Chapter 13
Rya~
I was nervous, and I wasn’t going to even pretend that I wasn’t.
After I had agreed to go out with Koen, I’d gone running to the back to tell Dalton all about how I had agreed to a date with him, and I’d even told him about how I had insisted on going to Guillermo’s on Shrader Street.
Of course, once I had mentioned Shrader Street at six in the evening, Dalton had gone ballistic, demanding that I choose somewhere else or cancel the date altogether.
In short, he’d been pissed.
I’d also had to listen to a full hour’s worth of lecturing because that was in the best friends’ rules. No matter how insane, if the lecture came from a place of love, growth, or concern, then we were obligated to listen and learn.
Nonetheless, when Dalton had insisted on tagging along because he wasn’t about to let me put myself in harm’s way just to prove a point or purposely ruin the date, I’d thrown his protective ways back in his face.
Full of the emotional manipulation that he had accused me of, I hadn’t spared him when I had pointed out that it’d be a win/win for both of us because he’d never want me to date someone who couldn’t protect me anyway.
Now, while Dalton had remained pissed at me for the rest of the day, he also hadn’t argued in favor of cancelling the date anymore.
So, after a couple of days of Dalton hounding me to be careful, Leandra had been a refreshing change of pace.
The second that I’d told her that I had a date with Koen Wilder, she’d gone into super-cheerleader overload.
She had insisted that we go shopping for a new outfit, and she had even tried to talk me into a manicure and pedicure package, but I had refused.
Not only did I not have that kind of money to spare, but I hadn’t ever had a manicure or pedicure in my life, and if I never had one, I’d be just fine with it.
Plus, I spent my days pampering animals, so it’d definitely be a waste of money.
In the end, we had compromised on a new shirt and the promise to wear my hair down.
Now, while it wasn’t a chore to wear my hair down, it was rather long, so throwing it up was always easier when dealing with it.
Still, having always had long hair, I couldn’t bring myself to cut it short because it was like a security blanket at this point.
So, after another lecture from Dalton this morning, plus the promise to have my phone ready to call him in case of an emergency, Leandra had come over to help me get ready for my date, and I’d had no choice but to indulge her as to not hurt her feelings, though I had put my foot down when she’d mentioned curling my hair.
At any rate, by the time that she’d left, I’d been dressed in my new green blouse, a pair of black jeans, and some black sneakers.
While it’d been my idea to eat at Guillermo’s, it wasn’t a place to wear dresses or heels.
That part of town really was sketchy, and so I needed to be crime-ready and prepared to run if Koen turned out to be a pussy.
As for the rest of me, my hair was down, a straight curtain of reds and browns down my back, and my face was as clean as if I’d just gotten out of the shower.
I had some tinted lip balm on, but that was it, and that was only because my lips were prone to chapping if I didn’t wear it.
Now, had we’d been going to a restaurant or somewhere like that, I definitely would have dressed up a bit more, but with a man like Koen Wilder, he needed to know that what he saw was what he was getting; nothing more and nothing less.
Nonetheless, I was still nervous. I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d been on an actual date with a guy that was truly interested in me, and it was enough to make the butterflies in my stomach go wild.
Having a beer and chatting it up with bar regulars was easy; it required no risk.
So, it was easy for me to walk into Liquid IV and be myself.
It was easy to exchange superficial banter with no consequences, and believe it or not, it was also easy to pick up random men when there were no expectations involved the next morning.
However, tonight was going to be about more than a few drinks, idle chitchat, or even sex.
Not only was I expected to share a meal with Koen, but the objective would be to talk and get to know each other better, and what was going to happen when he discovered how boring I was?
What was going to happen when he realized that I really had nothing much going on in my life, and given the option, I’d rather play pool with Dalton than do anything else.
There was also Koen’s last name and money that were going to be hard to ignore. Even if he turned out to be decent and down-to-earth, I’d never be comfortable walking around in his world, and how fair would that be to ask him to live two different lives if we did decide to date?
All my wayward thoughts came to an end when there was a knock on my door, and my heart immediately began to race. When Koen had called me earlier to confirm, he had asked for my address, insisting on picking me up, and refusing to be embarrassed by my small apartment, I’d given it to him.
When I opened the door, Koen stood on the other side, and though it was obvious that he’d done his best to dress casually for the occasion, there was still no disguising money or pedigree.
Even in his plain black button-up, dark jeans, and black sneakers, you could tell that he hadn’t purchased those clothes at the mall.
Anyone with a pair of working eyes was going to be able to tell that Koen came from money, and maybe Dalton had been right after all.
“You know, we don’t have to go to Guillermo’s,” I blurted out. “We can go wherever you want.”
He cocked his head a bit as he asked, “Why the sudden change of heart?”
“It’s just...I finally realized that it was rude to pick a place without even asking you what kind of food you liked,” I lied. “It was something that we probably should have discussed together.”
He gave me a slow nod, clearly not believing my lie. “Well, like I’d said when I asked you out, who doesn’t love tacos?”
“Uhm, okay,” I replied quietly, praying that we could get through this date without getting robbed or ending up in jail. “Just...just let me get my purse and stuff.”
When I stepped back to let him in, that’s when he held up a wrapped gift, and at this rate, I was going to have a heart attack with the way that my heart kept racing faster.
It was also wrapped in a way where you didn’t want to tear the beautiful paper.
It looked expensive and thoughtful, and I really, really, really didn’t want to open it.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I got you something,” he said as I shut the door behind him.
“What is it?”
Though he smirked, his grey eyes looked intense. “Open it.”
I took the box from his hand, then careful not to tear the packaging to shreds, I unwrapped it, then opened it to find a very beautiful antique mirror inside. I lifted it from the foam that it was nestled in, and turning it in my hand, I could see and feel that it had to be expensive as hell.
It was also stunning.
“It’s...it’s incredibly beautiful,” I told him honestly, looking in those mercury-colored eyes of his.
“I figured that you could use it since all the mirrors in your house are obviously broken,” he replied evenly, and it took everything in me not to fall apart at his feet.
When we’d gotten into that argument last week, I hadn’t been shy about comparing us physically, and not only was Koen letting me know that he didn’t agree with my personal assessment of myself, but he was also hoping that I’d finally believe him about how he saw me.
The gift was extremely personal and important, and I had no idea what to do with that.
“Thank you,” I finally said, not knowing what else to say.
“You’re welcome,” he replied easily.
Nothing more was said as I grabbed my purse and jacket, ready to get this over with.
While that wasn’t a charitable thought, that mirror had really done a number on me, and I felt like I might need to regroup.
It was also clear that I had underestimated Koen Wilder, which I shouldn’t have.
After all, his family was worth billions, and if he worked for his father, then it stood to reason that he was neither stupid, weak, nor simple.
When we finally arrived on the sidewalk, the same dark grey Mercedes that he’d been driving at Liquid IV was parked next to the curb, and I immediately wanted to insist that we go somewhere else.
I knew that he had to have insurance and could easily afford another car like this if anything happened to it, but I still felt bad about the possibility.
Koen had done an incredibly kind thing by giving me that mirror, and this was not how I wanted to repay him.
As soon as he opened the door for me, I turned to look at him. “Koen, we can go somewhere else. If there’s a...a place that you like or go to regularly, we can go there.”
His face softened, and his beauty really was something to behold. “Baby, it’s fine,” he said, ignoring how I’d told him not to call me that. “We’ll be fine.”
Recognizing that he wasn’t going to budge, I got into the car, then buckled myself in as he rounded the front of the vehicle to get in.
As soon as he started up the car, it came to life like a well-functioning robot that costs thousands, and if I hadn’t been intimidated by his wealth before, I was definitely intimidated by it now.
Nevertheless, it was too late to back out now.