{2} 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚 | 𝙻𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚗

45.

Ψ 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞 Ψ

𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲; her daughter was safe and back at camp. Damien had made sure she was informed the moment she returned. She was happy, grateful. She sat down taking her break, it was a slow day, so she was able to sit in a open booth and eat her lunch.

She sat eating a burger when she saw him walk through the door. He glanced around the room until eventually his eyes found her sitting down with her hair tied up.

He walked over, so pleased with himself as he sat across from her as she told him with a stuffed mouth "I am on my break."

She continued to chew, and he grabbed a napkin handing it to her and she quickly took it and wiped the corners of her mouth.

"I haven't told you name yet...have I?" He asked her as she nodded, setting down her glass of water.

"Yes, because that's why I call you by your first name." She finished with a sarcastic tone that made him chuckle.

As he thought of his next words, he held out his hand "my name is Thomas."

Watching her stare at him she said "well, it is nice to know your name now Thomas, but believe me. I am not into relationships. I have a daughter, she's an adult. My focus is only on her."

He nodded to her words, "and I admire that very thing about you. You care so much for her...and you will do everything in your power to ensure she is okay."

Melina looked up at him saying "I've been flirted with the last 18 years since I gave birth to her. Usually, men like you run at the first sentence of a kid in the picture."

Thomas shrugged his shoulders leaning on the table closer to her "well, men from the states are quite...assholes aren't they?"

As they stared at one another Melina got a call, she looked at her phone quickly but remembered the number vividly.

Sally Jackson's phone number.

She cleared her throat and hung up in an instant as Thomas watched her body language change "I see, trouble?"

Melina smiled "something that's unexplainable, maybe even you would think it's a fairytale from a kid's book."

He nodded his head and said "well, I hope maybe we can change that. With a date, anywhere and I will take you."

Laughing at his request she noticed he was serious "I don't date. Not anymore. Men aren't good."

Thomas knew she hid something, he wasn't going to badger her about it though, he wouldn't want someone to do that against him.

"Fine. But...I am always here, so if you ever change your mind. I would love to take you out for a night, love."

Hearing both his accent mixed with those words; you'd think she'd be swooned. But Melina had to survive many years without needing a man, and she didn't want to be left alone. Then again, Damien's words resonated in her mind.

She saw Thomas stand up and walk towards the door as she stood up quickly and said "anywhere?" She asked for clarification.

He slowly turned around with the most genuine of smiles "whatever makes you most comfortable."

She crossed her arms and said to him "fine, you can choose. But somewhere public, not too fancy. Somewhere fun."

With that he approached her and said, "I'll meet you later this week to confirm a date."