CHAPTER 2
1530 Words
“Today you're meeting up with Gray Smith”
“Huh”? I choked on my food.
“Didn't your mom tell you about meeting someone?” Mr Thompson, my dad asked, looking confused.
“She did, but why today? " It's a bit too soon, don't you think?”
“Don't be ridiculous. It's the perfect time to get to know him sweetheart, and maybe you'll like him”. Mrs Thompson, my mom, chipped in.
“But mom i-”
“No buts!” She says, lifting a finger.
“Just go meet him. Please sweetheart, I promise you, you will love Gray.”
“I don't have a choice, do I?” I asked, my voice cracking in between.
“Nope.” She smiled.
“Okay, I give up. What time do I have to go see him?”
“6pm” she replied excitedly.
“No problem”, I raised my hands in defeat.
On my way to my room, my phone rang, announcing a phone call from my friend Emily.
“Hey Nat, today is my day off. Do you want to meet up?”
“I would, but I have a date.”
A choking sound is heard from the speaker. “What do you mean you have a date?” She sputters.
“I’ll tell you in detail later when I get back. I have to go now”
“You better don’t mess up this one as usual, no attitude”, Emily added, laughing.
“And make sure to give me all the tea, all the juicy details, okay?”
Time for dating
I ponder while staring at myself in the mirror.
To say I was a nervous wreck was an understatement.
I could feel my legs go numb and wobbly the moment I walked into the restaurant and mumbled the reservation name to the waitress .
The waitress led me to a secluded spot where she gestured for me to sit down, which I did after muttering a thank you to the girl.
I glanced at my watch.
Two minutes early.
Several minutes passed, and my date hadn’t arrived yet.
A bad first impression.
I had settled on a glass of water as I waited for him to arrive.
A young man, around my age but looking older, walks in behind the waitress. Dressed in a neat black tuxedo, he quickly sat down and gave me a quick apology for being late.
“My meeting went longer than expected,” he explains.
" I’m truly sorry for being late, Gray Smith, by the way,” he says and extends his hands.
I quickly responded to the gesture by accepting his hand and giving him a quick shake before letting go.
“Feel free to order,” he says and grabs the menu.
Gary was too distracted to notice the stare-down that I was giving him. I saw this as an opportunity to examine him carefully.
One thing I noticed when Gray walked towards me was his height. He was tall. Quite tall.
6 '1 maybe?
His black tuxedo hugged him perfectly, showing off his great physique.
I was so caught up in making my evaluation of Gray that I hadn't realized the waitress was talking.
“Can you repeat that please?” I ask, softly.
“What would you like to order ma’am?”
“One chicken Alfredo would do. Thank you.”
“Your orders will be ready soon. If you would, please excuse me.”
The waitress disappears into another room, leaving me and Gray alone.
“Tell me, Gray.” I began, sipping my wine. “Do you always go out with women you’ve never met?”
Gray chuckles at the blatant accusations. “Not always. Today is the first.”
My eyes widened, in fake shock.
“Really? You seem to know how to handle such events.”
“I have finally mastered the art of hiding my nervousness then”
“You? Nervous? " NO.” I drew out the no, making Gray’s eyebrows perk up in amusement.
His lips lifted into a smile. “What can I say? I’m a good actor.”
“So tell me Natalie. " Do you always go out with men you've never met?”
Seems like I’ve finally met my match.
Gray’s blue eyes tingled with amusement as he watched me use the same tactics he used.
“What can I say?” I mimic him.
“I’m a good actor.”
A mischievous smile was prominent on my lips, feeling happy and proud of my response.
I have left an impression on Gray.
The good kind.
" So how was the date?” Emily asks.
“It was alright, it went well.”
You finished dinner?”
“Yup.”
“And you had dessert”, her words slowing down.
I nodded while munching on my cheesecake.
“No plates were broken?”
I lifted my eyebrows in confusion.
“What?”
“You mean to tell me you had a full dinner with this guy and nothing was broken?
“You didn’t even walk out?”
I shrugged. “There was no need to.”
“I mean he didn’t ditch you because of your usual broodiness?”
“I’m not broody! I scoffed.
“If you didn’t walk out…” she asks, stroking her chin. “That means you liked him?”
“I do not like him.”
“But you enjoyed the date?”
“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a date.” Emily lifts her hands in surrender.
“I didn’t,” I mumble.
She stayed silent for a bit.
“Nat, you know there’s no reason for you to feel guilty to admit that you enjoyed the date, right?”
“No, Emily!” I cut her off, startling her.
“Let’s drop this conversation.”
^^^^^^^^^^
“Oh, dear, you’re back.”
“Mother.” I greeted curtly, looking over at the shuffling happening in the background.
“What’s going on?” I asked, moving my gaze back to my mother.
“The Smiths are coming for dinner.”
“Why?” I ask, my tone indignant.
“Because I invited them.” She huffs.
“Now go get changed into something more formal.”
“Formal?” I ask, rolling my eyes.
“Yes, formal. Now go!” she demands and shoves me in the direction of my bedroom.
The doorbell goes off, signaling our guest’s arrival.
A woman who’s around my mother’s age is also dressed elegantly. Behind her is a man who is dressed in a suit, who screams power and confidence.
I am assuming that must be Mr Smith. Both of Gray’s parents are gorgeous.
Expecting to see Gray walk in, I saw another man walk in. A younger version of Gray, the only difference being his hair is made up of large curls.
“Hello, I’m Nathaniel, but you can call me Nathan. " I’m Gray’s younger brother. " Nice to meet you all," he added with a small smile.
Guiding our guests to the dining table, I heard my mother ask where Gray was.
“Oh, Gray is in the car. He had to finish a business call before he came inside. " Always on the run,” Michelle says with a sigh.
The door opens once more. I look up and see Gray walking in, looking as elegant as ever.
“Good evening everyone. Apologies for the late entrance. I had a business-related call to take care of. Gray explains with a regretful smile.
“It’s okay my dear, I know you businessmen have a lot to take care of.”
Gray quickly finds a seat next to his brother.
“Let’s eat.”
Everyone began to serve themselves when everyone was eating. I noticed Gray was barely touching his food and was distracted by something. Looking carefully, I noticed that he was on his phone typing furiously.
Huh. Interesting.
Dinner went pretty well as Mrs Smith and my mom had a decent conversation. Nathan and the dads were busy discussing the recent soccer match and how pissed they were at how they lost the match.
I rolled my eyes and walked towards Gray, who was too distracted to notice my presence.
“Are you always glued to that thing?”
“You have no choice when you’re a busy man.”
“Ah yes, the life of a successful businessman.”
Liam puts his phone away, looking very interested in me.
“What about you and your laptop? I heard you constantly type away your brain.”
“Haha.” I laughed sarcastically. “Same for using a cellphone.”
“We ought to have gadget intervention, don’t you think?” he suggests.
“I don’t think you’ll survive. By the time you get your phone, it will have been busted from emails.”
Gray’s eyes shine with amusement.
“Dessert time!” Mom announces, cutting our conversation short.
“Ladies first.” Gray gestures.
“How gentlemanly,” I mumbled sarcastically before turning my back to the mothers.
- Writer
