An Alpha's Promise

Three

***********************

I recall the first time I met Colin. I was on my way to a café, on a blind date set up by my friend Winnie. Funny thing, I ended up getting stood up by my blind date but met Colin that day. I used to think it was destiny. How naïve of me! I was still an undergrad, nineteen at the time, living in the South, and attending USL. As I was getting out of my SUV, my phone started ringing in my purse, but I was already late so, I didn’t want to waste any more time looking for the phone inside my purse. I started walking towards the entrance, not paying attention to my surroundings, but I kept looking for my phone inside my purse since it kept ringing. I didn’t have time to answer it. Turns out it was my friend Guinevere; we call her Winnie. A text message comes through.

Winnie: Answer the phone!

Winnie: He can’t make it.

Winnie: Answer the f*****g phone.

Reading while walking was not a good combo. I lifted my head just in time before I almost bumped into someone. That’s when I paid attention to my surroundings and saw Colin sitting on a bench with his elbows on his knees. His head was moving, eyes scanning the crowd. He was searching for something. I felt like he was searching for me. When our eyes locked, the air was knocked out of my lungs. For a moment, I couldn’t think straight. I stood there blinking, staring back at me were the bluest eyes I had ever seen in my life, almost as light as the sky. I was in awe of that man’s beauty. I would’ve bet he was an HQ model that got lost and stumbled into this café.

My phone rang again, breaking our spell. Winnie again, I pressed ignore and dump it inside the purse again. I’ll call her later. It’s her fault I got stood up in the first place.

“Hi.” He said it so simply, yet it felt so natural. Like we’ve known each other all our lives, and he was just a friend waiting for me to get there.

“Hey,” I answered, a little more breathless than I would’ve liked but oh well. At least I didn’t blur out any obscenities that were floating through my mind.

“Colin?” the hostess called at the same time he said his name extending his hand to introduce himself. We laughed.

He lifted his hand, showing it was him.

“I’m Colin.” He said again.

“I’m Cataleya,” I replied.

“Wait time is crazy here today. Do you want to join me, Cataleya?” Colin asked me.

I could not believe the words that were coming out of this man’s mouth. I found myself considering his offer. Can I really accept a stranger’s invitation to breakfast? What if he’s a serial killer? I mean, come on Cat, you just came to a breakfast date on a blind date set up by Winnie, and got stood up. I don’t think the universe will f**k you over twice in one hour. Besides, I had a killer outfit on, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste. Boldness got a hold of me, and I agreed to join that handsome man for breakfast.

“Sure,” I answered. What the hell could go wrong?

As I walk behind him, it gives me the opportunity to admire his back and his arms. LORD HIS ARMS look like sculptures. I’ve never been turned on by such a thing. Maybe there’s a whole niche of arm porn that I don’t know about. Wait, is that even a thing? Anyway, his left hand is covered in tattoos. I wonder if they mean something.

He opened the door and held it open for me. A gentleman, I LIKE IT!

The hostess showed us to our booth, and we sat down.

“Your server will be right with you,” the hostess told us as she handed us our menus.

My phone rang again, and I threw my head back, groaning.

“So it’s been that kind of day, uh?” He asked me.

“You have no idea,” I answered while searching, again, for my stupid phone.

“Aha! Got it” I said triumphantly.

Colin looked at me weirdly. Probably regretting he ever invited me to join him.

“I’ve been searching for it for the last 5 minutes. It’s been ringing non-stop, driving me crazy.” Finally, I turn it off. “There, no more ringing and no more notifications.”

He just chuckled, amused, shaking his head.

On cue, his phone started ringing, and we laughed harder.

“You know what, Cataleya? You’ve inspired me, so I’ll turn mine off as well” He turned it off. “There, no more interruptions. Whatever hell breaks loose, it’ll break loose, anyway. I’m all yours.” He said it with so much sincerity that I blushed.

Colin noticed that I was blushing at his bluntness. I avoided his gaze while looking at the menu, but I could feel him looking at me over the menu. He’s so intense.

The server came and introduced himself: “Hi guys, I’ll be your server today. Do you know what you want, or are you still looking over the menu?”

Mischievously, I grinned at Colin and the server. He may be a model and watch his food intake, but I do not.

“I’m ready.” We place our orders; mine was an obscene amount of food.

“I like to eat,” I warned him, shrugging my shoulders.

“I am not one of those salad girls. Not that there’s anything wrong with eating salads, but starving myself with a salad? No way Jose! A medium-cooked steak and garlic-roasted potatoes are the way to my heart. I’m pretty sure food and caffeine are my love language.”

Surprisingly, Colin looks pleased. He doesn’t look like he’s ready to run for the hill. On the contrary, he looks like he’s hanging on to every word I say.

“So… enough about me, and my love for food.” I rolled my eyes. “Tell me, who is Colin?”

He drove right into the normal answers where he works, how old he is, the normal stuff. I have to say, I’m impressed. Of course, I’m nineteen, he’s thirty-four, so he’s like an adult adult. With 2 kids, boys, 9 and 8, separated, and going through a divorce, but has a healthy relationship with the mother of his children. I didn’t want to pry too much, so I didn’t ask what happened between them. I looked at him and couldn’t imagine how someone would let him go. He followed in his father’s footsteps, after he got his master’s, to oversee his family’s company. It had something to do with nature and security, but he said it wasn’t limited to it. I couldn’t believe someone so accomplished, handsome, hardworking and a family man was right there in front of me. How is he still single? Maybe today is my lucky day. I remembered thinking.

*********************

A call comes through the Bluetooth of the car, pulling out of my memory. It’s Aaron, my longest childhood friend, and best bud. Quickly, I dry my tears, blow my nose, and take a deep breath. With the happiest voice I can muster up, I answer,

“Hey, Sargent.”

“Hi, Neissi” I smile when I hear his nickname for me. It’s what my grandma used to call me. It means granddaughter in the Native Language; her own grandmother was raised.

“What’s wrong?” He asks. Aaron has always been able to read me like a book.

“Why makes you think something is wrong?”

I can almost feel him scolding me through the phone.

“Because I’ve known you almost as long as I’ve been alive. Spill it.”

I don’t want to spill my guts. My darkest secret. Aaron was deployed when all the Colin s**t when down, or as I like to call it, the Dark Ages. Whenever he would call home, I would force myself to sound chipper. He was living in the war zone. Aaron didn’t need more stress from my heartbreak with him being so far away. There was literally no way anyone could save me from my pain.

“Ugh.” I groan. I drop my head to the steering wheel and confess.

“I just saw someone I would rather forget.”

“Okay… I feel like I’m missing something here.”

“Never mind. I honestly don’t want to talk about it. I would much rather talk about you. What’s going on?”