Conrad
Dinner was delicious. The food here always is. We are going to have dessert, but not right because we are still full for dinner, so for now, I am enjoying a scotch and Maya a coffee. Tonight has been perfect. I like we can have a proper date without worrying if anyone will catch us. Maya seems happy and relaxed, which is nice to see after all the stress she has had recently.
I grab her chair and bring her around to sit next to me.
“Yes?” she snickers.
I place my hand on her knee, “You were too far away.” I pout.
She laughs and playfully rolls her eyes at me. I chuckle and press my lips to her in a gentle kiss. Maya smiles into the kiss, resting her hand on my face and kissing back. It is a short and sweet kiss.
“Tonight has been great, Conrad, thank you.” She smiles.
“I am happy you have had a good night, beautiful.”
I know she wasn’t too keen on the idea of a fancy restaurant when I suggested it, but I am glad she changed her mind.
“You are too good to me.” she coos and strokes my cheek.
“You deserve to be treated like a princess, sweetheart.” I smile.
Any time I am in a relationship, I always do my best to make my partner happy, and they know they are important to me. It is how a relationship should be, but with Maya, it is different. I want to take care of her and spoil her more. I always want to make her smile and know she isn’t alone anymore because I know the hell she has been through. I need to show her the world is not all bad and that she deserves everything. I may be getting a little ahead of myself when it comes to our relationship, but I can’t help it. I am utterly smitten with her. I have been since the first night we met, even when I didn’t know who she really was.
Maya blushes and steals another kiss.
“Conrad?”
The sound of a woman’s voice breaks us from the kiss. It is a voice familiar to me. I turn to face her. Standing there is my ex-girlfriend. We broke up a few years ago.
I smile, “Hello, Bridget. It has been a while.”
“Yes, over a year at least. I think the last time we saw one another was your parent’s anniversary party.” She replies.
“That sounds right. What brings you here at this time of the year? It is a little early for you.” I ask.
“I just needed to get away from the city. Been a hectic month, and you know how much I love this place.” She replies softly.
“Yes, I do.”
“What about you? What brings you here? I haven’t seen you here a long time.”
I used to spend a lot of my summers here, and so did Bridget, but it isn’t something I do now.
“We are here for the weekend.”
Bridget turns her attention to Maya, “Hi, sorry. I am being rude. I am Bridget. It is nice to meet you.”
She offers her hand to Maya. Maya took it and smiled politely, “Mia. It is nice to meet you, too.”
I look at Maya, wondering why she didn’t use her real name. I would ask her after Bridget is gone because I don’t want to embarrass Maya.
“I won’t take up any more of your time. It was really good to see you again, Conrad. I am still in the same house, so if you have time, please come by for a drink and a catch-up. Mia, it was nice to meet you. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
Maya and I said our goodbyes to her, and she disappeared.
“Why did you tell her your name was Mia, angel?”
“Because I don’t know who she is. I wasn’t sure if she worked in your company or what. I didn’t want to tell her my real name, just in case.” She says softly.
“No, she doesn’t work for the family business. Bridget is my ex-girlfriend.”
I wasn’t going to pretend like she was someone else.
“Oh, okay. She is very beautiful. Were you two together long?” she whispers.
I couldn’t determine if Maya was bothered by running into my ex.
“Three years,” I answer honestly.
“So, a serious relationship? What happened between you? She looks like the kind of woman who would be perfect for you and fit perfectly into your life. I am sure your parents loved her.”
It is bothering her.
“Yes, it was. We wanted different things. Maya, Bridget, and I were over a long time ago. Please don’t get into that headspace again.” I sigh.
I can imagine what is running around in her head. She will be doubting herself and wondering why I would be with her. She will be telling her she isn’t good enough and comparing herself to Bridget. She doesn’t need to do any of those. I wish she would see herself the way I do. I wish she would see she is beautiful inside and out, just the way she is, and she deserves the world.
“I am not. I am fine. Should we order dessert now?” she smiles.
I study her closely. She is not okay but doesn’t want to talk about it. I won’t push.
“Sure, let’s order,” I reply and nod.
She focuses her attention on the menu. I sigh, finishing off my drink and take a look too.
“I think I want chocolate cake.” She beams.
“Great choice. I think I will have the same. Maybe after, we can get a coffee to take away and go a nice walk?” I suggest.
I hope she will open up to me if we are alone, just enjoying a stroll. I don’t want her to spend the rest of the night wondering and worrying. Bridget and I were never meant to be together. It just took time for us to work it out. She was ready to get married and have a family. I wasn’t. But even before that, we fell out of love. The last thing I want is Maya spiralling over something that means nothing.
Yes, if the time comes when Maya and I can go public, she may run into Bridget because we attend a lot of the same events. She still gets on well with my parents. Her parents and mine are friends, but outside of that, I don’t make any effort to see her, and she doesn’t try to see me either. If it were up to our parents, we would be married. They always believed that would be the end game for Bridget and me, but it wasn’t. I will tell Maya all of this when the time comes.
“I would like that. It sounds like a perfect way to end the night.” she smiles and kisses my cheek.
I nod, “I agree.”
We grab the attention of the waiter to place our dessert orders. Maya falls into a world of her own, lost in her thoughts. I reach over and link our fingers together. I lift our hands to my lips and kiss her knuckles.
Her eyes fall on me.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?”
She nods and smiles, “I am fine.”
She breaks eye contact with me, concentrating on the view. Hopefully, we won’t run into Bridget again while we are here. I sure am not going to take her up on her offer of going for drinks and a catch-up, either.