C7 Chapter 6

Hunter probably knew every turn and corner of this whole estate. Maybe even better than the nurse herself.

The lady looked at me. I cleared my throat. “He… he said he wanted to play chess with me. Thank God you got here in time! I was beginning to think he was… not being a gentleman.”

I heard a low growl coming from Hunter’s chest and I couldn’t help smiling to myself.

Mrs. Devlin shook her head. “Library is two floors down. Hurry. Visitors that are not family are not allowed here.” And then she left.

I laughed as soon as she was gone.

“What did you say to her?” Hunter asked. The tone in his voice told me I was in trouble. “I was not being a gentleman?”

I laughed. “Come on, Hunter. I was joking.”

He shook his head. “Oh, my angel… I was trying to be a gentleman all day. But since you mentioned I wasn’t…” Without warning, I felt him snatch my waist and pull me against his chest. Then he pushed our bodies towards the wall. I stared up at him in panic. His face descended towards mine and he took my lips in one heart-stopping, head-spinning kiss. Laughter died in my lips and I savored the sanity-disturbing kisses he was giving me.

When the kiss was over, I felt like I have been recharged… electrocuted even. I was thankful that Hunter was blind. Otherwise, he would see how disoriented he made me. My lips were probably bruised, my skin was flushed, my eyes looked lost.

His face was a few inches away from mine. He raised his hand and touched my scars. I flinched at first. But he kept caressing the damaged skin with his cool, soothing fingers.

“You’re beautiful,” he said.

I took a deep breath. “You couldn’t even see me.”

He shook his head. “I see you… Angel. And you’re beautiful to me.”

He leaned forward and I thought he was going to kiss my lips again. But instead, he turned to the side, to where my scars were. He took his fingers away and replaced them with his lips.

I fought the urge to cry. I always felt ashamed of my scars. I hid them, afraid that they would scare people away. I’m scared to look at them myself sometimes. But Hunter made me feel that I had nothing to be ashamed of. That I was perfect… even with my past and my nightmares… even with my scars.

Meredith picked me up at exactly six in the evening. I had a lovely time with Hunter. It was my first for many things. First date, first kiss… first thrill, first spark. I never thought about boys before my domestic ordeal. And every day after that, everything I went through seemed like a veil of smoke that still looms over me. But today… I realized I haven’t thought about that night since I started dressing up for my date with Hunter.

Before we parted, he took me to the gates leading to the parking lot. He took a step closer to me and said, “I had the best date of my life.”

“I’m glad,” I said. “It was perfect for me too. It was a wonderful first date.”

“I’m happy I measured up to your other first dates.”

I gently blushed at that. “It was… it was actually my first date… ever.”

He stood still for a moment and then he grinned. “Good luck topping this one up,” he said in a smug voice.

I laughed. “You’re unbelievable. Well, I’m glad the best date you had since your accident was with me.”

His lips curved into a smile. Then he leaned forward and kissed me again. One kiss. And yet it lasted for a couple of seconds… it was so gentle, so sweet, so electrifying. Then he whispered, “I didn’t mean that was my best date since my accident.” He took a deep breath and added, “It was my best date… ever… Angel.”

I sucked in a deep breath. I felt flattered that even though Hunter may have dated tons of gorgeous girls before his accident… I, somehow, measured up and stood out.

“Will you come back tomorrow?” he asked.

“Okay,” I replied. “You wanna hang out?”

He shook his head. “No,” he replied. “I’m asking you out for a second date.”

I stared at him for a moment. He looked serious and nervous at the same time, as if he was unsure that I would say yes.

“What time?” I asked.

He let out a breath that told me he was actually holding it for my response.

“Seven in the evening,” he replied. “I will send somebody to pick you up. Tell your aunt that you will be home by midnight. She doesn’t have to worry, somebody will drive you back home and make sure you are safe.”

I didn’t know what he was planning, but suddenly, I felt excited. “Okay. Seven it is. What should I wear?”

“It doesn’t matter. I… wouldn’t be able to see you,” he said, there was a trace of sadness in his voice.

I stepped closer to him and said, “It matters to me. I want to look good for you.”

Hunter smiled and I knew that what I said meant a lot to him. He wound his arms around me and he gave me a hug. “Then wear a dress. Blue if possible,” he whispered. I smiled and nodded, knowing he could feel me nod against his chest.

I heard Meredith honk behind me. I pulled away from Hunter.

“Your aunt?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied. Then I gave him my house address so he would know where to have me picked up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Can’t wait,” he said, smiling at me.

Then I turned around and hopped into Meredith’s car. While we drove in silence, I replayed the details of my date with Hunter.

“You look like an idiot, you know,” Meredith said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“What?”

She laughed. “If you had seen your face, you looked like an idiot.”

“I did not!” I protested.

“Yeah, you did. You were staring at the dashboard and you were smiling like a clown! I’m pretty sure the dashboard wasn’t funny, and neither was I. And yet, you were smiling to your ears. I’ll bet you would scream if you could.”

I rolled my eyes to hide my embarrassment. Was I really that obvious?

“Well, he looks cute. Although I didn’t get a full view of him,” Meredith said.

I bit my lip to keep from smiling again.

“When’s the next date?” she asked.

It took me a while to reply. “Tomorrow night.”

“Hmmm… he’s not wasting time, is he?” she teased.

“He asked me to tell you that somebody would pick me up tomorrow and also take me home by midnight,” I said.

“Fair enough,” Meredith nodded. “Where is he taking you? I mean… because… you know, he can’t drive or go around. Options are limited.”

I shrugged. “I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.” I really do not have any idea what Hunter was planning. “Which reminded me that I have to wear a dress. Blue if possible. Something cute, chic and does not show much skin.”

“Hmmm…” Meredith said thoughtfully. “Do you have anything?””

“To be honest, I’m sure. When my stepfather was alive and earning decently, he used to take me shopping and I would buy some clothes for special occasions. But I haven’t really rummaged through my closet recently.”

When we got home, I went to my room while Meredith cooked dinner. I offered to do it, but she insisted I try to find something to wear for my date instead.

I opened my closet and checked what clothes I had. Since my parents died, the only things I felt comfortable wearing were jeans, baggy shirts, sweaters and pajamas, of course.

I went through some clothes I had not seen in a while. I pulled out a sleeveless blue dress with subtle prints of dark gray. It had a wrap-around waist, a V neckline and a wraparound self-belt. A sad smile crept through my face. When my mother and I bought it, I thought it was too chic, too sophisticated, it wasn’t me at all. I didn’t like it at first but my mom insisted we buy it.

“It’s on sale, silly!” my mother said.

“It doesn’t matter, Mom. I would never wear it!” I said.

It was an expensive brand but we were getting it for a bargain. My mother couldn’t resist it. She insisted that I go to the fitting room to try it on.

Back then, I thought it was so not-my-style. When I tried it on, it ended below my knees, it looked a little big for me and the V-neck was unflattering to my small chest. But since it was a wrap-around, all my mother needed to do was choke me around the waist so the dress would look like it fitted me. Viola! She found an excuse to buy it.

“What would I use it for? It’s too big for me!”

“Someday, we might go out on a casual night. Or… maybe when you’re allowed to date. By then it would fit you perfectly.”

Now, as I caressed the matte silk material of the dress, I remembered my mother like she was just beside me… begging me to try on the dress because it was the first time she could afford to buy me something with a designer tag on it.

After purchasing the dress, there wasn’t a chance to wear it. And we all know everything went downhill from there.

Now, I realized… if I didn’t hate her for pulling the trigger on herself, I would remember how much I loved her, and how much she loved me… and how hard she tried to stay strong over the years, because she didn’t want me to feel the pain she was going through.

I realized that one day… she just snapped. She protected me one last time, and then she just gave up. After all… it could be tiring to be so strong all the time.

I sighed sadly at the memories of my mother. Then I took off my clothes and slipped on the dress that she once thought of seeing me wear. I wrapped the self-belt securely into a knot on my left side. I stared at myself in the mirror and even I almost did not recognize the girl in front of me.

“Wow,” Meredith said as she peeked in to my room. “Alice…” She stared at me for a moment. “It’s too bad your date couldn’t see you in that dress.”

I smiled at her ruefully. I feel bad too. I must admit I did look good. Mom was right when she first insisted to buy it for me. But now, looking at myself in the mirror, I realized that there were two people I wish could have seen me wearing this. My mom and Hunter. Too bad, they both… won’t.

The next day, I was ready ten minutes before seven. I wore the blue dress along with Meredith’s high-heeled glass sandals. My hair was curled and clipped on one side and cascaded freely on a side-swept style on the other side where my scars were, hiding them from view.

“You look gorgeous.” Meredith smiled at me when she finished doing my makeup. I looked like… not me and yet still me at the same time.

The doorbell rang by seven in the evening and I nervously opened the door. A man wearing a tux stood on our doorstep.

“Miss Harley?” he asked.

I nodded.

“I’m here to pick you up.”

Meredith came up behind me and asked, “Where are you taking her?”

“I’m from The Riviera. Mr. Vaughn has made dinner arrangements and asked us to pick up Miss Harley.” He handed Meredith his card. “You can verify that from the hotel itself.”

Meredith looked at the card and took her cellphone to call the number. “You can never be too sure nowadays. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course. Please call to verify.”

After speaking to the hotel’s concierge and confirming the man’s identity, Meredith turned to me. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll pick you up.”

“Madam, Mr. Vaughn had also arranged for her to be taken home safely,” the man informed her.

I leaned forward and kissed Meredith’s cheek. “See you later, Mer.”

A few minutes later, I was in The Riviera Hotel. As I walked towards the rooftop garden, I was mesmerized by the view. Light posts surrounded the well-lit garden, the pool was illuminated by the lights under the water, and a table was set for two on the side where a violinist stood beside it, playing a classical tune.

I saw Hunter standing on the side, waiting for me. I walked towards him. He was dressed in a pair of black pants, blue-collared shirt and a black jacket. The minute he heard me approaching, he took a deep breath and then his lips curved into a crooked smile, indicating that he sensed my presence.

“Hello, beautiful,” he greeted.

“Hello yourself,” I said.

He raised his arm and I took it. We walked slowly towards the table. I was guiding him, but it didn’t look like I needed to. No doubt he spent some time memorizing the steps before I arrived.

I was struggling to walk on the soft grass in Meredith’s sandals. I was still not used to wearing heels. Just before we reached my seat, I lost my balance and tripped. Well, almost because the minute I lost my footing, Hunter was there to wrap his arms around my waist, catching me and then keeping me steady.

“Okay, we make a dangerous pair. I’m blind and you’re clumsy.” He chuckled.

“I’m sorry,” I said, giggling. “I’m wearing Meredith’s heels. I’m not used to it.”

He smiled. “And you wore a dress.”

“Yes. Blue. Like you asked.”

“I would give everything to see how you look tonight.” There was a trace of regret in his voice.

“I look okay. Just imagine me in heels, wrap-around blue dress, with my scars hidden behind my hair.”

He fell silent for a moment, as if he was really imagining how I looked like and then he said, “You look enchanting.”

“Thank you.”

He pulled a chair out for me. Then he traced the back of his palm on the side of the table until he reached his seat.

We had dinner under the stars with a romantic tune playing around us. We talked about ourselves… our past lives. Talking to Hunter about my history felt effortless. I didn’t try to keep anything from him because I felt that no matter what I said, he wouldn’t judge me or force me to be okay. He was just there to listen.

It was easy to admit to myself how torn and broken I was. Because I know… that he was too. But no matter how horrible my scars were… it was nothing compared to what Hunter must have felt right then. He not only lost his mom. He also lost the most important thing he needed to survive, get up and fight back… he lost the ability to see.

After dinner, he stood up from the table and held his hand out to me.

“May I have this dance, Mademoiselle?” he asked.

I smiled. As I took his hand and he took me in his arms, I couldn’t help wishing that Hunter could see how perfect the moment was, and how wonderful he made everything for me.

I rested my head on the curve of his shoulder. Another first for me. This was my first dance.

“How’s your date so far, Miss Harley?”

I smiled lazily. “Perfect,” I whispered. “You made everything perfect, Hunter Vaughn.”

“What time is it?” he asked.

I looked at my wristwatch. “Ten.”

He gently pulled away from me. “I think we should sit.”

I took his hand and guided him towards our table, but he pulled me back.

“There,” he said referring to the bench a few meters away from our table.

“Okay.” I took his arm and guided him towards the bench. He felt for the back of the chair and sat down. He reached for my hand and pulled me to sit beside him, then he wound an arm around my shoulder, making me rest my head against him.

He rubbed his fingers against my bare shoulder. “You’re a little cold.”

“I’m okay,”

He pulled away from me and took off his jacket. He handed it to me. “Here. Wear this.”

After draping his jacket over my shoulders, Hunter pulled me to him again.

“Can you tell me what you see?” he asked.

I fought the urge to cry. He deserved to see this garden. He deserved to witness this moment.

I described the garden to him in detail, using the right adjectives to make the picture in his head as vivid as possible.

“Can you look up, Allison?” he asked.

I did as he asked and saw the breathtaking view of the sky.

“There’s a crescent moon surrounded by millions of stars twinkling above us and…” I stopped short, when I saw a string of light flash across the sky. It disappeared in a few seconds, but I knew I didn’t imagine it. I was about to say something, when another flash came across… followed by another.

“Make a wish, Allison,” Hunter said. That told me that he already knew what I was seeing.

Tears filled my eyes. It was another first for me. It was my first time to witness a meteor shower.

“How did you know?” I whispered.

“I listened to the news last night,” he replied. “And I realized how to make our second date more spectacular than the first one.”

Another shooting star passed by. I closed my eyes and made a wish from my heart.

I wish… that Hunter would be able to see again.

I knew that right at that moment, there was nothing I wanted more. I wanted him to see, not for me… not even to see me. I wanted him to see because he deserved to see the beautiful swans in our garden. He deserved to look up the sky and watch meteor showers again.

The peak of the shower came soon and I watched star after star shoot across the sky.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered to Hunter. “Thank you so much for this.”

He smiled at me and then he slowly leaned his face towards mine. I leaned forward and met him halfway.

If there was something more spectacular and more magical than the meteor shower above us, it was the magical kiss that we shared in that magical moment.