Promises He Made | ✔️

25. I Remember The Dates

I've decided to change Epilogue to just another chapter. I hate having different parts of chapters. You deserve better than that. So here is the 25th chapter of Promises He Made. I hope you enjoy. :)

Also, I had this worst nightmare ever. Let's just say it involved my sister being away, me sleeping in my room, woken up by a stupid ghost looking like the one in evil dead at the window, it was knocking furiously, and I was scared, and then it opened the window and crawled to me and killed me. It still weirds me out how I just wake up and then don't even cry about it. I just become oddly paranoid.

* * * * *

Reese

"Tell me how you end up here, having a date with me?" Ethan asks, taking a piece of his steak and chewing it.

I shrug. "Kasey, my manager, thinks I've been single for far too long so she and Chase planned to set me on a lot of blind dates and then when it wasn't working because they said I was "too picky", Chase just contacted a person he knows. I didn't know that it'd be you I'm going on a date with."

He grins, I can hear him laughing silently, trying to stop himself from doing so. I cock a brow at him and he shakes his head at me. "Oh, no. I'm not laughing because of that. I'm laughing because Loren actually was the one who set me up on a bunch of blind dates."

Wow, see how we just have the similarity of people closest to us who are more interested in our lives than theirs?

"How many?"

"Uh," He trails off, drinking his red wine. "About six."

He's never even changed. He's still handsome like before, growing out a subtle on his cheek, his square jaw, his thin pale lips, and his fit body. How can someone never catch his heart?

Someone might've before he started dating again.

But why even break up with him? Ethan is Ethan. He's beautiful, kind, and just loving.

"I have endured so much worse," I laugh. "Fourteen dates? Give or take."

His eyes widen at me. "Wow. And somehow all those fourteen people never caught your heart?"

I just drink my water and give out a small laugh. "Three of them were married, four were just going through divorce, five were just so rude, and the remaining two, well, they were nice but no feelings."

He nods, his eyes telling me that he's understanding me. "Well, two of them was rude to the waitstaff, one was just telling me how she just got out of a relationship, and the other two were just wanting to get laid, one of them was married."

I shake my head. "The poor husband of that woman."

"The poor wives of those men." He retorts.

I raise my water at him and he raises his red wine, our glasses clinking. "Cheers to that," I laugh.

As we're drinking, I can't help but glance at him and somehow, also, he was staring at me. He has these shining emerald eyes like before.

When we bring down our glasses on to the table, Ethan takes my hand across the table, squeezing it. "How's your family?" He questions, smiling.

"Tracie and Xavier are going strong," I state, staring at his hand caressing my own. "Jordan and Trent are finally engaged, Barry has another girlfriend, Scott is going to be a proud father of one, Garry is practicing law again, Maddie is still in high school一she's a little rebel which is a problem, and I have talked to my real mother but I just couldn't continue the relationship. She's just the same old Mom I had but it was just too much for me to handle so I really couldn't talk to her. Anyway, Mom and Dad are on a travel vacation at France."

I stare at him. He seems so interested in knowing all the things he has asked. Most of the people that I had asked me the questions seems like they only want to know me only to get into my pants

I learned that the hard way in about three to five dates in. I was much complicated in dating that it got messy.

I thought I had it all handled at first but I was just continuing to destroy myself so I made sure to be better after those bad dates.

And I guess it led me to Ethan Mitchell.

I pull back my hand, letting it sit on my lap, chipping the clear paint on my nails. "So," I gaze at him. "how is your family?"

He breathes. "Loren is at college, Mom and my stepdad are very much in love with each other, Dad is at the hospital, he's getting his first chemo, Nick is still, well, Nick."

"Chemo!" I exclaim, stunned. Mr. Mitchell has always been healthy like a horse. I remember him only even getting sick once in two years and he'll just have a cold and that's it.

"He's got cancer, Reese," he stares down at his plate. The sadness that just consumed him as he said that made my heart ache. This man, a man who has suffered enough through his parents divorce, is suffering again because his father has cancer.

I press my lips into a thin line, thinking of something that I can absolutely do to lighten the mood somehow.

"Where is the hospital he's staying?"

He gazes up. "What?"

I shrug. "Aside from my real dad, and the one who adopted me, Mr. Mitchell has always been one of the people who cared for me. So, I think, I should visit him."

He tilts his head, a smile forming to replace the frown on his lips. That's better. "I can't believe after all the dates we have been, we manage to find ourselves back to each other."

Hmm, I never thought of it like that.

"That seems weirdly accurate," I can't help but giggle at the thought. "Do you remember our unfinished date?"

He nods, chuckling. "I seem to remember it being unfinished because it ended with a soda in my favorite shirt and you calling me a stupid jackass and then walking out of the door."

I hold my hands up in surrender. "Hey, you were really a stupid jackass back then! You think I really would like you more when you flirt with the waitress that served us, talked about constantly how I'm a nerd but not the ugly kind, and just treating me like I'm some object, will end up me kissing you?"

"Wha一in my defense, they were the ones that told me to act that way!" He does the same thing I do, holds his hands up in mock surrender. "Plus, I really hated acting that way."

We laugh and it seemed to continue with the both of us talking about all of the bad dates and the good dates. It's funny how we all just remember it as if it was just yesterday.