Destined by Chance

Chapter 19

It was lunchtime by the time Simi returned from her trip to the spa and the boutique shop in the lobby. She had been right, the boutique was a rip off but she had decided to splurge a little. She had found at the reception about the Christmas ball this evening followed by dinner. All couples residing in the resort were invited. It was Christmas eve after all. And now that she had gotten a nice haircut and an amazing dress for the evening she wanted to go to the party. With Neil of course. She hoped he would go with her. And not say he had work to do. She will drag him anyway.

She was feeling great. Guess, the man was right after all. A relaxing massage in the spa and then a good facial and haircut had given her spirits a new boost. Her mother's angry words were already forgotten. All those idiots and their insults were like a distant memory suddenly. She had been doing it all wrong. There was nothing wrong with her. There was everything wrong with them. If they couldn't see past her physical beauty or lack of it then it was their problem. She was an amazing girl and she better believe that.

When she had looked at herself in that mirror she had realized the truth in Neil's words. Packaging was important. But he had been a bit off the mark, it was important for her, not for others. Pampering herself a little every now and then was good. For her. She wasn't all the way there yet. Not all confident and sure of herself. But she was beginning to get there and that was what counted.

When she had entered the store she had seen the look on the salesgirl's face. Simi hadn't missed the quick inspection she had given her clothes. But she had been polite to her. And when Simi had told her what she wanted to try the girl had seemed skeptical. It was only when she had emerged from the changing room and asked her for an opinion Simi had seen a smile on the girl's face. She had immediately told her how wonderful she looked and that maybe she should try a few other things they had in the shop. For the first time she had seen admiration in a fellow girl's eyes. There was no assessment or smirk or horror at what Simi was wearing. It was as if the salesgirl was awed by how good Simi looked. And Simi had had a blast trying on new styles and colors. She had even bought a pink chiffon full sleeves blouse with a beautiful white skirt. It made her feel good. Special. And it was all thanks to Neil Roy Mackay.

He wasn't there when she had returned. Which was both disappointing and relieving at the same time. Relieved because he wouldn't know she had taken his advice to heart and realized it was a sound one. And disappointed because she had wanted to know what he thought of her new style. Somewhere Simi knew that she had done it more for him than anybody else. It had started out as a challenge, to make him eat his words but along the way she had wanted to do it more to hear him tell her she looked amazing. She sat on the bed and wondered about it. Why was she feeling this way? Was it because he was such a good looking man who didn't think she was weird? That sounded weird. So she shook the thought away. Was it because he was such an amazing human being himself that she wanted him to admire her? Nope that wasn't it either. She had to scratch her head for the answer. She should have scratched her heart she realized a few seconds later. And the answer left her dumbfounded. She liked Neil.

She admired the wonderful person he was. Of course, the attraction played a big role as well. But for once she wanted to see herself through his eyes. He had described the kind of girl he would like to have for a wife. And she wanted to find out if she fit the bill. Her parents would kill her for it. But it was worth it. She was beginning to fall for him. It should have made her cautious. Made her want to run. Made her want to hide. But it didn't. Instead it made her happy. Her heart soared at the possibility. The pull that drew her to him like a moth to flame was getting stronger by the second. But after another few seconds of basking in her happy bubble she burst it.

He didn't like commitments. He had said so. He didn't want to have a partner. He wasn't into her either. Though when he had described the girl he wanted she had felt that he was talking about her but she had been drunk and so that feeling was inconsequential. Simi chewed on her lip as she frowned. He respected her. She knew that. He thought she was a beautiful person. She knew that too. He had said it himself. She didn't know his parents but she was sure she would be able to blend in. He admired her for her choice of profession and this was even before she had told him who her students were. So where was the hurdle? And she realized that the hurdle was Neil. His resolve to not get into a relationship. But how would he know if it was worth it till he didn't try.

He had said the same thing to her. Maybe she could make him see reason. She could try. This was the first time in years she had felt so strongly about a guy. She couldn't let it go without trying at least. That lifted her spirits again. And she bounced off her bed. But what if it didn't work out? What if Neil remained stubborn? She hadn't thought of that. She sat down again. Thinking and not doing something wasn't going to help. She will just have to give it her best shot and wait. 'Live your life...heartaches only make you wise', she recalled Preet's words. If it was heartache for her then so be it. But she wanted to give this a try and she will. It was Christmas eve right, and Neil was part Christian. So she should get him a present under the tree. She didn't know if he celebrated Christmas but she could always get him a gift regardless. It would be a nice gesture on her part for all he had done for her.

That made her bounce off the bed again. What could she get for him? She didn't know. But she could find out. She picked up her wallet and dashed out of the main door of the suite just as Neil was coming back. As she bumped into him she crossed her fingers behind her back and hoped that Christmas might work its magic this time. If it did then it just might restore her faith again.

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