Chapter 2
I found myself walking towards her. I was on auto-pilot, it was as if I was walking to a friend I haven’t met in a while. I stopped right in front of her, probably closer than she would have been comfortable with, however, that smile never left her face.
“Hey,” she whispered.
“Hey there,” I smiled back, “So where are you heading off to today?”
“Oh” she took a moment to think, “I’m just popping into town, just wasting the day really, my room-mate wanted the place to herself.”
“Oh okay,” that was all I could think of saying, I wanted to ask her a hundred questions but nothing came to mind.
The bus appeared from a distance, humming away as it slowly approached the stop.
“So are you taking the bus to work?” Robyn asked, turning back to me.
“Yeah,” I said, “Unfortunately, my car didn’t want to start this morning.”
“Oh, that’s a shame.”
“No, it’s okay,” I smiled, this situation was a lot more appealing than a simple drive to work.
“I don’t think I got the job,” her eyes glanced towards the ground.
“I’m not sure yet, my boss hasn’t told me what she decided yet,” I felt bad for lying, but didn’t want to break her heart. I wanted to enjoy my time with her. We stood forwards as the vehicle screeched to a halt in front of us.
Me and Robyn let the two women get on the bus first. The bus itself was completely empty. The two women sat at the front, the easy access seats for elderly people. Robyn sat about halfway on the bus. Once I paid the fare I began walking through the isle. I looked at Robyn to get her approval to sit next to her, the last thing I wanted was to make her uncomfortable.
To my surprise, she patted the seat right next to her. Granting me permission to sit shoulder to shoulder. With a sigh I fell to the seat, she smiled at me and then her head turned to the window. Within seconds of sitting down, the bus roared to life and was already setting down the street.
I got my phone out of my pocket, messaging Abigail to let her know I was slowly making my way to work.
Suddenly, I felt Robyn’s head begin leaning on my shoulder. I froze, shocked by what happened. I looked down to see her blonde hair sticking out under the hood. I wanted to talk but the situation left me momentarily speechless. It felt so good having her small frame leaning against me, she also smelt amazing with a combination of milk and vanilla hitting my senses.
“Uh, Robyn?” I finally asked
I heard her breathing get heavier and more laboured. She was asleep! I took a moment to think about how quickly she went, we weren’t even at the end of the street yet. I chuckled to myself quietly, but decided to instead enjoy every second with the small woman sleeping against me. The grin never left me as I spent the short time I was on the bus just watching her breath, imagining what she was dreaming about.
The bus stopped and the door opened. No one got on, but at the same time no one got off. Looking forward I noticed the bus driver was looking at me through the mirror.
“This is your stop,” he barked.
“Oh, sorry!” I yelled back.
I tried to shift Robyn to her side of the seat, but she immediately fell back onto my shoulder. “Robyn!” I yelled, shaking her and trying everything to get her up. She did not wake up, in fact her breathing seemed to have gotten louder.
“I’ll be a minute!” I yelled once again to the bus driver.
Finally, I shook her violently and her eyes finally opened. Slowly, but they did finally open, as if she had been asleep for hours. She slowly leant forwards and stretched, her arms reaching past my head. She finally turned back to me, looking at me with a sleeping smile on her face. She looked well rested.
“Are you okay?” I ask her, grabbing my bag.
She nodded a few times, her brain still half asleep from the power nap.
“Okay, I have to go,” I said, standing up in the aisle, “Tell you what, how about I message you later?”
She once again nodded, but her smile seemed to get larger.
“Don’t fall back asleep again!”
I walked down the aisle and apologised to the bus driver as I walked past him, the doors closed as soon as I stood out and it once again resumed humming down the street. I saw Robyn go to the back seat and give me a long wave as she disappeared into the distance.
I sat down on my office chair, followed by a massive sigh. I closed my eyes as I took in the relief of finally getting to work. After the bus dropped me off, I still had to walk for ten minutes to the outskirts of town. Shame Greenfields wasn’t placed on a more normal commute, Stuart and his company snatched up the office building for cheap because it was far away from everything else.
“I’ll give you a lift home,” Abigail said, not taking her eyes off the screen as she continued to answer email after email.
“Thank you,” I responded, “I promise it won’t happen again. My Dad’s going to look at the car later.”
The computer in front of me beamed to life and dozens of emails popped up that required answering. I sighed once more, mentally preparing myself for the workload.
Samuel came round with three cups of coffee and placed two of them in front of Abigail and myself, he sat himself down at his desk and began working. I looked at the two, each quiet and completely focused on their work, which was not what I wanted. There was only one thing on my mind and I needed a distraction.
One final time I sigh loudly to myself, I open the first e-mail and begin typing with that beautiful, young woman on my mind.
It was lunchtime, my first time away from my desk. I sat alone with my phone on the table, Robyn’s name was highlighted in my contacts. I added her name as soon as I memorised every digit, just so I wouldn’t end up forgetting. I press the speech bubble icon and the phone goes to send a text. I tapped my finger on the desk as I struggled to consider what to write.
My mind goes into automatic mode once more as I pick up the phone and write a typical message, I didn't want to come off too strong.
Hey Robyn, It’s Dahlia here from Greenfields. I hope you didn’t fall asleep on the bus again, are you free tonight? I would love to take you out for dinner.
I put the phone back onto the table with an audible ‘thump’, the message was sent and there is no turning back. Whilst leaning back on my chair and cupping my hands around my face, my heart ached with the idea she wouldn’t be up for it but I couldn’t keep going on like this. If she fell asleep on me, it must mean she is comfortable enough around me and hopefully that could mean she has certain feelings towards me.
My thoughts were stopped as my phone vibrated softly, slowly moving itself a few millimeters across the table. I immediately glance down to see a message highlighting the screen.
Yeah sure. That sounds fun. I’m free anytime this afternoon.
I immediately picked up the phone and began typing the next message.
Perfect. I’ll meet you by the bus stop around 6pm? OK?
The message was sent. I was internally happy, I was spending the evening with my current favourite person.
The phone vibrated.
Sure thing
“Thank you so much for the lift home,” I said to Abigail.
It was the evening, the sun was just disappearing beyond the horizon. I was tapping my foot nervously as she was stopping the car just outside my house. I only had a few minutes to pick Robyn up and go on our date.
“No worries,” she replied, “see you tomorrow.”
I opened the door and closed it behind myself. Giving her a wave as I jogged towards my garage. With a heavy pull the door opens, screaming until it slams at the top. My car sat in its usual spot, however a note was laid onto the bonnet. I picked it up and smiled as I read the singular word that was written on it.
Fixed
“Thanks, Dad,” I said to the empty room.
I looked at the image of the woman in the mirror. It might have been the first time in years I was proud of my looks or perhaps the first time in years I actually took a moment to stare at the beautiful woman I saw before me. Obviously, this positive attitude wasn’t there to support my ego, tonight I wanted to be attractive to a certain young woman.
My hand felt down my crimson, red and tight fitting dress. Despite the ruffles that hung loose around the breast area, the dress hugged my figure very tightly, showing off my thin waistline. The dress cut off halfway down my thighs, presenting the black stockings that hid beneath. At the bottom of the outfit was soft black shoes that wrapped around my feet. At my height, I never indulged in the idea of high heels.
Not wanting to overdo it, I grab a loose fitting bracelet off the side and cuff it onto my wrist. It moved freely with every movement my arm made. Grabbing a purse and keys off the side of the table; I left my house.
The car roared to life, feeling more lively than it has been in years, it was as ready as I was. I drove up the road and out onto the main road. My heart was begging for me to go faster, to put the foot on the accelerator until I reached my destination, but I held In the urge.
This will happen and it will happen at a steady pace, I thought to myself, as I pushed down on the accelerator ever so slightly harder.
The bus stop came into view. What looked like a white speck transformed into a beautiful, young woman. Once again, she was wearing the white dress that she wore to the interview, however this time it looked different, less restricted. It moved gracefully in the wind, showing off her bare legs that only were hidden by white shoes. Her arms too were completely bare and her hair wasn’t as tidy as it was on that day. She looked completely relaxed.
Her smile greeted me as I stopped my car in front of her.
“Hey there,” I smiled back, “Get in.”
I opened the passenger door as she skipped around my car and entered. I tried not to stare at her legs as she entered the vehicle. She slammed the door behind her, turning towards me and flashing a cheeky grin. My heart melted once more, I didn’t realise how big of a step it would be seeing her in my car, feeling her small frame in my passenger seat felt unreal.
“Where are we going?” she asked, throwing me out of my thoughts.
“Oh,” I stuttered, “Just somewhere quiet and local.”
I put the car in first gear as she snapped her seatbelt into place. We both shared one more smile before the car continued down the road.
After a few minutes, we arrived at the location. I did not want to go somewhere fancy or too expensive and loud. I wanted to just spend tonight focused on her. The Red Lion pub towered over my car, a simple brick building, surrounded by nature and illuminated by the street lights in contrast to the dark night sky.
It still surprised me that in the short period that I drove, the sky changed from bright to pitch black.
“A pub?” Robyn asked.
“Yeah,” I said, grabbing a spare coat from the back of my car and draping it across her shoulders, I felt the goosebumps that covered her arms, “It’s quiet, intimate and has great food. It will give us plenty of time to get to know each other.”
“Oh,” Robyn murmured.
“What? Don’t you want to get to know me?” I fake pouted
A small smile grew once more on her face as she nodded, pulling the coat over her shoulders, completely covering her torso.
“Well then…” I continued, putting my arm around her and walking slowly to the building, “let’s go.”
The Red Lion pub was not a well-frequented establishment, in comparison to the other pubs and restaurants in the town. Sitting at the edge of the area, it was somewhat difficult to get to for the usual customers who would have to drive that distance; something that didn’t sit well for casual drinkers.
That, however, was not the only reason I wanted our first date to be here. The Red Lion and its current owners have a connection to my family. Both my mother and my father were close with the owners, Malcolm and Margaret Richardson; with my mother and Margaret being childhood friends.
The two had always been there for our family, and vice versa. My parents helped them both when they were first starting the business, Margaret constantly visited my Mother in hospital when she got sick and they also hosted the reception at the pub after my Mother’s funeral. Behind the logo of a red hissing lion is a place I could call my second home.
Me and Robyn enter the familiar establishment. A large room broken into three different sections. In the main section stands the bar, a typical set up with stools surrounding it, a large fireplace built into the left of it, a fireplace so large you can even stand inside it. To both the left and right of the bar were two rooms dedicated to eating. On the right was a room filled with small tables with two to three chairs surrounding them; more intimate. On the left was a room with two large tables, both having eight chairs each; for more social events.
Behind the bar stood Malcolm, fixing one of the taps. He was a man well into his forties, still rather slim he tended to wear shirts that were tucked into his jeans. As a balding man, he kept the hair on his head very short and with a heavy stubble, all the hairs around his head and face were the same length.
His facial hair was completely grey, whilst the hair on his head was starting to change, but the brown still showed through. His face was also starting to show signs of age, with wrinkles slowly appearing as the years went on, but behind the aged eyes was a man with a heart of gold.
He laughed as he spotted us, the smile forcing his laugh lines to show.
“Dahlia!” his voice carried through the empty building, “I wasn’t expecting you!”
“Really?” I questioned, trying not to laugh, “I called in to reserve a table.”
I felt Robyn stand close to me, her arm pushing against my stomach as if she wanted the comfort of having me next to her. I grab the coat off her shoulders and fold it under my arm.
“Yes, you did,” he walked over to a notebook that was hidden behind the bar, “But it is written down as Dahlia…plus one? And I thought it must have been a joke.”
He looked up and smiled, showing his full range of teeth and holding back his laughter. He thought of this joke hours ago and was just waiting for me to walk through the door so he could say it.
“Alright, alright,” I humoured him, putting the coat on a rack by the door and walking over to the bar. I held my arms out and he hugged me with one arm as soon as I was in reach.
“It’s been a long time,” he said in my ear, “thought you’d left us for good.”
“You know I could never do that,” I let go, “It’s just been crazy with getting the business up and running properly.”
“Alright, I’ll let you go, but only because you have company… I assume I’m going to be introduced to the little lady?”
“Of course,” I hold out my arm to Robyn, “Malcolm, this is Robyn.”
Malcolm once again leaned over the counter, this time with his hand out to shake her hand. Robyn’s hands were held together tight in front of her, but she managed to prise them apart and meet his hand.
“Robyn, this is Malcolm,” I continued, “he is an old friend of the family.”
“It’s lovely to meet you, Robyn,” Malcolm smiled at her, “You are the first date I’ve seen Dahlia bring to us. Which means she is either embarrassed by us, or she doesn’t have dates that often.”
“It’s the latter, I’m afraid,” I laughed.
Robyn nodded back to him, almost bowing or doing a curtsy. Malcolm came out from behind the bar and took us both to a secluded part of the pub. An intimate two chair table with one candle placed in the middle. A fork and a knife already placed onto a napkin, ready for use.
I sat down immediately and Malcolm pulled the chair back for her to sit, placing it underneath her as soon as she started sitting down. Robyn blushed, not used to this level of attention.
Malcolm left us alone, I opened the menu and pretended to look through the food choices and I struggled to think of another conversation starter.
“Uh, If you aren’t sure what to get… The burger is pretty good,” I heard the stutter in my voice, “That’s if you eat meat, I guess?”
What happened to me? I was confident on the drive here and was comfortable talking to and about her in front of Malcolm, but us alone, right now. My hands were shaking, I could tell as the words on the menu kept moving left to right.
I had a choice, either carry on holding the menu, giving her the chance of seeing my unsteady hand or putting the menu down and talking to her directly; removing the barrier between us both.
I slapped the menu back on the table and looked up at her. I placed my hands on the table so my weakness could not be seen. To my surprise, she wasn’t looking at me… she wasn’t looking at the menu, she was looking down at her feet.
“Dahlia? Is this a date?” she asked, barely a whisper.
My heart went straight to my throat. I didn’t have an answer to that question. I knew what I wanted to say but I knew it wasn’t the right answer. I wanted to tell her that I felt things for her that I never felt with anyone. I wanted to tell her that I took her number from her CV, because I couldn’t stand the idea of not getting to know her. I had to tell her something…
“Yes,” I blurted out, forcing out that word as I knew if I thought about it for a second second, I wouldn’t have said anything. “Yes,” I confirmed, “I need to get to know you… sorry that didn’t come out right.”
I saw her facial expression change slightly, but not in the way I thought. She looked sad.
“Robyn… I don’t think I can explain my reasoning” I struggled to say, “It’s against company policy, but I took your number from your CV, because I wanted to get to know you… since I felt…”
Her eyes began tearing up, she wiped one of her eyes and began sniffing louder.
“I’m sorry,” I tried to calm her down, “Do you want me to take you home?”
She shook her head, “No…It’s just, as you asked me to come out tonight… I thought I was getting somewhere with the job application.”
My eyes widened, It never occurred to me to tell the poor girl that she didn’t get the job and this was all personal. I felt awful, she was crying because of me and I couldn’t say anything to make it better, the truth hurt her.
“I’m really sorry, Robyn. I don’t know what to say?”
Once more she wiped her eyes and seemed to have calmed herself down. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked once more at me.
“So, I didn’t get the job?” she sniffed.
“I’m sorry,” I said, genuinely, “You didn’t. I just wanted to get to know you, you seem very… unique, But I’ll understand if you want me to take you home.”
“It’s okay. I guess my room-mate was right, I am useless.” She wiped both eyes one final time.
“You aren’t useless. You are a very lovely young lady with many choices ahead of you. Will you let me get to know you?”
“You really like me?” she questioned, “I cannot understand what you see.”
“Are you kidding? You’re cute, you are beautiful, you are loving and very, very interesting. I definitely want to get to know you better.”
“I’ve been called a burden… many times.”
“Then let me figure that out by myself… please?”
She nodded, finally looking up at me.
“Didn’t realise someone so pretty would be interested in me,” a smile stretched across her face.
Her contagious smile moved onto my face and for a moment we both stared into each other’s eyes, both wearing large grins and nothing to worry about, just indulging in each other’s presence for the rest of the night.
“So tell me more about who Robyn is?” I asked.
“Umm… not really much to tell,” she said, picking up the menu, “I’m 20 years old. I enjoy watching TV and staying in bed… can I be honest?”
“Yeah? Course you can.”
“I’ve… never been on a date before,” she whispered meekly, hiding herself behind her menu.
“Really?” I blurted out. I put my hand up to my mouth. I was just so surprised with her answer that it came out automatically. “I’m sorry,” I immediately corrected myself, “It’s just you are so pretty, I thought you would be getting dates all the time?”
She blushed, “No. I have even kissed anyone before… not in that way, anyway.”
I looked directly at her lips as soon as she said that. They looked so inviting, I was questioning why anyone could keep away from them. I just stared at them as the young woman was talking about her inexperience.
“That’s okay,” I reassured her, only half listening to her conversation. “There is nothing to be ashamed of, people experience life in many different ways.”
She smiled once more at me, looking down at her menu and glancing at the options, it wasn’t long before her eyes met mine once more. It took a moment for me to realise that I didn’t take my eyes off her that entire time.
“Could you do something for me?” She questioned, her mouth moved to the side in a pouting manner.
“Yeah sure, hun,” I continued staring.
“Could… you perhaps… order for me?”
“Order for you?”
“I’m very indecisive” she said, glancing once more at the options below, “I prefer people telling me what I can have.”
My mouth went dry when she said that. There was something so arousing about this girl giving me power over her, even if it was just a small amount. My legs gently rubbed together as I once again picked up the menu.
“Okay,” my voice slightly shuddered, “are you vegetarian or vegan?” I asked with my eyes pointing in her direction.
She was sitting with her head resting on one of her hands, she shook her head.
“Okay,” I pondered, “How about a burger, with chips and a coke?”
She nodded. The smile never left her face. I returned the smile, putting the menu back onto the table. She continued staring at me, the same way I looked at her not a moment ago. I felt her leg touch mine, why did that feel so good. I indistinctly began rubbing my leg up hers, taking in every feeling. Her legs were so bare and smooth, I started to dislike the tights that I decided to wear. I wanted to be as close to her as possible.
We quickly fell into a fit of giggles as our laughs filled the empty room. It was just nice, sharing a moment with her, no words… just feelings. Once the giggles stopped, we continued staring. I was just taking in her beauty, her innocence. None of my other senses were working apart from my vision, the silence of the room allowed me to just look at her and ignore the rest of the world. Silence… which was sadly about to be broken.