Chapter 8 Chapter 8
“Don’t worry, Naomi. I’m not mad at you; I just had a lot to think about,” Valerie replied. “What kind of surprise are we talking about?”
“I might have planned a double date for us,” she giggled, but stopped when she didn’t receive an answer. “Come on, Valerie. I can tell you've got on your mind, and even if you don’t want to share it with me, I could at least distract you for a while. Please join me?”
“Fine, I will. You’re lucky I’m already outside anyway,” Valerie said, casting her eyes toward the sky.
“We planned to meet in two hours at my favorite restaurant. You know where it is. Until then.” Naomi said, ending the call.
Valerie frowned, putting her phone back in her purse. Maybe this wasn’t a bad idea. She desperately needed a distraction, and since Maxwell wasn’t around to thwart her plans, she could allow herself to have fun. Everything would be fine if he hadn’t seen her with her friends.
Passing the time until three o’clock was easy. Valerie lingered at the river, enjoying the beautiful weather, and later made her way to the restaurant.
She arrived just in time. Naomi was waiting outside, chatting with two young men. As Valerie approached, they noticed her, and she was greeted with friendly smiles. Valerie’s lips instinctively curved up as she introduced herself to them.
“Hi, there, I’m Valerie, Naomi’s friend.”
“This is my boyfriend, Preston, and that’s your date, Reed,” Naomi said, and Valerie’s eyes moved to her date in curiosity.
He was tall, had dark brown hair, and a handsome face. She was surprised someone like him was still single, but she didn’t dwell on the thought for long, his charming smile stealing her attention.
“Nice to meet you, Valerie,” he said, putting an arm around her back as they walked inside, trailing after Naomi and Preston. She was surprised by his forwardness but didn’t mind his gentle touch, smiling at him.
“Likewise,” she replied. “Are you Preston’s friend?”
“Yes, but I’ve only known him for a few weeks. My new job required me to move to New York,” Reed explained.
“I see, so you’re new to town.”
“I’m still getting used to living here. New York is huge, and I might have gotten lost once or twice…” he chuckled.
“I could show you around if you want to?” she suggested shyly, her smile brightening when he nodded.
They took their seats at a table close to the restaurant's windows. It was next to the river, allowing a beautiful view of the waters and the nearby green areas.
The group soon ordered their food, and while they waited for it to arrive, they chatted animatedly about their hobbies and interests. Valerie found herself having fun. She enjoyed spending time with Naomi, Preston, and Reed, and she couldn’t help but notice how different they were from a particular demon.
He was like a looming thundercloud compared to them. Valerie took a nip of her drink, occasionally glancing outside while she ate the dish she ordered. The food was delicious, which was why Naomi liked coming here often.
“May I ask how old you are?” Reed said, turning to Valerie with a curious glint in his eyes.
“Oh, I’m 24,” she said, seeing his smile widen.
“Really? You look younger than that. Could have fooled me,” he laughed, prompting her to giggle. “What line of work are you in?”
“Want to guess?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Uh. I don’t know, maybe an artist? A photographer?”
“Not quite,” she replied, prompting him to tilt his head. He stayed silent for a while as he pondered over it, so she decided to tell him. “I’m a journalist for a newspaper agency,” she explained, rousing his interest.
“Wow, that sounds amazing.”
She smiled, finding his excitement kind of cute. He seemed smitten with her despite only having met her a few hours ago, and the feeling was mutual.
It had been a while since she last met a man she had felt drawn to from the start. A spark had been ignited in her heart, waiting to grow into a flame.
“You two are acting as if we aren’t even here,” Preston suddenly piped in, laughing amusedly while Naomi grinned at Valerie.
“You’re so focused on each other. It’s cute,” she said, causing Valerie to blush.
“Well.”
“It’s because she’s interesting and sweet,” Reed replied, making Valerie blush even harder.
The rest of the dinner went well, with all four of them having fun and joking about each other from time to time. Valerie completely forgot about her impending doom, and whenever she shared a glance with Reed, her heart would beat faster.
After dinner, they left the restaurant, and unfortunately, Valerie felt quite tired because her demonic roommate had woken her up too early.
She would need a good night’s rest to make up for it, or else she would be a zombie tomorrow morning at work. Preston and Naomi left to go home, but Reed opted to keep Valerie company for a while longer, which she didn’t mind. They walked down a path close to the river as the sun was sinking.
“Valerie, I know this might be a bit sudden, but I enjoyed spending time with you, and I would love to meet you again. Do you want to exchange phone numbers?” Reed asked hopefully, and she nodded without thinking.
“Sure.” She gave him her number, and he sent her a quick text so that she had his as well. Smiling, she put the phone away and walked next to him.
Soon, he reached for her hand, taking it in a gentle hold, all the while glancing at her. The glimmering city lights were mirrored on the river's surface, a beautiful backdrop for their first date. Valerie enjoyed the dazzling view and spent another hour with Reed before she decided it was time to go home.
“I’ll take you home,” he said, but she declined, knowing it might result in his death if he got anywhere near her apartment.
“No, don’t worry about it. Maybe next time,” she said evasively, and he eventually gave up trying to talk her into it.