen. I place my half eaten apple down onto the table and I turn to face him. He is just home from work and he is still in his oily overalls. I nervously tap my foot against the wooden floor and my uncle notices my anxiety and he quickly questions me on why I am so nervous. “Is everything, okay?” He says as he marches over and takes the seat next to me. The chair creaks loudly as he sits and I watch him as he glugs down a beer. My heart is racing and my face is flushing hot –I need to just tell him and get it over with.
“I have a date, tonight.” I say in one long syllable. My uncle places his beer down onto the table and he cocks his head to one side as considers my confession.
“I see and who is this date with?” I clear my throat as I choke out his name. “Dalton…you met him last night, remember?” George shakes his head and then he reaches out grabs my hand.
“That yahoo from last night,” I frown at my uncle’s choice of words. “Don’t be like that, he seems… nice.” My uncle scowls and then he nods his head.
“Rose, you know that I see you as my own. I’m just looking out for you and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I really appreciate you looking out for me, but it’s one date. I promise that I won’t stay out too late and I will even call and reassure you that I am fine, okay?” George smiles and then he leans over and rubs the top of my head.
“You are good girl, bugs.”
Three
The night sky is glooming dark and its five minutes to seven. My heart is gently racing as I hear a car pull up outside of our house. Rachel rushes to the front window and she is rudely staring at Dalton, as he quickly jumps out of his car. I have a sneaky look at him and then I rush to the front door, when I hear the doorbell. I pull open the heavy, oak door and Dalton is standing on the doorstep. He smiles at me as he runs his fingers through his hair. I smile back at him and my heart flips as he raises a dark eyebrow at me. The first thing that I noticed about his appearance was his eyes; they are a deep shade of blue and not the scary red from before. He is dressed in dark blue jeans, a black shirt and a leather jacket. He is massive
ly tall and I feel like a dwarf standing at my five foot five inches. He looks down at me and he places his hands into his pockets as he takes in my looks. His eyes are scanning my body and my face is heating up from his constant glaring. His lips are white and they are gently quivering. I clear my throat and take a deep breath as I say hello.
“Hi,” I choke out. Dalton smiles and gently nods his head as he moves a little closer to me.
“Are you ready?” He asks in a smooth voice. I hold up my finger to him as I signal that I need a minute. He smiles at me and then he nods again in agreement. I rush into the hallway and I grab my jacket from the coat stand. I slip the jacket across my shoulders and when I turn around to face the door, I see that Rachel is standing in the doorway, talking freely to Dalton. I begin to walk over to them, when I hear my uncle shout on me from the living room. I sigh as I march into the lounge. My uncle is sitting in his favourite grey chair, by the window, with the remote in one hand and a beer in the other. My aunt Jen is lounging on the beat up sofa and she is casually reading the latest people magazine.
“Bugs, please be careful tonight and don’t let that yahoo take advantage of you.” I blush at my uncle’s words and then I hang my head as I agree.
“Okay,” I say in a quiet tone. Jen throws her magazine onto the sofa, as she stands and walks over to me. Jen is a very attractive woman, she has soft blonde hair and bright blue eyes and it’s easy to see where Rachel gets her looks from. Jen is always dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, but she can really rock those threads. She smiles at me, as she reaches out and places her hands onto my elbows.
Forever Yours (#1) Page 2