A Stranger's Secret

CH 2

I walked out of the house; I told my mom I just needed some fresh air. I had been home all day and a little bit of sun would do me just fine. I made sure I had my wallet, my face mask and house key. I began walking to Starbucks. I know, I know, I was asking myself the same damn question. What the hell was I doing? 

This guy had been nice to me, but he was starting to get a little over-protective of me. Or maybe I was just overreacting. I mean, I would tell him about my boss and how he would be harassing me at work. Could he had been insecure because of that? I don’t know, I was curious about what he had to say to me and why he was so eager to meet up today. It only took me about five minutes to get to Starbucks. I walked in to get myself something to drink. 

“Hi, I’ll take a grande Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew please.” I said to the barista.

“Will that be all for you?” she asked.

“Yes, that’ll be all for now.”

“That’s going to be $4.25 please.” I paid with my debit card and walked over to the end of the counter. I was waiting for my drink when I noticed Michael coming in. He must’ve smiled at me because his eyes smiled at me. I’m not going to lie; I had missed him. It wasn’t like he had hurt me physically; it was just him always asking me where I was and with who. Maybe he’s just insecure. I saw him finish ordering his drink and start walking my way. He gave me a hug, damn, he smelled good. 

“How are you Diana?” he asked as he kept his embrace. I could feel the top of his head on mine. He was a whole foot taller than me. I was only at 5’2.

“Fine, you can let go now,” I said. I didn’t want him to know that I had been missing him. He had given me space after I broke up with him. He gave me a tight squeeze before he let go of me.

“I’m glad you decided to come meet me, I really need to talk to you.” We waited until they gave us both our drinks. We walked outside of the patio to where the tables were at. We sat down on an empty one and enjoyed the summer sun hitting our faces once we took off our masks. This pandemic had really outdone itself; it was turning into a sad year. Everything seemed to be closing down, they finally allowed outdoor seating, but it was only a matter of time before we were back on lockdown again. 

“What did you want to talk about?” I asked after a moment of silence. I looked at him while I took a sip of my cold brew. 

“D, I really want you to reconsider us. I miss you and I’ll do whatever you want. I don’t want to lose you. These past couple of days have been hell without you by my side.” I could hear the hurt in his voice. I just looked at him, I didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t the type to express his feelings often, so this was kind of new to me.

“Michael, it really felt like you were suffocating me, always asking me where I was, your jealousy. I never gave you any reason to think I could be messing around with anyone. It hurts when you don’t trust me.” I was being honest with him, and I feel like I should’ve expressed myself a long time ago.

“I know, and I have thought about that a lot. It’s just that, you’re too good to be true Diana. I have never met another girl like you, beautiful, kind, innocent. D, I miss you. All the other girls I am used to dating managed to always break my heart, and I,” he paused as if he was looking for words. “I didn’t want for you to do the same as them. I know we have only dated for about three months, but I feel like we can make this work. What do you say D?” He was looking at me with pleading eyes. I didn’t know what to say. I took another sip of my coffee, as if it was going to give me the words I needed to say to him.

“I have to think about it Michael, I can’t have you thinking you can keep bombarding me with questions about my location and who I am with. I need you to trust me. I have never given you any reason to doubt me. I am not your ex-girlfriends. Do you understand that?” He looked at me, I knew he was understanding what I was telling him. 

“I give you my word that I will change, I will change for you D.” He was being honest, and I could hear it in his voice. I sat there, staring at him for a moment. Thinking of what I was going to say to him. I really liked him, and I wanted to believe that he would change. 

“You could start by asking my dad for permission to take me out tomorrow. You know he likes you, and if that goes well, we can take it day by day. I can’t promise anything Michael. I need to make sure that you are indeed trying to change your ways.” I looked him in the eyes, and I could see the hope coming in. He was excited that I was considering in taking him back. I reached for my hand and gave me a huge smile. He never hit me, he would raise his voice at me, but he never called me any names or yelled at me. Maybe he could change, life is about second chances, right?

“You want me to do that today? Right now?”

“Not right now, after I get home. He gets home from work in a couple of hours. You can call him. He likes it when you call him,” I smile at him. My dad loves him, he always says he’s a good man. 

“Okay, I’ll call your dad around seven-thirty!” Michael was excited, I stood up because I really needed to head back home. I needed to continue with my job search.

“Alright, so I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said to him with a smile. He stood up and gave me a huge bear hug. 

“Can’t wait D! I am super excited about this!” he said while giving me a kiss on the cheek. I blushed at the gesture; it had been a few days since I had his lips on my skin. I walked back home and continued sipping on my coffee. I was glad that I decided to meet him. If our relationship worked, then this would be a little hiccup to our story. If it didn’t, then I won’t have to wonder what would had happened if I gave it a shot. Either way, I would be getting something out of it. You live and learn, right?

My dad seemed to be in a better mood today. He came home and relaxed a little before calling me in for dinner. I had finished sending out two resumes to these companies that were about a twenty-minute drive from me. I was praying that I would get a response from anywhere soon. 

My mom made my dad’s favorite dinner tonight, chicken tikka with rice, salad, mixed veggies and grilled tomato. This should be a good night, my dad is in a good mood, I know I should be getting a call back from a job anytime soon, and Michael will be asking my dad for permission to take me out tomorrow. I loved having nights like tonight. It’s peaceful, we’re all laughing having a good time. 

We finish having dinner and I help my mom clear the table while she goes to watch tv with my dad. I wash the dishes and dry them. Just as I am finishing up putting the dishes away my dad walks in. He was serious and I was getting nervous. I knew Michael had called.

“Michael called, he wants to take you out,” he told me, still in a serious tone. “Diana, I know we don’t have the best of relationships, but it is up to you if you want to go out with him. It’s not my decision what you decide to so with your personal life, I will support you in whatever decision you make. I just advice that you be cautious.”

I was taken aback by his words. I thought he didn’t really care about me. I looked at him and fought back tears. Before I could say anything, he stood up and went to his bedroom. I just sat there on the kitchen table, just going over his words. My mom came in and kissed me on the top of my head. 

“Just think about it honey, don’t get ahead of yourself,” she told me. I just smiled at her and nodded my head. I had a lot of thinking to do. My mom left the kitchen table and headed to her bedroom along with my dad. I got up to get a glass of water to head to my bedroom. 

Once I sat on my bed, I noticed my phone had been vibrating. I had a missed call from Michael, and I was not in the mood to talk to him on the phone. I'll just text him tomorrow, I'm sure he can wait for my response. I had a lot to think about tonight.