Chapter 14
Ihad waited for the weekend with my heart thudding against my chest. When Friday came, it seemed as though it was moving at the slowest pace possible.
I couldn”t admit to anyone, not even Lisa. I had barely slept last night. I stayed up anxiously waiting for Saturday. It was only 3pm. Three long hours remained before the date. But, I felt anticipation and anxiety stirring in my chest.
I could pretend all I wanted, but I knew there were butterflies in my belly. Standing in front of my closet, I hesitated. I refused to make this decision several days ago. I wanted to have things to do before getting ready. My hands dug into the closet, swiping through the clothes on hangers.
While I had clothes, they weren”t the most flattering pieces. At least not flattering enough to wear to La Trattoria with a man like Leo Woodrow. It had been a while since I bought new dresses. I hoped I could find the perfect one to make me feel confident and beautiful. And, I hoped I could do it without having to rush to the mall three hours before our date.
After 30 minutes, I finally made a decision. I opted for a knee-length, body-hugging navy blue dress I had bought a few years back. That dress was a knockout, and I had almost forgotten I owned it. It accentuated my figure and added an elegant touch to my look.
I wanted Leo to be stunned when he see me, to realize what he had lost. I wasn”t sure why I felt that way, but the desire was there. I dropped the dress on the bed before heading into the restroom.
I spent enough time there just to pass the time. Once I had dried my body, I carefully slipped into the dress and smoothed out any creases. When I turned to stare at myself in the mirror, I couldn”t help but smile. I looked beautiful. My subtle curves were highlighted, and I felt grateful for the dollars I had spent on the dress.
Grabbing a comb, I brushed through my dark hair slowly, pondering how to style it. Eventually, I settled for loose curls and grabbed my curling iron. By the time I finished styling my hair, it was already past 4pm.
Great. The loose curls cascaded down my shoulders, framing my face and highlighting my eyes. I reached for my makeup purse trying to aim for a more natural look with nude eyeshadow and nude lipstick. I was applying lipstick when my phone buzzed on the bed.
I jumped, wondering if it could already be Leo. It was unlikely to be 6 o”clock yet. With excitement and nerves swirling in my belly, I hurried to my bed and grabbed the phone. To my surprise, it was Lisa.
My heart sank just a little, but I was still happy that Lisa had called. I needed that little boost before I left. “Hey babe, I’m just getting ready,” I answered the call and returned to the mirror.“I know yeah, that’s why I called cause it’s already Saturday and that’s just a little crazy”
Lisa”s voice lacked excitement, and I couldn”t blame my friend. It was hard to feel enthusiastic when your friend was doing something as crazy as what I was about to do. I dropped the phone on my vanity table, putting it on loudspeaker so I could finish with my makeup.”Lisa...” I began, but she cut me off with a sigh. I straightened. I wished she would just understand that I still had feelings for Leo. There wasn”t much I could do about it.
It was right there in my heart.“I guess it”s normal to feel like that. Just be open, but don”t expect too much. I would hate to see you hurt all over again,” Lisa advised with a tinge of concern in her voice. I zipped the makeup purse with a smile on my lips. “Thanks Lisa. Thank you. I swear it means the world to me”
”Oh, stop it! You deserve all the happiness in the world. You”ve been through enough. Just trust your gut,” Lisa insisted, her words filled with sincerity and support. Lisa”s voice was warm and reassuring. It wrapped around me like a comforting blanket. I resisted the urge to cry, feeling the calming effect of her words. There was something about Lisa that always managed to soothe my nerves.
I turned to look at myself in the mirror and smiled. Someone was definitely going to be in for a surprise tonight. ”I will, Lisa. I promise. Thanks for always being here. I”ll keep you updated on how it goes,” I assured her before ending the call.
Finally, Lisa sounded excited. ”Oh! I can”t wait to hear all about it! I”ll call you!” she exclaimed eagerly before we ended the call.
I chuckled as we said our goodbyes and ended the call. Swallowing nervously, I knew Lisa was right. I had to trust my gut, not just my emotions. Pulling out a pair of black sandal heels, I slipped them on and grabbed my black clutch. I quickly tucked my phone and some change inside before heading out of the house.
Hopefully this would end well. I caught a cab to the Italian restaurant. When I got out, I was stunned. La Trattoria was so fancy, it made me speechless. I found myself adjusting my hair, feeling a bit overwhelmed by its grandeur.
The building exuded timeless sophistication. It had intricate engravings on the pillars by the entrance. As I approached the large glass doors, I smiled at the door men dressed in blue uniforms. They elegantly opened the doors, bowing to greet me.
Warmth rushed to my cheeks as I stepped inside. It could have been one of two things: Leo either planned to impress me, or he wanted to splash his money in my face. As I looked around the room, I saw that it was large and luxurious. But it didn”t make me feel intimidated; instead, it was calming and welcoming.
A woman in a blue uniform smiled. ”What”s your name? Do you have a reservation?” she asked. I hesitated. A reservation? I didn”t know what that meant. I quickly looked for Leo and then back at the woman.
”Um... I”m not sure. I”m Cassie Evans. I”m supposed to be here with a man named Leo Woodrow,” I said softly. I felt a bit nervous and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The woman smiled warmly at me. With my black hair pulled back into a ponytail, I tapped nervously on the table and nodded. ”It”s alright, ma”am. I believe we have a reservation under Woodrow. Please follow me,” I said softly, then started walking, leading the way.
I blinked in surprise. Okay, so Leo was being very intentional about this. He hadn”t even told me he made a reservation. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered even more, and I struggled to calm them down.
I followed the woman into The breathtaking space. There were giant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Plush seats were filled with people who looked very expensive! My eyes scanned the walls, widening at the beautiful art pieces hanging on the walls.
I took a deep breath. I had to calm down. I couldn’t afford to feel overwhelmed by everything. My eyes scanned the tables as they walked ahead wondering if I would see Leo. Odd.I pulled out my phone to stare at the time. It was 6:20pm.
Perhaps he was just late. The woman stopped at a glass table in the middle of two push chairs and gestured at me. I gave a small smile of thanks.“Would you like anything?,” Waitress asked. ”No, no,” I hurriedly shook my head and slid into the chair. I wasn”t going to rack up a bill I couldn”t pay. Hopefully, Leo would arrive soon. I sat there for a minute, passing the time by playing games on my phone.
Soon time had stretched and when I looked at the time again it was 7pm. What on earth was going on? I had been waiting for what felt like an eternity, and I was starting to lose patience. Minimizing my game, I opened my phone to call Leo. My fingers trembled slightly as I pulled up his contact details. I hoped there was an explanation and that he wasn”t just standing me up.
The phone rang for a brief minute and it seemed as though he picked. I hurriedly placed the phone against my ear.”Hi Leo, it”s me. I”ve been here for an hour. Where are you?” The line remained silent, and I frowned, feeling anger bubbling up inside me. Was he intentionally staying silent? I was certain I would lash out in anger. But, as I glanced around the hall, I saw everyone looked too prim. It would be the worst moment to embarrass myself.
I took a deep breath, my voice coming off slightly strained. ”Leo, are you there? Did something come up? I”ve been waiting for over an hour now.” I bit my lip, feeling confused. My question was left hanging, unanswered. When I pulled the phone away from my ear, I realized the call hadn”t even gone through.
Oh no! My heart sank, and though I didn”t want to admit it, I was starting to feel disappointed. I called again and waited as it rang. It rang for a while before leading me to it’s voicemail.
“Leo Woodrow. You should know not to call me at this time because I’m busy so unless this is urgent, call at a better time. If it is, leave a message”
I snorted. What could he be doing at 7 pm on a Saturday night? Especially when he had a date planned with me. My voice sounded really disappointed; I couldn’t hide it. “Leo, I’m not even sure what happened but if you’re not going to show up, at least call me and tell me what’s going on.” I let out a heavy sigh before ending the call. My emotions were all over the place. I felt both disappointed and confused. What on earth had happened? Shouldn”t he have told me if there had been a change of plan?
Arrgh! This was all my fault. I should have called him even before I pulled my dress out of my closet. I leaned back into the chair and waited. My eyes watered as the couple beside me got up to leave. I stared at the time on my phone.
8:02pm
An hour had passed, and my hope was fading. He probably wasn”t going to come. I opened my phone to call him again. I had lost count of how many times I had called and texted him in the past hour. My texts showed desperation and anxiety.
“Leo, what’s going on? Where are you? I’ve been here for ages! Are you coming or not?”
The call went to voicemail again. I opened my messaging app and sent another text. Frustration boiled up inside me.
”You”re not coming, are you?”
I scoffed as I pressed send. He wasn”t going to respond. He hadn”t responded to any of my messages in the past hour, so what were the odds that he would respond now? My eyes turned towards the huge glass door. Every time the doors had swung open, I had anxiously turned. I hoped to see his blue eyes, chiseled face, and perfect jawline. But, it just wasn”t him.
When I turned again, I wasn”t surprised. There was no sign of him. My shoulders slumped in disappointment. I had been holding back for a while, but tears welled up in my eyes. I bit my lips and tried not to cry.
I would have ordered a vodka if I didn”t know it would be really expensive at this kind of restaurant. My fingers trembled, and my voice shook with both sadness and frustration. “Where is he? Why isn’t he answering? Did he forget? Was this just a game?” I muttered to herself, chewing my nails in anxiety.
Around me, chairs were shuffling and most guests were leaving. The atmosphere suddenly felt suffocating. It was as if they were all mocking me for coming to this place and sitting alone. The flickering candle at the center of the table seemed to mock me too. A tear spilled from my eyes as I looked at my phone again.
8:45pm
It was hopeless. He wasn’t coming. It was almost 9 pm, and if he was, he would have informed me. The disappointment stung. How would I tell this to Lisa? It wasn’t just that he canceled. It was that I had been abandoned with no explanations, left waiting and wondering.
I sighed. There had to be a reason. Something logical. Something I just wasn”t seeing yet. ”He must be busy or something. Maybe something urgent came up. There”s no way he abandoned me here on purpose,” I whispered to myself. I swiped at the tears with my wrist, smudging my mascara, but who cared? I wanted to knock the socks off his feet, and yet here he was, knocking me completely off the ground.
I snorted, shaking my head at the empty seat across me. I grabbed my clutch and stood up, wiping away another tear that ran down my cheeks.
I walked out of the restaurant without looking back. I didn”t say anything to the woman at the door because I didn”t want to admit that I had been stood up. It took all my courage to keep walking. Maybe I stayed there so long because it was easier to pretend he wasn”t standing me up. But he was. He just wasn”t coming.
The moment I stepped outside the large glass door, I fell apart, and tears burst from my eyes. Oh fuck it! The disappointment and betrayal were just too much to bear alone. I was calling Lisa, and even if she was going to say, ”I told you so,” at least I wouldn”t be crying alone. My fingers trembled as I dialed Lisa”s number, my body shaking with sobs as the phone rang.
I didn’t even know when Lisa picked the call because I couldn’t stop crying. ”Is that you?” Lisa”s voice came through my tears, concern evident. ”What”s going on, Cass? Why are you crying?” My voice rose, worry seeping through.
I swallowed. I struggled to speak but the pain wouldn’t let me. When I eventually did, my voice was choked with tears and I was stuttering so bad, it was unbearable. “Z…Lisa, he…he..he..he”
“Babe! Calm down! Calm down! What’s going on? What did he do?”
Despite trying to calm down, I could tell Lisa was worried too. I fought back my tears and managed to speak. ”Lisa, he didn”t come. He never showed up! I waited for so long, but he didn”t come! He didn”t explain anything. I feel so hurt and foolish,” I cried.
Lisa”s voice was like a warm blanket in the cold. ”Oh, I”m so sorry. This is not your fault. Oh goodness! Please don”t feel that way,” she said, her words comforting. I was racked by sobs. But, her compassion gave me the freedom to let out all the pain I had held in my chest.
“I, please. I wish I could be there with you right now. Please stop crying I. Do you want me to come over?” I straightened and shook my head even though I knew Lisa wouldn’t see me. I walked towards the road, not bothering to wipe my tears and hailed a cab.
“It’s fine Lisa. I’m fine” I sniffed. “I just need a long shower and some sleep. Maybe he was just busy. I’m sure there’s a valid explanation.”I leaned to tell the driver my address before opening the door, I heard Lisa’s loud groan as I slammed the door shut.
”I know you want to give him a second chance, but for peace”s sake! Look at the signs on the wall. He hurt you before. Now he”s making you go through that pain again,” Lisa exclaimed. Her concern was clear.
I bit my lower lip. I hated that Lisa had been right. Leo wasn’t worth it. He was wasting my time and would only continue to. “You’re right,” I sniffed. “Leo won’t change. I don’t know why I thought he would. You were just hopeful Cass and I think that’s okay too. I just think you need to stop settling for less than you deserve” Lisa murmured.
My eyes scanned the sidewalk as the cab moved. My heart felt heavy in my chest. I knew I didn’t want to admit that he had stood me up, but there was no other explanation. It was exactly what had happened. If he cared, he would have at least responded to one of my texts, but he didn’t—because he didn’t care.
I took a deep breath. ”Thanks, Lisa. I think it”s time I finally let go of this madness and focus on healing. That”s it, babe. Listen, I”ll come around in the morning. Just get yourself some warm milk, take a shower, and get some sleep, okay?”
I smiled as the cab drove into my street. Lisa had to be the most supportive friend ever. How would I have found strength without her? ”Thanks, Lisa. I”m so lucky you”re here. Thank you for not mocking me. I was so scared you”d think I was foolish.”
”Babe, why would I do that? You know I love you,” Lisa replied warmly. I leaned back against the car seat, pointing my apartment to the driver.
“I know you do.” I muttered.