by Young, M. L.
There were so many choices, as was the usual situation at Mexican restaurants, and I couldn’t decide what I wanted. Tyler said he was going to go with the carnitas burrito, which according to the menu was smothered in a creamy cheese sauce, but that seemed a little heavy to me. Nicolette told me to never get some crazy meal you’d get with your girlfriends when you’re on a date—especially a first date. It doesn’t bode well for the rest of the night, especially if you eat a little too much.
“Hola, my name is Carmen and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. May I start you off with a Margarita or appetizer?” Carmen asked.
“I’ll just have a beer. Whatever you have on special today,” Tyler said.
“I’ll take a Margarita, please,” I said, as I strayed from my usual choice of water.
“Great, that sounds good. I’ll have someone bring you some chips and salsa,” Carmen said with a smile, before walking away.
“So, have you ever been here before?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s great. The food is awesome. You get a lot of it for a really reasonable price. I love it,” Tyler said.
A busboy came and dropped off some chips and salsa. The place seemed to fill up even more with each passing minute. Who knew cheap Mexican food was so popular with people my age?
Carmen brought our drinks and I took a sip of mine before puckering and feeling it go down. Tyler laughed a little as my eyes welled up and I used my napkin to prevent anything from smearing my makeup. I’d worked too hard making it nice to have a cheap Margarita ruin it.
As we sat there, I was facing the door and casually watching new people come in and out as Tyler told me all about his schooling and how he was going for engineering. I nodded between taking sips of my Margarita, as nothing he said really did that much for me. Still, though, I kept it polite and didn’t try to make him feel bad.
While I watched the door, however, the crowd parted like the Red Sea as two people came in. With my glass to my lips and the salt against my tongue, I almost choked on my drink as I saw Blake walk in with a girl.
My mind started to race as I tried to understand what I was seeing. Was I even seeing it at all? Maybe it was a trick my mind was playing on me. After all, I was thinking about him earlier. It could just be somebody who looked fairly similar to him and my mind was just making him the same person. Yeah, that must be it. I must be losing it.
“Oh wow, I can’t believe he’s here,” Tyler said, as he turned around to see what the commotion was about.
“What?” I asked, my focus broken.
“Blake Hunter. That’s him, he just walked in. He’s the CEO of—”
“I know who he is,” I said, interrupting him.
“You wouldn’t think he’d come to a place like this,” Tyler said.
“Yeah, you wouldn’t think that. I wonder why he’s here,” I said.
Blake didn’t even recognize me as I stared at him without even so much as breaking my stare. The hostess seated him and his date a little bit away from us. I almost wanted him to see me over here with Tyler. Sure, Tyler couldn’t hold a candle to Blake, but the fact that I was here with another man should make him jealous—and that was exactly what I wanted.
“So, tell me about your school,” Tyler said.
I kept staring at Blake from across the room as I took another sip of my drink and started to feel its effects. He must’ve known I was coming here tonight. How, though? Did he hack my phone? Did he put something on it when I was asleep at his place one night? There was no way he’d just showed up here. He was too rich to be coming to a place like this.
“Penelope,” Tyler said, as he nudged me.
“Huh? What?” I asked.
“I asked about your schooling. You’re almost done, right? Computer science?” Tyler asked.
“Oh, yeah, I’m graduating at the end of this semester. It’s a tough program, but it’s something I’ve always been into,” I said.
“I think it’s great to have women in tech fields like that. It’s so male-dominated,” Tyler said.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of testosterone flying around,” I said.
I could barely keep my focus on Tyler and his questions as I kept looking over towards Blake. It was really bugging me that he was here. Sure, he looked good, even if his date looked like a bitch, but why was he here? I wanted to just go up to him and confront him, but I knew that wouldn’t look good. I’d look clingy then, though I guess he was the one who’d been texting and calling me, not the other way around.
“Have you guys decided what you’re having?” Carmen asked, as both of our menus were closed on the side of the table.
“Yes, I’ll have the Big Boy Carnitas Burrito,” Tyler said.
“Okay, and for you?” Carmen asked.
“I’ll have the regular guacamole burrito with veggies,” I said.
“Great choice. Our guac is legendary,” she said, before grabbing our menus and walking away.
“So, how long have you been single?” Tyler asked.
“Excuse me?” I asked, as my concentration went back to him.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just wondering how long you had, you know, been single. It was a stupid question,” he said, looking down.
“No, you’re fine,” I said, as I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder.
“Sometimes I say stupid things when I like someone,” he said.
“To answer your question, it hasn’t been all that long, I think. It’s complicated,” I said.
“I understand that. My last relationship was sort of like that too,” he said, before starting off on another tangent.
I looked over towards Blake as Tyler talked and as my eyes found him once again, I felt a knot in my stomach. There he was, across the room, his eyes locked on mine, and I knew he’d seen me. I didn’t know if I wanted to throw up or run. He didn’t look fazed, not even a tiny bit. I could see his date talking equally as much as mine, though he didn’t pay any attention to her, just like I didn’t pay any to Tyler.
He took a sip of his water and we both couldn’t seem to look away. Well, I couldn’t seem to look away, but I didn’t know his story. Did he notice I was on a date with Tyler? Did it bother him?
“And anyway, that’s how I made the Dean’s List,” Tyler said, catching my attention.
“That’s awesome, Tyler. I’ve always wanted to myself,” I said politely, before putting my hand on his and laughing a little.
I hoped Blake was squirming as he saw me with another man. I wanted to look over, but I knew it would be too obvious. He’d see right through me just like he saw through everyone and he’d know I was just trying to make him jealous. I needed him not to think that. I needed him to think I was genuinely having a great time out with a new guy.
“So, have you ever done anything crazy?” I asked.
“Well, one time I went bungee jumping,” Tyler said.
“Bungee jumping! That’s great!” I said, laughing, overdoing my performance.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun,” Tyler said, with a smile.
“You’re great, Tyler,” I said, smiling.
I wanted to look back over at Blake and see how he was doing with all this. I wanted to see him look angry and walk out of this restaurant with his little bimbo, but I couldn’t seem to look over at him. I knew it’d be obvious. I needed another way.
Slyly, I dropped my fork on the floor, before looking down and pointing it out to Tyler, so it seemed more real. I bent over, picking it up, and looked upwards towards Blake when I came up so I could see how he was reacting.
He was gone. His date, still sitting there, was smiling and looking at her phone, but he wasn’t there. I looked around a little, nonchalantly, but didn’t see him anywhere. Where could he have gone?
I turned back around before taking a giant swig of my Margarita and wincing as it went down. I hated the cheap shit. After about a minute, and some whispering nearby, Blake came towards us. I froze in my
seat, unsure what to say or do, praying he wouldn’t start a scene. That didn’t seem like him, though. He was usually pretty calm, cool, and collected in bad situations.
He walked past me, not even looking down at me, though he brushed the back of his hand against my shoulder as he went. I felt shivers up and down my spine just like all the other times he’d touched me. He had a power over me that I just couldn’t seem to shake, and oh, did I wish I could.
“He’s so cool,” Tyler said, as he watched Blake walk towards the bathrooms.
“Can you excuse me for a minute? I have to use the restroom,” I said, before patting my mouth with my napkin, grabbing my purse, and getting up.
What in the hell was I doing? Was I tempting fate? I didn’t even have to use the bathroom, but I couldn’t help myself. It was like my legs were moving, but I couldn’t stop them. They had a death wish, I was sure.
“Hello, Penelope,” I heard, as I walked up to the women’s door.
I stopped in my tracks, feeling shivers up and down my spine as his deep voice resonated through my body. I turned around, slowly, as I saw him leaning against the wall in a tiny corridor that had a few ancient payphones. He looked devilishly handsome, his perfectly crafted and cut suit accenting the muscles I wished I could still touch.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“I’m sorry?” he replied.
“I know you’ve been trying to talk to me, but following me here when I’m on a date isn’t the way to do it,” I said.
“Following you? Is that what you think I’m doing?” he asked with a small laugh.
“Well, yeah, why else would you be here?” I asked in confusion, as somebody walked past me and into the restroom.
“Possibly the reason is that I too am on a date. Did you ever think about that?” he asked.
“You would never come to a place like this,” I said.
“I obviously would. I’m here now, aren’t I?” he asked.
I didn’t say a word as I tried to size him up. He didn’t look nervous or apprehensive in any way. He looked confident. It made things a lot harder.
“You know, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you,” he said, as he walked closer.
“I’ve been busy,” I said.
“Too busy to text me back? You know I’m sorry for what happened between us. You know I didn’t mean for this to happen,” he said.
“I don’t know what you do and don’t mean anymore, Blake. It isn’t black and white to me like it used to be when we were together. You changed,” I said.
“I did, and for the better. I went from a give-no-shits asshole who used people for my own gain to a person who genuinely cared for somebody for the first time in ages,” he said.
“Yeah, right,” I said, turning my head, as another person walked past us.
“It’s true, whether you want to believe me or not. You were changing me, and not in a bad way. I fucked up, I know, but sometimes you need to fuck up to see what you really have. Sometimes you need to lose something, somebody, to know what was there,” he said.
“What, is this your way of trying to get me back?” I asked.
“I don’t know, is it? What do you want from me, Penelope? What more can I do?” he asked.
I had a hard time distinguishing how sincere he was being. He was there, in front of me, spilling his guts out, at least by his standards, and I was the one pushing him away. Didn’t I want him back? I knew I did, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. We’d barely just stopped things.
He looked at me, waiting for a reply. I knew Tyler was sitting back there waiting for me. There was a great guy, super nice and caring, and happy to listen to me, sitting there with no knowledge of what was happening right now. Would I give up somebody who could turn into something nice for somebody who broke my heart?
“I don’t know,” I said, clearing my throat.
“Penelope,” he said, as he cupped my hips and pulled me closer.
“Blake,” I mumbled.
“You can’t say you’ve thrown all your feelings for me away. You like me, I like you, so why are we out with other people right now? Why can’t we go back to my place, talk a little, and sort everything out?” he asked.
“I’m here with Tyler,” I said, as I looked away.
“It feels like you’re with me right now, not some kid named Tyler,” he said, as he leaned in and whispered in my ear.
I felt the humidity of his breath against my ear and I could almost feel his lips against my pulsing neck. Why was I allowing him to do this to me right now? It was like I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t push him away. In a weird way, I wanted it, and badly.
“Blake, you know we shouldn’t be doing this,” I said.
“And why not?” he asked.
“Because,” I said.
“Tell me a good reason why and I’ll walk away right now,” he said.
“Because of what happened between us,” I said, as I struggled to get the words out.
“I said a good reason,” he whispered.
I bit my lower lip in anticipation as I almost waited for him to do something to me. Would he be so brash as to do it in a Mexican restaurant? Was he trying to get me back to his place? I didn’t know, but I didn’t think I could contain it much longer.
“Finish your date and come back to my place afterwards. I’ll have Gustav here in one hour to take you,” Blake said.
“And if I come, what am I supposed to tell him?” I asked, pointing at Tyler.
“Tell him you’re leaving to be with a real man,” Blake said, before walking away and taking out his phone, presumably to call Gustav.
Stunned, I tried to make sense of what had just happened. Was I really going there?
I pulled out my phone and went into my contacts before finding Nicolette and calling her. I knew if anybody could help me through this, it would be her. She had a no-nonsense attitude and would help me find my way through this ordeal.
“What’s up? Need me to come get you?” she asked.
“Bigger problem. Blake is here, he was here, I don’t know. He talked to me, and now he wants me to leave this guy in an hour to go over to his place. I don’t think he just wants to talk,” I said.
“Go,” she said.
“What?” I asked, in shock.
“You can execute the plan,” she said.
“What plan?” I asked.
“Playing him. Just like he did to you at first. Give him a taste of his own medicine. Get laid, get some things taken care of, and get some new clothes. I swear, your closet is like a thrift store, and not the kind with vintage couture,” she said.
“You know I can’t do that,” I said.
“And why not?” she asked.
“It’s wrong,” I said.
“More wrong than him doing it to you?” she asked.
“No, but two wrongs don’t make a right,” I said.
“Yeah, but this way you can get what you want, reveal what happened, and then get the last laugh. He’s not going to leave you over it. Especially after he did it to you first,” she said.
Did I dare even try something like that? Was it safe? My life was easier when Blake was in it, and while the job I’d just gotten wasn’t horrible, it would be nicer to not work at all and have somebody else pick up the tab. I just felt so classless doing it, though. I wasn’t that type of girl.
“God, I don’t know. I have to think about it,” I said.
“Don’t do something stupid, Penny. I’m not saying you have to fuck him, but at least talk to him in a personal setting. It’s for the best,” she said.
“I’ll call you later or text you or something. I need to get back to my table. I think my food is there,” I said.
“I won’t wait up for you,” she said.
I hung up, put my phone away in my purse, and took a deep breath before walking back to the table. Tyler was there, smiling. He hadn’t started on his food yet.
“There you are,” he said.
>
“I’m so sorry about that. It was a family emergency and I just couldn’t get away from it. I feel so bad,” I said, lying through my teeth.
“The food just came, and she said the plates were really hot, so be careful. I got you a water, too, because I know that usually with alcohol you need it. I hope that’s okay,” he said.
“That’s great, thank you,” I said, smiling.
Tyler was such a nice guy. He was sweet, caring, kind, intelligent, and a great catch…for someone else. I hated even thinking about leaving here and going out with Blake, and I was leaning towards it. I couldn’t help myself. Blake had an allure that Tyler didn’t possess. I knew I’d never be happy with him in the long run. He just didn’t have that “it” factor that drove me crazy.
We ate our food and had a good time before the check came and I insisted on paying my half. Tyler didn’t want me to, saying it wouldn’t be good etiquette since he asked me out, but I couldn’t let him pay for this food and then go off to see Blake. It wouldn’t sit right with my conscience. He eventually relented, but made me promise to let him pay the next time we went out. I didn’t say no, opting not to hurt his feelings. We got up, walked out of the building, and he hugged me goodbye. He didn’t try to kiss me, which was a good thing, and just as he walked away, a familiar face showed up.
“Good evening, Ms. Wells,” Gustav said.
“I missed you,” I said, as I got into the back of the car.
“And I you,” he replied, with a smile.
CHAPTER FOUR
Penelope
I spent the entire car ride trying to figure out what I was going to do when I got there. Was I going to play it cool and act like nothing really mattered? Was I going to spill it all out, knowing I couldn’t actually go through with Nicolette’s plan? Or was I just going to forgive him and move on?
Gustav pulled up to a familiar sight, as the garage door opened and he drove into the space. With the door shut behind him, he got out of the car and walked around to my door before opening it for me and helping me out. I had to admit that I missed Gustav more than I should have. I guess having a personal driver was a big perk to seeing a billionaire.
“Have a pleasant evening, Ms. Wells,” Gustav said, shutting my door.