Drowning In Love

by Beth Rinyu

  My mom, my sister Tressa, and I were super close. My mom and dad divorced when I was four years old. Tressa and I did the every other weekend thing with him for about three months, until we started cramping his style with his girlfriend. Soon, those every-other-weekend visits dwindled down to once a month, then four times a year, then never. He moved to California with his girlfriend and married her. Last I had heard, he was divorced once again and on wife number three. He never paid my mother a dime in child support, causing her to have to work two jobs to support us. Tressa and I didn’t have much growing up, but we had lots of love. As long as we had each other, the three of us were happy.

  My sister was two years older than I was. She was married to a great guy, had an adorable three-year-old little girl who was spoiled immensely by her aunt, and another baby on the way. She and my mother lived about an hour away from me in New Jersey. There were so many times in the past year that I had contemplated packing it in and moving closer to them, but I loved my job in the city and I just wasn’t ready to leave my apartment. In a weird way, I felt like Eric was still around as long as I was here.

  “Okay, Mom, I will give you a call later this week. Give Gary my love.” Gary was my mom’s husband; they married several years ago. He was a great guy and I was so happy when my mother found him. If anyone deserved happiness, it was her. He took such good care of her and I took comfort in that. I hung up the phone and quickly finished dressing for work. Even though I knew my feet would be killing me, I decided on my strappy sandals with my black sleeveless dress. They went together perfectly, so I would just have to sacrifice comfort for style. I threw my flip-flops in my bag - just in case.

  Thankfully, I was able to hail down a taxi with ease and be on my way to the salon. “Wow, who’s this movie star that just entered the building?” Juan joked. He was no doubt referring to the way that I was dressed and the fact that I had spent extra time doing my hair and makeup. I figured if I was going to feel awful all day on the inside, I might as well look good on the outside. I felt like a mess, since it was a hot and humid July day and I was afraid that all of my hard work on my hair got beat up by the humidity. I quickly looked in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised that it hadn’t. I got to work right away on my first client. I was so busy all morning that before I knew it, it was already 1 p.m. I had a whole twenty minutes before my client’s color was done processing; since I was starving, I decided to go back to the break room and eat my lunch.

  I kicked off my shoes, opened up the magazine on the table, and began to eat my salad. I was thoroughly engrossed in one of the latest gossip articles when I looked up to see Juan standing over top of me.

  “Oh my God, Mia, that hot guy from the other day is here asking for you!” I looked up from my salad at Juan, completely clueless.

  “Who?”

  “You remember, the one that you maimed. Mrs. Montgomery’s grandson – the swimmer.” I had filled Juan in that day on the way home from Mrs. Montgomery’s about her grandson. I made sure that I had included just how sexy he looked in that form-fitting tee-shirt that he was wearing. I could practically hear him drooling over the phone.

  I rolled my eyes. What the heck was he doing here? “Oh, jeez, Juan, you didn’t tell him I was here, did you?”

  “Well, duh, of course I did!” He grabbed my hand and pulled me up from my seat. He handed me a piece of gum and ran his hand through my hair, unable to resist fluffing it out a bit.

  I slapped his hand, stuck the piece of gum in my mouth, and reluctantly walked up to the desk.

  He was handsome, no doubt about it. He was dressed in another perfectly tailored suit. I did my best not to look obvious as I checked him out.

  “Hey, are you here for a matching cut on the other side of your neck?” I joked, trying to hide my nerves.

  His grin was a mile wide, exposing his perfect teeth. “Oh, no thanks. I’m all set with that. I actually just came to see you, and to see if you wanted to go out to dinner one night this week. Think of it as a thank you for giving up your Sunday mornings to help out my grandmother.”

  Juan walked over to the desk, pretending to be engrossed by something on the computer and clearing his throat loudly.

  “That’s really not necessary.” I did my best to ignore Juan kicking me under the desk.

  “I know it’s not necessary, but I want to. Besides it will allow me to alleviate some of my guilt for acting like such a jerk toward you the other day.”

  I was silent for a brief moment. “When were you thinking?” What am I thinking? I don’t want to go out with this guy! I don’t care that he’s totally gorgeous. He was a total jerk to me the other day!

  “Tomorrow night.”

  “I don’t know,” I pondered. “I have a lot going on.” He didn’t need to know that meant picking up takeout and falling asleep on the couch.

  “It’s just dinner. You need to eat, right?”

  He had a point. Dinner with him probably would be better than takeout

  “Um, sure, I guess. What time and where?”

  “Seven o’clock and I’ll pick you up. I just need your address.”

  “Oh, I could just meet you at the restaurant.”

  “No, I insist.”

  I hesitantly wrote down my address and handed him the piece of paper.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow at seven,” he said as he shoved the piece of paper in his pocket and walked out the door.

  Juan waited until he was completely out of the door before he stood up and grabbed my hand. “Girl, I got my work cut out for me. I will be doing your hair and makeup before this date tomorrow night!”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Oh my God, Juan, talk about being put on the spot. I don’t want to go out with him!”

  Juan waved his hand in front of my face. “Hello, are you crazy? That guy looks like a Greek god.”

  “Wow, I see another celebrity is coming into the salon now,” Victor, another stylist at the salon said as he made his way in the door, walking past Travis.

  “I know, isn’t it great?” Juan said gleefully.

  “Why are you so excited, Juan; you hate anything that has to do with sports,” Victor said.

  “Because our little Mia is going on a date with him tomorrow night!” Juan exclaimed.

  “Mia, you’re really going on a date with that guy? From what I’ve read on the internet, he’s a real womanizer,” Victor said with concern.

  “It’s not a date. It’s a long story,” I said, suddenly feeling my salad churning in my stomach.

  “Oh, Victor, that’s right; you weren’t here the other day for Mia’s mishap. Come in the back and I’ll tell you all about it,” Juan said as he and Victor walked off.

  What did I just get myself into? I am not ready to start dating, especially not someone of his stature. He’s not only out of my league; he’s out of my universe. I was going get my feet wet with this dating thing, all right. I just wished it wasn’t with someone who had so much experience with water.

  Chapter 5

  Travis…

  I walked out the salon and took a deep breath. Damn, she was gorgeous. I was going to have a hard time keeping my hands to myself around her. But something told me she wasn’t like any of the other girls that I had been out with. Somehow, I didn’t think that I would be getting laid after just dinner and a few drinks with her. I could tell when she looked at me that she was unfazed by who I was.

  I was finally able to flag down a taxi. I gave the driver the address of the restaurant that I needed to be at. I was trying my best to focus on the task at hand and the business luncheon that I had to be at in fifteen minutes. But every time I tried to concentrate, my thoughts kept going back to Mia and that sexy little black dress that she was wearing.

  Chapter 6

  Mia…

  Wednesday had arrived and my nerves were getting the best of me. Juan had gotten tied up with a client, so he wasn’t able to do my hair and makeup after all. He made a point of telling me seve
ral times throughout the day just how I should style it. I quickly jumped into the shower, threw a few curls in my hair, and applied my make-up as usual. I didn’t feel any need to overdo it to try and impress this guy. I wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone and I was pretty sure that he wasn’t either. I wasn’t sure where we were going for dinner and I was hoping that the black capris and black and white striped top that I was wearing weren’t too casual.

  I buzzed him in and took a deep breath when I heard the knock at my door. The butterflies that were flapping around all day in my stomach erupted as I opened the door. Boy, was he good looking. Too good looking. The kind of good looking that immediately led my mind to believe those stories I saw on the internet last night. At the time, I scolded myself for reading them; now, it just made me curious.

  I was glad to see that he was dressed casually as well in khaki pants and an olive color polo shirt that made his hazel eyes look green. I was finding myself being very self-conscious in his company as he entered my apartment. I definitely wasn’t the type of supermodel girl that he was used to dating and I’m sure my tiny apartment paled in comparison to his.

  I noticed him checking me out from head to toe and felt a little awkward. “Are you ready?” I asked.

  “Um, yeah,” he finally answered, breaking himself from his trance.

  We took the short walk to the Italian restaurant that was just a few blocks up the street from me. It was a beautiful, humidity-free, July night. I had never been one that had trouble making conversation – apparently, not even around a gorgeous Olympic superstar. By the time we reached the restaurant, I realized that I had been talking non-stop.

  We stopped just before entering. “I’m sorry; I just realized that I was rambling. You could have just told me to shut up.”

  He smiled and I couldn’t help but notice the deep dimple on his left cheek. “No, that’s okay. I enjoyed listening to you.”

  We entered the restaurant and the hostess took us over to a small intimate table that was out of the way. “Have you ever eaten here?” he asked.

  “No. I always wanted to try it, though.”

  “Me neither, and me too.” He smiled.

  The waitress came over and took our order. While we waited for our dinner, we sipped on wine as he gave me a little insight about himself. I knew that he came from money, just from knowing who his grandmother was. I found out that he was twenty-eight years old, grew up in Connecticut, had a place in the city, and his family had a vacation home in Vermont. Besides swimming, he loved to ski and snowboard.

  “Isn’t it hard doing all of that training and living your life in the public eye?” I asked, taking another sip of wine.

  “You get used to it. After a while you just become numb to both.”

  “Hmm, I guess. I sure wouldn’t want anyone being able to type my name in a search engine and see my whole life story.” Oops, I said too much.

  He smiled and my stomach fluttered. “I see you’ve been doing your research.”

  I felt myself blushing just a little. “Well, I had to make sure that I wasn’t going out with an axe murderer,” I joked.

  “Well, seeing how you were the one that almost cut my jugular vein, maybe I should have been the one doing the research on you.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was his adorable dimple when he smiled or the wine that was making me feel very hot, but by now, I was burning up. “Very funny,” I said as I rolled my eyes at him, unable to hide my smile.

  “So since you know a little about me, tell me something about yourself,” he asked just as the waitress placed our food on the table.

  I looked down at my plate of pasta primavera, not knowing what to say. I hardly knew this guy and I didn’t feel comfortable divulging anything personal to him, especially not the living hell my life had been this past year. “Not much to tell,” I said as I moved my food around on my plate.

  “Oh, come on, that’s not fair. You learned everything that you wanted to know about me with a click of the mouse and I don’t get to hear anything about you.”

  I looked up at him. Despite everything that I had read about him, he didn’t seem like that cool, callous womanizer that all of the gossip websites portrayed him as. There was something in his eyes that made me believe that maybe there was more to him deep down inside. I took another sip of wine and took a deep breath. “Well, I’m twenty-seven, I’ve worked at the salon for the past three years, and that’s really all there is to tell.”

  “Oh, I think there may be more to you than that.”

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Are you seeing anyone?”

  I shook my head.

  “So, how come a beautiful girl like you doesn’t have a boyfriend?”

  I looked down quickly, trying to contain the tears that were beginning to burn my eyes. He must have sensed my anguish. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

  I looked back up. I knew my eyes were filled with tears and it was obvious that he had seen it also as he looked at me sympathetically. “No, it’s okay. I had a boyfriend; well actually, a fiancée.” I looked away briefly before biting my lip. “And he,” I paused. “He died.” I was finally able to get the words out.

  “Oh God, I’m such an idiot for asking you that. I’m so sorry,” he said.

  “That’s okay, you didn’t know.” There was an awkward silence, making me feel compelled to continue. “Eric was a police officer. He got called to a robbery in progress and, well…” I couldn’t finish.

  “I’m really sorry. When did it happen?”

  “He died a year ago yesterday.” I looked up at him sadly.

  He looked as if he was gathering his thoughts, trying to think of something to comfort me.

  “I’m slowly getting over it,” I said, trying to put his mind at ease.

  He nodded. “So how’s your dinner?” he asked.

  I twirled the angel hair around my fork and took a bite. “Really good,” I said, grateful for the change of subject.

  He smiled and I felt the pain from just seconds ago washing away.

  The rest of our dinner was filled with happy conversation. I found myself laughing a lot more than I had this past year. Strangely, I was completely at ease with him. Of course, the four glasses of wine might have had something to do with it. By the time the check came, I was feeling a little dizzy; I was a lightweight when it came to drinking and had completely overdone it. I got up from the table and tried my best to balance my shaky legs.

  “Are you okay?” Travis asked.

  “Yeah, usually one glass of wine is my quota.”

  He began to chuckle. “Oh, a girl who can’t handle her alcohol.”

  “I haven’t gotten that bad yet, have I?” I grinned.

  He grabbed my arm and guided me through the maze of tables. As we made our exit, I noticed a few people looking up from their meals, probably recognizing who he was. I imagined the headlines on the internet: Travis Montgomery with His Cheap Drunken Date.

  We took the short walk back to my apartment and stopped at the front porch of my apartment building. “Well, thank you very much for dinner and –” I stopped for a second when I felt the light headiness taking over and my dinner churning in my stomach. I did my best to try and contain it, but it was of no use. The pasta primavera that was just my dinner a short time ago was resurfacing along with the four glasses of wine that I shouldn’t have drunk. As hard as I tried to contain it, I knew that it wasn’t possible. I hung my head over the railing of my porch and let it all come out – not exactly a glamorous moment. He held my hair back for me until I finished. I was embarrassed to lift my head and face him again.

  “Umm, you can just go,” I said with my head still hanging over the railing.

  “No, it’s okay,” he said in a very caring tone.

  I finally lifted my head. “Oh my God, this is so embarrassing.”

  “It’s okay; I’ve been there before.”

  My head was pounding; I felt like such an id
iot. I knew I couldn’t handle more than one glass of wine, so why did I have to push it? He grasped my elbow and helped me walk up the stairs and into my apartment. I sat down on the couch and rubbed my temples.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said.

  “What’s there to be sorry about? It’s not a big deal.” He must have sensed that I had a pounding headache by the way I was rubbing my head.

  “Did you need me to get you some aspirin before I go?”

  I nodded and pointed to which cabinet it was in. He walked over to the couch with two aspirins and a glass of water.

  He sat down next to me. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

  “Well, I had a lot of fun tonight.”

  I began to giggle, even though my head felt like it was going to explode. “Well, I guess I gave you something to always remember it by.”

  He got up from the couch. I started to get up to walk him to the door. “No; don’t get up. I can see my way out.” I didn’t listen – I figured that was the least I could do after the way that I had ended the night.

  “Thanks so much for dinner. It was really good, even if I did…” I couldn’t finish. I covered my face with my hands. “I can’t believe I did that. I’m such an idiot.”

  “Well, I don’t think you did it on purpose, so quit worrying about it.”

  He was halfway out the door when he turned and asked, “Hey, can I get your phone number?”

  I was a little taken aback; I thought that after what had just happened, he would be running for the hills. “Um, yeah, sure.” I gave him my number as he programmed it into his phone.

  “Great, thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” I stood there, shocked, as I watched him walk away.

  I closed the door behind me and flopped down onto the couch. I took my ringing cell phone from the coffee table and answered it when I saw that it was Juan.

  “Yes, Juan?” I answered, rubbing my temples.

  “Well, how did it go?”

  “It went great until – I puked my guts up right in front of him,” I moaned.