[ Saturday, October 15 ]
This is strange. It's been a couple of days since Shawn talked to his father and he didn't do his word of giving me a text or a call before he sleeps that day when he talked to his dad. I kept on texting and calling him but he didn't give me any hint that he'd read my messages. It also had me thinking that he didn't go online for a week, which makes me worry.
Shawn is no longer a kid, I don't think his dad will confiscate his phone and lock him in his room for a couple of days for being a disrespectful son. I do believe that he acted rudely though, knowing how much he hates his father.
I have a feeling that something's really off. I want to believe that Shawn won't do the same thing to me again â giving me false hopes. As far as I know, his goal is to mend all the broken relationships here: with his father and me, now I don't see any reason for him to play around.
Shawn Daniel Barron, I'm so done with your games.
I scrolled on my Twitter account's timeline just to see what's new. As usual, the tweets from the people I follow are the common content of my timeline. Nothing interesting. It's either the news that are usually bad news about the government, random tweets from my friends and some tweets from the fashion-related accounts that I'm following. I tapped on the quill button to write a tweet.
"How long should I wait?" As I typed those, I tapped on the tweet button. I believe that in a couple of minutes, someone will at least like, retweet or reply on it.
A few seconds later, my phone beeped, a hint that there's a notification from somewhere â whether from one of my apps or a text message. As I pressed on my phone's button to turn it on, I saw a text message flashed on my screen long before I swipe it. It's the text message that I've been waiting for â from Shawn.
Shawn: Are you available tonight for dinner? âē
Me: That's it, really? Not even a sorry for leaving me hanging for a couple of days? What happened to you? We agreed that you'll inform me about what happened. I've been worried sick!
Shawn: I'll inform you later. đ
Me: How about the sorry?
Shawn: I'm not sorry. Sorry about that. You'll see why. âē
Me: âšī¸
Shawn: C'mon, don't make this hard. You're at home, right? I'll pick you up later at 6 pm. For the first time, I want to pick up and drop you at your house after. This is a carless day for you, okay? I kinda missed my car, I haven't driven this for a year or so. I still remember how to drive, though.
Me: Fine. But where are we going?
Shawn: Trust me, you'll like it.
Me: I hate you. I really hate you.
Shawn: Right, I love you too. See you later.
I rolled my eyes as I read his last text. Seriously, that I hate you message that I sent him doesn't mean I love you. I just hate him for leaving me lots of questions. Shawn has always been the kind of person who loves leaving me with questions or answering me in things that I can't understand. On the contrary, what I want is a straight answer, right now. We're the total opposites in different ways but for some reason, I appreciated our differences.
Dressing up is one of my favorite parts when going out. Not that I'm too concerned about my looks but I just want to wear the clothes that make me feel confident as I walk around and standing out isn't even in my goals.
I took out my short-sleeved black tweed dress in V-neck and matched it with a black pair of stilettos. Simple and classic.
An hour later, Shawn texted me that he's already outside and without any second thought, I headed outside to meet him. I was expecting for him to get out of his car and open the door for me, but just as I thought, Shawn knows nothing about romance. Not in a literal manner but being sweet isn't exactly his thing. I can't say that I'm surprised â in fact, I'm already expecting that this is how things will go. But it's just disappointing that he didn't really bother to exert any effort to be less predictable.
I sat on the passenger's seat next to the driver's seat and put my shoulder bag on my lap. Shawn turned to face me to look at what I'm wearing. He holds himself from smiling, but eventually, he failed to do it.
"What's so funny?" I crossed my arms in front of me and my lips curved down to a frown.
"I asked you out for a dinner, but no offense â wearing all black like you did look like we're going to a funeral." He smiled for a while and I didn't bother to respond which made the silence deafening.
"You are so weird. You've been acting weird. Can you tell me what's your problem? Because seriously, I have lots of questions."
"I'll answer everything later. Sooner, things will make sense, trust me." I leaned my back to the seat, trying to think about what's with him.
It's fishy. Normally, Shawn and I would eat somewhere out like normal people do and go home after. But now, his actions are questionable, I don't even know what to think about him because things are confusing. Besides, I really hate it when he says "it'll make sense later" because I hate it when my mind keeps on buzzing with questions. The more I try to figure him out, the harder it is to shake him from my mind. Unfortunately, it's not like I can complain, I don't want to ruin the mood. I'll just see where this goes.
Half an hour later, Shawn parked his car outside a restaurant with the signage, 'Trust me, you'll like it.' So, this is what he's talking about. The name of the place is actually THAT. I couldn't believe my eyes.
"So, shall we, my lady?" Shawn asked as he walked towards me and offered his arm. I rolled my eyes and looked away, but I can't help but smile. Shawn surely knows my soft side.
I ignored him and walked ahead of him but he ran after me. As we walk, his hand brushed mine, and without any word, he held my hand and he looked away as if to pretend that he didn't do anything. His hand is cold while my hand is warm. It makes me think why his hands are cold. He's probably not nervous, isn't he?
"Hey, your hand is cold. Are you nervous or was it because it's cold inside your car?"
Shawn looked at me and flashed an awkward smile. He didn't answer yet, but I can already read the answer in his brown eyes. "Honestly, I'm nervous, yeah. Don't laugh at me, but I haven't asked you out for a year so I feel like I'm testing the waters again. Also, I wasn't planning this dinner, but when I saw the restaurant's name this morning, I thought it'll be interesting. I entered and checked the entire venue and I liked it so âĻ"
I chuckled as I leaned my head on his shoulder for a moment. "You didn't change. You still don't do plans, eh?"
"It's not always bad to be spontaneous."
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Shawn pushed open the restaurant's glass door in a wooden frame, revealing an arc with an artificial vine wrapped on the entire thing, a red carpet below it that leads to the wooden tables and chairs. Normally, we eat in a fancy restaurant with walls â however, the very wall of this restaurant are hedges. Do they water these every day or they're artificial ones? The hedges look alive enough to be considered as artificial. On the other hand, there's a tree where lights bulbs are inside the recycled jars, hanged on the tree's branches.
I looked at the left side of the area, noticing the bookshelf filled with books and a grand piano not far from it.
"You've got to be joking," I said as I looked around again and I can't help but be stunned with the garden theme of this place. I never expected that it'll be like this from the outside, but it feels like it's perfect for tea parties.
Shawn grinned, pleased with my reaction. "So, do you like it?"
"Love. I love it," I smiled back, finding the right words to say. "You didn't reserve this place, didn't you? Because obviously, it's just âĻ the two of us here."
"I mentioned that this dinner thing isn't a part of my plan today, so to answer your question, no. Perhaps it's because the prices are âĻ kind of costly, and it's not payday." Shawn blinked and shrugged. "Besides, why would I reserve a place? I don't see that it's even necessary."
I wonder what he's implying by that. I know some guys who reserve venues for a peaceful atmosphere with their girl, but it's just that Shawn is too different. As expected, he's not the romantic type, but I appreciate his spontaneity.
Costly. He mentioned costly. Therefore, he really did look at the prices of the food earlier. I can't help but think how costly is costly. If this is a garden-themed restaurant, what are they likely to prepare? The same thing just like those in normal restaurants?
Shawn and I picked the seat not far from the grand piano, which isn't far from the corner. The waiter approached us to ask for some orders and he gave us the menu. I can't help but look at the prices first, and I couldn't believe my eyes. It's not something that can make our wallets bleed but it's expensive for a normal food. Each food costs at least 2,000, which is more expensive than the lowest price in The Crown's menu â a sandwich that costs 600. In our country, 2,000 is the one-week worth of salary for a minimum wage earner.
"What do you think? Should we just go for the chef's choice?" Shawn asked.
"That's the most expensive," I commented. "And you're the one paying."
"So? It's not like I spend this much every day. I believe I should take that as a yes," he called the waiter and stated the orders. "Also, I'd like to have a milkshake as a drink."
I couldn't believe my ears. His choice was too random and out of the blue. The waiter's eyes widened a bit, hearing the unexpected order. The drink can be added with a bottle of champagne, but this weirdo asked for a milkshake.
"Milkshakes, really? For drinks?"
Shawn shrugged. "We can have a champagne too if you want it. I know you like champagnes."
I shook my head and sighed, quite disappointed but at some point, I want to believe that the uniqueness of everything will make sense later. I don't think there's harm in trying new things. After all, milkshakes aren't all bad.
"Fine, then I'll go for some milkshake too." As soon as I said it, the waiter left to prepare our orders.
I shrugged and heaved a breath. "I just can't believe this weird dinner."
"We can order a champagne if you want it badly, but I'm really good with milkshakes. You ordered the same thing yourself."
Hearing Shawn said that sounded music to my ears. I love champagne as much as mom does and I haven't drink anything for months now aside from water and juice. "Really? We can?"
"But you're the only one who'll drink it."
I scowled, disappointed with his answer. "You're such a party pooper."
"Always," Shawn cleared his throat, a cue that he wants to start a serious conversation. Sadness suddenly filled his eyes, lost in thoughts. He looked at me with a pained smile spreading across his lips. "Should I apologize or confess?"
"You already apologized and confessed before. We're done with that. It doesn't matter anymore, right? I want you to tell me about your dad about what happened. Plus, if you won't mind, how you see my sister. You two were on that island for months. What is she to you?"
The hint of emotion on Shawn's perfectly composed face faded. I find it hard to read or imagine what he's thinking whenever he makes that face and part of me can't help but worry about him.
Does it mean âĻ bad news?
"Amethyst is just a friend to me. Sure, we're kind of close, but not too close to fall for each other. I'm not that stupid to make a close connection to my girlfriend's sister. She's engaged, so I know the limits. Whether she kept on telling me that she hates Vaughn, her eyes still say that she loves him. Just like you, Amethyst is a bad liar." He sighed.
The waiter walked to our seat and put the foods on the table one by one. Creamy chicken soup as an appetizer, charcoal-grilled Japanese beef sirloin steak with wasabi for the main dish, our milkshakes, and the dessert will be served later, which is some ice cream cake. The scent of the steak almost kissed my nose â the scent itself is not far from being enough to make me feel full.
However, even though that's the first thought I had when I smelled its pleasing aroma, the hunger triggered, for my stomach grumbled loudly.
"Someone's hungry," Shawn teased, which made me feel like I'm blushing in embarrassment. "Therefore, you should pray."
I closed my eyes, smiling as I state my prayer. "Dear God, we thank you for this wonderful evening for us to have some dinner together after a long time of separation. Bless this food for our body as we cherish each other's presence tonight. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
Shawn began slicing the steak and added some rice before putting it to his mouth. Without any word, he ate up some soup as well and took some sip from his milkshake. "So, about dad. It's not much, but basically, we planned for the kids to be brought here and they will live in our house since it's big enough to be occupied by them. I wasn't expecting dad to give me that offer, but I gladly accepted. I haven't told mom about it, but we'll manage to settle those as soon as possible. Also,"
Shawn locked his eyes on mine, leaving me with questions in my head about what he'll say next.
"I also told him about us so, he wants us to set some time for talk, both sides. Our fathers are friends so it shouldn't be hard. However, I want to prove myself to your dad that I'm worthy of your love."
His words sent shivers to my spine, and my heart melted with his words. Hearing him say things about us excites me and at the same time, makes me feel nervous. Part of me is afraid about dad's reaction because he's too strict when it comes to relationships. It took Vaughn many years before getting dad's approval. Dad hardly knows Shawn and the thought that he hardly knows him makes me worry. Will dad be mad at us that we made our relationship a secret? How can Shawn prove himself? I just can't imagine things happening.
One of the crews of the restaurant played his music using the grand piano, and another one played his violin which made the place feel alive. Shawn stood up and offered his hand. "May I have this dance, beloved?"
I pressed my lips together in embarrassment but the surprise is too good for me to resist. I stood up and offered my hand out to Shawn, just like what princesses do when a guy approaches them. A moment later, he softly took my hand in his. His expression is earnest. He pressed his lips to the back of my hand.
As a kid, I've always dreamt of having someone treating me like his princess. Shawn might not be a prince, but he's enough to be considered as one â at least for me. The thought might be silly, but I can imagine him as someone who wears a white shirt with a wine-colored cravat, a vest deep blue in color, and dark blue trousers and knee-high boots in dark brown. After all, blue is his favorite color.
Shawn gave me a warm smile as he put his free hand on my waist and I put my free hand on his shoulder. We began dancing smoothly, letting the music take over. Unlike the movies that I've seen before, the girl usually steps on the guy's shoes, which, thankfully, not the case. I'm glad that I still remember how to dance like this from our elective dance class in college.
Our eyes met as I looked up to him, and he took a step forward. "What's running in your mind right now, if you don't mind me asking?"
I chuckled. "You're going to burst out in laughter if I'll be too honest, so forget it."
"C'mon, I promise not to laugh. Just tell me."
"This is crazy, but I was trying to imagine how it's like if you'll wear the clothing of the princes in the 18th century. I don't know, I feel like I'm treated like a princess this moment. I hate to say all these things because I'm old enough to think about fairy tales, but since you asked, then I just said what I have in mind."
Shawn didn't bother to tease me after hearing what my thoughts are about, but he remained silent.
"How about you? What's do you have in mind right now?"
"I was thinking if I should continue dancing with you or just wrap you in my arms and secure you in an embrace." He said. "Earlier, you were asking why I didn't call or text you for a couple of days, right? Now I'm telling you the reason," he smirked, observing my facial features and my reaction. "I wanted you to miss me, that's why."
I closed my eyes for a moment and found myself beaming at the thought. "You know what? Your plan succeeded. I did feel that, although I was mostly worrying."
"You don't have to. I'm not going anywhere again and I'll stay by your side always. That's a promise." His words were like a soft whisper, almost too quiet to catch. However, it filled my heart burst with joy as I hear the promise that sounded music to my ears. I was so happy, I nearly began to cry.
"I just want you to always remember one thing," he added. I narrowed my eyes as he left the cliffhanger phrase.
"I love you, Summer."