25. Alex
25
Alex
Dara’s story has me nearly as stunned as when I opened the door and saw her standing there in my hallway. Almost. I’ll give it to Mark; he certainly played me well. I had readied myself for whatever my friend might bring. Instead, I’d been shocked into silence at the sight of a very timid-looking Dara.
Strangely, under the circumstances, I had felt a spark of delight beneath my astonishment. I truly thought I might never see her again, but by some miracle, there she was. If nothing else, it gave me hope that all was not lost, but still, standing clearly at the forefront of my mind, was how awful I had treated her.
We’ve cleared the air, but there’s still so much I want to say. Stuff I need to tell her. But after hearing what Dino Cabrini did, my attention is diverted as righteous anger wells up in me.
“There has to be something we can do!” I exclaim.
“We?” she says, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, yes. It was we a couple of nights ago,” I counter, now feeling a desperation rise in my gut.
“There’s nothing that can be done,” she replies, ignoring my remark. “Dino is a huge household name. I’d be going against a giant. Like David against Goliath.”
“If my memory serves me well, didn’t David win?”
She rolls her eyes. “He did, but I don’t think a slingshot and a rounded pebble will cut it this time. Besides, it’s too late. The dish is now his, and there’s nothing I can do about it. I was angry for a while. And sometimes when I slip back into thinking about it, I let myself get angry again, which is silly.”
“That’s why you didn’t want to talk about it when I asked you in the diner that day.”
“That was partly it.” She shrugs. “But the other part was my pride. From a high-end restaurant to a small-town diner? Scurrying back to Riverdale with my tail between my legs is not something I’m very proud of.”
“You did nothing wrong, Dara.”
“I could have stayed.”
I shake my head. “Your principles wouldn’t allow it. Besides, you’d be miserable.”
He nods. “I would.”
A silence falls between us for a long moment, and I’m wary of moving the conversation forward in case it looks like I don’t care about her story. I do care, I’m just impatient to know where we go from here.
Does that make me a bad person?
I don’t know. Maybe.
“So,” she says, “where do we go from here?”
I’m astonished because it’s like she’s read my mind. I know we’ve spent a lot of time together over the last few weeks, but I’m still surprised that we’re so in sync. I’m also relieved that she’s said it so I don’t have to.
“We sat on my porch the other night holding hands and talking about our future. Is that now completely off the table? Have I ruined everything with my rash decision and overreaction?”
Dara doesn’t answer and instead gazes at me with an expression I can’t fathom. I can’t figure out if she’s thinking about my words or if she’s already made her mind up.
She’s here, though. That has to stand for something.
It does, and grabbing hold of that sliver of hope, I realize that if there was ever a time I need to allow myself to be vulnerable, it’s now.
“The thing is, Dara,” I continue, “I can admit when I’m wrong. And I was. Very wrong. I should have given you a chance to explain. More than that, I should have trusted you to know that you wouldn’t have put the deal in jeopardy. It was a stupid reaction. One I regret deeply. And truly, I am sorry about the horrible way I spoke to you in that text.”
“I understand,” she says.
“I don’t think you do. The thing is, I was scared.”
She frowns at me then. “You? Scared?”
“It happens.” I smile weakly.
“Because you were worried that Astrid might say something,” Dara concludes.
I shake my head. “Not about that. Nowhere close. I was scared of loving you.”
Dara’s eyes fly wide at my words.
“I’ve been fighting my feelings, worrying that you wouldn’t feel the same. While at the same time, scared of taking that step into a relationship again. There hasn’t been anyone since Cindy, and if I’m honest, I didn’t think there would be again. Until you came along and turned my world on its head.”
She half smiles. “You get a different perspective when you’re upside down. My yoga teacher told me that.”
I laugh then because that’s what she does when she comes off with these witty remarks. She makes me laugh. It’s one of the things I love about her. And I do love her. I know that now.
“I love you, Dara. I’m in love with you.” There. I’ve said it. It’s out there now, come what may.
She smiles then, and I can see her eyes sparkling. “Then I suppose it’s a good thing that I love you, too, right?”
I swallow a sharp breath and hope she doesn’t notice my reaction, even though, deep down, I shouldn’t care. Still, being vulnerable in front of her is going to take some time and a lot of practice.
“That’s a pretty big leap from someone who can’t stand me,” I say dryly.
She giggles. “I suppose it is. But I had you all wrong then. I jumped to conclusions without knowing you. I should never have done that. But when you left and I thought you weren’t coming back, that’s when I knew. My heart nearly broke in two at the thought of never seeing you again.”
“Oh, Dara,” I say, placing my glass on the table. I stand and move toward her, lowering myself beside her on the sofa. She smells of coconut and passion fruit, and as the aroma fills my nostrils, my stomach lurches. “I’m so sorry,” I say, taking her hand in mine. “I was a fool.”
“We’ve both been fools,” she says. “It’s amazing what a little miscommunication can do. If I’d have told you at the beginning that I’d confided in Astrid, none of this would have happened.”
“Yes, but if I had been more understanding of the position, I put you in, I wouldn’t have overreacted.”
“Fine,” she smiles, “then we’re both idiots.”
I gaze at her tenderly, and our eyes lock once more. Reaching up, I stroke her cheek, and she leans her head into my hand. Then I lower my head to hers and kiss her gently on the mouth.
My world spins at the sensation, more than it ever has before. Maybe it’s gratitude that I’m feeling. Gratitude that I haven’t lost her, that I didn’t mess up so badly that she wouldn’t give me another chance. Whatever it is, I like the feeling, and I don’t ever want to lose it.
When I pull away, I hear the slightest gasp leave her lips. Her cheeks flush, and I can only continue to gaze down at her, acknowledging how truly lucky I am.
“Thank you,” I say.
“For what?” she breathes.
“For giving me another chance.”
A little later, I make dinner in a kitchen I’ve barely used. When I say “I make dinner,” I mean I am ordered about my own kitchen by Dara, who has hitched herself up on my island and is overseeing everything I’m doing.
“This would be easier if you would just let me cook,” she says as I struggle to know what jar of herbs I need.
“Absolutely not,” I reply. “You’ve done enough cooking for me. It’s time I repaid the favor.”
“Maybe that’s the reason you love me. They do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
I spin around to face her and feign a light bulb moment. “So that’s it.”
She’s grinning, knowing I’m teasing her. “What?” she says, readying herself for whatever’s coming.
“That’s the spell you cast over me. I’ll bet you were in that kitchen working all sorts of alchemy over my meals.”
She giggles. “That would be Astrid’s department. She is, after all, Riverdale’s resident witch.”
I move toward her, and shifting each of her legs on either side of my hips, I pull her in close to me. “I don’t believe you.” I grin.
“I don’t care,” she says, her breath softly dancing on my cheek.
I steal a kiss and then get back to chopping. “I actually have a confession to make.”
“Oh, here we go,” she sings.
“When you were still working at Opulento, I came in for dinner.”
“So?” She shrugs.
“I came in for dinner when I knew you were working. I wanted to see how good you really were.”
Her eyebrows rise high on her head. “And?”
I smile. “You didn’t disappoint.”
“Does that mean you’ve been stalking me all this time?” she blurts, feigning astonishment.
“You’ll never know because I’ll never tell,” I reply with a grin.
An hour later, we sit down to eat, and it’s the best meal I’ve ever made. Of course, I can’t take all the credit, given I had a talented chef guiding my every move, but I’m still pleased with myself.
“This isn’t bad at all, Dr. Bennett,” Dara says after a forkful of food.
“Thank you, chef.”
A light laugh leaves her lips, and I lift a glass. “To second chances.”
She lifts her glass and adds, “And a little less lying.”
The two of us burst into laughter, and my heart leaps with the promise of where our path will take us. It’s not just a new chapter, it’s an entirely different book.