Undeniable Love (2 page)

Wyatt

I looked through the photos on my phone about a thousand times over the course of the next few days and I still could not figure out who Stephane was.  If I had more information on her I probably could have found her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or something.  My buddy Phil was no help at all.  I was at a dead end. 
The way my luck is going she will be some psycho drunken hook up that won’t leave me alone,
I thought.  I was just going to try to put it out of my mind for the next few days.  I spent my free time Facebook stalking my ex, April and her new boyfriend Todd.  She had cheated on me and then left me for him. 
Bitch!
It drove me crazy.  I'm not the type of guy to randomly hookup but if I was being honest with myself, I went to that Halloween party intending to get over my ex.  Like the old saying goes “best way to get over one is to get under a new one.”  Sad thing is I’m still not over my ex and I can’t remember my hookup.

Stephane

I really wasn’t looking forward to meeting up with Wyatt.  When I first met him at the party I thought he was so gorgeous, intimidatingly so even after he spilled the beer on me.  He was very sweet, and I enjoyed hearing all about him, his friend Phil and his family. Then he talked about his ex.  At first, I didn’t mind because he seemed genuinely upset but then he tried to kiss me. Then he cried, and it made me uncomfortable and it ticked me off. Was he going to try to use me to get over her? 
Stupid jerk,
I thought.  I was hoping to get this over with as quickly as possible. I had some episodes of “The Good Wife” on my DVR that I needed to catch up on.  That Cary Agos was a hottie! My plan was to meet and chat for a few minutes, just long enough to buy him a cup of coffee say 'thank you' and leave.  I did after all owe him for letting me use his shirt.  Once I gave him his shirt back I could leave.  I arrived about 5:45, found a spot and waited.

Wyatt

I pulled into the parking lot at 5:50 and sent a text to Stephane to make sure she was there.

Wyatt:  Hey Stephane.  Just pulling up. 

Stephane:  I’m inside.  Walk in the door and go to the left.

Wyatt:  Ok see ya in a sec.

I walked in and went to the left like she instructed.  
Shit!
  There were five tables in this room and at four of them there were girls sitting alone.  There was a cute blonde wearing a Vanderbilt sweatshirt at one.  At another table there was good looking brunette in a Columbia jacket.  Then there was the table with the chick with purple and blue hair and at the last table an extremely attractive brown-skinned girl wearing a t-shirt that said “Bow Ties Are Cool.”
Okay, I’m screwed,
I thought
.
I stood in the doorway when another thought hit me,
Wait for one of them to look up and acknowledge you.
  Nope, wrong move because as soon as I thought it all four of them looked up at me. 
Crap!
  I smiled nervously. 
Maybe one of them will smile. 
Two of them did. 
Crap!
  Here’s the problem, I’m not a conceited guy but I know I’m good looking.  Let me re-phrase, I know women think I’m good looking, so this would not work.  I needed a new plan and fast because they were all watching me.  Suddenly a plan hit me.  I reached for my phone acting like it was buzzing in my pocket.  I looked at the screen, pretended to answer it and walked back out into the front hallway.  Then I waited a few seconds and then sent a text.

Wyatt: Hey, sorry phone rang as soon as I stepped in, be right back.

I peeked back around the corner to see who would respond.

Stephane:  Ok no problem.

It was the brown-skinned girl.   Okay, I wasn’t expecting that at all.  I had no expectations because I couldn’t remember anything from that night so I don’t know why I was surprised, but I was.  She was devastatingly beautiful.  Normally I was good at flirting and playing it cool but I’d lost my mojo recently.  The months after my break up with April were brutal.  My confidence was at all-time low. Oh well, I was just going in to get a t-shirt back, right?

Stephane

Ugh, he is so not smooth
, I thought. It was so obvious that he didn’t remember me and I was put off by that. 
How typical of these douche types. I should have known.  I wonder if he remembers that night at all, probably better if he doesn’t.  How embarrassing for him. 
I just shook my head then looked over the menu
.

“Hey Stephane!  Good to see you again,” he said.  I looked up, and he was standing next to the table.

“Hello Wyatt!” I said dryly, rolling my eyes.

“How are you?” he said pulling out a chair and sitting down.

“Fine,” I said sounding irritated.  "Here’s your shirt!” I said as I shoved a plastic bag in his direction.

“Um…thanks.”

“I’m ready to order, are you?”

“I just go here,” he laughed lightly. “Are you in a rush?”

“No.” My tone was harsh.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. I’m fine!”  My tone was even harsher this time.

“Are you sure? You seem upset.”

“Wyatt, let me ask you something.” 

“Sure, what’s up?”

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

“Sure I do! We meet at Phil’s party.”

“Ok, so what was I wearing?”

“What?” He asked incredulously. “You had on a costume.  It was a Halloween party.”

“WHAT was my costume, Wyatt?”

“Um…you were…you had on…um.”

“How about this, just admit you don’t remember me.  It’s fine, I’m not here to hit on you or anything.  I wanted to return your shirt to you and I’ve done that.  Now I think I’ll excuse myself.  Have a good night Wyatt.” I stood to leave.

“Ok, ok…I’m sorry,” he said holding his hands up in mock surrender. “You’re right, ok?  I didn’t remember you.  Please don’t take it personally.  I remember very little about that night after I got to Phil’s.  I’m sorry.  Please sit and let me buy you a coffee.”

“No, its fine.  You don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t have to, I want to.  Please stay, just coffee,” he pleaded.

“Ok, fine just coffee.”

“Ever been here before?”

“Yes, it’s one of my favorite places.”

“What do you like here?”

“Um...I like the white satin.  I get it hot.”

“Anything else?  I’ve never eaten here before.  I just keep hearing about it.  What are your suggestions?”

“I like the turkey Rockefeller and the honey cup ham.  I think you could go with either, depending on what your tastes are.”

“One of each coming up!” he said as he walked toward the counter.

Did he just say one of each? No no no! Ugh now I have to sit here and eat with him. Dammit! I knew I should have just kept the stupid shirt,
I thought.  While he was in line waiting on our order I texted Syd.

Stephane: Please call me in 30 mins so I can make up an excuse and get out of here.

Wyatt:  I’ll set my timer ;)

Crap, crap, crap,
I shook my head at my mistake.
I meant to send that to Syd. I’m such a dummy. 
He was the last person I texted.
A
s I was contemplating just getting up and leaving, my phone buzzed.

Wyatt: As a matter of fact I’m sure I will have an unexpected emergency in about 15 mins myself, so we are all set ;)

I laughed.  He had a good sense of humor about things so that was a plus. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.  After a few minutes he came back to the table with our food.

“Stephane, can we start over?”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s start fresh.  Hi, my name is Wyatt, Wyatt Greenlaw and I’m a big jerk because I drank too much at a party recently and can’t remember meeting this pretty amazing girl.”

“Hi, I’m pretty amazing girl.” I giggled. “I’m also known as Stephane, last name Trudeau.”

“Nice to meet you pretty amazing girl.”

“Nice to meet you Wyatt,” I grinned.

“So Stephane I, um, I have to ask…did I act like a complete douche bag at the party?”

“No you were actually quite a gentleman.  I mean aside from spilling your beer on me, but you helped me get cleaned off. Then you let me borrow your t-shirt while mine was in the dryer.  We spent most of the night talking before you fell asleep.”

“Ok mystery of the missing t-shirt solved.  But now my question is how could I fall asleep on someone as beautiful as you?  Wait, was I tired because we…”

“NO!” I shouted cutting him off.  I lowered my voice, embarrassed and continued, “No we didn’t.  You, um, you kissed me then you cried yourself to sleep.”

“I WHAT!” he yelled and I laughed.  "I what," he repeated in a lower tone.

“Sorry, but you did.  You were telling me about someone named April and you cried.”

“Ugh. Put me out of my misery now, could I be any lamer?” I laughed.

“Not
that
bad.”

“You’re just being nice. Can we change the subject before I lose any more respect for myself?” He laughed.  “That’s an interesting t-shirt you’re wearing.  Bow ties are cool, huh?”

“Don’t laugh but I’m a major Doctor Who fan and I saw this online and had to get it.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Are you kidding me?  I think I have to leave right now?” I said in mock outrage.

“He’s a time traveling alien with a British accent.”

“Hmm okay.”

“Oh hush, its way cooler than I’m describing it!” I laughed. 

We ended up sitting there for a while, just talking and having a really good time.  I filled him in on all he that had forgotten from the party.  We talked for so long that I completely lost track of time until my phone buzzed.

Sydnee:  You still alive? You were supposed to let me know when you made it home.
I laughed out loud.

Stephane:  LOL! Yes, I’m alive and I’m not home yet.

Sydnee: What? I thought you didn’t want to be out late. What happened to “I’m just returning a t-shirt?”

Stephane: I am returning a t-shirt and I’m being rude right now.  Love ya. TTYL

“Sorry that was my friend Syd, just checking on me.”

“No worries.  I understand.  Should I let you go?”

“Yea it is getting late.  I should probably go."

"Let me walk you out," he said.  We cleaned up our table, walked out to the parking and over to my car.

“I had a great time.  Thank you,” I said.

“My pleasure!  Be safe getting home.”

“Thanks!  Bye.”

Wyatt

We ended up having great time and talked for hours, so when her friend texted her I wasn’t ready for her to leave.  First off she was hot, I mean smokin’ hot.  I loved watching her.  She had a gorgeous smile and these big brown eyes that were so expressive.  She was funny and smart and easy to talk to.  She was a fan of smart shows like “Sherlock” and “Doctor Who,” but she also liked silly shows like, “Baby Daddy” and “Reba.”  She came across as well rounded. Smart, beautiful and sane.  What a rare combination these days.   What started out as a potentially disastrous night turned out to be a lot of fun and I was relieved when I found out that we hadn’t slept together.  Not because I wasn’t attracted to her because I was.  I was glad because I would have been pissed off if I had slept with her and couldn’t remember it.  I wanted to see her again, and it wasn’t just because I was physically attracted to her.  In reality, I hadn’t laughed that hard in a long time.  And to top it off I didn’t think about April the entire time we were together.  I sent her a text.

Wyatt:  I had a great night! Thank you!

Stephane: I did too, sorry about my “escape” message. Lol.

Wyatt:  Nah, it’s cool!  Can I see you again?

Stephane: Well...I work a lot

Wyatt:  Ouch! Blowing me off huh?

Stephane: Noooooooo lol

Wyatt:  I’m persistent

Stephane: Wyatt we had fun tonight but we should probably leave it at that.

Wyatt:  Why?

Stephane: We have nothing in common.

Wyatt:  You don’t know that.  Just one more date.  You’ll have a great time. Promise! If not, I’ll call you with an emergency myself. 

Stephane: lol ok one more.

We made plans to meet up that Sunday and the activity choice was mine.  I wanted to learn more about her so I invited her to come over for dinner. I am a good cook and wanted to show off my skills. I figured we could talk, eat and watch something that she would enjoy.  I didn’t care what I just wanted to spend more time with her.  I told her that I would plan dinner and she got to pick the movie.

Fortunately I only had to make it through Saturday because I was anxious and wanted to make a good impression. She said one more date, but I wasn’t ready to give up that easily.  I'm used to getting what I want, no matter how hard I have to work for it.  I spent most of Saturday morning and part of the afternoon looking through cookbooks and recipes on Pinterest.  I couldn’t remember being that stressed about a date in a long time. 

I’m not conceited but I know what my assets are. I’m tall, 6’4”, ladies seem to love tall.  I have dark blonde hair and killer green eyes, I’ve been told.  They match my supposed movie star good looks.  I take things with a grain of salt because I know people will say things to get your attention or to soften you up.  I have always been confident, some might even say cocky.  I played sports in high school and college.  Football and baseball are what I excelled, but I was good in most things I tried.  I am naturally athletic and I am still active. I hit the gym about three times a week and I play pick-up basketball games at one of the local community centers. Academically, I breezed through school with a 3.85 GPA and ended up with a scholarship to college.  Financially, I have a decent job but money is not an issue because of my grandfather.  When he and my grandmother first met, he was a farmer and things were tough for them. One day he took a few dollars and on a whim played the lottery and won big.  I never knew the exact number but I know that he invested his winnings and made it work for him. He continued to farm because he loved it but made sure that my father and my aunt had trust funds set up.  He also had a provision in place for any future grandchildren.  Grandpa Greenlaw was a really wise old man.  Now with all of that said, its' easy to understand why I’ve never had a confidence issue.  That was until my break up with April, it did a number on me. 

We had been together for five years when I found out that she was cheating on me.  She had accidentally left her Facebook open on my laptop.  I opened up my laptop to get some work done.  I saw the tab open and my curiosity got the best of me so I looked. The page was opened to her Facebook messages and I scrolled through and found the messages between her and one of her exes, who also was a co-worker.  Apparently they had been sleeping together for at least eight months.  I was guessing it was probably longer but I couldn’t prove it.  I really thought that April and I would get married.  I had even planned out my proposal.  What pissed me off the most was that she had told that dickhead tons of personal information about me.  Apparently she was more interested in my bank account than she was in me.  When I confronted her about it, she initially lied about everything, as I expected she would.  I was prepared for her though, I had printed out the proof.  She cried and batted her eyelashes at me and when that didn’t work, like it had in the past, she threw a tantrum.  She was yelling and throwing things.  She was out of hand.  I left and told her I wanted her to be gone when I returned.  Actually what I said was, “get your shit and get the fuck out of my place.  You better be gone by the time I got back from my walk around the block.  If anything is missing when I return I'm coming after you.” 

She messaged me for a few weeks after the break up and I was tempted to let her come back around.  One, we were together for five years and two, I’m a guy and I have certain needs, needs she was good at fulfilling.  I was even on the verge of sending a late night drunk text one night.  Fortunately for me, I was with Phil and he made me delete it before I was able send it.  That was not a trap I needed to get caught up in again. 

Since April, I had been on a few dates, even slept with a few people but at the end of the night she was the one I still thought about, that was until I met Stephane, well the second time.   After hours and hours of searching and stressing I found the meal I was going to make. I couldn’t wait for the next day to arrive.