— Hello sweetie, I've missed you too!
— Go to hell, Dante!
— In 20 minutes, I'll be there to pick you up... Let's have dinner out!
— What?!
— Louise wants to meet you!
— This is just what I needed! You can cancel because I won't go. Goodnight, Dante!
— You won't be able to say no because we're already downstairs. We're waiting for you. If you don't come down in 15 minutes, we'll come up... See you.
Dante hung up the phone as soon as he finished speaking. I wanted to disappear; he was so irritatingly persistent that it was maddening...
"Darn it!" - I thought.
Despite stomping my foot out of sheer annoyance, I got ready and went downstairs.
"How could Dante do this to me? I didn't want to meet another woman who was also interested in him. But wait! What do you mean 'also'?" - I thought, shocked.
— Well, Kyra, you've done it now! - I muttered to myself while closing the front door of the building where I lived.
— Kyra, we're here. - Dante said, rolling down the car window and waving with a smile.
I rolled my eyes and went over to him. I opened the back car door because there was a figure in the front seat that I couldn't see clearly, and I got a surprise...
— Kyra, I want you to meet Louise. This natural talent helps me organize all the book launch events, signings, and everything else related to authors.
I was shocked when I looked at the figure standing in front of Dante. Yes, I can confirm to you, dear reader, it's a man! I had imagined it was a woman and got jealous for no reason... I was mortified.
— Good evening, Louise. - I said shyly.
— Good evening, Kyra! It's so nice to meet you. Dante has already told me the details that you'll be part of our team of writers, and I'll be happy to help with whatever you need. - He said kindly.
Louise was around 40, with charming little wrinkles around the corners of his eyes, which only added to his charm. He had a tan complexion, honey-colored eyes, and black hair. What stood out the most about him was his kindness.
— Thank you so much, Louise; it's very nice to meet you too! - I said politely but wanted to strangle Dante.
— Now that you've been introduced, let's have dinner because I'm quite hungry. - Dante said with a big smile on his face, looking at me.
Dante started the car and sped off. The two of them talked most of the way. I, on the other hand, chose to stay quiet due to my childishness. The city was all lit up, and you could hardly see the starry sky. The restaurant they wanted to go to was a bit outside the city, which was perfect for me because I could gaze at the stars.
Twenty minutes after we left my apartment, we arrived at the mentioned restaurant. It had a rustic style, with a little road leading to the establishment that resembled a well-kept country house, with flowers along the way. The place was built entirely from brown-painted wooden logs with glass windows and doors. The place was quite charming; I loved it!
We got out of the car after Dante parked, and we went inside. At the reception, a woman was waiting for us to check the reservations.
— Good evening, gentlemen! Under whose name is the reservation so I can check it in my system? - The receptionist said, looking at Dante as if she wanted to devour him.
— It's under Dante and Louise. - Dante said, avoiding the receptionist's gaze.
It seemed like he had already noticed what was bothering me without me needing to say anything. Interesting!
"It's surreal to be acting as if we're in a relationship... Just the thought of the word RELATIONSHIP gives me shivers. Even though we had something in the past, it was never real and certainly not anything like this." - I thought.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice Dante's hand touching mine and leading me to the table. When I snapped out of my reverie, I looked at Dante, who was staring at me with curiosity. There was no sign of Louise at the table.
— What are you thinking about? - Dante asked, raising an eyebrow.
— About the embarrassment I went through today. - I said, embarrassed.
— Ahh... that you thought Louise was a woman? - He said, laughing.
— Yes... - I said, covering my face with both hands.
— Don't worry; I enjoyed that. You being jealous of me only warms my heart even more. - He said, winking at me.
— I wasn't jealous! - I retorted.
— Then what was it?
— Okay, I felt uncomfortable with the situation...
— Just like you did with the receptionist?
— How do you know? - I asked, furrowing my brow.
— I notice everything, Kyra. I'm observant, especially when it comes to you, and at that moment, your expression changed, and I don't understand why you belittle yourself so much.
— Belittle me? - I asked, confused.
— Yes, you think that any woman who shows interest in me will be able to get with me. The fact is: it's not that simple.
— How so? - I asked incredulously.
— First: I have to like the person to get involved with them;
Second: I'm already in love with someone whom I want to spend my days with, and I don't need another girl;
Third: you know very well that I can't stand it when people keep throwing themselves at me.
— You're already in love with someone?
— Yes, Kyra, and isn't it kind of obvious?
I wasn't quite understanding... I didn't know if he was talking about me or someone else. I'm really slow to pick up on things, especially when it comes to feelings... I'm clueless.
Just as I was about to ask about it, Louise returned to the table... Judging from the direction he came from, I assumed he had been to the restroom. The waiters brought us the menu; we chose what we would eat and talked all night about what I would be writing, how the events worked, and whether I wanted to participate in what would be launched next month to get a feel for how things worked.
Everything went well; we finished dinner and headed back to my apartment, where they both left me safely. I went upstairs, changed into my pajamas, and went to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual because I needed to buy boxes, tape, and a permanent marker to label where each box would go. Luckily for me, the store that sold storage products like recyclable plastic bags, trash bags, and boxes delivered to my address, so I didn't need a car for that. I was really happy about it. I left the store and went to find the tape and marker.
After finishing my shopping, I went back home, posted the next installment of my story that was published in the newspaper daily, and started organizing things in the living room. After 40 minutes, the boxes arrived, and I kept on working.
The day flew by; before I knew it, Dante was already in my apartment helping me finish packing things in my room. It turned out I didn't have that much stuff, only about 30 boxes... We finished everything. I had thought it would take longer since it took three days to pack everything in my old apartment, but I didn't have Dante to help me then.
They were really good moments; he made me laugh, brought me coffee, and had dinner with me. This was all new to me because I had never been taken care of by anyone before.
— Kyra, I think you can stay at my place tonight. Also, there's nothing left here that can help you, and your clothes are already boxed up.
— I agree, This way I can have a "test drive" on the bed, hehe.
— You know that didn't sound quite right, right? - Dante said, laughing.
— Such a dirty mind! - I said, throwing the only pillow I hadn't packed at him.
— Seriously, what are you going to do with your furniture?
— I'm thinking about selling them since your apartment has everything.
— Are you sure?
— Yes, if I bring them, they'll clutter up your place, don't you agree?
— I agree, but I can store them somewhere else for you to pick up later if you want.
— Thank you, but right now, I'm not interested in keeping them. Also, I can rent something already furnished until I have my place.
— You know you can live with me for as long as you need.
— Yes, and I appreciate that. I just don't want to disrupt your life, you know...
— I know exactly what you're thinking, Kyra, and it's definitely out of the question.
— But...
— If I'm taking you there, there's no chance another woman will set foot in there. Not even my mother visits me; let alone anyone else...
— Okay then, thank you.
— Don't thank me yet; after all, you haven't spent that much time with me... Well, can the moving truck pick up your things tomorrow and take them there?
— Yes, I arranged it with the mover.
— That's great, it's a relief! So, are we ready?
— Yes, I'll just need the box with my clothes and my computer today.
— Alright then! I'll grab the box, and you get the computer.