by Lana Davison
Just as well I wore this outfit, as I was really nervous about meeting my unofficial date and the clothes had instantly boosted my confidence. I walked down the street in my high heel boots, crossing the road and then waiting for the lights to change. I looked at my watch and noticed I was slightly late, fashionably late, I guess.
As I entered the bar I searched the room and found Daniel at the bar talking to two guys. I could tell which of them Daniel’s new boyfriend was, but the other guy had his back to me. As I approached. Daniel stood up to meet me and leaned forward to hug me, whispering in my ear, “You look amazing. Stunning.” He kissed me on the cheek.
“Hi,” I said, looking at Daniel’s boyfriend.
“Hi, I’m Steve.”
“Yes, I’ve heard all about you, Steve. All good, of course.”
“I should hope so,” Steve said, smirking.
I turned to face my unofficial date. Oh my word! He was gorgeous, with light brown, almost blonde, hair, slightly long fringe, a goatee, beautiful blue eyes and a smile to die for. They just don’t make men like this anymore. He was that good looking he was able to grunge himself up to give himself an edginess, to distract from his pretty boy look, giving him an all together unconventional, strong, hard unrefined appeal. Daniel was absolutely right, my unofficial match was certainly right up my alley. I hoped he had an equally good personality.
“Hi, I’m Jen Redman.” I grinned like a cat that caught the mouse.
“Hi, Jen Redman. I’m Sean Gallow.”
“Well, nice to meet you, Sean Gallow.”
“Likewise,” he said, getting up from his stool and gesturing for me to sit there. I sat down and saw Sean look over my head straight at Daniel and wink as if to say he approved.
“What can I get you, Jen?”
I scanned the bar. “Oh, I’ll have a Corona thanks.”
“Daniel told me you write for The Times New York.”
“Yes I do. And what is it that you do, Sean?”
“I’m an architect. I work in the same building as Daniel but we work for different companies and on different floors. In fact I’ve worked on two projects with him so far. We work well together. He’s a real laugh. Architects and Interior Designers work together a lot these days.”
I nodded, listening to his voice. He was lovely and I was really happy. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about Johnny. He entered my thoughts straight away, comparing the two men. Of course Johnny won, as he always would. He was my first love and that would never change. That was easy for me to say, given I had only known Sean for only a few minutes.
“So why haven’t I seen you with Daniel? He said you are always doing things together. He described you as his best friend and muse.”
“His muse? He has never told me that.”
“Oh yes. After all, he is a designer and a designer is an artist and an artist needs inspiration from somewhere.”
I squinted and made a silly face. “Well, I can’t see how.”
“I can,” Sean complimented.
“Thanks,” I said, breathing through a smile. Why did I always find it so hard to accept compliments?
The evening passed quickly. Sean and I were left at the bar at midnight when Daniel and Steve decided to leave. We realized we hadn’t eaten much and went for a late night meal in a Tex Mex restaurant. The night flowed perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for a better date and in some ways I didn’t want it to end. I listened to Sean’s stories and he listened to mine, although mine were never as interesting as his. I didn’t talk about Johnny. If I hadn’t bothered to tell Daniel about my past with Johnny, then I wasn’t about to tell Sean. Besides, I didn’t want to be thinking about Johnny when for the first time in a long time I had met someone who so far had ticked all my boxes. Perhaps I would get a second chance at love; maybe it was still too early to say.
As the clock ticked, we had talked all night, into the early hours of the following day. Sean had grown up in New York, living in Manhattan. He went to a private school and had two older brothers, David and Nicholas. They also lived in New York, as did his father but his mum had passed away. For holidays the family went on road trips or visited a new state somewhere in the USA. He had traveled plenty within the States but only a little abroad; once to England and once to France. He was much more traveled than me. I immediately thought of Johnny, comparing his travel to mine and then with Sean’s. Johnny and I had started out the same but ended very differently.
I told Sean my life history in brief detail, about growing up in Rushton and leaving after the house fire and the death of my mother. He was shocked, but to me it was a long time ago and it had never affected me the way the death of a parent should, but that’s because I was never close to my mother. I never told Sean about my parents’ drinking, nor much more about my life before New York. Instead I focused on what I’d been up to since I moved and how my career had developed into the job I had always wanted.
As the morning sunlight appeared we decided it was time to go home. I gave Sean my phone number in the cab ride on the way home.
I was very happy. Happy that I had met someone so kind, interesting and who I was physically attracted to. More importantly, Sean would be a good contender to take the place of Johnny and I needed that. Especially as Johnny had replaced me so easily.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“I would love to have dinner with you,” I said, talking to Sean on the phone. I was still in my pajamas, having slept in after my late night.
“Have you been to Olive?”
“No, but I’ve read the reviews.”
“Good reviews?”
“Oh, yes”
“OK. I’ll see you in a bit then.”
“See you soon,” I said putting the receiver down.
I got into the shower to help me wake up and went for a 6km run in Central Park. As I ran, I looked at my surroundings and felt the trees were more beautiful today, as if the sun shone perfectly onto their surface, making nature more picturesque than usual. When I got home I had another shower, this time washing my hair deep into the scalp to get the sweat out. I felt fantastic, refreshed and ready to meet Sean at Olive restaurant for an early dinner.
Olive restaurant had become the new ‘in’ place to dine in New York. It was very hard to get a booking and it thrilled me that Sean had managed to get one for us and at such short notice. The restaurant was all the rage offering a fusion cuisine. It was situated in a big old house on a street with both businesses and residential homes and had a substantial outdoor seating area too. I know this because I recently read a review giving the place five stars. I dressed in some smart beige linen trousers with a fitted camisole tank and took a light weight casual denim jacket just in case I needed an extra layer. The sun was still out and the forecast predicted it would continue to be sunny all day. I took my Jackie Onassis sunglasses and propped them on my head using them as a hair band to keep my hair back while inside.
*****
Johnny and Eliza sat at the exclusive private party room at Olive, but there was no party going on; it was just the two of them. They had decided to go out on this beautiful Saturday afternoon and enjoy an experience at the new exclusive restaurant. Johnny preferred to be away from the public, away from prying eyes of onlookers ready to take a photo of him. Eliza, through association, had become a target too. That’s why he had his assistant check if Olive had a private dining room for hire. Money did not matter, anonymity did.
The bar overlooked the courtyard with all its tables and chairs, with hanging fairy lights in a modern, almost maintenance free, garden with trimmed rounded topiary bay laurel trees and flowers in pots and planters dotted around. Each table had a single rose in a long stem vase and a candle to light when the sun went down. Johnny stood by the large private room window holding his cool beer in one hand and leaned on the window frame with the other and sighed. It would have been nice to sit out there, but with fame comes certain problems and to really enjoy his afternoon he
had to stay away from people who might want to take his photograph. It’s just the way it was, it came with the territory.
Eliza came to join him, putting her lean arms around his body. “A penny for your thoughts?”
“Oh, I’m just looking at the seating and thinking it would be nice to sit outside.”
“Well, let’s sit outside, then.”
“No, I’m happy to sit in here,” he said, opening the window to allow some summer fresh air into the room. “It’s a beautiful day. We can sit here by the window.”
They perched on the leather sofa next to the window and cuddled up, with Johnny’s arm around Eliza’s shoulder and Eliza leaning into Johnny’s chest. She didn’t fit perfectly into his side, but she fit well enough. In fact there was only one person that fit perfectly into his side…. He had to stop himself thinking about her. Time to move on, he reminded himself.
*****
Sean opened the front door to the restaurant for me and walked in behind me. Our waiter walked us to a table outside where we could sit down and enjoy the afternoon sun. I chose to sit with my back facing the building and put my sunglasses over my eyes to stop myself from squinting. We talked casually and laughed a little before ordering a bottle of crisp white pinot grigio, and some tapas as a starter.
“You know, Jen, I have to say I’m really surprised how well we get on. I don’t feel lost for words with you. I feel I can be myself without being judged.”
“I feel the same way too,” I said flicking one side of my hair over my ears. “Sean, I’ve been on my own for a few years. I’ve had my heart broken before and I have found it hard to allow anyone in. But with you it’s easy, I’m not thinking about holding back or putting barriers up. I feel very comfortable with you.”
He gave me a beaming smile, “Well I’ve also been in love, but the relationship ended amicably. We were too young to know what we wanted from each other and eventually we grew apart. I’ve been concentrating on my career for the last three years. Sure, I’ve gone out with women and I’ve had a few girlfriends here and there, but nothing to write home about.”
I listened intently and wondered if perhaps I had been looking at my relationship with Johnny completely wrong. I mean, we were young too when we fell in love. Maybe Johnny grew apart from me and maybe he thought I would grow apart from him too. Well it’s taken me a long time but I’m sure as hell going to try and give love another go.
Sean moved his chair next to mine so he was sitting directly next to me instead of across the table. He took my right hand into his left and held it there while he poured us both a glass of wine. I looked up at him and giggled like a schoolgirl. It had been a long time since anyone had made me feel that way.
We sat holding hands for a moment, sipping on wine and grinning like silly teenagers. It was as though we had decided to give our relationship a go, without having to say the words, ‘let’s go out’.
“Jen, how old are you?”
“I’m twenty-five. How old are you?”
“Twenty-eight. Tell me more about yourself. I want to know everything.”
“Well I’ve told you a little bit already. You know I’m from Rushton. You know my mum passed away and I moved to Pittsburgh.”
“Now you have to fill in the gaps.”
I took another sip, “There’s not much to say. Besides you tell me some more about you.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything… Tell me why you split up with your first girlfriend.”
“There’s nothing in it. We just grew apart. She’s a photographer in LA I think. Well, that’s what I last heard. We don’t keep in contact anymore. What about this guy that broke your heart?”
“Oh you know, the typical girl meets guy falls in love, then they break up because one feels differently towards the other. He changed and I didn’t.”
“So he broke it off with you?”
“Yes, but he didn’t exactly break it off. He just left and decided not to call me any more. The worst thing about it all was when my mum died and I had to move, he didn’t even bother to call me to see how I was. He really let me down, big time. I expected more from him. I thought we had something very special and I was sure we both felt it; I never thought for one second it was all one-sided.”
“That guy is a fool. Who would ever break up with you?”
I breathed and smiled at the same time, briefly thinking back to those days before snapping out of it. “Sean, I’m just going to go to the bathroom before our food comes. I won’t be a minute,” I said getting up and walking away. I felt Sean’s eyes on me and grinned to myself, hoping he liked what he saw. Sean might just be the very thing I need, my very own saving Grace from Johnny.
*****
“Thank you, the meal was lovely,” Johnny told the waiter as he collected the plates from the table.
“I’m glad you liked it. I’ll send the chef your compliments.”
“Yes please do,” Johnny said, getting up from his chair and looking back out the window. He looked at the people eating and drinking outside and thought next time he ventured to this restaurant he would definitely sit outside and to hell with the anonymity. Sometimes you just have to suck it up. Sometimes he wanted to be away from people and other times he didn’t mind the crowds. He sighed and thought it would have been nicer if they had sat outside, he should have asked for a corner table with an umbrella to shield away prying eyes. Next time. He would do that next time. “Lize, I’ll just go to the bathroom before we leave,” he said using his pet name for her and kissing her quickly on the forehead.
Johnny walked into the gents, shutting the door behind him just as Jen walked out of the of the ladies toilets. She walked down the stairs and back to her table, where Sean sat with his arm rested around her chair, happily waiting.
CHAPTER THIRTY
I unwrapped the gift and kissed Sean on the lips. “Thank you, you shouldn’t have.”
“Nothing is too good for my girl,” he said patting me gently on the bottom.
I laughed and kissed him again. “You are too good to me.”
“Six months together is pretty good going. Why not celebrate with a gift? If I want to buy you a necklace, then let me.”
“I really love it,” I said, lifting the one carat diamond pendant up into my hands. “Can you put it on?” I handed Sean the necklace and removed the smaller diamond pendant Johnny had given me almost ten years ago. I stared at it for a moment telling myself it was a good time to put this necklace to rest. I wondered why I had continued to wear it after all these years and I knew the answer was because I still loved Johnny and always would. I loved the Johnny I grew up with, the guy that loved and cared for me, the man that told me I was the one. Not the new, selfish Johnny that didn’t seem to care about anyone else other than himself and the people he mixed with, the people that belonged to that world, a world of fame and fortune, one that he didn’t feel I would fit into. I told myself Sean was the guy for me. Not Johnny.
“What do you want to do tonight?” Sean asked, putting my new necklace on.
“Let’s stay in and get some take out.”
“What do you feel like eating?”
“I could really eat some Thai food. How about some Pad Thai? That’s what I feel like.”
“Well let me run you a bath and I’ll go and get some Pad Thai then.”
“Could you be any more perfect?” I said, kissing him hard on the lips again.
Sean ran me a bath and ordered me to go in and relax.
“Come on then. Let’s have your clothes,” he said, cheekily.
“Is this your way of getting me to undress?”
“No. But I intend to do this more often just so I can watch you get undressed.”
I smiled untying my fitted navy blue wrap dress. I took my plain cotton camisole off and stood in my matching bra and pants with goose bumps from the slight chill in the bathroom.
“Off with those, too.”
I slipped out o
f my under-garments and handed them to Sean as he sat next to the bath tub. I put one foot in and felt the warmth and slowly lowered my body.
“Right. Your orders are to relax. I’ll be back with some food shortly.” He bent over to kiss me, dropping my clothes in the washing basket on the way out. “Love you.”
There was silence. This was the first time he had ever said those words to me. Sure we had been intimate, but we had never said the words, ‘I love you’ to each other. I thought of Johnny yet again! Why does he still pop into my head?
I lay in the bath and listened to the bubbles in the water gently popping.
The door opened and I woke up, realizing I must have dozed off. “Are you still in there?” Sean shouted.
“I am. I fell asleep for a bit.”
“Wait there. I’m coming in and I’ll bring the food.”
Sean undressed showing me his manly body, shaped and firm from working out in the gym in his office building. He ran and lifted weights four times a week in his lunch hour and he looked good for it. I was a very lucky girl to have such a desirable, naked man in the bath with me.
He pushed his legs to one side of the bath while mine relaxed on the other. He lent over, collected our Pad Thai cardboard containers and some chopsticks, passing mine over to me.
“What a great way to spend our six month anniversary,” I beamed. “I couldn’t be more happy.”
“You can make it up to me after dinner,” he winked, looking from my naked chest to my face.
“Oh so that’s the deal,” I winked back. “Happy to oblige.”
After we had eaten I got onto my knees and knelt over Sean to get to the taps. “We need some more warm water,” I said, looking at my finger tips and noticing how prune-looking they were. Still on my knees in front of him, Sean put his hands on my hips and looked up at my breasts and then to my face and gently moved my hips closer to his chest so that he could kiss my navel.