Love Will Prevail

by Emma Easter

  He ran his hand through his hair and stared at the message. She wanted to meet him. This weekend. It was definitely too soon… and yet, it was not. He found that he was as eager to meet her as she seemed to meet him.

  Nick, what are you doing? You’re supposed to end this now.

  But he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He liked this woman, and he wanted to see where things took them. He still didn’t want a relationship, but he longed to see if she would be a good and willing companion, at least for now.

  Guiltily knowing that he wasn’t doing the right thing, he typed out his message, telling her that he wanted to meet her as well. She asked him where he would like their date to be and he smiled. Great. So he was going on a date with her. Their first date.

  Pick somewhere you would like to go, he typed out and sent it.

  Dinner at FRANKLY EATING was her response.

  His eyes widened as he stared at her message. She wanted their date to be at his restaurant. She didn’t know he was the co-owner of Frankly Eating. And he wanted to keep it that way. He ran his fingers through his hair, worried. Frank would probably see him on the date with her and know he hadn’t taken his advice. The last thing he needed was a fresh sermon from Frank about not leading a woman on.

  He groaned. He couldn’t ask her to change the venue of their date since he was the one who had told her to pick the place she wanted to go. He took a deep breath and told her he would see her there at eight p.m. on Friday evening.

  That will be great was her reply.

  They chatted some more, and then once again, he told her he had to log off as he had to go to work early the next day.

  After he logged off, he put his phone aside and sighed. Nick, why did you not end it?

  But he knew why. He wanted to meet this woman.

  He yawned and then shut his eyes and put aside his guilt and concerns. There was nothing wrong in getting to know someone. If he found out she wanted something more than he was willing to give, maybe they could just be friends.

  He yawned again and tried to go to sleep. But guilt flooded his mind again, driving out every trace of sleep.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lauren smiled as Trisha walked into the living room after putting Ruby to bed. She had come to Trisha’s after the welfare meeting in church. Her date with the super cute guy she’d met online was in an hour. She felt really excited, but she had to hold it in. The last thing she wanted was for Trisha to probe until she found out about the date. Without a doubt, Trisha would object.

  Sitting down beside Lauren, Trisha said, “Like I was telling you before, Audrey is really serious about her desire to adopt a little girl she met at an orphanage in Peru, but Ken doesn’t want a child yet.”

  Lauren shook her head, surprised. She said, “I always thought Ken was the kind of person who wanted children immediately after he got married.”

  Trisha said, “I guess his reasoning is that he and Audrey are too busy with work right now to be the kind of parents they need to be. I’m really rooting for Audrey because she seems to be very sure about this girl, and she told me the girl is wonderful. I just want her to be happy.”

  Lauren sighed as her mind wandered. Ken was the one that got away. He was such a great guy, and she had let him slip through her fingers because she’d wanted a bad boy; a bad boy like her ex, Richie. It had all turned out badly for her. Trisha was right. She was usually drawn to bad boys. Hopefully, this guy she was going out with this evening would not be like the kind of man she was usually drawn to. He didn’t seem like a bad boy from his profile and the messages they had exchanged. But who knew?

  “Lauren?” Trisha waved a hand in front of Lauren’s face.

  “What?”

  “You spaced out just now,”

  Lauren chuckled. “No, I did not.”

  “Yes, you did.” Trisha giggled. “What were you thinking about?”

  Lauren sighed and answered, “I met someone.”

  Trisha squealed. “You did? Where? In church?”

  Lauren didn’t say anything for a short moment, wondering whether to tell Trisha the truth. Finally, she said, “I met this guy online.”

  Trisha stared at Lauren for a few seconds and then said, “Online. So a guy you met online has so captured your heart that you sort of phased out for some time. Just remember what I told you. Be careful.”

  “Yes, Mother,” Lauren teased. “I told you I would be.” She nearly blurted out that she was seeing the guy this evening, but she knew Trisha would probably freak out if she told her that.

  They conversed for a few minutes more and then Lauren stood. “I have to go now,” she said.

  “So soon?” Trisha asked. She looked at the clock on the wall and said, “It’s just a few minutes past seven.”

  Lauren shrugged. “I need to go now. I’ll see you tomorrow or the next.”

  Trisha walked her to the door and then Lauren hugged her, told her to say hi to Frank, and left the house.

  In order to get home quickly, she walked as fast as she could and got to her apartment in about fifteen minutes. She went straight to her room, quickly showered, and then went to her closet to look for something to wear; something nice enough for a first date, but that also said she wasn’t trying too hard. Finally, she chose a lacy white top and dark denim jeans. She accented everything with a pair of gold heels and a gold clutch with gold chandelier earrings. She quickly applied her makeup, brushed her hair, and then looked at her reflection in the mirror. She smiled, satisfied with what she saw, and then went out of the room.

  As she didn’t have a car yet, she called for a taxi and waited. She glanced at her wristwatch and saw it was almost eight o’clock. She was supposed to meet her date at Frank’s restaurant by eight.

  Her heart suddenly began to race. Why had she decided on having the date in Frank’s restaurant? Frank would probably see her with the guy and then tell Trisha about it. Trisha would give her a really hard time. She would be hurt, very hurt, that Lauren had not told her about the date.

  “Well it’s too late now,” she said to herself.

  The taxi arrived five minutes later. She got in and took a deep breath. Her hands were clammy with nervousness and her heart raced with anticipation and excitement. She looked out the window as the taxi driver pulled out of her driveway and moved into the road. Suddenly, her mind flooded with doubts. What if, as Trisha had said, this guy that seemed too good to be true was a catfish, out to scam her? Maybe he wasn’t even who he said he was. Maybe his picture was false.

  She took another deep breath and told herself to calm down. “It will all work out by God’s grace,” she whispered.

  The cab driver pulled up in front of Frankly Eating, and she got out of the car. After paying the driver, she walked into the restaurant while praying that Frank would not see her. Why didn’t I think about this when I suggested this restaurant as the venue of our date?

  She smiled as a host in a black pinstripe suit led her to the back of the restaurant. The place was half-full and the ambiance was great. She’d only been here once and that was with Trisha. If not for the fact that she was so nervous, it would have been great to experience this place with a date. Thankfully, Frank was nowhere around. Probably in the kitchen.

  She brought out her phone from her purse, opened the dating website, and pulled up her profile just to look at the guy’s picture again and make sure she remembered him.

  After putting away her phone, she looked around. He wasn’t here yet. She glanced at her wristwatch and saw it was a minute to eight. Hopefully, he would be here early so she didn’t have to sit here all by herself.

  A waiter came and asked if she was ready to order and she told him she would wait until her date came. He left again and then her heart did a flip as she saw the guy she had been chatting with walking toward her. He’d come out of the kitchen and not from outside the restaurant. That meant he’d been here before her and had gone to the kitchen, probably to see the chef or som
ething.

  He smiled as he reached her table and her heart began to drum. He was even better looking than his profile picture. He sat and smiled at her and then she realized she didn’t even know his name. All she knew was his username. That would have to change now. Beaming at him, she said, “You’re here.” When he reached out to her, she got up immediately. He hugged her briefly and she said, “Hi! My name is Lauren.”

  A strange expression crept into his face and she frowned. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared and he said, “Hi, Lauren. My name is Nicholas.”

  “Nice to meet you, Nicholas.”

  After they had exchanged pleasantries, the waiter came to take their order. When his order was little more than a salad, she smiled curiously at him. “That’s a lot of veggies for a big guy like you. What, you have something against carbs?”

  He laughed. “Actually, I don’t. But I used to be overweight and slightly sick. Eating healthy changed my life.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise and she shook her head. “I would never have guessed.”

  He nodded and changed the subject. He asked her about her job and then about her life in general.

  She told him a lot of what she had already told him before and then some more about herself. He also told her more about himself, but she felt like he was holding back some information. However, that did not bother her. This was their first date, after all. Gradually, he would feel more comfortable about opening up to her.

  By the time they stood up to leave the restaurant, Lauren felt like she had known him all her life. Thankfully, Frank did not come out of the kitchen throughout their date. That was a huge relief. She didn’t want to have to deal with Trisha’s concerns, no matter how well-meaning they were.

  They walked out of the restaurant together and Lauren glanced at her watch. It was a few minutes past ten. She smiled at Nicholas and said, “I had a great time.”

  He smiled back at her and told her he’d had a great time, too.

  Suddenly, an awkwardness that had not existed when they were talking in the restaurant or even chatting online came between them. Nicholas shifted his feet. She looked at him and wondered what exactly was wrong. She did not expect a kiss or anything like that as it was their first date. However, she did expect him to ask her out again. She’d had a great time and so had he. She stared expectantly at him, waiting for him to say something. But he said nothing.

  Finally, he reached out and hugged her again and then backed away once more. He began to turn around and she immediately knew that he was not going to ask her out again. Instantly, panic flooded her heart. She really liked him. She couldn’t let him go just like that. If she did, she might never see him again. If he wasn’t going to ask her out on a second date, she would have to do the asking.

  She mustered up as much courage as she could. “Nicholas?”

  He turned around. “Yes?”

  Before her courage could fail, she said to him, “Do you want to go out again? Maybe to see a movie or something?”

  He blinked rapidly and her heart sank. He came close to her again and then gave her a small smile. He said, “Lauren, I am really sorry. I’ve enjoyed our conversations, but I think we should end it here.”

  She felt like crying. She had put herself out there and just like what had happened with Faizan, she has been rejected… again. What was wrong with her?

  He smiled sadly at her and then turned around again. Suddenly, she felt angry. She knew without a doubt that he had enjoyed spending time with her. Why, then, was he turning his back on her? She couldn’t keep it in anymore and called out to him again.

  Once more, he turned around. “Yes, Lauren?”

  This time, she walked up to him and said, “I want to know why.” If she was going to be rejected again, she had to know why this guy didn’t want to go on a second date with her. She had to know what exactly was wrong with her so she could change it.

  Nicolas thinned his lips and then said, “You want to know why what?”

  She said firmly, “I want to know why you don’t want to go out again. I know for a fact you had a good time. You said so yourself. I thought there was something between us and I thought you were going to ask me out on a second date when we came out of the restaurant. Suddenly, you changed your mind. Why?”

  For a long moment, he stared silently at her. Finally, he said, “Listen, Lauren, I have to be honest with you. I haven’t been totally honest.”

  She stared straight into his eyes and asked, “What is it?”

  For a few seconds, he said nothing, and then he answered, “I don’t live in Rosefield.”

  Lauren gasped. “You don’t? I thought you moved here a short time ago.”

  “No,” he said. “I came here for work.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

  He sighed loudly and then said, “To be truthful with you, when I went on the dating site, I was not looking for something serious or permanent.”

  She stared at him and asked, “What do you mean you were not looking for something serious?”

  He said to her, “I didn’t go online looking for a date, actually.”

  “Then what did you go on a dating website for?” she asked incredulously.

  Again, he did not speak for a minute. She looked quizzically at him and asked once more what he went online to do.

  “I was looking for a companion.”

  “A companion? What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean I was looking for someone to hook up with… for the period I was in Rosefield.”

  Her jaw dropped and she stared at him in disbelief. So, he was that kind of guy. As usual, she had attracted a bad boy… a very bad boy, without knowing it. It was way too much for her. She shook her head slowly and then turned around. She began to march away and he called out her name.

  She slowly turned and faced him. “What is it?” she barked.

  “I am sorry. I really, really like you, Lauren. Actually, more than I have liked any girl in a long time. But we just met. I am leaving Rosefield in about a week. There’s no point going on a second date.”

  She nodded and said, “Of course. I guess now you’re free to go look for someone to hook up with.” She felt disgusted and turned around quickly. She marched away. He called out to her again, but this time, she did not respond.

  She did not bother calling for a taxi. She walked to her apartment building in her heels and got there panting. Unlocking her door, she entered the living room and then sank onto the couch, feeling exhausted, angry, and terribly sad.

  Suddenly, she couldn’t keep it in anymore and said, “Lord, why does this keep happening to me?” Why had she invested so much hope in someone she had never met before? Why did she feel so heartbroken when she hardly knew the guy?

  Shake it off, she scolded herself. She couldn’t sit here mourning for a guy she’d just met. It was insanity. She had to move on so she could meet other people.

  She held her head in her hands. She wasn’t up to going online again to meet anyone. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to do that anymore. Who knew what kind of guy she would meet next? Perhaps he would be like this one. She would have a deep connection to him and then find out he was married or something like that. It would not surprise her if that happened. She shook her head. Tomorrow morning, when she had the peace of mind to go on that dating site again, she would delete her profile. Maybe she was never meant to find love. If that was so, she would have to deal with it.

  She stood up and went into her room again. Shedding her clothes and kicking off her shoes, she sat on the bed for a minute, thinking about what had happened on the date. Everything had gone so well. She had put way too much hope on this date and on the guy. If only she had not done so, her heart would not feel as heavy as it did right now.

  Nicholas’ face appeared in her mind, taunting her. He was so handsome and so attentive when they spoke. And they had so many things in common. How could he not want a real relationship with her?
<
br />   That isn’t all, she thought. He also doesn’t live in Rosefield.

  But surely, long-distance relationships worked sometimes?

  But do you want a long-distance relationship?

  She certainly didn’t want one. It was bound to fail. She sighed heavily and then stood up again. She went into the bathroom, quickly showered, and then changed into her nightgown. Laying on her bed, she thanked God she had not told Trisha, or anyone for that matter, about this date. She would have had a lot of explaining to do. Trisha would have said, ‘I told you so.’ That would have made her feel even worse than she did right now.

  She sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling. “Lord, I am through with all this,” she said. “If I am meant to be single, then I accept it as your will.”

  Her heart felt heavy. Even with the disappointment she’d faced tonight, she didn’t want to be single any longer. Yet, she knew there was a huge possibility that she would not meet the right person.

  The thought was very unsettling.

  *****

  Nick got home and collapsed onto his couch. He felt terrible. He had just told the woman who he liked more than he’d liked any woman in a long time that he wasn’t interested in pursuing a relationship with her. Worse, he’d told her he had only wanted someone to hook up with when he went online. Of course he had not gone on their date thinking that, but still, from the expression on her face, she had been grossed out.

  He sighed. Was it really true he didn’t want a relationship with her? And was it true he was not interested or ready for a relationship right now? Because lying down here, he felt ready to pursue a relationship with Lauren. He really liked her. She seemed pure, too good for him. She was warm and funny and witty. Where would he meet someone else like her?

  He told himself to let it go. It was for the best. There was no way he was going to have a relationship now, not to talk of a long-distance relationship. It was totally impossible.