Page 67 of Until You Came Along
“That’s another issue and I don’t know how we’ll solve it, but we have two problems. The first is that I need you to come with me, the second is that I don’t want you to go alone to the dinner you were invited to.”
I lowered the glass and stared at him, he didn’t take his eyes off mine either, it was like challenging each other with our gaze.
“Complicated. Your first problem is almost impossible to solve because we have invitations for the same day, regarding the second, I don’t agree with you.”
“Why do you have to contradict everything I say?” he asked, and I noticed that he was beginning to lose the calm with which, until that moment, he had been handling the situation.
“I’m not contradicting you, I simply think differently,” I clarified.
For a few minutes he just dedicated himself to observing me, but I noticed that his mind was racing.
“We’ll go together to both events, we’ll spend some time at each one.”
“That’s not the best solution.”
“But it’s the only one I can find. It’s out of the question for you to go alone to that meeting you were invited to.”
“You don’t trust me,” I stated, looking at him with disappointment.
“Delfina, don’t pressure me. This is new for me and I’m trying to handle it the best I can, but I’m not going to change overnight, I need time,” he stated, and I could notice the uneasiness in the tone of his voice.
“All right, I can understand that. But I want you to know that it’s not easy for me either.”
“For me it’s torture, I assure you. I spend all day thinking about you and what you might be doing. I’m going to go crazy...” he said, running his hands through his hair in a clear gesture of nervousness or anguish.
It seemed like he was living under the veil of fear, the fear of being hurt again. Such was the anguish I saw reflected in his face and eyes, that I didn’t care that we were in an elegant restaurant, I got up and moved my chair next to his to sit beside him. I took his face in my hands and looked at him with all that feeling that made my heart beat. Hermes looked at me surprised, but immediately lowered his barriers and let himself be pampered.
“I know it can’t be easy for you and I promise I’ll show you that you can trust me. I only care about you because I’m in love with you, Hermes Darwich. And I’m going to make you a promise,” I said, while I continued holding his face in my hands and he looked at me attentively, “I will never lie to you or hide anything from you, if during the course of our relationship I ever become interested in someone else or feel that what we have is no longer working, before making any decision or taking any action, I will tell you what’s happening to me.”
“I won’t let you become interested in anyone else,” he stated.
“We can’t know that for sure. It could happen to either of us, but I do expect the same behavior from you—no cheating.”
“I don’t cheat. When I’ve dated several women at once, it was because things were clear,” he stated.
“Besides, you know that if you ever cheat on me…”
“You’ll cut my balls off. I remember—that was a bad idea on my part,” he commented, and after a moment I could see a smile appearing on his handsome face.
I leaned toward his lips and gave him a gentle kiss, but as I was getting up to move the chair back to its place, he surprised me by pulling me in and giving me a scorching kiss that left my legs trembling and my heart racing.
“Behave yourself, Mr. Darwich,” I said, looking at him with a big smile.
“You started it,” he declared, with that beautiful smile that lit up his face.
“I’m going back to my seat because they’ll end up throwing us out, and I’d really like to come back here someday.”
“Nobody would dare, I assure you,” he stated with great confidence, and I had no doubt that was true.
I returned to my seat, but after that kiss, I was certain we both wanted to leave as soon as possible.
“You’re thinking the same thing I am,” he asserted with a mischievous smile, looking at me so intensely that it made me feel naked.
“I don’t think you have the power to read minds,” I said, though I was sure we both had the same thought.
“I don’t need to read your mind to realize you’re feeling the same thing I’m feeling right now. I’d undress you right here and fuck…”
“Hermes!” I interrupted him, because this man could make me have an orgasm just by talking about what he would do to me.
