The Wright One

MEGAN

The evening is going great. I feel so comfortable with David. We laugh and talk for hours it seems. He holds my hand as often as he can through dinner. He makes me feel special and dare I say it, loved. His eyes never wander like some other guys that I have been out with have. He is here with me. Only me. He cares about what I say, and listens. Comments and talks about everything I wind up blubbering about. Things that have made past dates bored and ready to end the night. But David is hanging on every word.

I excuse myself to the bathroom, after I finish my dinner. I just wanted a chance to catch my breath before we had dessert that David insisted on. I think I am getting swept away. I’m like a ship on the ocean dock, my lead slowly loosening to drift me out to sea. David makes me that way. I am starting to not care that I am being swept away.

In the bathroom I wash my hands and try to keep my breathing even. I can’t think about these things. It’s too soon. I don’t know David all that well. I mean I know that Jasmine would have warned me if her brother was some user playboy, but what if she doesn’t know. Like she is blind to it because it’s her big brother. Guys like him don’t fall this hard for a woman like me. Plus Jasmine has been away at school with me. It’s possible that she just doesn’t know.

Just as I am drying my hands a woman enters the bathroom. She looks so sure and elegant. Her silver floor length dress hugs her body. Her hair in this curly half updo, that makes her look beautiful. She smirks at me, doing some sort of pose with her hand on her hip. “You think you are so hot don’t you?”

I shake my head. “I’m sorry.” I am really confused. Who the hell is this woman and why would she ask me something like that? She looks so aggressive, I am not sure what I did to warrant this attention.

“You were on a date with David Wright. He does this all the time. I just wanted to warn you. You seemed to be falling a bit hard. But David is engaged to me. Has been for the last four months. I told him that he could have his little dates until the wedding, but then it all has to stop. He agreed.”

I shake my head again. I can not believe what I am hearing. This doesn’t sound like the David that I know. It doesn’t sound like David at all. “What is your name?” None of this is making sense. If he was engaged I am sure his sister would know.

“Cynthia Knowls. I am David’s fiance.” She sounds so damn confident and sure of herself though. I think she wouldn’t be this confident if she wasn’t speaking some sort of truth.

“Well, thank you for letting me know.” I skirt around her. I have to ask David about this. I can’t believe how hard I was falling for him. When I march back to the table I am determined to get to the bottom of this.

He smiles when I sit back at the table, but mine is gone. I don’t know if I will ever get it back. “What do you want for dessert?”

“I think I don’t want it. I want to go home.”

His smile falls. “Are you feeling ok? Was it too soon? Should we have waited longer? I’m sorry, I should have noticed that you weren’t feeling well.” He is blubbering.

I glare at him. “Who is Cynthia Knowls?”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

His face changes. “A girl.” He looks angry that I would even ask.

“Go on.” I am not going to let this go.

“It is a girl that my mother wanted me to marry.”

I can’t believe this. “I think I’ll take a cab home.”

“Wait, Megan, that sounded wrong.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” I am probably yelling and causing a scene, but I am hurt. I never thought in a million years that David would do something like this. But he admitted it. That’s what it sounded like from Cynthia, an arranged marriage. That is exactly what he just admitted to.

He tries to grab my hand, but I yank my hand back. “Just go talk to your fiance.”

“What?” He sounds shocked.

“She cornered me in the bathroom and told me about the whole thing. Don’t you dare play dumb with me. You admitted that your mother wanted you two to get married. An arranged marriage, I get it, you wanted to sow your wild oats before the wedding. Well, I’m not that kind of girl so just leave me alone.” I don’t let the tears fall until after I am out of the restaurant and in a taxi that I managed to hail before David chased me out of the restaurant.

But once I am in that cab, I can’t stop them. I can’t believe I was so stupid. Guys like David are never serious about girls like me.

I should have known better.