The Love Assignment

Chapter 8

Alex POV

I waited for Vallerie outside the restaurant in my Audi. I knew she would be out any minute. Her date was a complete disaster. Sarah must have sensed that Vallerie would not inform me about the date and so, sent me a copy of the file. After reading his profile I thought that the guy was a gentleman. But he turned out to be the total opposite of it. Either the guy was too self obsessed or had some women issues. He forgot the most important rule of dating; never insult a woman on her dressing sense. When Vallerie walked in, I slowly looked at her, making sure she didn't notice me. She looked absolutely stunning, her deep blue alter dress stood like a second skin leaving me to wonder where she had hid all her curves. Her small diamond flower that fell lightly near her cleavage looked so beautiful. I had to pull my staring eyes off her. When she walked in, she looked like a lost angel; her five minutes late arrival didn't go unnoticed by George which earned him her pout. I felt myself squirming looking at her pink lips. I would have waited all my life to have a date with a girl like her.  

Sighing I peeped out, through the front view mirror of the car and found her walking away from me. I started my car, and stopped closer to her when was crossing. I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction, but composed myself called out to her. 

Initially I thought she wouldn't get in the car, and even if she didn't I was ready to force her in. But Vallerie nodded her head and walked in. I smiled feeling victorious.  

"So, where to?," I asked looking at her. She simply stared outside and told me her address. The ride was completely quite and I got to thinking. 

Vallerie Walters was definitely one of kind. From my high school I've had girls literally throwing themselves over me. I never knew what it felt to have a girl as a friend, just a friend and nothing else, well other than my cousin Isle, I didn't have any friend in a girl. It always started with some casual conservation but by the end of the week, we would have slept. After that, there's never really a 'friend', as either the girl demanded to be a 'girlfriend' which I wouldn't agree to or it ended with 'only sex', like friends with benefits, except that there's no friend in it. I wanted a break from it and I wanted to find out what it felt to have a girl as just a friend. And that I think is possible only with Vallerie. Like the other girls, Vallerie didn't get affected by me; in fact she gives the opposite of 'the other girl's' reactions. Other girls would simply blush at my one look, but Vallerie, she gets irritated and that made me smile.  

Every now and then, I glanced at Vallerie. She didn't look at me even once; she simply stared out, her eyebrows squeezed like she was trying to keep her anger at bay.  

I sighed pulling the car to a stop at my favorite spot. 

Vallerie POV

The car ride was extremely quite. I wished I could at least switch on the freaking radio, at this point I was even ready to listen to Alex speak something, which I usually wouldn't. The silence made me cringe. Every passing second of quietness, made me remember about my disastrous date. Even though I tried not letting George's words affect me, the girly sensitive part of me felt insulted at George's comments on my dress, and my looks. No girl likes being commented bad about her looks. A true gentleman is someone who tries to compliment the faults in a girl rather than point them out. It made me angry every passing second, I wanted some distraction, any distraction, and then the car stopped.  

I looked out to see if it was my apartment. But what I saw made me gasp. In front of me, stood the vast New York City, to my right stood the Brooklyn Bridge. The cities bright lights dancing around, reflected by the east river. This was New York, the city that came alive at night, the city that could make your dreams come true or break them, the city that could make you lonely and complete at the same time. I remembered Jay-z 'Empire State of mind'.