Hate, actually

Chapter 5

Kai blows out a breath. "I need to see my little bub all dressed up for her date. Plus I need to see if Leonardo's personality is good enough for you."

Lauren, Kai, Steve and I are seated around the kitchen island eating stacks of pancakes that I made for breakfast.

Kai is begging me to be picked up for my 'date' at Lauren's place so he can see me all dressed up 'for once' and to see what Mr Romano looks like in person in case he isn't - and I quote - deserving of me.

"Haven't you ever met him through Steve?" I ask.

He shakes his head and some of his dark, shaggy bed hair falls into his face. "Nope. Never seen him in person."

"He's hot. It's a good thing he's my cousin because I would have let him break my heart any day," Lauren chimes in as she feeds Kira - who is seated in a pink high chair - some sort of puree.

Steve looks heavenward and groans. "For Pete's f*****g sake, Lauren."

Steve and his folks are from London and his accent never fails to accentuate whatever he says. I wish I had something as charming as a British accent but no - I'm just plain old, generic Sadie.

Lauren shrugs a shoulder.

"Fine," I say to Kai, "but I've got nothing nice to wear that I packed."

"That's where I come in," Lauren sings. "I already have a dress in mind for you and I'll be happy to do your makeup."

"Yes!" Kai exclaims, happily.

I shake my head at him, unable to hide my smile.

I turn back to Lauren. "I don't deserve you at all."

She winks at me before turning back to a wailing Kira.

I've never imagined Lauren as a young mother. She's a mess and is always all over the place. I've always pegged her to be the type of mother who accidentally cusses in front of her kid but - I have to admit it - she's unequivocally good with Kira. A match made in heaven. It doesn't seem odd or scary that she's an actual mother now.

When breakfast is over, Steve loads the dishwasher before we all head into the living room to watch a movie. Steve comes up with the idea of bringing in Kira's cot and throwing random toys in for her to play with. Kira is very content as soon as she's lowered into the cot.

Soon as the movie starts, Lauren lays down across Steve's lap and I lean against Kai's chest, who wraps his arms around me protectively.

I've missed this. I miss being in Kai's arms and feeling like everything will be alright; I miss being with my friends and binge-watching movies with them, and I just generally miss them all so freaking much.

After high school, life had just gotten in the way and we seemed to always have to squeeze in time to see each other.

Kai kisses the top of my head and I snuggle into him. He's always been so affectionate with me, I guess because I've always been so fragile and I constantly needed his comfort.

I would always cry over something my dad had done or my mom's condition and call him up at an ungodly hour. He'd comfort me over the phone for hours and he'd cuddle me until I couldn't breathe the next day at school.  I used to call him my 'cuddle teddy' in high school.

Lauren and I are also joined at the hip, of course but when Steve came into the picture, Kai and I would always third wheel and I guess that made us grow closer in a way.

No one ever questioned the dynamics of our relationship simply because he was an aromantic asexual, so now that he isn't anymore, I wonder if anything will change.

Will I stupidly start developing feelings for him again like I did before he cancelled out dating in his life? Could he possibly maybe see me differently now?

"Don't be pathetic, Sadie. This doesn't change the fact that your relationship is completely platonic. Plus, he's engaged and in love." My alter ego looks at me disapprovingly.

I sigh, pushing my elementary school crush to the back of my head.

We watch movies until 5 pm. Kira has fallen asleep and Lauren suggests we use the opportunity to get me dolled up for the date.

I quickly send Mr Romano the new address and follow Lauren upstairs.

I am happy I have her to help me look decent. I know the paparazzi will be milling around and as much as I dislike Mr Romano, I can't embarrass him - or me.

Lauren pulls out a red dress from her huge walk-in closet. It's a figure hugging dress with a pretty low neckline that will definitely accentuate my chest area.

"Red is proven to make people look more attractive, and your beauty plus this dress will have the whole of New York city after you," she says with a wink.

I slip the dress on and immediately look like a different person with all my curves on display. I never wear things like this and when I do, it just feels odd. Especially the fact that the dress is shorter than anything I'd usually consider leaving the house in.

Lauren curls my hair and puts it into a heavily sprayed loose donut and she leaves out some curly tendrils to frame my face. She puts some light makeup on my face to simply 'highlight my features' then finishes the look off with a nude matte lipstick.

She then decides that some pearl earrings and a pearl necklace are the only form of jewelry I need.

"Hold on, I have the perfect shoes for you," she says, before running back to her closet.

She returns with some thigh high boots made with velvety material. They're pretty high and the heels are pretty thin but I slip them on anyway because they're too pretty to not wear.

I stand in front of a full length mirror next to the dresser and gasp. I haven't felt this...hot in a while.

Lauren squeals. "One more thing, though."

She runs back to the closet yet again and emerges with a long puffy black coat.

She puts it over my shoulders and I slip my arms through the sleeves. It completes the outfit.

"Wow...it's possible to look hot and be warm at the same time?" I mumble, more to myself.

Lauren simply 'tsks' at that and looks at me like a proud mother would.

"Come, let's go show the others," she says, already retreating from the room.

She practically skips down the spiralling stairs and I shake my head in amusement.

She drags me to Kai and Steve who are in the middle of arguing over what to order for dinner.

Lauren clears her throat and they turn to us.

Kai starts choking on his gum and Steve whispers, "No f*****g way."

I blush under their gazes as Lauren wipes away an imaginary tear.

"The thing is, she barely even has makeup on." She shakes her head, proudly.

Kai stands up and twirls me around.

"Okay Leonardo is hot and everything but I think I deserve this date. I mean I've been there for you since-" He jests, before Lauren cuts him off with a pinch on his lower back.

"What the f- ow!"

"Stop flirting with our best friend, you know she gets fidgety and nervous for a whole day when you do that and Leonardo likes confident women. He can be very... particular and we don't want their relationship to go south."

Ha! I wish I cared.

Despite my distaste for Mr Romano, I decide that maybe I should at least try to play the part tonight. Maybe I should be such a good actress, he won't even know who the Sadie he met two days ago is. Just for the heck of it.

After Lauren babbles about remembering to chew with my mouth closed and so on, I head into the kitchen to get some water and Kai is hot on my heels.

He stands opposite me and leans on the island.

"If he ever hurts you, you know who to call," he says seriously now, carding a hand through his hair.

I nod, sipping on my water. "I'm a big girl now Kai. I'd know how to handle a little heartbreak, don't worry about me."

He walks over and hugs me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I know. I just don't want you to get hurt is all."

My heart heart rate quickens. Everything he's done since yesterday affects me majorly now, and I hate it. I hate the faint hope that's slowly creeping in.

I turn around to face him and he is so close. Too close.

"I promise you'll be the first person I call if he does me dirty." I shrug.

He puts his hands on my waist.

"And I'll make it all better." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

I scrunch up my nose and push his hard chest. "You're f*****g engaged, you perv."

"I'd choose you over her any day." He winks before l*****g my cheek just to annoy me.

"Kai! That's gross!" I chastise walking away from him, wiping the spot he licked.

I hear the rumble of his laugh echoing throughout the house just as the doorbell rings.

I shake my head, smiling at Kai's antics and go to find my purse.

When I get to the front door, I find Steve whining at Mr Romano for not telling him about me.

Mr Romano simply rolls his eyes and mentions something major Steve hadn't told him in the past.

It's really hard for me to take in.

Mr Romano has an actual best friend. And it's Steve. 

I make my way to them, Lauren and Kai following behind me.

Kai slings his arm around my shoulders and introduces himself, and Lauren greets him before claiming that Mr Romano and I should be left alone.

She drags everyone away and we are indeed left alone.

Mr Romano looks confused and almost...nervous?

He looks dashing in a black Polo Shirt, a pair of black jeans folded at the ankles, a black coat and white airforces. His hair is slicked back but - as always - he has some strands falling into his face.

It's weird to see him in something other than a suit and outside his office.

He scratches the back of his neck. "Uh hi. I'm looking for Sadie...?"

My first name sounds so foreign coming out of his mouth.

I furrow my eyesbrows in confusion, before rolling my eyes. "That would be me."

His startling eyes widen a fraction. "Oh."

I mumble "i***t" to myself - but he sure hears me. His attractiveness is agitating me and I can't control my snarky comments.

I mean give me a break. I've come from an encounter with the (literal) model that is Kai and now this?

He narrows his eyes at me. "Well when I told you to wear something nice I didn't mean go incognito."

"I wouldn't call a dress and a dash of makeup going incognito. You just need glasses."

He rolls his eyes. "And you need a new attitude."

"I'm not the one who looks down on people as if they aren't fellow passengers to the grave," I counter.

I got the latter from an excerpt - one of my favourite quotes about Christmas - from a novel by Charles Dickens.

Mr Romano shuts his eyes as if I am the bane of his existence.

Good.

"Look, Miss Torres. Let's try to be civil just for tonight, please. You can bite my head off with Charles Dickens' quotes some other time."

It annoys me no end that he's making it seem like I am the problem here, but something else has come to my attention.

"You read the novel?" I can't help but ask as I follow him to the car.

"I saw the play," he says, as if talking to me is the most boring thing ever.

"Of course you did. You don't seem disciplined enough to sit down and read a book, let alone finish an entire one," I mumble.

He stops in his tracks and turns around, eyebrows furrowed.

"What hell is your prob-" He cuts himself off and takes a deep begrudging breath. "Let's just just go, okay?"

He leads me to a white Mercedes-Benz parked near the house. It's obviously the latest one.

Much to my surprise he opens the door of the back seat for me before the driver can, but I then realise we have to start acting now because of the presence of someone else.

"It's game time. The driver needs to be convinced about us or he'll tell everyone that we're the world's weirdest couple," Mr Romano whispers in my ear.

I nod stiffly and hop into the car, ignoring the shivers and goosebumps his minty breath causes me to develop.

It doesn't help that the jerk I'm meant to marry is easy on the eyes.

Mr Romano sits down next to me and the driver starts making his way to wherever we are going. I'm really nervous. For all I know, they could be taking me to a concentration camp.

"Relax, Sadie. I'm not k********g you," he whispers.

What, is he a mind reader now?

I sigh and sit back, feeling a little less tense.

The drive isn't long. We stop in front of a fancy looking restaurant.

Mr Romano turns to me and leans into my ear. "I got someone to tweet that I was coming here, so the paparazzi will be milling around. Remember to always call me by my first name and if you feel overwhelmed at any point, just tell me and we can leave."

Wow. He has a heart in there?

I simply nod as the driver gets out of the car to open the door.

I exit the car, followed by Mr Ro- I mean Leonardo.

He slips his hand into mine and I immediately see the flash of a camera.

Leonardo squeezes my hand reassuringly as a bunch of random people with cameras approach us.

"Who's the girl?"

"Are you two together?"

"Can you two please pose for a picture?"

"Who's the lady in red?"

"Did you and Cara part ways?"

"Mr Romano!"

Just as I'm about to lose my s**t, the two security guards at the front of the restaurant drive them away.

Leonardo's hand moves to the small of my back and he leads me into the dimly lit restaurant. It's the ideal place for a romantic dinner and I don't feel so out of place because for once, I am dressed accordingly.

We sit down and a waiter takes our orders. I order some pasta. Leonardo orders medium rare steak and a side of fries.

I feel bad for pegging him to be the type of person to order caviar without even liking the taste.

As I'm watching the waiter leave, I notice that there's security patrolling the restaurant, but I can still see the odd flash of a camera here and there. I guess that's the point of the date anyway.

Leonardo clears his throat. "So, on Sunday I'm going shopping for the ring and the proposal will be on the same day. You can choose the ring online or come with me if you'd like."

I nod my head as I reach for my wine glass.

"I paged Pablo about the wedding arrangements earlier," he continues. "He said the wedding planner will be at my place tomorrow to talk to us so I'll pick you up at ten in the morning."

"I hope this wedding isn't going to be too extravagant," I tell him.

He furrows his brows. "Sadie, you'll never catch me at a single insipid event - what more my own wedding? I keep very important company and they wouldn't be too impressed with being invited to a lousy wedding."

I groan. "Simple isn't lousy. And by the way, I've read about your lady friends and acquaintances in the magazines and tabloids. Just so you know - I won't be able to impress them; I lack the sort of charm and grace pernickety little pearled, prissy ladies will be looking out for."

Leonardo shakes his head, amused. "You're wearing pearls right now, though."

I roll my eyes. "Because of you. And don't get me wrong - there's nothing wrong with pearls - but when they're part of what defines you as a person, then you're a little worse than generic."

I pop a fry in my mouth.

Either these fries were made in heaven, or I'm just really hungry.

He considers this for a second or two. "You're actually right. But Steve is a friend we have in common, so I'm not completely useless am I?"

"You think I have a good choice in friends?" I inquire.

He shrugs, sipping on his wine. "I should think so."

"You're right about something, for once." I sip on my own red wine. "So, where has the hostile jerk I know and love gone?"

Leonardo sighs in resignation. "I don't know. I guess I've just been so stressed out that the fact managed to slip my mind that I was being rude to someone I was asking for help from. This is a lot to ask from you, Sadie."

I ponder his words and shrug. "I mean you are compensating for it with a decent amount of money. Way more than I'd have asked for."

"Really?" He asks, surprise evident on his face.

I furrow my eyesbrows. "Yeah...I mean I don't really look like someone who has expensive taste in things, do I?" I jest.

Leonardo looks at me for a while. "You look like a goddess, Sadie," he says simply.

Oh.

"That's nice and all but the idea of having to dress up and dab on some makeup to receive such compliments doesn't appeal to me. What kind of a pretentious life would I be living then?" I think out loud.

He sits back and folds his arms.

"So you're trying to tell me that you don't receive any male attention without any of this," he gestures to my face and clothes, "Impossible...I think you're even prettier without the makeup."

Is this man confused?

"That's not what you said back at your office." I roll my eyes.

Leonardo looks amused. "I meant you had a vulgar aesthetic, hence my suggestion for a makeover. You're the farthest thing from ugly."

Only he can insult and compliment me at the same time...

Wait a second, though. Leonardo Romano is trying to call me pretty? Am I being pranked?

I look down at my lap with my eyesbrows furrowed, trying not to blush. "Oh."

To conclude my dinner 'date' with this piece of confusion for a man, it wasn't half as bad as I thought it'd be. Of course there was me feeling weird after he called me pretty and feeling like he'd said it just to make fun of me for a whole fifteen minutes - but I got over it. All in all, Leonardo isn't too bad of a person - the Leonardo I saw tonight, at least.

The waiter comes back to collect the bill and Leonardo and I make it to the car safely without the paparazzi questioning us to our very deaths.

The drive back to Lauren's is quiet, but not unbearably so. We're just lost in our own thoughts.

Leonardo escorts me to the gate; I assume it is because there's still paparazzi hiding among the bushes.

I appreciate the effort he made to be my friend tonight, and make the whole thing less unbearable and awkward.

I mean it sure would be ten times harder to be affectionate with someone you despise, so I can see his logic there.

"Thanks for being civil with me especially when I was being a bit juvenile earlier on," I say.

"Well, I am the more sensible one between the two of us after all," he jests as he leans in for a hug.

He holds me for a couple of seconds, and surely enough, we hear multiple clicks of the paparazzi's cameras.

He pulls away and has the ghost of a smile on his face. He gives me a certain look.

The sort of look you'd give someone you're in on a secret with. And of course I can't help but smile because if I look at all of this in another way, it's kind of exciting. I feel like Hannah Montana living a double life.

"Goodnight Miss Torres," he whispers before walking back to his car.

First fake date? Check. See a human side to Mr Romano? Check.