Chapter 3| Lunch dates and 1000 ways to kill Bryan
Red bold lipstick replaced her normal tinted lip balm. She had also gone with a smokey eye makeover, stretched her hair flat, and now, was trying to immerse herself in the moment of having a VIP table reservation on the top floor in a five-star hotel.
When Bryan had said he had plans to take her to a fun place, she had never known he had meant to go all the way out but oh boy did he surpass her imaginations.
They stole glances at each other as she found herself losing interest in her chocolate fudge dessert as she stared at her boyfriend in his dress shirt, navy blue blazers, and his hair that fell in loose curls to the side of his face who looked more delicious.
As spoons clattered against china wares, Kimberly couldn't help but realize how much she had missed this. Though it wasn't a five-star restaurant at high school but a cafeteria and college they bought take-outs which they ate in Bryan's house, discussed any and everything then watched a marathon of Games of Thrones for the eighteenth time.
She missed the glances, profession of love, cuddles. Everything that growing up had taken away from them and she was glad he was the reason why she was able to relive such beautiful memories, such a mosaic of Happy thoughts.
"Thank you," he looked up at her in confusion, "For reminding me just how much I have always had."
He smiled briefly at her, then dropped his spoon, his gaze so intense, it sucked her breath away, he took her hand, "I want you to know that I'm forever yours. Irreversibly, without a choice, hopelessly till the end. So you'll always have me at your beck and call, forever."
She wondered if words could affect one's sugar level because if it could with the number of sweet words he was supplying her in a wide range she feared she just might become diabetic.
"I'm also here for you too."
He gave her a little smile as his fork dug into his lasagne which was still very much plenty on his plate making her flush, embarrassed she was already in the dessert course of her meal when he wasn't even done with his first course. But in her defense she reasoned, she didn't have breakfast.
"You don't seem hungry," she commented.
He chuckled lightly, his displayed dimples making her tummy flutter "No, I am not filled but not all of us have a superpower of assaulting and attacking foods."
She rolled her eyes, "I don't eat that much."
"If not for how great your metabolism is and how fast it works you won't probably fit into the door of this restaurant." He taunted, a teasing smile on his face making her frown.
"At least you should be happy that I am here to make sure the overpriced meals you bought don't go to waste."
"Having a glutton around should make one happy? That is a new one," her eyes widened at his word glutton as she searched for the right retort to come up with.
"I'm not__" he had a tender smile on his face as he fitted her hand perfectly into his.
"But I love that about you, I love your smile, the argumentative fire in your voice, your shrill horrible singing voice and other things I can't probably mention now, else this will change from a romantic word to an essay," they both laughed. "But I love the entire package that comes with Kimberly Clarkson, everything that makes her the woman that had held my breath for all these years and still does even in her ratty sweatpants and SpongeBob horrible shorts."
She smiled, not believing the mushy lovey feeling that enveloped her, even though he had made fun of her great Shorts which held such a sentimental place in her heart. She had worn the shorts the first day, she had started a debate on why Nonna needed to allow her to keep a pet.
It was a debating body of just a man and though her request was not heeded to, she had formed a strong revolutionary body, something that Bryan couldn't possibly understand no matter how hard she tried.
His phone screen lit up making him frown. A frown that increased with every second that passed with his eyes on the damn device.
He quickly stood up, "Babe I'm so so sorry. The hospital needs me urgently. I know this was supposed to be just about us but I'll make it up to you."
He glanced at her unfinished plate of dessert, " Will you rather finish up here or just head back home?"
She was already ordering an Uber since he was her ride to the restaurant and he was going to be going to the hospital with his car.
"I'll make it up to you okay?"
She nodded, smiling for his benefit, "it's fine."
"Movie night, tonight. Just like old times. You can pick the movie but please babe I don't want to watch the notebook for like, I have even lost count of how many times we've watched the rom-com."
Then he was briskly walking out, leaving her to trail behind him.
***
Pristine white floor, shelves as walls, moghany pieces of furniture and comfy loveseats in the sitting room, one of them she was sitting on as she waited expectantly for the screeching of Bryan's tires, blaring of horns while staring into space, her laptop on her knee which she had given up trying to get work done with since it was no use as her mind was unavoidably redirected back to Bryan.
She yawned betraying how hungry and tired she was, but that was secondary as her patience was growing thin as she tried to remind herself again and again that they were trying to climb up the corporate ladder, make their impact in the business class world but yet it seemed not to be working.
Deciding she needed to take her mind off Bryan's lateness, she walked into the room deciding to stare at the water body. Dark grey clouds hung over the roaring sea and then she saw the silhouette of a man submerged into the water but had his eyes on the house like he could tell someone was staring at him. She blinked and there was nothing. What loneliness could cause to a soul.
She walked out of the room since it was now giving off an eerie creepy feeling she didn't like, going back to the sitting room. She grabbed a book, one of Bryan's medical articles but didn't make it past a page.
She stared at the clock, realizing it was past 11, so much for movie night she thought as she pushed the bucket of popcorn she had microwaved five hours ago, all excited about their night together.
But remembering how squeaky neat Bryan likes his stuff to be, she found herself vacuuming the mess she had made in her fit.
And as she sat down in his sitting room thinking of 1000 ways to kill Bryan without being suspected including him having visiting and calling privileges she drifted into a tired induced sleep.