8 Weeks

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter 32 -Shelly

I checked the clock on my phone as I rushed through the grocery store. I was running late. It had been a horrendous day from the get-go, andI'd been called in to work to deal with some issues they'd had with my subordinate's loan paperwork. Now I was rushing to pick up the items on my shopping list so I could get home before Cal came to pick me up for our date. I could've just gone straight home and came back to the grocery store in the morning, but coffee was one of the items on my list, and there was no way I could start my day without it. When we were living together, Cal had always made sure I had a cupboard stocked with coffee, filters, and the French vanilla creamer that I liked.

I found thatI missed the little things like that that Cal used to do for me,like keeping my coffee stocked, and filling up my tank. Things I never really noticed ... until they were gone.

As I half walked/half jogged toward the dairy aisle, I was taken off-guard when Melody Cannon stepped out in front of me, almost causing me to barrel her down in the middle of the store.

"Hey, Shelly," Melody said slowly, her voice laced with something that sounded like a cross between derision and pity.

It put my defenses up immediately.

"Hey, Melody," I replied. "I'm kind of in a hurry." I tried to walk past her, but she stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Oh? Got a hot date?" Melody asked. "Someone from the office perhaps?"

I narrowed my eyes at her and thought back toCarlos asking me out. But, there was no way she could know about that, and it made me wonder why she was asking.

"What's it to you?" I asked her somewhat snarkily. I'd never liked Melody, and I certainly didn't want her in my business.

"Nothing,"she responded with a saccharine smile. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger and looked at me innocently. "Just wanted to check in and make sure you were doing okay. What with Cal cheating on you, and your pending divorce ... I'm just worried about you is all. I wanted to make sure that you're coping okay, and ... you know, getting back on the horse so to speak."

I wanted to slap the gum out of her mouth.

"Don't worry about me, Melody," I said with a grimace. "And don't believe everything you hear either. In fact, I'm meeting Cal in a few minutes, that's why I'm in such a hurry. See ya."

I stayed long enough to see the sweet look she'd held dissolve into the more apt look of jealousy. She'd always been jealous where Sasha, Gaby, andI'd been concerned.

Forgetting her as soon as I walked away, I hurried off to finish my shopping.

I pulled up next to Cal's Mustang in the driveway and grabbed my bags out of the car.

"Sorry I'm late," I said quickly as I rushed around the car when he got out of his. "I'll only be a minute."

"No problem,"Cal answered. "I just got here myself."

I left the door open and ran to the kitchen, putting things away quickly. Cal walked in as I was putting the coffee in the cupboard and I said,"Make yourself comfortable, I'll just be a minute."

I ran back to my room and into the bathroom to freshen up. As I put on deodorant and got out my toothbrush, I hoped that things between Cal and I wouldn't be awkward tonight. I knew I hurt him last Saturday when I wouldn't let him stay ... Again.

And I knew he felt like I had used him for sex ... twice, and I guess I had. But I also knew that if I chose to walk away at the end of all of this,Cal would be hurt that much more if I let him get too close, and as much as he'd hurt me by sleeping with that stupid bimbo in Vegas, I didn't have it in me to hurt him anymore.

We'd already been through enough.

Tonight I was going to go on this date, and I WAS NOT going to have sex with Cal.No matter how badly I wanted to. I had a lot to think about over the next week, and I didn't want to confuse things any more than they were.

I wanted to have a nice time tonight, relax,and not think about what lay ahead.

I gave myself one last look over in the mirror, then headed out to where Cal was waiting. He was leaning up against the counter, looking at his phone, when I walked in.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready," he answered, pushing back up off of the counter.

We drove in silence, and I thought over everything that had happened in the last eight weeks. It was pretty overwhelming. There had been tons of emotions, some good, most bad, and it seemed like a lifetime had passed since he'd come home from Vegas. That night, I never would have believed that we'd be where we are now. I was so certain thatI would never be able to forgive what Cal had done, not only to me,but to our marriage. Yet, here we were, on date number seven, and the choice was not as easy as it had once seemed.

When the car stopped moving, I looked around, confused. I had been so caught up in my own thoughts that I hadn't been paying attention to where we were going. I looked around the parking garage for clues, but it looked like any parking garage in the city.

"Where are we?" I asked as he took the key out of the ignition.

"The observatory," Cal responded.

The observatory.

Cal had brought me here during our senior year of high school. We'd watched in silence as the different constellations were pointed out, andI'd been amazed at the vastness of the universe. It had been a magical night, and afterwards, rather than going home, we'd went and parked at a nearby lake. Cal had brought along a blanket and we'd spread it out on the grass by the water, and looked up at the stars, trying to find the constellations on our own. We'd lost our virginity to each other that night. Under the stars, on that black-and-red blanket.

His expression was blank as we got out of the car, but I knew he had to be remembering that night. It was one of the best nights of my life, and I was sure that him bringing me here on our seventh date was no accident. He wanted me to remember our history, and the love that we shared.

We walked to the entrance, but Cal stopped before we could walk inside.

"Let's just enjoy the night," he began. "I don't want to talk about last Saturday, or what you're going to decide after next week. Let's just look at the stars and enjoy being together ... Is that okay with you?"

I nodded with a smile. "That sounds perfect."

And that was what we did.

We walked around, looking in telescopes and listening to experts talk about what we were seeing. We stopped in an open viewing area and sat, looking up and holding hands. It was a peaceful and magical evening.

There was no pressure, and no angst. We allowed ourselves to enjoy each other's company, learn a bit, and remember simpler times.

It was a perfect night.

And when he took me back to my house, Cal leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips, then stayed in his car until I let myself inside my house, before driving off into the night.