For Richer, For Poorer （To Have or To Hold, Book Two）

CHAPTER 10– Perplexity

　　Luckily the rest of the week was fairly smooth-sailing. Jace had kept out of my way, I’d managed to cram in a few nights worth of sleep, and I was beginning to feel like a normal human being. There was a first time for everything.

　　Jodie, at work, had asked me how my date had gone with Theo – she’d obviously overheard him talking to me – and it was nice that I could be open about meeting someone and going out on a date. With Jace, there had always been secrets involved, and I didn’t like having to live that way. I was always afraid that I would let something slip at work, and it was ridiculous to be having to watch every little thing I said.

　　Everything that surrounded Jace was secretive, and I was sick of it.

　　Wishing me good luck for my next date with Theo, me and Jodie went our separate ways for the weekend, and I got into my car to go home. Even though it had been a busy week, I wasn’t half as tired as I had been the first time I had gone out with Theo, so I was really looking forward to seeing him again tonight.

　　Getting home and showering and changing, I dressed more casually, considering we were having a more informal date at the cinema. Playing some music whilst bopping along and sipping a glass of pre-night wine, I was feeling happy and carefree. Kitty thought I’d gone totally mad, seeing me bopping around the apartment, but it was a case of getting used to it, because that’s just the way I rolled.

　　At half past six, Theo was at the door, looking very handsome in his jeans and shirt. It was nice to know that I was spending the evening with a decent guy, who wasn’t expecting anything out of me, other than my company. It was a compliment, as I was sure that he wasn’t short of a few admirers himself.

　　Unfortunately I had met the ‘Grecian God’ on the plane, who’s standards in looks were hard to match, yet if I stopped comparing men to Jace, Theo was a good looking man who could definitely have most women. Rich, successful, and good looking – he was a very nice package.

　　Heading to the cinema to watch the latest rom-com, Theo bought our tickets for us, along with the popcorn and drinks that we wanted. He was a real gent, as he paid for and carried everything in for us, and although I hadn’t known him that long, he felt like a really good friend.

　　Watching the film, he never put a foot wrong, and there were no attempts to invade my own privacy as we watched the screen together, and laughed along at the parts that were funny. Watching on as the scenes unfolded, I did wish that sometimes my life was like a rom-com – a few funny misunderstandings and then a happy ending – but I suppose that life was more complex than that. Typical.

　　After the film had finished, we headed to a nearby eatery, and we chatted away about what we thought about the film - what were the best bits, and whether we’d watch it again – things like that. Eating our food with the bustle of happy people around us, it was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a Friday night, and I was glad that he had wanted to see me again.

　　I really liked Theo, and my mind did drift over the prospect of whether this could become more serious between us. He was a person that I wanted to spend more time with, and with the way he looked at me, I figured that he felt the same way as I did.

　　After we had chatted about our week and finished up our food, Theo, being the gentleman that he was, said he would drive me home. I’d had such a nice night, and in a sense, I didn’t want it to end. He had been great company, and I was looking forward to seeing him again, as I knew that there was plenty of conversation left in us.

　　With all thoughts and feelings for Jace fading nicely into the backdrop, Theo was a great tonic, and shown me that there were guys in the world who were thoroughly nice people, weren’t all ‘cloak and dagger’ about everything, and who had a lot of respect for women.

　　Getting back to my place, I asked him if he would like to come in for a coffee, and he agreed. That was to be it, though – I wasn’t offering anymore up to him, and was to be taking my time a bit more with this guy. I think one of the downfalls with Jace, was jumping into bed too quickly, even though I had rejected him the first time, but after that he thought he could have his cake and eat it.

　　Maybe I was overthinking things – perhaps I should’ve kept it as a booty call with Jace, and shoved my heart to the side. Perhaps thinking more like a man would’ve been a better option, as I found that women had way too many pesky feelings that decided to get involved.

　　Nevertheless, as I looked at Theo, sitting on my sofa and chatting away to me about tales of his childhood, I couldn’t deny that deep down, I was looking to settle down with someone nice. Having another person around to shoulder life alongside of me, was a comfort, as the world and his wife could sometimes gang up on me – to the point where I was majorly outnumbered.

　　After a while of chatting over our coffees, Theo made his excuses to leave, and it had been a thoroughly pleasant way to spend a Friday night.

　　“I was wondering,” he began, turning to me at the doorway, “I have two tickets for a concert next week, and I was wondering if you’d like to come with me?”

　　“Oh, what concert is it?” I asked, feeling happy at being asked out again by him.

　　“In all honesty, I got them from work. They sometimes dish these things out to us, but it’s VIP treatment all the way. It’s for a selection of bands who do tributes to eighties and nineties songs. Do you fancy it?”

　　“Yeah, you know what, that sounds lovely.” I smiled.

　　“Great, it’s on Tuesday, which I know is a strange day for it, but I’ll call you and arrange what time.”

　　“Sounds fab. I’ll look forward to it.”

　　Reaching forward, Theo placed a soft kiss on my lips, and I melted into it. He was so lovely with me, and I appreciated him mending some of the hurt that had been inflicted upon me by certain other males. I never thought of Theo as some kind of ‘rebound’, but I did think that it helped to move on quickly, rather than mope over the past and what could have been.

　　Closing the front door behind him, I leant back on it and let out a happy sigh. I hadn’t felt this contented in ages, and I was thankful to Theo for entering my life when he had.

　　Feeling the want of sleep seep over me, I figured it was time for bed, so bundling Kitty in my arms, as I chatted lightly to her about my date, we headed to the bedroom to get some rest.

　　I would be having sweet dreams tonight.

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