Page 55 of Champagne Nights

“He’s been asking you out for a year. Why did you decide to go out with him now?”

“I think it’s time I start to explore what’s out there, and we always have nice conversations. He’s a good man. By the way, speaking of men, have you heard from Ethan?”

“Umm. Yeah. We went out, and there isn’t a connection there, so I probably won’t see him again.”

“Oh. Well, it’s for the best anyway. I already told you how I felt about him. You deserve much better. I need to get going, sweetheart. I have to get ready for my date,” she spoke excitedly.

“Have a good time.” I smiled.

After she left, I sat there and ate dinner while thinking about Ethan. I didn’t want to think about him, trust me. But, somehow and someway, he left his mark on me, and he wasn’t so easy to forget. But I had no choice; I needed to forget about him and ourshort time together. As much as I didn’t want to allow myself to fall for him, I did. I did everything wrong and everything that was out of character for me. I had sex way too fast, I fell too hard too quickly, and in the end, I let him break my heart. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid on my part.

Now Penelope was seeing Leo, Ian was going on a date, and my Aunt Charlotte was spending time with the guy down in 1C. I felt alone and sorry for myself, thinking that I might never find the right man to build a future with and have a family of my own.

Chapter Twenty-One

Ethan

“It’s been a long time, Ethan. Please have a seat,” Dr. Perry spoke. “What brings you back to my office?”

I sat in the chestnut-colored, oversized leather chair and placed my arms on the armrest, bringing my ankle up to my leg.

“The nightmares are back.”

“When did they return?” she asked as she adjusted her glasses.

“About a week ago.”

“Hmm. Did anything in your life change? Possibly something you did or saw that triggered the memory?”

“No.” I looked down.

“I get the feeling, Ethan, that you aren’t telling me everything.”

With a long sigh, I got up from the chair and paced around the room with my hands tucked into my pants pockets. I used to do that during my sessions because it felt more comfortable. Dr. Perry understood that and didn’t seem to mind.

“They started after I met someone.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “Why don’t you tell me about her?”

“Her name is Aubrey. She’s an English Literature teacher over at Roosevelt High School.”

“How old is she?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Go on,” she slowly spoke.

“I don’t know what else to say except that she’s blind.”

Dr. Perry cocked her head when I said that and removed the glasses from her face.

“She’s blind?”

“Yes. But I didn’t know she was blind when I first met her. I asked her out first, and she told me no. Then she proceeded to tell me about her loss of vision.”

“Was she born blind?”

“No. She was in a car accident when she was eight years old that also killed both of her parents.”

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