Struggle (9 page)

Chapter 22

Eva

"I am so sorry for my behavior, Eva." I know that he had alcohol in his system, but he sounded honest.

It
was awkward to find the last person you expected to see, then you find him with a drunk girl who said that she tried to get him to touch her, but he wouldn’t. My heart was excited to see Nathan, but my brain was feeling numb. But the sorrow I was feeling won out in the end. "It's okay, Nathan. You don’t owe me any explanation. It's your choice and you can make your own decisions."

"Will you come out with me
tomorrow night? On a real date?"

He looked into my eyes
, touching my soul. He sounded sincere. My heart started beating fast, but my brain was still unsure. "Are you sure that’s what you want?"

Sadly, I smiled. “Thanks
for at least considering. After my behavior today, I thought I lost you forever."

I liked
the way he was afraid of losing me. I smiled. “Nathan, I am not a child whom will not talk with a friend after a fight."

"You know
, I like the way you talk while smiling. It's like a ray of sunshine after a storm.” He grabbed my hand, giving me goose bumps. “Eva, you are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, and I want to try this out with you.  Please come out with me. We can't go forward until we do. There is no point in hiding our emotions."

My heart
started racing. It wanted me to say yes, but my brain was still in doubt.  “Nathan, your behavior today was totally opposite of what you’re saying now. I like you very much and if it's going to be real, I want to give it one hundred percent. It's not like I have never had a boyfriend, but it always ended with a broken heart. I don't want that again. You are a sweet person, but…”

Without letting go of my hand, he got out of the car.
He pulled me forward, and lowered his head to kiss my lips. All my doubt vanished with that kiss. His hand was in my hair, and his tongue was playing with my own. How could I say no to him? His lips came away from mine, and he whispered in my ear, “Did you find any doubt in that kiss?"

"No
, not a single one. So where are we going on our date?" I was getting excited.

"I hope
the love birds have ironed out their differences.” Damn, Chloe. I totally forgot about her.

"Thanks for the time
, Chloe,” Nathan chuckled.

"That chic was pretty good
. Are you sure you only want to spend time with Eva?” I punched Chloe in the arm.

"She is prettier than
any girl in the world, Chloe. But I can think twice if
you
are considering me." Now I punched Nathan.

“Guys,
you two are very poor at flirting, and I’m ready to go home.” I giggled.

"
Get in. I will drop you girls off.”

Nathan left after he dropped us back
at the dorm. I waited for Chloe's attack of questions. “So what was that all about?”

"What
?" I decided to play it cool.

“I saw the
kiss, sweetheart."

"Oh
, that. It’s nothing. We kiss like that all the time. It’s not a big deal."

"Don't play with me
, girl. I know what's going on between the two of you…and I will kill you if you don't tell me now."

I laughed and hugged her tightly.
“He asked me out on a real date, Chloe." I kissed her on her cheek. “I am so happy. My first date and I am going to enjoy it.”

“I am so happy for you. After Jacob, I never thought you’d be this happy again.” Chloe giggled. “We should celebrate!” she said and got the wine out of the refrigerator.

****

“No Man’s Land” was the name of
the place where we were going to meet. "Strange name, right?" I asked Chloe.

"It's one of the
most famous places in uptown, and it's by invitation only. I am not sure how your boyfriend got you guys in there.” She winked at me.

"He is not my boyfriend
…yet. We are just starting to date."

"He is not my boyfriend, but
my lover,” Chloe mimicked, and ran into her room.

I giggled. "You better
not be long. I need to get ready.”

"There are six hours
until your date, sweetheart. I suggest you sleep for four hours, then get ready."

Damn the wait
.I decided to go for a run to, hopefully, occupy my mind so the time would go faster. I put on my running shoes and walked out into the fresh air.

***

"What should I wear, Chloe? Please, help me here."

“You have been standing
there for the last hour and tried on five dresses. Just pick one. He will love anything you wear. After all, he’s just going to remove it later,” Chloe said with a wicked smile.

I couldn't stop
thinking about that image. The thought of his skin pressed against mine aroused me. The thought of his lips on mine made me tingle all over. I shook the thought off so that I could talk. "Do you think I should try the red dress?”

Chloe rolled her eyes.
"That's a good idea. You haven't tried that on in the last five minutes. Anyway, the color
does
look great on you.”

I took
it out of my closet, remembering Jacob and how much of a jerk he was. I smiled. That’s the past. I came out to show it to Chloe.

"That
’s fabulous, sweetheart. It looks superb on you. If I was a man, I would take you here and now.”

"You dirty dog
. Why do you always have sex on your mind?” I slapped Chloe on her shoulder.

“Ow, that
hurts." She giggled. “All jokes aside. I am very happy for you. It makes me feel even better when I think about what a gentleman he is with you. Maybe he is the one for you. Hold tight to this opportunity."

"I will
, Chloe. Thanks for being my friend. I love you." I hugged Chloe. She was like the sister I never had and her hug was one of the most comforting things in the world.

“Now, hurry up and get ready. He
will be here to pick you up  any time."

As she
said that, my phone beeped, indicating a text had come in.

I am
leaving and will be there in twenty minutes so be ready, sugar

Damn
, I just have twenty minutes!

***

Twenty minutes later, Nathan was standing in our dorm and waiting for me. Ten minutes after that, we were on our way.

"You have to
give a girl time when she’s getting ready for a date.” I gave him an angry look.

"You should know that I
don’t make it a habit to pick up girls from their home.” He chuckled and pressed the accelerator.

As we flew down the road, I said,
“I heard this club was invitation only. How did you get in?”

"Being a boxer
has its perks. The owner is one of my fans so I get an invitation whenever I want one.”

"That's awesome
. How many fans do you have?" It was exciting to know that he had a fan base.

"Well, most of them are girls who like the
violence. I don't keep up a website so I’m not exactly sure.”

"
Well, now you have one more fan.” I moved towards him and kissed him on the cheek. I could smell his cologne. It always turned me on when I was near him.

When we reached the club,
it looked normal from the outside so I wondered why it was by invitation only. A valet came to park our car and we entered the building. The inside was huge and polished. The furniture, the bar, the ceiling, and the floor all showed class. Every comfort available in the world was there. All the chairs reclined, and the tables were made up of expensive marble. The ceiling was decorated with various types of chandeliers. The bar, situated in the left corner, was one of the biggest I’ve ever seen.

A waiter approached us as soon as we entered.
"Hello, sir.  Can I see your invitation card, please?"  He scanned the card on his apple tablet. "Sir, Manager Walker would like to see you in his cabin."

“Please tell him I will meet him in a bit. Can you show us our cabin?"

“Absolutely, sir.
Please follow me.”

He led us to another section of the bar.
It was made up of about forty private cabins. All the cabins had one waiter at their disposal.

He led us to the cabin.
“Make yourself comfortable, sir. Your waiter will attend to you soon."

"Thanks
.” Nathan came closer to me after the waiter left and we sat on the couch. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?"

"Nope
, you didn't, and I am angry at you for that,” I teased him.

"Let me make
it up to you then.” He reached behind the couch and took out a bunch of red roses. They were beautiful. "These are for my lady."

I was
overcome with pleasure when I saw the roses. "They are so beautiful. Thank you, Nathan.” I took them in my hands, smelling them.

“They’re no more beautiful than your smile.”
He came forward and kissed me on my cheek. His cologne again entered my nose, overtaking my senses.

"Hello
, sir. I am Jacob, your attendee. If you want anything, I will be waiting outside."I looked up, and my heart skipped a beat. Jacob?! Seeing him brought back all the memories of the suffering and pain he brought into my life. I couldn't believe it. Here I was with the sweetest man I have ever met, and my ex stands in front of me. Jacob’s eyes widened when he saw me. "Eva? What are you doing here?" he asked.

Nathan looked between us, then said,
"Can you give us some privacy? I will call you when we want something."

"Sure
, sir,” Jacob replied and went outside.

"Can we
leave?” I couldn't bear that Jacob was going to be serving us. The thought of him being there ruined my evening, and I was sure that he would just be trouble. I didn't want the first date with Nathan to go like this.

"Why,
what’s wrong? Does it have something to do with the waiter? The moment you saw him your face fell.”

I exhaled
. I knew that I’d have to tell him eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be on our first date. "It's a long story, Nathan. We used to date. It was a painful time in my life, but I really don't want him to ruin our evening.” I was close to tears. The pain and sorrow in seeing him again was worse than anybody could imagine.

"Hey
, sugar, I am not going to ask anything about him. I’m just happy that you’re with me and only me. I really don't care about your past. Let's go.” He stood and held out his hand.

Smiling,
I grabbed it. He was a nice guy, and I liked him more than anything. The thought of him flooded my mind and buried all the thoughts of Jacob.

As we started to walk out, Jacob blocked the door.
"Where are you going, Eva? I want to talk to you."

"Hello
, Jacob. I don't think she wants to talk to you. It would be better for you if you leave her alone and make some room."

“I am not talking to you. She is my girlfriend. Don’t come between us or things will get wild.” Jacob was as arrogant as he used to be.

"Are you sure about that
? I can easily get you thrown out of here." Nathan was cool. "I don’t want any trouble so I need you to get out of our way." Nathan pushed him aside and we made our way out of the cabin. He led us me the door, then the car.

Ja
cob hurried after us and pulled Nathan's shoulder. He threw a punch at   Nathan, which hit my jaw. I doubled over in pain. Nathan pulled me up and walked me over to the side. “Eva! Are you okay?!” I nodded, holding my face.

He
coldly walked back to Jacob. “Bad move, dude.” Nathan hit him hard on his cheek, and Jacob was thrown to the ground.

I couldn't see
anything, but it brought back bad memories. I ran up to Nathan. “Nathan, please, let’s go. He’s a jerk and not worth our time.”

"You bitch
! Who are you are calling a jerk? This dick won't be able to protect you from me. I still have many things to do to you. I haven't forgotten that you put me in jail. I am going to make you suffer for that.”

I could see
that Nathan was getting angry, but I didn't want him to fight anymore. "Nathan, please, let’s go."

"Bitch
, you can't save him from me. I will hunt you both down." Jacob was bleeding, but still arrogant.

Nathan pulled
Jacob up by his collar. "You bastard. You deserve worse than this," and he kneed him in his stomach.

Ja
cob cried out in pain. Many people were around us, and I couldn't take it anymore. Crying, I ran towards the street, hailed a cab, and went back to the dorm.Chloe was home, but she was sensible enough not to ask me anything.