Chapter3
1098 Words
It was about 6:00 p.m., and Kate was relaxing on the couch in her sitting room, going through her emails. She went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea for the chilly evening when a hard knock came at the front door. Kate abandoned the tea she was making and went to answer it. She thought it was Sarah, although she wasn't expecting her. Sarah had called that afternoon to tell her about her invitation to dine with Marcus's parents that evening. Kate wondered if Sarah had canceled the dinner just to be with her.
"Sarah, you don't have to be here... I thought you were seeing Marcus's parents tonight?" Kate said as she opened the door. Her smile immediately froze.
"W—what are you doing here, Daniel?" Kate asked, surprised.
"You haven't been taking my calls, Kate... and I'm here to see if you're okay," Daniel said.
"Daniel, I'm fine! It's... it's just work." Kate rubbed her face before continuing. "Work has been hectic lately..."
She took her hand off the doorknob and reluctantly scratched the back of her neck while Daniel peered over her shoulder into the sitting room.
"You sounded like you were expecting someone else..." Daniel said as he stretched his neck farther, trying to get a better view of the room.
Kate noticed his curiosity and stepped away from the doorway.
"You can come in, Daniel," Kate said, moving back to sit on the couch.
Daniel took the seat opposite her.
"I was just about to make some tea before you arrived, so I'll go ahead and make you a cup too," Kate said as she stood and walked to the open kitchen.
"That's so generous of you," Daniel muttered as she walked away.
"Were you expecting anyone?" Daniel called across the room.
Kate hesitated, then shrugged.
"Not really. I wasn't expecting anyone, actually... I just thought it was Sarah."
"Sugar?" Kate asked.
"No... I enjoy my tea with milk only—no sugar," Daniel replied.
Kate nodded as she carried both cups of tea to the sitting area. She handed Daniel his cup and sat down. Daniel set his cup on the side table. He rubbed his palms against his trousers anxiously, like an excited child.
Kate watched him curiously as he handed her a small shopping bag.
"You didn't have to..." Kate said after looking inside the bag.
"Chocolate—to brighten your mood," Daniel said.
“Immediately after I finished my shift at the hospital, I headed straight to the chocolate shop to get you—my princess—some chocolate bars,” he said, ending his statement with a smile and a wink. Kate, however, maintained a straight face throughout.
Kate reluctantly set the gift beside her, and her tone became more serious. “I'm not your princess, Daniel.”
The smile on Daniel's face froze instantly. “What's wrong?” He attempted to move closer to her, but she stopped him by raising a hand.
“We don't have to do this right now. For crying out loud, I can't give you what you want. Our age difference... can't you see?” she said as she walked over and sat on a high chair.
Daniel sighed. “See what?” he asked, raising both hands in confusion.
“That I'm not ready!” Kate replied sharply.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence in the room until Daniel walked over to Kate and gently pulled her closer. He wrapped his arms around her and spoke softly. “I will wait. Yes, I'll wait until you're ready. I know age is never a problem, but I'll wait.”
Kate gently broke free from his embrace and took a few steps backwards. “You don't understand...”
“Then make me understand, Kate!” Daniel said in frustration.
“Let me in, Kate,” he said, moving closer before stopping two steps away from her. “I know you have so much going on right now... and I promise, you can count on me.”
Kate closed the distance between them and held his hands. “Daniel, you're a good man, and you deserve better.” She let out a sigh. “There's a lot going on right now... I'm sorry. I don't feel the same way you do. Or maybe... the timing just isn't right for me.”
Daniel interrupted her by pulling her into a warm, friendly hug that lasted for a while before Kate gently pulled away.
“We're still friends, Kate. You know you don't have to keep things from me. I mean it—call me whenever you need help.”
Kate nodded in agreement, and they shared a brief, reassuring smile.
Daniel and Kate spent the rest of the evening discussing their experiences at work. They laughed at each other's jokes.
After Daniel left, Kate was ready to go to bed when her phone began to ring. She sluggishly sat up, stretched out her arm, and reached for the phone on her bedside table. She stared at the caller ID in disbelief and sighed.
Ryan was the last person she had wanted to speak to at that time of night. Although she had made up her mind to go through with the contract, she wished he hadn't called until the next day, when she would be ready to tell him the news.
She finally answered the call.
“Did I wake you?” Ryan asked.
“Not really. I was just about to go to bed when my phone rang,” Kate replied reluctantly.
“I can't seem to find your address in my email,” Ryan said almost immediately.
The sleep in her eyes vanished at once. Kate scratched her head, searching for an answer.
“I—I was...” She was stumped. Her mind struggled to come up with an excuse.
“I expect my fiancée to be sharp-witted.”
“Anyway, forward the address to my email right away. One more thing—don't hang up until I receive it.”
“What a miserable woman she'll be,” Kate muttered as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“Who?” Ryan asked.
“The woman who ends up with you.”
“Are you miserable?” Ryan asked jokingly.
Kate was too tired to trade words with him. She yawned as she clumsily climbed out of bed and walked over to her computer to forward the email.
A few minutes later, it was done.
“Sent!” Kate announced before heading back to bed.
- Writer
